Chapter 9 - A Trip Into “Inner Space”

Do you have your ticket for that trip to the moon?

Or do you prefer Mars?

There is a line beginning to form, you know, of people who see such a trip not only as a great adventure, but as a possibility that is becoming more reasonable each year. In fact a promotor wouldn't have too much trouble selling me a ticket, because I am just like you: I like adventure in my life. Furthermore, I don't intend to let any opportunity to have adventure pass me by. So perhaps I'll see you on one of those space ships, one of these days.

Outer space is coming closer

Yes, a phrase that was new only a few years ago has come to be an everyday expression in our language. As laymen, we now speak about "outer space" in the same conversational casualness that we speak about the weather, or what happened at the office, or about the latest headlines. Outer space has taken more prominence in our conversation, of course, because science has begun to probe its vastness in efforts to learn some of the "secrets" of what is going on out there. The scientists are prompted by a growing awareness and importance of the effects of "outer space" on our lives. They seek knowledge that they believe will be the basis for greater understanding of the universe, and even beyond. They believe that this understanding could use, and even control, some of those forces in support of progressiveness on this earth of ours.

Wonderful new horizons ahead

But as far as most of us are concerned, the net result of this scientific probing is that we are becoming more conscious of outer space. When we look "out there," we still see it as a big, beautiful "something." But we are now conscious of the probable existence of great forces out there and possibly of some kind of a great "plan," both affecting our earth. We have become more conscious of the fact that our earth is part of that plan and not an isolated "us" as compared to all the stars, and planets, and "what have you" out there. We have become conscious of the apparent fact that something important is happening that we have not been aware of before, that there are some "influences" out there that we should know more about. We are confident that scientists and adventurers will open up wondrous new horizons for us; in the meantime, the whole idea has become a fascinating, dramatic episode.

A fascinating inner world

But while this intriguing "outer space" activity has been developing, another group of visionaries has been probing into "inner space." They have gone about it carefully and analytically. They, and the results of their work, haven't made the headlines like the "outer space" people have, even though theirs is really a much more dramatic story. Not only is the story of modern research into "inner space" more dramatic, but it affects each one of us in a much more personal manner than does the program of the "outer space" people. Yet there is a remarkable parallel between the story of "outer space" and that of "inner space." Both are concerned with something we cannot see. Both have a cause and effect basis that is related to our everyday lives. And both are related to great forces that do marvelous things, forces that are something like our concept of electricity. We know what electricity does, but very few know what it really is.

Let's go into inner space

There is one significant difference between the forces that exist in "outer space" and those that exist in "inner space." Science has learned and displayed enough knowledge about the latter to enable people like you and me to control the forces of "inner space." "Inner space" is, of course, the human mind. Your mind is a wondrous world of "inner space," as remarkable and dramatic as is any concept you might have of "outer space." I invite you to take a "trip into inner space" that inner space which is your mind and learn what a miraculous world it is! And most remarkable, this will be a trip into your private world of "inner space," that mind which is yours alone.

You can imagine that an explorer of "outer space" would have a lot of equipment with him, primarily for observing and recording what happens on his trip. You will need to be similarly equipped for your trip to "inner space." However, you have this equipment at hand. All you need to do is be aware of its presence. You will "take" with you your intellect which is your power to understand and your emotions, or your power of sensing things by feelings. Now we are ready, like Alice in Wonderland, to step through the looking glass and, in imagination, leave this "outer world" and enter the "inner world" that is your mind.

A bright, lively place

You don't find yourself in a dark, mysterious spot. Far from it. It's a light and lively place. There is a tremendous amount of activity. It isn't a noisy place, but there is an air of quiet efficiency and alertness. Your first impression is that you are in some kind of a complex control center. There is a big panel that holds several rows of what appear to be television screens. Several of these TV screens are showing "pictures." They are all different, as though each was tuned to a different station. Some seem to be showing much brighter, clearer pictures than others. Across "the room," a television camera is set up, and it is in operation, as though by remote control. Wires and cables seem to be everywhere. That this is a control center is confirmed by what you see in the center of "the room." There is a control panel, covered with switches, dials, and knobs. Operating that control panel is a figure that is a replica of you! This figure is intently watching the pictures that appear on those TV screens and he seems to be moving switches and knobs on the panel under the influence of what the screens show. That television camera is focused on this "you," recording everything you do and everything that those TV screens show.

