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Dynamics for Living
Consciousness
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[Dynamics for Living]
[Charles Fillmore's Works] [Unity on the Web Home Page]
CONSCIOUSNESS is the sense of awareness, of knowing. It is
our knowing that we know. The ideas that are held in mind
are the basis of all consciousness. The nature of the ideas
upon which consciousness is formed gives character to it.
Consciousness is the knowledge or realization of any idea,
object, or condition. It is the sum total of all ideas
accumulated in and affecting man's present being. It is the
composite of ideas, thoughts, emotions, sensation, and
knowledge that makes up the conscious, subconscious, and
superconscious phases of mind. It includes all that man is
aware of in
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spirit, soul, and body. The total consciousness of man is
the conscious, subconscious, and superconscious, phases of
mind working as a whole, as a unity. The harmonious working
together of these three is necessary to the bringing forth
of the latent possibilities of man.
Superconsciousness
The superconscious mind, Christ consciousness or spiritual
consciousness, is a state that is based on true ideas, upon
an understanding and realization of spiritual Truth. It is
man's only sure guide through the maze of the creative
process. By trusting to the infallibility of this guide,
man opens himself to the inspiration of the Almighty. This
phase of mind is built in accordance with the Christ ideal,
or in absolute relationship to the Father. It is the
perfect mind.
Conscious Mind
We are all well acquainted with the conscious mind. Through
its use we establish our relations with the outer realm and
recognize our individual entities. The conscious mind makes
one know of one's mental operations. It is that phase of
mind in which one is actively aware of one's thoughts. It
is the mind through which man establishes his identity. The
conscious mind should look ever to the superconscious for
all
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direction and instruction. The Spirit of wisdom rests in
the superconscious.
Subconsciousness
The subconscious mind, or subjective consciousness, is the
sum of all man's past thinking. It may be called memory.
The subconscious mind has no power to do original thinking.
It acts upon what is given it through the conscious or the
superconscious mind. All our involuntary, or automatic,
activities are of the subconscious. They are the result of
our having trained ourself by the conscious mind to form
certain habits and do certain things without having to
center our thought upon them consciously.
The subconscious is the vast, silent realm that lies back
of the conscious mind and between it and the
superconscious. It may be called the sensitive place of
mind. Its true office is to receive impressions from the
superconsciousness and to reproduce them upon the canvas of
the conscious mind.
Man, however, having lost the consciousness of the
indwelling Father as an ever-present reality, has reversed
the process and impresses the subconscious from the
conscious mind. In this way the former is made to register
impressions according to the thought held in conscious mind
at the time the impression is made.
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It is the purpose and the nature of the subconscious mind
to reproduce.
Twelve Centers
Inherent in the Mind of Being are twelve fundamental ideas,
which in action appear as primal creative forces. It is
possible for man to ally himself with and to use these
original forces, and thereby cooperate with the creative
law. In order to do this he must detach himself from the
outer forces and enter into the consciousness of the idea
lying back of them.
Man has twelve great centers of consciousness. They are
centers of action. Each of these has control of a certain
function in mind and body, in soul and body. These twelve
powers are all expressed and developed under the guidance
of Divine Mind.
You must keep the equipoise. You must in all the bringing
forth of the twelve realize that they come from God. They
are directed by the Word of God. The twelve centers are:
faith, strength, judgment, love, power, imagination,
understanding, will, order, zeal, renunciation (or
elimination), and life.
Faith
Faith is the perceiving power of the mind linked with the
power to shape substance. It is spiritual assurance. It is
the
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power to do the seemingly impossible. It is a magnetic
power that draws unto us our heart's desire from the
invisible spiritual substance. Faith is a deep inner
knowing that that which is sought is already ours for the
taking.
Faith is the foundation of all that man does. It is closely
related to the enduring, firm, unyielding forms of
substance. The development of it is a key to spiritual
realization. Faith in God is the substance of existence. To
have faith in God is to have the faith of God. We must have
faith in God as our Father and source of all the good we
desire.
