Become a Botanist of Mind
Botanists get the ball rolling. They identify plant forms. They identify the position of each form on the phylogenetic chart. They distinguish it as a type. They note it’s relationship to other types. From that, much science follows. Typing permits one kind of understanding; the nature of the form, it’s history, it’s wherewithal. Exploration of those characteristics of the ‘types‘ as separate pieces of something larger is ‘reductionist science’ and it is not to be sneezed at.
Holistic science is the study of the relationships between things or types of things. The concept is not but the science is new. It has only been possible to understand things in relation to one another as our mathematics have evolved. We now see the interconnectedness of all things ‘scientifically’.
We can now understand systems, and systems within systems, as never before. This is a bit of the history of science folks. Enough said. Let’s apply this science to study of mind.
Become a Botanist of Mind
A new kind of ‘self’ awareness is now possible. A new kind of relationship to our ‘self’ structure is now possible. The system, and the systems within the system, of our minds are as complex, as extraordinary and as beautiful the system of which we are a part, our material and non-material universe.
A new relationship to our ‘self’ structure affords us a glimpse of the quantum processes that underly the business of being. Our self organizing mind manages our experience, as it is experienced, unconsciously and and voila, we have created a ‘self ‘ structure. That’s the good news. We need one. It appears we need not be bound by it. As creators of it we can ‘tweak’ it, overcoming all manner of mental and emotional difficulty, mobilizing powers we didn’t know we possessed to help ourselves and help others.
Follow the history of science. Become a Botanist of Mind
Note the ‘flora’ and ‘fauna’ within the stream of consciousness. It is a beautiful world.
Twice a day, pause and take note. Can you distinguish between a thought and a feeling? Perhaps it would behoove you to get better at it.
Do you catch yourself beginning a sentence with “I think” and then finding yourself expressing a feeling?
Do you catch yourself beginning a sentence with “I feel” and then finding yourself expressing a thought? This is extremely common in contemporary american culture. It occurs to me reflect it might reflect a collective shift in values. That’s how it works folks, we individually and collectively co-create culture, for the most part, ‘not knowing what we do’. Perhaps the reluctance to say “I think” is some kind of collective defense against arrogance. Hmnn.
As we Make the Unconscious Conscious we are Dipping our Toe into the Quantum Domain
Join me. Become a Botanist of Mind and glimpse the undercurrent of reality.
About Diane Kern
Diane has been a practicing psychotherapist for over thirty years. She is credentialed to teach college level psychology, social science and anthropology. She has taught at California Community Colleges and Universities. She studied psychoanalytic theory and practice in the School of Criminology at the University of California at Berkeley where she earned her doctorate degree. She traveled to India to study cross-cultural conceptions of mental illness. Research was undertaken in social work agencies and at the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. She has had a balanced yoga practice for twenty five years.
2 Comments
Submit a Comment
Follow Me!
In electronics we used to study components and what they did, then we’d study signals and the path each signal took through the various components. In electrical theory (as opposed to electronics) a similiar dual point of view can be had by looking at the voltage drop across a component or the current travelling through a component. To measure the former you “stand outside” the component. To measure the latter (current) you actually have to get into the flow.
With ourselves one way to become a botanist of the mind is to think of thinking and doing as two separate modes. Thinking is where you go inside your head and think about thinks you’ve done or are doing. You analyze or problem solve. Doing is where you focus on sensory information from eyes, ears, touch etc. Doing is also focusing on the way you respond to what you sense.
Ideally both views help you to become more aware.
Not sure what you are doing, then take a step back and think for a moment, what are you trying to do?
Lost in thinking, or thinking to much? Then make a decision, choose and then act on that decision.
Great parallel. I consider thinking as doing. Thinking is a verb. Thinking fosters the I/it distinction in relation to mind stuff. This is important and good ‘to do’. However, ultimately, Fred Wolf makes an important distinction between intention and intent. Intention is a choice, a way of observing. Intent, in contrast, fosters the melding of the I/it into a whole. There’s something important for us in that distinction. Your thoughts?