Tag: mind

The Call to Memory

“Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;” 1 Corinthians 2:6-7

Remembering

Before you were born, you were inspired, breathed, and known by God.  Every bit of information that is your intricate genetic makeup is known and stored within you by God.  You are of a reverberating lineage; one that is vibrant and resounding in space and time. Who still remembers? 

As human beings we think, we develop, and grow.  We acquire knowledge, we reflect on things, we seek answers to questions, we form ideas.  Our knowledge about the world is robust, but the things not yet known are wide and varied; curiosities about the nature of reality that will take you to the very limits of your intellectual ability.

Understanding

Perceiving beyond our knowledge of the natural world with finite sensory experiences is not rational by any means of material standards. It is going beyond all reasonable doubt to its certainty; to confront all of that which is unreasonable doubt.  It is maneuvering paradoxes and coming to that which is the belief in God as the first cause.

Innatism suggests that the mind is born with knowledge, ideas, and beliefs. Memory that transcends our experiences.  Could there be memories encoded before birth?  An intangible faculty of memory stored prior to all mind body experience.

Although the mind is not a blank slate at birth, we need our senses and experiences as keys to unlocking what is stored knowledge and intellect, and even remembrance.  Things that are innate to you are things that you naturally identify with through sensation, reflection, and memory.

Grasping

As human beings, we grow in wisdom and knowledge that springs from an inquiring mind. There springs an eagerness to know how the world works. And God sustains this developmental process all the way through.  There are however many traps, in this world of duality– in a world that increasingly contradicts what is good and true as fallacy, to further us from our intuition and knowledge of our intrinsic value.  

It is as though the world is trying to remember what is true as we grasp at illusions.  The good is absolute, but the world debates the moral good and argues for moral relativism.  How then can we remember eternal truth? 

By sensing it as it connects to memory. 

Knowing

Memory is your brain’s capacity and function to encode, store, retain, and recall information from sensory experiences.  The collection of our experiences since birth and our innate sensibilities.  Every experience and memory shapes us in purposeful ways.  And although specific memories may be forgotten, those memories that truly shape us are never completely gone. 

Sensing

We sense what is true from hearing what is good and true.  From sensory to genetic memory. Firstly, with unaided intellect, then being appropriately receptive to make sense of what’s out there. “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness” Romans 10:10. 

There is a call to remember. But who remembers, and who does not?

“For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.” Isaiah 52:15

Mechanics of Symbolism

“evil persons and impostors will keep on going from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves. But as for you, continue in the truths that you were taught and firmly believe. You know who your teachers were, and you remember that ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:13-15 

Symbolism Usage

It’s remarkable how images and symbols impress our minds. The implanting of an idea that elicits connection or relationship, with emotion, and the extent to which it subliminally echoes is astounding. 

Symbolism is the use of symbols or images to represent and convey ideas and meanings.  Symbolism is found everywhere and is used in a variety of ways.  The most prevalent and pervasive use of symbolism is through the media, in entertainment: TV, Radio, Books, Newspapers, Magazines, Internet, etc.  Symbolism can speak to our conscious mind or subversively speak to our subconscious mind.  As such, symbolism can be used in both good and bad ways.

Symbolism Transmission

The transmission of an idea can be crude or well crafted; it can be obvious or inconspicuous, overt or hidden.  But when an idea is well placed, it replicates, multiplies, spreads, “goes viral”. It starts in the mind with symbolisms that represent ideas.  Like language, which is a system of symbols and signs, information is communicated, and our brains process the information that is transmitted.  Transmitted symbols transform into thoughts and beliefs, which eventually drive our actions. What then, when symbolism is nefariously deployed through systems?

Symbolism Affect

The gears turn in our minds; our difference engines. We hope to intelligently determine wise steps to take in life and move forward in our free will; learning from mistakes, lamenting our perceived missteps, reassessing, making our corrections, moving forward, and always checking in with our hearts.  What then, when our thoughts are not our own, but rather unnaturally elicited thoughts and responses that determine our form and function?  What then, when we are maneuvered by the mechanics of abstract symbolisms used in violation of our willful minds?  What then shall we say when we are where we are in spite of ourselves?

Influence in the World- the Heart and the Mind

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27‬

Influence by Bondage

The cycle of influence by bondage in the world, is like the ouroboros- the serpent eating its own tail. The cycle is persistent, and the effect is perpetual suffering because the course is cyclical.  There is no escape from man made constructs that determine influence, and there is no escape from the negative elements that hold sway. This is societal torment. This is in opposition to love. This is the control of the mind which is predisposed to imbalance.

Peace of Mind & Heart

Now the heart you’ll find uncompromising.  It beats steadfast with life purpose. The heart is less ruled or controlled and less volatile. It is independent. You can hold peace in the heart.

The heart is central and fundamental. It is fearless in its duties, promoting life and love. Unswayed, but the heart is vulnerable to attack if unprotected. 

So, protect the heart you must. There is a battle in this world for each and every person. The conflict between the heart and the mind.

