(1) THE CONSCIOUS MIND

The first development through evolution, the conscious mind has its sole function in the animation of the body. It has no faculty for thought. Its duties have changed but little since its inception, in that, with the later development of the preconscious mind, a link or message-relay system had to be developed between the two. Impressions received through the five senses are relayed by the conscious mind to the preconscious, which, through its complex system of association, analyses these impressions, then directs the conscious on what action to take, meanwhile retaining the impression for future reference in its memory.

Should injury occur to the conscious mind, a breakdown in the message relay system would leave the preconscious unaware of what was happening to the nerve centres of the body.

Being devoid of thought process, the conscious mind is incapable of feeling. It simply relays messages, then acts on the orders received from the other two "minds," the third being the spiritual mind, located in the part of the brain we call the subconscious.

(2) THE PRECONSCIOUS ANALYTICAL MIND.

The preconscious mind of the human species is evolution's crowning achievement. Developed originally as a "helper" for the conscious mind, it learned to store impressions, thus becoming the director of the conscious. This superior ability to reason helped man outwit his enemies; made man king of the animal kingdom. Originally its purpose was to take over the mundane routine work of the heartbeat, breathing etc., leaving the conscious mind more force for quick perception, through the senses at a time when the human life-form was a favourite meal of larger and stronger species.

The preconscious mind of the infant awakens with its first cry, and from that moment on the intricate system of storing impressions and making associations begins.

Prior to Adam, animal man's thought process was simply that of a highly intelligent animal. He did what he liked, ate when he felt hungry, and slept when he was tired. He hunted and killed his enemies, whether of the same species as himself or any other order of animal life. If he wanted a woman he took her, provided he could outwit or overpower any competition. In other words, he lived as do the rest of the animals, according to the laws of evolution, and according to the laws of instinct, life and death, and survival of the fittest, both mentally and physically. To defy the law of nature would have caused animal man to become extinct.

Animal man today is no different in his thought processes from the way he was before Adam, except that he is more subtle in method, and more devious in his sophistication.

Motivations for Animal Actions.

Fear, one of the great animal motivations, often misclassified under the heading of an emotion, is nature's way of protecting man -- of forcing him up the scale of evolutionary progress.

Even before the bisexual life-form left the waters it developed a sense of self-protection. What is fear but the animal urge to escape? Without a well developed sense of self-preservation, man might very well have become extinct.

Fear is animal. Rabbits, for instance, can quite literally become paralysed with fear at the approach of a stoat; by cracking a whip well above a team of dogs, man can whip them into frenzied effort just by producing the sound of a pain-giver. In man this strong motivating force usually heads his mental filing cabinet in the section labelled "Dislike."

Pleasure likewise is animal and may be found heading man's mental file labelled "Like." Sex and all the jokes and innuendoes pertaining thereto; food; sensations such as excitement, self-gratification in any form are included here.

This is all very simple and natural -- exactly the way evolution decrees that the animal instinct should operate.

Over the centuries man's tastes in these matters have changed but little, basically, he operates on the same principles as he did when he was ape-like.

Thus the preconscious filing cabinets will be filled with associations of liked, disliked, and Neutral information, with every degree of shading imaginable in between.

Nature, ever mindful of procreation, decrees that sex be a dominant motive in the animal preconscious mind. This in homo- sapiens is shown clearly in the six stages of his sexual development:

• (1) The Oral Stage: Feeding at the breast.
• (2) The Anal Stage: Bladder and bowel control.
• (3) The Phallic Stage: Development of strong feeling for the parent of opposite sex.
• (4) The Autoerotic Stage: Self affection.
• (5) The Homosexual Stage: Own sex attracts.
• (6) The Heterosexual Stage: Adulthood.

Foaming Associations.

From birth, a child of the human species fills its mental filing cabinets in the same manner that other intelligent animals do, forming the associations which are to reflect its adult outlook.