Faith is more than mere belief. It is the very substance of
that which is believed. Faith working in spiritual
substance accomplishes all things. This is the faith that
cooperates with creative law. When it is exercised deep in
spiritual consciousness, it finds its abode. Here it works
under divine law, without variation. It brings results that
are seemingly miraculous.
An understanding faith functions from Principle. It is
based on knowledge of Truth. It understands the law of mind
action. Therefore, it has great strength. To know that
certain causes produce certain results gives a bedrock
foundation for faith.
The term blind faith is an instinctive trust
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in a power higher than ourselves. Because blind faith does
not understand the principles of Being, it is liable to
discouragement and disappointment.
Strength
Strength is the energy of God. In man it causes freedom
from weakness; stability of character; power to withstand
temptation; capacity to accomplish. Strength is physical,
mental, and spiritual. All strength originates in Spirit.
Strength and faith are brothers in the mind. When this bond
of unity is established it carries one along, even though
one may encounter the most adverse experiences.
Judgment
Judgment is a faculty of the mind that can be exercised in
two ways--from sense perception or spiritual understanding.
If its action be based on sense perception its conclusions
are fallible and often condemnatory. If based on spiritual
understanding, they are safe. Judgment is a mental act of
evaluation through comparison or contrast. Spiritual
discernment is the inner voice through whose expression we
come into a larger realization of ourselves. We also call
this faculty discrimination. It is that quality in us which
carefully weighs a question and draws a conclusion.
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The prevailing tendency of judgment is toward caution,
fearfulness, criticism, and condemnation, when it draws its
conclusions from the effect side of existence. We should
therefore faithfully seek the spiritual aspect of this
faculty, the guidance and good judgment of spiritual light
and understanding.
Wisdom, justice, judgment are grouped under one head in
spiritual consciousness. Intuition, judgment, wisdom,
justice, discernment, pure knowing, and profound
understanding are natural to man. All these qualities, and
many more, belong to every one of us by and through his
divine sonship.
Love
Love is an inner quality that sees good everywhere and in
everybody. It insists that all is good, and by refusing to
see anything but good it causes that quality finally to
appear uppermost in itself, and in all things. Divine love
will bring your own to you, adjust all misunderstandings,
and make your life and affairs healthy, happy, harmonious,
and free. Like the sun, its joy is in the shining forth of
its nature.
Love is a divine attribute. It is an idea in the one Mind,
a quality in Being. The difference between divine love and
human love is that divine love is broad and unlimited, a
universal
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and harmonizing power. Human love is based on personality.
When man expresses divine love in limited ways he makes a
separation in consciousness and his expression of love is
personal instead of universal. When love is established in
the consciousness it will draw to us all that we require to
make us happy and contented, all that really belongs to us.
Unselfish love is fearless, because of its forgetfulness of
self. A sense of oneness is a natural product of love. It
is accompanied by a consciousness of security.
Power
Man is the power of God in action. The mind and the body of
man have power to transform energy from one plane of
consciousness to another. This is the power and dominion
implanted in man from the beginning. It is man's control
over his thoughts and feelings. A quickening from on high
must precede his realization of dominion. Power is
increased through exalted ideas. The power of the voice
controls all the vibratory energies of the organism. It is
the open door between the formless and the formed worlds of
vibrations pertaining to expression. Every word that goes
forth receives its specific character from the power
faculty.
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Imagination
Every form and shape originated in the imagination. It is
through the imagination that the formless takes form. Man
is continually making and sending forth into his mind, his
body, and the world about him living thought forms embodied
and endued with his whole character. These images are
formed in the imaging faculty.
In the realm of the real, the imaging power of the mind is
innocent of error images. It is open and receptive to the
beauty and perfection of Being. This faculty makes the
great, when the soul is lifted up with spiritual fervor.
Exercised without the Christ understanding, it is personal
credulity. It is not in itself error, but may be used in
erroneous ways. In the communication of God with man this
faculty plays an important part.
Understanding
That in man which comprehends is understanding. It
comprehends and knows in wisdom. Its comparisons are not
made in the realm of form, but in the realm of ideas. It
knows how to accomplish things. Spiritual discernment
reveals that knowledge and intelligence are auxiliary to
understanding.