Battle for Heart & Mind

As influence looms to besiege the heart’s independence, it employs to make the heart sick. It works to harden the heart. To eject all peace and instill fear.

It is your right to push back against the persistent cycle of influence in the world. To connect back to Truth and its freedom.  Question everything, hear, then feel with your heart. Cause your own independent, personal awareness. Hone what you believe. Connect to what brings you peace. 

Intensely Captivating Cinema and Mind Subversion

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Matthew‬ ‭6:22-23‬

The Joker Movie (2019)

The movie “Joker”, characterized as a psychological thriller, is intensely captivating cinema and a lesson in subversion. Cinematically beautiful, raw, riveting, and it has all the ingredients of a blockbuster film. The evocative storyline brings you in and feeds you an entrapping narrative. Something stimulating and “sexy”.

The movie teeters on the precipice of what is and what is to be. It mirrors the suppressed attitudes and behaviors of society… a burgeoning anthem set to the music of chaos. This reality is a slowly moving crescendo. Slowly burning, slowly unraveling, and the movie is here to tell you so. And it is here to show you blurred lines of good and evil. And it is here to entitle you, to make you complicit.

This movie, like others, is a breaking down and a building up of social norms in its capture, depiction, and ascension of glorified mental illness. Bringing us into its wheelhouses, acclimating us to depravity.

2019

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭

Information

2019 is something of a slow burn.  Separating the good information from the bad, for honest, unencumbered forward movement.  And what of these months of the last year of the decade?  And what of the elapsed time of your life since birth up until now? What is your state of mind. And what does your heart have to say about it. 

Information Technology

We are on the verge of something. They call it a singularity. Simply put, it’s a time of supreme technological advancement and information synthesis. 

Consequently, It will be a time for mania, hyperactivity, overactivity, sensory overload. 

There is a certain frequency of information out here, that is formed into culture.  Lives are overpowered by it.  Information that is demanding and posturing to overpower our insight. 

State of Mind

Now my friend, it is time to know more than ever who you are.   

Take account of where you are in this moment. In these months of 2019.  What is your state of mind?  What is the information that is in play in the feedback loop of your environment?   And what does your heart have to say about it.

Jesus Christ: The Anchor of the Soul

True Health

Your body, soul, and mind are connected in a very special way. In a way wherein one cannot thrive without the other.  When we are weak in mind and spirit our body does not do well.  We feel physically weak and lose strength, exercise and good nutrition would take a back seat to our discouraged state, taking care of our body would not be a priority, we eat too much or have loss of appetite and eat too little, we develop unhealthy habits to cope, and making a doctors appointment would be the last thing on our list. Our body would simply go lacking from the things we need to keep it healthy. When we are weak in body and spirit, our mind does not do well. We feel depressed, our self image deteriorates, we do not feel good about ourselves, stress takes a toll and we get sick easily, we lack or are confused about our purpose, the meaning of life becomes lost and we become less positive and more negative.

Because the health of our body, soul, and mind is important to our overall health and well-being, and these three components are inextricably linked, we need these three areas to be in harmony as much as possible.  The key to achieving this harmony is the anchor of the soul. 

The Anchor

Anchoring your soul in truth equips you to become more empowered and resilient.  Anchoring your soul in truth gives you a clearer understanding of your individual journey and meaning in personal life events. Anchoring your soul in truth allows you to walk the path to become your best self. This will enhance your desire for a healthy body, a deeper and deeper relationship with God, and you will be more happy, hopeful, and peaceful.  You’ll have more joyful relationships with deeper connection that enables you to uplift and be uplifted by others.  You will be more capable of carrying out your God given purpose.

Stress management and the Bible

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” 

Philippians 4:8-9

Manage Stress

Stress is a part of life and it can wreak havoc on our body, soul, and mind if we do not know how to cope with it in our daily life. Stress is the result of pressure, strain, or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances, or circumstances you feel are out of your control. Stress can be overwhelming and can cause anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, pounding heart, insomnia, and premature aging among others. One of the best things we can do for ourselves when encountering stress is to manage it in healthy ways.

Change Perspective

God shows us the way to consider stress. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”(James 1:2-4). Changing your perspective on stress and knowing that God is in control, that He loves us and wants the best for us, can enable us to look at the stressors in a different way which can be freeing. Once we’re able to see the stressors in a different light, we are better able to make use of stress management tools like relaxation techniques, physical activity, communicating your feelings or counseling, time management techniques etc. 

We also need to keep ourselves mentally and spiritually strong and resilient before stress occurs. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9). We need to know who we are in Christ, strengthen the areas in which we are weak, and put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). We need to be prepared with the truth that God has our back no matter the stress of the moment. “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

Start. Trust that God loves you and wants the best for you. Pray and meditate before, during, and after stressful moments so you have an understanding of each event and can take lessons from it. Make use of stress management techniques like controlled breathing, positive thinking, time management, exercise, doing something you love, treating yourself, talking to close friends and family, and more.