Pricked by a pin, the nervous system will rush this signal to the preconscious mind. Analyzing quickly, the preconscious registers this sensation as "Dislike," at the same time sending back the message, "Yell loud and long!" Mother comforts, kisses, caresses and soothes, offers a candy, perhaps: Touch, taste, sight and sound are affected. The conscious signals the preconscious; analyzing, the preconscious replies, "We like this attention, let a smile break through the tears." Meanwhile "Yell" is associated with "Attention" in its files. Experiments might later prove that even without the pinprick "Yell" brings "Attention" -- perhaps a candy, and with each successful repetition of this experiment the habit formed will become harder to break.

The more senses used in forming associations the easier it is for the mind to understand. To the child, for instance, Mother (Like) is making something. It smells pleasant, it tastes good, it looks round and golden. The sound Mother calls it is "Apple Pie." The nimble preconscious will soon learn to associate the words "Apple Pie" as like, and later in life may, by its intricate system of building up and magnifying its associations get the set thought in its files: "There is no apple pie as good as Mother used to make."

No animal preconscious mind has any better ethics than another. The flesh knows nothing of ethics; the mind is trained either through good or bad associations, even as one trains a dog. Some have a greater capacity for absorption -- we call it having a high intelligence quotient -- but this person is neither better nor worse than his fellows at being able to distinguish between right and wrong.

Natives in Africa, for example, have powers of absorption equal to any man's, but being taught an entirely different set of associations the standards set are unlike the European's. Thus we find cultural differences on certain sections of the Earth's surface, but for a man to say, "My standards are superior to his," is nonsense. For each is quite unable to appreciate the other's animal preconceived associations. In this way man misunderstands man, and in misunderstanding, mistrusts his fellows.

Jokes of the verbal variety, are fun between men of a similar cultural background because of the associated thoughts they conjure up in the preconscious mind. Certain words conjure up different pictures according to the individual's background, while erotic pictures enjoy worldwide acceptance by appealing to the visual sense which is common to all cultures. The whole idea of both being to appeal to the animal association of sex, the most common heading in the mental file of "Like", thus giving carnal pleasure.

In all matters people err because it gives animal satis-faction, or pleasing mental associations. It can be truly said that One's man's meat is another man's poison, if their experiences with life differ.

Rising above all other animal instincts, homo sapiens is endowed with that element of self-preservation, manifested by self-love, self-will; ego is that ingredient in the carnal make-up which transforms genuine impressions received in the preconscious and bends them to suit its own purpose. Ego makes the weakest man mighty in his own sight, is the root of man's greatest erroneous thinking. This is the factor of the brain which filters through facts and, with much tortuous manipulation, screens truth to best suit its own image of truth.

Ego is the animal way of excusing any of its shortcomings; it is Man's Achilles' heel. It tells him that he is right and the other person is wrong by simply refusing to accept the fact that his reasoning could possibly be in error, or by rearranging the facts to make them acceptable to his own prior associations. It is the basis of all daydreaming, and who has not indulged in such escapism? Self-interest is the submerged iceberg that wrecks individuals, marriages, and nations with equity. It makes the conquest of space seem so desirable.

Everyone is important to himself; he has no trouble liking those who agree with him, and disliking his enemies, real or imagined; liking those who boost the Ego, and discounting those who detract from the all-important Image of Self.

Man derides man both individually and nationally, the inference being "How much better I am than he!" Not that it's put that bluntly; the statement is made rather suggestively with high-sounding phrases and snide remarks.

Carnal man's Ego says, "What I want I will have (by subtle theft if necessary); I will prove myself capable of outwitting detection; no one will find out." This does not necessarily refer to the stealing of material goods, though pretty theft is prevalent today on many levels -- from the executive's attempt to outwit the tax collector, to the clerk who appropriates a pen.

Material theft is but one small part of the stealing committed by the preconscious mind, often quite unconsciously. It may covet attention, and justify this with excuses; adultery is a prime example.

Ego covets the pleasure of others. Craftily, it enjoys stealing (or building itself up) by trying to belittle others in thought, word, or deed, often coating spite with sarcasm or sweetness, with clever phrasing to make itself sound magnanimous -- all excuses! Females often call this just plain cattiness and are usually the worst offenders. Actually, no self-respecting cat would resort to such tactics; it would come right out and scratch!

