The Power of "I"

               Thoughts             Emotions

Mind                        "I"                                       Spirit


           Subconscious Thoughts and Emotions


When you reflect on who we truly are, you have to agree that it gets confusing really fast. Are we really just the chemicals in our brain; are we our body, or our genes? Are we the sum of all our experiences; are we born with a soul or a collective unconscious that carries a lot more around? Are we perhaps in a position to break free from all that and could our limit in fact be "Ye shall be as Gods" as Erich Fromm asserts in his same-titled book?

The brain and the body is the hardware that simulates our journey on earth. But behind the scenes is the software, the interaction of mind, spirit, thoughts and emotions that defines us.Thoughts and emotions are beyond us on a certain level; at times they pop up deep out of the sub-consciousness. But once they have popped to the surface we can certainly build on them and channel them in whatever direction we like to take them. We can also consciously create our desired thoughts and emotions which brings us to the concept of the "I".

The "I" is the intersection of all these forces. Think of it as a laser that consciously zooms into the desired direction. Some thoughts are passed on, while some thoughts are build on. Some actions are contemplated, some are negated and some are done. Some emotions are expressed, some are repressed; some emotions are fought and some are aspired. You are the owner of the entire package deal, called you. The "I" is the creator of your destiny.

We have found out the hard way that emotions and thoughts are on equal footing. Most women would subscribe to this, while many men were told to will their emotions into the right direction. That was the madness of our enlightenment period when somehow we thought the mind could single-handedly define who we are. Sure you can, you are that powerful, but please don't be surprised if the ghosts come out at night and play. The other recent insight is spirit. The entire New Age movement is the realization that spirit defines us as much as the mind does. We may have different observations of what exactly spirituality encompasses but atheism to the extreme suggests that some voice inside has been repressed in the name of the religion called science.

So what exactly is a spiritual path? Well, you aim to point the focus of the "I" in God's direction which is impossible to do since this Force is beyond you. So you start by avoiding what you think holds you back like bad company, violence, selfishness, lust, pride, etc. The problem with that approach is that you override your subconscious forces. If you want to function well then the "I" has to look out for all aspects of your being. Get into contact with your subconscious; it can be done with the help of art, music, writing, sex, dancing, company. When you are willing to look under the hood the system will respond back to show you how you are doing. A spiritual path is journey towards wholeness. It takes effort to guide the "I" through the storm of all the competing forces you face on the outside and within. But soon intuition kicks in and the journey becomes a stroll in the park. The "I" literally melts away and the Way takes over. Use the power of the "I" to merge with the power of the Way.