i am thinking about my mind now

Most people live their lives without mastering the mind.

Mastering the mind means mastering yourself. This sounds trite, but most people don't understand the true purity behind that statement.

My exploration into spirituality over the past several months has allowed me to truly explore the meaning of that phrase.

I will summarize my beliefs, findings, and actionable insights below. This is partially so that I can record my current beliefs and look back in the future to see if/how they has changed. But it is also to serve as a pseudo-guide for others that may be looking to understand and learn about what is within them.

Let's begin.

Human beings, like all living things on Earth, are creatures of consciousness. I define consciousness as pure awareness. The simple concept of perceiving from the senses.

To that end, I believe there are four levels of consciousness.

Level 0: Survival Consciousness

Level 0 is where most non-human living beings exist. It is the state of consciousness where the being is only perceiving in the context of its survival. It may be programmed through evolution to act in certain ways.

I think of a squirrel that stores nuts for the winter. I think of a kodiak bear heading to the river to eat salmon during springtime. I think of small mites in our eyelashes that feast on our dead skin cells.

Level 1: Human Consciousness

One level up for this list, one massive step up for consciousness and for mankind. In this state of consciousness, we can control our survival thoughts because we are aware internally. We feel feelings, can recognize that we feel feelings, and choose to act in certain ways because of/despite of those feelings.

For example, we may feel hungry. A being with Level 0 Consciousness then acts to not feel hungry. A human being may choose to ignore this feeling, despite it going against their survival instinct (perhaps to get chiseled).

Beyond this, because we can register our feelings, we are incredibly developed in characteristics that are largely self-attributions. Deep empathy, cognitive dissonance, bipolar disorder - these are all examples of behaviors that only humans can exhibit.

I would go further and summarize these characteristics as the product of ego. I define ego as the unique lens that each human's inner consciousness uses to perceive the world around them. The ego is what grounds humans in this physical realm.

We are immensely elevated beings compared to our other animal friends on Earth. Most human beings live in this level of consciousness (I'd put it somewhere at 98%). Yet there is so much potential in the levels beyond.

To better illustrate my point, I provide this trailer sentence: The gap between Level 1 and Level 0 seems wide, but it is infinitely small compared to the gap between Level 1 and Level 2.

And to compare Level 1 to Levels 3 or even 4? Well... you can't really go beyond infinity, but imagine a concept larger than that.

Level 2: Metacognition & State Control

I define metacognition as the ability to think about your thoughts. I define state control as the ability to purposely influence your thoughts and behaviors.

Metacognition and state control are two separate skills. Some folks may practice one or the other, but true mastery of Level 2 comes from utilizing both.

How does one practice metacognition?

Take the following example: a person attends a friend's party where they do not know anyone. The average person will feel nervous and slightly uncomfortable. Their mind will start to form negative thoughts.

"What if I come across as awkward?"

"What if these people don't like me?"

"What if I don't say the right things?"

A person who practices metacognition will be aware of this mental drift. They will understand the reasons why their mind is telling them this and be able to trace this to a core insecurity within themselves.

Now, how does one practice state control?

We return to the previous example. Assume that this person understands metacognition. They understand that their fears and doubts related to this upcoming party stem from a deep desire to belong. They understand that they want to feel valued and respected by this foreign group of people.

If this person were to practice state control, they would intentionally control their mind to discard the negative thoughts. They would replace these negative thoughts with positive ones. They would deliberately inject statements of affirmation and security into their mind. They would tell themselves things like:

"I am secure."

"I am confident."

"I am magnetic."

When this person arrives at the party, they will deliberately tell themselves that they already belong and that any interaction is an opportunity to get to know someone interesting. No interaction is a threat. Every interaction begins from a positive state of mind.

To go deeper into Level 2, one must understand that metacognition and state control are really just ways to manipulate the ego.

In other words, Level 2 is the realization that you can control and even utilize your ego to change your behavior for the better. Your ego no longer controls you from within. You are able to recognize its voice (literally the voice in your head), distance yourself from it, and choose what it says to you.