There are two ways of getting understanding. One is by
following the guidance of Spirit
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that dwells within, and the other is to go blindly ahead
and learn through hard experience.
Intellectual understanding of Truth is a tremendous step in
advance of sense consciousness, and its possession brings a
temptation to use for selfish ends the wisdom and power
thereby revealed.
Spiritual understanding is the quickening of the Spirit
within. Spiritual understanding is the ability of the mind
to apprehend and realize the laws of thought and the
relation of ideas one to another.
Will
The will is the executive faculty of the mind and carries
out the edicts of the I AM. All thoughts that go in and out
of man's consciousness pass the gate at which sits the
will. If the will understands its office, the character and
value of every thought are inquired into and a certain
tribute is exacted for the benefit of the whole man. When
the will of man adheres to wisdom faithfully and carries
out in its work the plans that are idealized in wisdom, it
creates in man a consciousness of harmony and peace.
The will may be said to be the man, because it is the
directive power that determines character formation. When
man wills to do the will of God, he exercises his
individual will in wisdom,
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love, and spiritual understanding. He builds spiritual
character.
What man wills or decrees comes to pass in his experience.
The will is the center in mind and body around which
revolve all the activities that constitute consciousness.
It is the avenue through which the I AM expresses its
potentiality.
Order
The inner spirit of order is the spiritual way of life. The
divine idea of order is the idea of adjustment. As this is
established in man's thought, his mind and affairs will be
at one with the universal harmony. The faculty of order in
the mind holds every thought and act strictly to the Truth
of Being, regardless of circumstances or environment. The
development of man is under law. Man can never exercise
dominion until he knows who and what he is and, knowing,
brings forth that knowledge into the external by exercising
it in divine order.
Zeal
Zeal is intensity, ardor, enthusiasm; the inward fire of
the soul that urges man onward regardless of caution. It is
the affirmative impulse of existence. Its command is "Go
forward!" When zeal and judgment work together great things
can be accomplished.
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To be without zeal is to be without the zest of living.
Zeal and enthusiasm incite to glorious achievement in every
aim and ideal that the mind conceives. Energy is zeal in
motion. Energy is the forerunner of every effect. Never
repress the impulse, the force, the zeal welling up within
you. Praise it for its great energy and efficiency in
action.
Let your zeal be tempered with wisdom. Do not let your zeal
run away with judgment. Man is a dynamo of pent-up power,
but he needs judgment in its use. Always exercise zeal in
spiritual ways. Extraordinary zeal in the accomplishment of
some ideal develops what is called genius. Genius is the
accumulated zeal of the individual in some chosen field of
life action. Genius is the breaking forth of the
accumulated achievements of a man in that field of activity
for which he has been very zealous.
Renunciation
Renunciation is a letting go of old thoughts in order that
new thoughts may find a place in consciousness. A healthy
state of mind is attained when the thinker willingly lets
go the old thoughts and takes on the new. This is
illustrated by the inlet and outlet of a pool of water.
Renunciation, sometimes called elimination, carries forward
the work of elimination of error thoughts
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from the mind and waste from the body.
It is just as necessary that one should learn to let go of
thoughts, conditions, and substances in consciousness,
body, and affairs, when they have served their purpose and
one no longer needs them, as it is that one should lay hold
of new ideas and new substances to meet one's daily
requirements. Therefore it is very necessary that the
eliminative faculty be quickened in one, and a right
balance between receiving and giving, laying hold and
letting go, be established.
Life
In the phenomenal world, life is the energy that propels
all forms of action. The life ego is the most subtle and
most variable of all the powers of man. It presides over
the life of the body. The pure life of God flows into man's
consciousness through the spiritual body idea. Only those
who have come into consciousness of the spiritual body idea
can feel this holy stream of life. Its nature is to vivify
with perpetual life all that it touches. It knows only to
give, give unceasingly and eternally, without restraint. To
desire to be instructed by God is the first step in
exalting the inner life force. Life is divine, spiritual.
Its source is Spirit. The river of life is within man in
his spiritual consciousness. He comes into consciousness of
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the river of life through the quickening of Spirit. He can
be truly quickened with new life and vitalized in mind and
body only by consciously contacting Spirit.
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