We “live there.” There are some men
who consider their “clothes” too as being
a part of themselves. But as consciousness rises
in the scale of evolution, man begins to “dissociate”
his idea of “me” from the body and he begins
to regard his body as a beloved companion and as “belonging
to” him. He then identifies himself with
his mental states, emotions, feelings, likes and dislikes,
habits, qualities and characteristics. But, by
and by, he begins to realize how even these moods
also are subject to change, born and die and are subject
to the Principles of Rhythm and Polarity. He realizes
faintly that he can change them by an effort of will
and “transmute” them into mental states
of an exactly opposite nature. Then he again begins
to “dissociate” himself from his emotions
and feelings and at last through mental analysis,
introspection and concentration, he sets them apart
into the “not I” collection. He begins
then to realize that he is something above
his body and emotions. So also with the intellectual
functions. The intellectual man is very apt to
think that although his physical and emotional
selves are something different from him and under
his control, still his intellect is himself.
This is the stage of “Self-Consciousness”.
“I control my body and emotions.”
But as consciousness unfolds intellectual man finds
that he can practically stand aside and see (mentally,
of course) his mind going through various processes
of intellection. Study of Psychology and Logic
will enable you to see how all your intellectual processes
may be held at arm’s length, examined, analysed,
labelled and discussed quite with the same ease as
the professor talks of a solid, liquid and acriform
substances in his laboratory. So at last he finds
that even the wonderful powers of the Intellect must
go into the “not I” collection. This
is almost as far as the average man can realize.
You can realize and say “I am not the body,
not the emotions, not the intellect.” Therefore
you see, that side of consciousness which is the sum-total
of your physical, emotional and intellectual functions
comprises the “me” or Feminine or Passive
mental principle. That which can separate itself
in thought from all the above is the “I”
or the Masculine Function. But another step must
be taken. That which you have been taught to
regard as the Spiritual Consciousness (see “Spiritual
Consciousness”) will also eventually go into
the “Not-I” or “me” collection.
In brief, the spiritual mind may be said to comprise
all that is GOOD, NOBLE and GREAT in the field of consciousness.
It is the “Super-Conscious” mind, just
now. But, mark this, when through further evolution,
the “I” has mastered this field of consciousness
also and is able to regard it as being the last of
the “me” collections, then it will lose
its sense of relativity and separation
and the real individuality, the “I AM”
consciousness, will have been realized. What
do I mean? This “I AM” is not the