What controls this inner world

This is a very realistic picture of the control center in your mind. You will want to know what all of this represents in your real mind. Since we have used a "magic" touch to create this picture, we "pass the wand" again and bring forth a demonstration of the working of this control center. First, we will identify some of the working parts that you can see. Five of those TV screens are showing the reactions of the five senses of touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell. Several other screens have pictures when parts of your memory are working. The replica of you at the controls is really your will, that factor in your mind which decides what you shall do. Some of the wires represent the nerve canals and some of the cables represent veins and arteries. Now for the demonstration.

It is now late in the afternoon. According to those screens reflecting your emotions through the work of the five senses, you are hungry. This is understandable, because it is supper time. We put a plate of food in front of you. Immediately the screens showing sight and smell become bright and active. One of the other screens related to your memory shows what looks like a "commercial." It says: "You've seen things like this before. It's a meal! Eat and satisfy that hunger!" Your alert will observes the excited sight and smell screens and that particular "commercial" from a memory screen. Your will goes into action, turns knobs, throws switches. Nerves and blood cells are activated, your body reacts and you eat the food. As you do, the screens showing touch and taste become brighter and stronger.

You are seated with a companion as you eat. He talks to you, and the screen related to hearing comes on brightly. He asks: "Are you doing anything tomorrow night? How about coming over to our house?"

Your will knows there must be a response, so he looks for guidance to some of the other picture screens. One of the memory screens flashes a message, saying: "Your calendar is clear tomorrow." Another screen shows: "You like this person. You have enjoyed visiting him before." Based upon these messages, your will directs your response: "Thank you. I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

Your conscious mind in action

So much for the demonstration. Nothing too dramatic about it, was there? You are inclined to say that you know that this is about the way your mind works. You are right. You are somewhat familiar with this picture because this has been a demonstration of that part of your mental machinery called your conscious mind. This is the part of your mind that enables you to feel that sense of life and action that adds up to living as a human being. This is the part of mind that provides a constant sense of awareness in your life. In turn, you are aware of what is happening in your conscious mind.

The work that is done in your conscious mind is influenced by both your intellect and your emotions, as represented by the five senses. Your will causes you to act according to a combination of intellectual and emotional influences that are shown on those "screens" at any one time. However, this is only part of the demonstration. It was made as a necessary prologue to the second part, which is more than dramatic and which may, at first, seem almost unbelievable.

The center of power in your mind

Now let's step through that doorway over there, and down these stairs, until we are in another center of activity, below the conscious mind. I should have told you to leave that emotional equipment you brought at the head of the stairs, because it will be of no use here. Only your intellect your power to understand has any value in this place.

Things are "all business" here. There isn't a soul in the place, yet a never-ceasing pattern of action exists. Some of our engineers are pretty proud of their development of "automation." They are really ages behind the times, because it has always existed in this part of the human mind. You have never been here before and you have never been emotionally aware of this part of your mind. You can't be emotionally aware of it. You can only be intellectually aware of its effects, as you are now and as you will always be from now on. You will see why this is so, and why it is so important, as we make a demonstration here.

Be aware of this power

You can only be intellectually aware of the effects of this area because this is the non-conscious part of your mind, your unconscious mind. But a more direct term for you and me is the subconscious mind. You remember that we "walked downstairs" to get here, to the sub-conscious area. This is a perfect analogy to your real mind, since this area is below the level of your consciousness. You are neither consciously nor emotionally aware of it. But the most important factor in your life, from now on, will be your awareness of the effects of the work of your subconscious.

Remember that TV camera "upstairs"? Well, the screen that is showing the pictures being taken up there is down here! Remember those many extra screens, other than the "emotion" ones, that are up there? The controls that cause pictures to be flashed on those are also down here. And of course, many of the "cables" are connecting "upstairs" and "downstairs." That camera up there, you recall, is always taking a picture of what your will does, as well as everything that is shown on those screens. Thus everything that happens in your conscious mind, and everything that you do as the result of your will, is seen by that camera. Down below, everything that is recorded by that camera, is noted and filed away, permanently. This process began the moment you were born; it will continue for as long as you live.

Values are measured subconsciously

What that camera records is automatically filed in your subconscious, according to the impression it makes as it is recorded, as being of "minor" value, of "ordinary" value, as "important" or as "noteworthy." Now, as we make the demonstration here, all you have to remember is that everything you have ever done or thought of consciously has been recorded and filed according to the value your subconscious put upon it.

