ENERGY SYSTEMS - ANCIENT MAPS TO THE SELF #3

It is best to review the last blog before reading this one.

PATANJALI'S SHEATHS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Patanjali described Five Energy Sheaths which compliment our understandings of how we transcend. They help to complete the chakra model. 

The Food or Body Sheath speaks for itself. It behooves us to maintain this to the best of our body's ability. It is a gift to be in a sentient body. This is why the Ancestors stress sensory driven meditations. We are here to enjoy - but responsibly.

The Energy Sheath is key to moving Kundalini or increasing our vibration with meditation, yoga postures (asanas) and breath meditation (pranayama) or any inner practice.

The Mind Sheath or Monkey Mind (Narrow Mind) is our primitive mind that neuroscience with F.M.R.I. studies has shown to be localized in the primitive brain. It is linked to our survival, fight or flight response and the sympathetic nervous system. Nothing creative occurs here. Monkey Mind dominates - even more than it does in most of us - especially in those with anxiety, depression, O.C.D.  P.T.S.D. and other psychological or emotional imbalances. The only way to tame the Monkey chattering messages of suffering sitting on our shoulders is with spiritual practice. This sheath harbors our primitive emotions and fear - fight or flight and even freeze (panic disorders) and feigning death (in animals.) 

Monkey Mind is the source of our unskillful emotions such as; desires, compulsions, habits (procedural memory) and minor as well as major addictions.

We are entitled to our feelings but responsible for their expression (our emotions.)

Monkey Mind and fear can also induce the toxic emotions of anger, hatred, malice, envy and the desire for vengeance and retribution. These operate in conjunction with our shadow or evil inclination.

Most of us default to Monkey Mind unless we have a regular inner practice.

"Golden verses of Pythagoras speak of storms coming and going. 

The wise person like the good sailor knows how to rid them. 

Know your weaknesses and inclinations that you can temper them with your strength." Anonymous.

The Intellectual Sheath, (Spacious Mind, Buddha Mind, Christ Consciousness or Big Mind) has been shown in F.M.R.I. studies to reside in the prefrontal lobe. Advanced meditators tend to have a greater neuronal density and activity here and default more easily to Big Mind during or more quickly after stress. The Intellectual Sheath is connected to the Causal body and is the source of our creativity as well as; our beliefs, concepts, notions, ideas, ideals, aspirations, discriminations and discernments. This sheath connects us to our parasympathetic, relaxation response which can allow access to love, the Field, our guides, ancestors, dreams and the Creator.

This sheath allows control over our feelings. 

There are only two feelings love and fear. Spiritual practitioners are more easily able to identify when fear is operating and handle it by subordinating it to love. 

Emotions run high - feelings run deep.
Emotions require discipline.
Feelings require nurturing. 

The better one controls emotions the more one can express feelings.

According to Patanjali the Mind Sheath, the Intellectual Sheath and the Ego form a triad which is always in flux. Usually, and especially under stress, Monkey Mind and Ego dominate. This triad has been called the Subtle body. This triad is necessary to keep us safe in tricky situations but otherwise should be put on hold by the Intellectual sheath (Spacious Mind.) This sheath is linked to the Causal body.

Its important to realize that Self-condemnation and recrimination (as in the Higher Self) can put the system in lockdown mode, limiting access to the prefrontal love and love. Shame, which is a crippling emotional force can do the same. Remorse and regret are feeling bad about what we did, shame is feeling bad about who we are. Guilt can lie somewhere in-between depending on how severe it is.

" Self-condemnation strengthens guilt and is one of the greatest impediments on the path of Self-realization." Yoga wisdom

The Intellectual sheath is put on hold when we fail to move our energy from the lower, survival chakras into the upper, growth chakras above the diaphragm and when we reside in the lower chakras.

When our Intellectual Sheath dominates we are able to access the Causal body. 

Meditation, yoga asanas and pranayama help us to get there by increasing our vibration, enhancing the Energy Sheath and subordinating Ego and Monkey Mind. Spiritual knowledge and awareness can also help keep them in check so that we can realize Self.

With all your strength get spiritual knowledge!

"Store Consciousness" is the "soulular" memory of our past lives - good or bad - which resides in our subconscious. These are the skeletons (or blessings) in the closet of our past life experiences which also determine whether we move into the Subtle or the Causal body. When the negative ones come out of the closet, they too are managed by spiritual practice.

In the center of the model is the Sheath of Bliss where the Higher Self resides. Bliss, ecstasy and oneness can be realized when we are able to move our Kundalini, feminine, Shakti, energy into the Crown chakra where it can unite with the masculine, Shiva, to attain Unity Consciousness. This is not easy and unless we are advanced practitioners, usually comes only fleetingly by grace; when the Knower, the Known and the process of knowing fuse and become one thing.

Our task is to prime the frontal lobe with inner practice and subordinate Ego to the Higher Self and Monkey (Narrrow) Mind to Intellectual Sheath (Spacious Mind) so that we can attain equanimity, harmony, serenity, inner peace or balance.