Self-interest thrives on excitement; is inconsiderate of others. Irresponsible reckless driving, for instance, exalts the Ego. "See how daring I am, how well coordinated, how I excel in the magnificence of my prowess compared to other drivers!"

It runs with the pack. Disguising cowardice, Ego says "Though I disagree with what my companions are going to do, they'll think I'm "chicken" if I withdraw, so I'll go along with them; I will prove my superiority by being even more extreme -- that'll show what a brave, smart fellow I am, and make them look up to me! What a wonderful sensation..."

Ego is jealous, its grasping intellect ever fearful of being robbed, or fearful that there may be a greater power than its own. It therefore develops a system of explaining to itself what it cannot understand or associate within its limited experience.

At the death of a dear one, the preconscious will rarely admit that death has resulted simply as a result of a violation of a natural law. It will ask: Why has God done this terrible to Me?

Obvious Misassociations.

Nature will punish any violation of a law of nature; any violation of a law of the animal kingdom -- not from any sense of vindictiveness, but simply because our flesh is ruled by this law. Humanity lives under the law of society, under the law of nature, and under the Law of Spirit. Each will punish a violation according to the degree of the offense.

Put your hands over your eyes. In shutting off the light from the retina a natural law is being violated. Knowing that as soon as this error is rectified your sight will be restored, you don't immediately imagine that God has blinded you.

If you cut your skin, it will bleed. Nature's law says the skin must remain intact -- breaking this law will bring just punishment. Violate a natural law to the extent of severe injury, or allow foreign organisms to run rampant in the body, and animal death will result. It's that simple.

Animal man is matter. It is decreed by nature that he will be fed upon by other life-forms even as he feeds upon others. Matter is perishable.

God is Spirit and Eternal. Man's spirit reflects its Creator.

Where, then, is the logic in explaining the fact of death by suggesting that it is God's will? It is a handy acceptable myth. The preconscious must have a whipping boy to gloss over its own shortcomings, its own narrow concepts and misassociations, a way to explain that which it cannot understand.

It is clearly apparent, therefore, that the associations stored away in the filing cabinets of the preconscious mind can quite often be erroneous. The carnal thought process is wide open to error because it twists facts to suit fancy.

We could take ten men, for example, all with a complete set of senses and all of sound mind, show them the same scene, and having them afterwards describe their impressions, we would get ten quite different stories, because each would see what he wanted to see, and the ten totals of mental experience and associations would differ.

In a pastoral scene, a poet might see a predominant sunset; a farmer might notice the breed of cattle; a surveyor note the contours of the land; a desert-dweller observe the lush growth; an architect, the formation of the buildings; and a bird-watcher might see a rare specimen of wildlife.

But though it can be clearly seen how easily the carnal mind can form erroneous associations, getting the ego sufficiently subdued to admit this is another matter entirely. It is easier to cry "Kill the Umpire!"

This kind of reaction, eventually produces a preconscious mind that is an overflowing storehouse of intricately-woven forms of misassociation, intertwining one with the other until the root of the error is completely hidden, buried under a distorted, jumbled mass of cross references and misplaced associations, all coloured and arranged to suit the individual's self esteem.

Our present-day society fully recognizes that two men can look at a situation from two entirely different angles, although each may be possessed of an identical set of facts; each man is blinded to the other's point of view by his own self-interest. This is why there are lawyers, judges, conciliation boards, etc., all quite superfluous in God's Kingdom in Eternity, and to become eventually superfluous here when His plans for Earthlings materialize. Did some one say Impossible? Electricity was also impossible in the days when man used candles for illumination. Science will never find the answer. Developing the Inner Power is our solution.

Animal man's mind is animal. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. One hundred percent interested in self; this is not "sinful" or "wicked -- there are no such things. Man's mind merely thinks in the same manner that any other animal thinks -- instinctively; according to the law of nature, the law through which it came into being.

