Sometimes the will needs to step in and help the spirit. My spirits have been low today, and I am trying to give them a pep talk. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking the spirit is smarter than the mind: more wise, more able to see what is really important in life. But because the spirit is not analytical, and does not deal well with the concepts of ’past’ and ‘future’, it can get confused by overwhelming feelings in the present. I find it vital that I prevent my mind from listening to the spirit when things start feeling bleak. Otherwise I have part of me suffering from negative emotions, and another part thinking about how bad things are. They feed off each other and spiral quickly into a dark place.
Instead, if I can keep the will, (i.e., the verbal mind), working hard to resist the pressure of darkness, it can help my spirit heal. For the spirit is tender and vulnerable. It needs the will to protect it. The will can be the strong partner at these times, holding the spirit’s hand (so to speak), helping it get past the pain. I like to look at the two as marriage partners, who work best when they play to each other’s strengths, and work together toward health.
There is a complicated ecology in the mind. Similar to the biological ecology that surrounds us, the mind has distinct components that are partly but not completely separate from one another. There is constant interplay and resource cycling. Thoughts affect feelings, and vice versa. The goal as I see it is to become a good steward to this system. Like a diligent gardener, I try to spot the weeds of sadness and negativity, keep the soil fertilized with good thoughts and positive feelings, and water well with creative ways of seeing things.
Does any of this make sense to anyone else? Do others pay attention to the different aspects of their own mind, and tend the interactions? I’d be interested to hear another’s thoughts.
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Shelly at http://YourWebsite
Goes along with the biblical admonition from Philippians 4:8
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
It is a product of the will not to give into the feelings. To be disciplined. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” Sometimes it’s a downright fight and that’s where I think that mental illness/mental health has it’s war. Especially if your bent happens to be a ‘feeling ‘ person rather than a ‘rational’ person. My two cents anyway.
Posted at June 9, 2011 on 9:55am.
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Will at http://willspirit.com
Shelly–
Thank you for the biblical passages that clarify what was in my mind exactly (as it turns out) two years ago. I appreciate your going back into the archives, because when you leave comments I reread the old pieces and see where my mind dwelled at the time. I see how even back then, when life still seemed so confusing to me, glimmers of understanding had started sparkling in the corners of my pain. And all along I’ve felt that whatever was opening for me had deep roots in human culture and the collective unconscious. Paul’s words show me some of the history of this line of thinking.
–Will
–Will
Posted at June 10, 2011 on 10:48pm.