Uncertainty, trust and the universal mastermind
Our unrealistic need to stop time and find the truth.
Friends. I’m no expert in these affairs. I can only claim to be fairly well read and an experiment of one. In this piece I don’t expect to put forth any answers or even that many opinions. I’ll try to relate some of the ‘big thoughts’ I’ve been mulling over in my own practice and some of the common lines that may or may not draw through it.
Humans, very much like you and I, have been grappling with the unknowable for many thousands of years. We are hounded and worried by the unknowable answers to the big questions. Why are we here? What is our purpose? Is this all there is?
We don’t like uncertainty. It scares us. When we can’t find an answer we worry and fret. When we can’t find an answer we typically make one up. We give the unknowable faith based answers whether it is a faith in numbers, magical beings or chaos.
Our aversion to uncertainty flies in the face of experience. We like to resolve issues and find closure and find certainty. When everything is known and sorted only then do we feel safe. But then we are bored. We are counter driven to seek out change and movement. We are restless souls.
This duplicity of thought and action between uncertainty and adventure defines us as a species. We want the adventure, but we want it to be a safe adventure with bumpers and pads in case we fall.
Systems don’t like change. It’s not just rocks that have inertia. Systems will resist change and when they are changed they will try to snap back to the original state.
Name any person we hold up as an example of greatness and you will more than likely discover that they went counter to all the wishes and forces of their contemporaries. They stayed with their vision against the inertia of their systems.
Our aversion to uncertainty keeps us from opportunity. We shy away from uncertainty but that is the only direction where true change comes from. Can we learn to embrace or even just endure uncertainty long enough to find new paths? Can we practice using uncertainty and fear as a compass to find opportunities for growth?
I think so. I think that as we go through our self-analysis, throughout our lives, we should take note of the directions that scare us. These directions scare us because we don’t know what to do and we don’t know how to do it. When you don’t know what or how you should be able to fall back on why.
We should take the time to explore those dark and scary turns and ask better questions ‘what if I were to do this and why?’ Don’t be afraid to shine a light down those dark paths and lean into the uncertainty. You can cultivate that talent of living with, and leaning into uncertainty using the compass of your ‘why’.
The bigger question is how do we tap into something larger? Is there some universal soup of enlightenment we can draw from?
Many people have believed and the idea is coming back in vogue that there is something beyond our perception that, perhaps, we can tap into. Some will call it God with a capital G. Some will call it the universal mastermind.
The idea is, and this is not a new idea, that there is a sentient force that connects all things. Furthermore we mortals can access this force through the proper approach and practice. Napoleon Hill talked about the Universal Mastermind in the early 1900’s. More recent authors talk about ‘the secret’.
The recent wave of self-help pseudo-scientists reach for ‘resonating wavelengths’ and ‘the mind as quantum energy’ which, (having a working knowledge of physics), sounds a lot like our great charlatan tradition of using science words to explain unrelated concepts, (but don’t let me get in the way of your higher-resonating thought patterns).
Again we try to explain the unknowable by making stuff up (faith) or forcing a framework of what we do know (science terms). We just don’t like uncertainty.
To summarize. The concept is that this universal force exists and you can get what you want by learning how to ask the universe for it.
How do you ask? There are different nuances but it most cases it comes down to the practice of some sort of mindfulness. In the religious this is prayer. In the secular this is meditation or similar mental practice.
This is the part that is cool. Without having to hang it with trappings it seems that we can influence our mind, body and emotions through this practice. The extension of this, the leap that some will make, is that we can also influence other people, external events and even time itself with our practice.
You can be the judge of that.
What doesn’t seem to be much of a leap is that if we can influence our own mind, body and emotion with this practice we are actually changing our destiny. Because we have changed, because we are different and maybe better, things do come into our lives that otherwise would not have.
We are, in essence creating the vessel that will allow us to be filled. And that is the secret.
Our technology is catching up. We can actually see inside the brain while people practice these altered mental states. We are starting to understand the complex interplay of chemicals and physiology in that big hunk of wet meat between our shoulders.
Let’s tie together some of the strings of how to get into this state of mental influence.
If you remember our discussion of the recent book ‘The Rise of Superman’ there are certain times and conditions that allow us to rewire our brains to enter a state, known as ‘flow’, in which we can do amazing things. When this is measured they can see the change in brain chemistry and the selective activation of different regions of the brain to support these altered states.
What happens when we quiet our minds? For one thing we quiet the ‘thinking parts’ of our brains and that allows us to access the older physiology of the brain. We gain access to the reptilian brain the automated systems that control the glands and basic functions. If we do it right we can manipulate those to gain different effects.
We are also selectively shutting down parts of our brain that do higher order thinking, like keeping track of time. When we come out of these states we can essentially report transcendence and time travel and loss of self (because we shut off those parts of our brains) and this feels a lot like we communed with some higher force.
I don’t know. Maybe we did. Those are the doors of perception.
Through these practices we can also consciously change our brain chemistry. Which is a big benefit for us modern humans whose brains are constantly on and produced stress hormones most of the time. This is probably a healthier alternative to using pills to do it.
To take it a step further, through consistent practice you can rewire your brain to act and work differently. Even beyond that science is showing that you can even start switching specific genes on and off in your DNA to make lasting changes in your physiology.
What does this mean? It means we still don’t have the answers and there may very well be some universal force that ties us all together or it may just be the ghost in the machine. But, we can change ourselves and that is a pretty good start no matter what you believe.
How do you tap into it? The simple answer is through quieting the mind either through prayer or meditation. (Or why not double dip with prayerful meditation? 🙂 ) Focus on the beatitude or the breathing and let your cognitive thoughts go. You are attempting to be present in the current moment.
As you become present in that moment you begin to realize that you are actually stepping outside of time. As you shut down your cognitive brain you allow your brain chemistry and electricity to normalize. You’ll come out of these sessions relaxed, centered and calmer.
The extension of this in ‘self-improvement practice’ is to inject some change thoughts into this meditative state. Whether those are things you wish for or affirmations or visualizations of some future state you mind is more receptive. In this way you can theoretically influence those sticky changes to your mind, body and emotion that will inevitably influence your circumstances.
That’s it. That’s what it all boils down to when you take all the mysticism out. You can meditate or pray your way into a better state, or at least a different state through practice. When you wrap an emotional trust around the process it is quite effective. When you have ‘trust’ or ‘faith’ – i.e. when you believe in the process and the results – it removes resistance – and change happens more easily.
I would caution you away from willy-nilly trying to reprogram yourself. You probably want to find someone you trust who has experience with this stuff – a coach if you will. It’s worth an investment of some experimentation if you are looking for a better state.
When we talk about nutrition and exercise and health these things are all influenced by our mind. We can cultivate that influence through practice.