It is quite unable to see the difference between right and wrong because it is only capable of understanding like and dislike. Fear, ego, and sex, are all ways of protecting and propagating the species. The more a man is dominated by these instincts the more he walks in the flesh, and the less his degree of spiritual worth.

For any person to think that these words do not refer to himself only proves the extent of that person's blindness. Many will immediately start to think of all the other chaps this description fits far, far better than it fits himself. Brothers and sisters, that's your ego working overtime at self-justification. All people on earth are part animal; there are no exceptions.

The case history of Phil and Sam Blank, two of the most pleasant people one could wish to meet, illustrates this point rather neatly.

Phil was the older of the two brothers, a lawyer by profession. He had a nice home, a charming wife and a fine family.

Sam, ten years younger than Phil, had been only fourteen when their parents died. Sam was a cheerful, happy-go-lucky lad. He tried a couple of jobs and then decided he wanted to see more of the world, so he joined the army and was sent overseas. Phil and Sam corresponded regularly, and occasionally Phil would slip a ten or twenty-dollar bill into the letter for Sam, just to make sure the lad had a good time.

Then Sam met Christine and wrote Phil about his wonderful fiancee. Chris was a blonde and beautiful school teacher. She lived with her mother and two brothers. Mama had done a wonderful job of raising her children on limited funds. Hans, the older brother, was now a doctor and Max a veterinarian. Christine was a superb cook and fine housekeeper. It didn't take long for Sam to realize that this was the girl of his dreams, and they were married just before he was due to return home.

The Blank's celebrated a jubilant reunion; Betty, Phil's wife, tucked the children into the spare bedroom and prepared the children's larger room for their guests.

The weeks flew by. Then one evening Phil and Sam settled down in the library for a chat. "Phil, I want to get out of the army and go back to school. Chris and I have talked it over and I realize now what a fool I was to quit in the tenth grade, so we've decided that she will get a job and put me through the university. Chris wants me to become a doctor like her brother. We wondered if we could stay on with you for awhile 'till I get through school."

"That's fine with me, boy!" replied Phil. "Here, let's drink to Dr. Blank!"

Meanwhile the girls were chatting in the kitchen. "I hate to see a man drying the dishes!" Chris exclaimed, polishing furiously. "They never do it back home; a lot of things are different there. The children are much quieter, and at school, the teachers get total obedience. I'd never let my children talk to me the way yours do, Betty."

The older woman was silent, suddenly aware that the children really were making an awful noise and that the muddy tracks on the kitchen floor must be very obvious to Chris, whose housekeeping standards were so high.

When Phil told Betty of the arrangements he had made with Sam, Betty did her best to make the young couple as comfortable as possible.

Each morning after Phil had left for the office and Sam was off to school, the girls would have time for a quick cup of coffee before Chris went to the high school where she was teaching. One morning a large parcel was delivered for the young bride. It contained the most delicate set of china that Betty had ever seen.

"We bought if for our "Hope Chest" just before we left Europe," explained Chris.

"It's just beautiful!" Betty replied.

Eight months later Chris walked into the kitchen, abruptly presented Betty with the same set of dishes, and tearfully announced she was going home on the next boat; her marriage to Sam was finished.

(Diagram: "Adam or Spiritual Man)

Both Phil and Sam were stunned by the news. Not so Betty -- Betty the meek, whose spiritual insight had seen this situation developing, yet had been powerless to show her self-assured husband the error of his ways. Phil was always so right.

Betty and Phil had met in University. He was a good scholar, handsome and popular. Little Sam had been such a sweet boy in those days, always trailing around after Phil when the young couple visited the Blank Seniors. In comparison to Phil, Mrs. Blank had confided, she had always felt that her Sammy was a little delicate, not quite so gifted as his brother, and therefore needed her extra maternal sheltering.

During his last illness Mr. Blank had said to Phil, "Take good care of Sammy, Son, just as your mother would have done." Phil, the materialist, did his best. He was never too busy to lend Sam a sympathetic ear, to ease him out of childish scrapes or come through with a spot of ready cash whenever his brother needed it.

Outraged when he first heard that some of Sam's seniors were critical of his performance in the army, Phil had written, "Just forget it, Boy; they're just a bunch of stuffed shirts -- go out and have some fun!"

Phil could never be made to see that his ego took secret delight in Sam's open admiration; that Sam made him feel big. Any advice from Betty was discounted as female nattering. What did women understand about life anyway? Where would it "get" Sam to teach him to see the other person's point of view? Selfless motivation? Why did she say it wasn't fair to fill Sam's head with the idea that he could do his school work with ease and very little effort just because such things had come easily to Phil. What was wrong with taking him down to the club once in a while for a little relaxation -- it wasn't Betty's housekeeping money that suffered, so why should she care?

Shifting uneasily in his chair, Phil finally objected, "Me partly to blame, Betty? You can't be serious -- why, I'd give Sam the shirt off my back! Haven't I been a good husband and a good provider? (Self-justification usually tries to change the subject.) No, it was Chris' fault, walking out on a nice guy like Sam -- and what's more, Sam agrees with me. We talked the whole thing over. We men have to sick together at a time like this!"

Meanwhile, Hans, Max and Mama sat nodding their heads in unanimous agreement as Chris told her side of the story. "It most certainly wasn't my fault!"

Not the fault of Christine, basically a perfectionist? Chris the meticulous, nurtured in an environment where the sight of a man washing dishes was totally foreign to the Image of Manhood; where Hans, the head of the household, devoted himself to his work with unbending dignity and earnest endeavour.

Submerged in fantasy, Chris had seen Sam not as he was, but with all his charming likable traits plus (when she had finished improving him) all the admirable qualities of Hans -- qualities utterly out of keeping with Sam's basic make-up and his environmental upbringing.

In Christine's daydreams status was represented by fine china -- quite unrealistic in view of the fact that the couple had no practical requirements for their home, nor any definite degree of financial independence. Yet Chris could criticize Betty's management of her household, unable to envision her own children as similar.

Her dominant personality required that she feed her Ego with images pleasing to her fantasy, which image was easily transferred to Sam's dependent, impressionable mentality much in the same way that Phil's ideas had been fed to him in the past.

Sam, of his own volition, would never have contemplated anything so ambitious as serious studying, and had undertaken the course he did only to satisfy his wife's plans. He had welcomed the diversions instigated by his brother Phil to "Relax" him. When his marks dipped below the standards that Chris had set, his status in her eyes fell similarly. The first realistic onslaught, the news of the advent of a child, caught the marriage totally unprepared.

Neither could face reality, neither wanted to face truth because it was distasteful to the Ego. Reality, of course, was that Sam would have to accept responsibility and find a modest situation in keeping with his abilities, and Chris would have to sacrifice status and tailor her dreams to fit her husband's capacity for support. Yet a more charming couple would be hard to find.

Many will say "I don't want to understand this book; it's only going to tell me to be good and I don't want to be improved. I like myself just the way I am -- I love myself the way I am." Yet the animal is curious, in order to prove its own methods of reasoning superior, and that to be materialistically-minded is to be wise, it has to debunk theological argument, which claims, assuredly, that to be carnal-minded is death. For the flesh is subject to the law of nature, not to the Law of the Universe. Therefore for the carnal mind to profess itself to be wise is only to admit its own foolishness. St. Paul explained this in his letter to the Romans (8:1,9):

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is at enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

The preconscious carnal minds of the religious leaders in Jesus' day could not understand. Pilate found Jesus guiltless. The Pharisees saw in Him something they could not comprehend: their preconscious animal minds distorted the facts to suit their self-esteem. This man dared strike them where it hurt most, deep down in their Ego, and they cried out -- "Destroy this thing that we cannot understand, He must blaspheme because we have no association to fit Him into, and what we cannot understand we hate; how can He speak the Truth? If He speaks truth then our knowledge must be less than His. We cannot allow this to be. We cannot admit that any man is better than we. Our whole reputation is at stake. Let's crucify Him!"

(Diagram of the Conscious, Preconscious and Spiritual Minds)