In the first part of our demonstration, we "magically" seat you behind the wheel of your car. You are ready to drive off. Upstairs, all of this is recorded on the "emotion" screens, is taken in by that camera and is noted "down here." The picture is "automatically" compared with the "files." It is found under the "ordinary" heading; you have done this many times before. There is pattern to be followed. This pattern is flashed onto several of those extra screens upstairs, in the proper sequence. Your will takes notes of these instructions and, apparently "without thinking," you have the car in motion, driving down the street. Things didn't go like this when you were learning to drive, but eventually you repeated and repeated the right motions until it seemed as though they were being done automatically. What did happen was that your subconscious recorded all of those repeated actions until it had a large "file" of the same kind of reactions. It was a simple matter thereafter for your subconscious to suggest to your will that you keep on doing the same things whenever you got behind the wheel of a car.

Habits are subconsciously controlled

You don't drive your car "automatically." You act by reason of habit, and habit is the result of prompting by your subconscious to get you to repeat an action that matches a pattern previously filed away, subconsciously. You have scores of such subconscious habits. They govern most of what you do. They make life easier, or harder. They serve or defeat your purpose in life. They are all centered in this subconscious recording and filing center. Habit formation and control is a major function of the subconscious part of your mind.

For the second part of our "downstairs" demonstration, we are going to pull in one of those "agreements" you made with yourself in Chapter 2. Let's say it is the one about a belief of yours. At the time you made the choice, as I asked you to do, I believe that you had an emotional reaction. I hope you did because strong belief certainly is related to strong emotion. Anyway, that subconscious recording process was going on as you made that choice. IF you felt strongly about that choice, then it was filed under the heading of being "noteworthy," for the time being, at least.

Noteworthy actions from noteworthy thoughts

Then, if you went about looking for an opportunity to demonstrate that belief within the time period I suggested, it is very likely that you made the demonstration and had a good experience from it. Why? Because of the "noteworthy" impression you made on your subconscious. As soon as an opportunity appeared, your subconscious was ready to say to your will: "Act! This is it!" Your subconscious tends to make you act effectively and enthusiastically when a "noteworthy" impression has been made upon you. This was so in the case of your belief, because you had established a positive attitude toward it through that "noteworthy" impression. Your subconscious wants you to transpose attitudes into action.

If you had resisted acting in response to that attitude, your subconscious would have decided that your choice wasn't noteworthy after all and it would have been filed under the "minor" heading. As a consequence, you would probably never act on it. On the other hand if you had acted that once and had decided to act again in support of the same belief your subconscious, with its growing file, would get ready to change that attitude to a habit. The recording and disposition of attitudes is another major function of your subconscious.

Every experience labeled "positive" or "negative"

We will go "upstairs" and "outside" again in a moment. Before you go, take a quick look around at the labels on some of the "fiiles" here. Besides the "value" labels, there are countless other classifications. Habits and attitudes are classified as either positive or negative. Memories (there are hundreds of thousands of these) are classified as pleasant or unpleasant, useful or useless. There is just one file reference for some items; there are hundreds of references for others. Everything that you learned academically is stored here. Everything that you have learned through experience is on file.

Your remarkable will

That's about it in this subconscious area. Let's go "upstairs." Before you leave the conscious mind area, however, take another good look at that replica of you that we call your will. Remember this fellow because we are going to call on him to do some remarkable things, which he can do. He can control to a great degree what that subconscious camera records, and he can largely control how great an impression a recording makes on the subconscious. This is most important to you, because if you can control what goes in, through the medium of your will, you've attained success. Because in that way you control what your subconscious puts out! The story of that control is ready for you in the next couple of chapters. Let's go "outside," where you can read, and let all of this "inner space" activity continue to do its work for you.

Outside now, take a look upward toward the sky. What's there? Outer space, the heavens, the stars and planets . . . vastness, great forces, something wonderful! But none of it is any more remarkable than where you have been, on this trip into "inner space." The "vastness" of your mind has nothing to do with physical size, of course. But when you couple the capacity of your conscious and your subconscious minds, you can conceive of almost limitless accomplishments in life. And now you know that "inner space" is a combination of great forces that are within you.

Turn on your power

As remarkable as is our Creator's handiwork, as exemplified by our "outer space," His handiwork in designing "inner space" matches any of the "wonders" He has ever created. But it's up to you to use the power of your mind for all it's worth!

In Sum

The subconscious contains the experience of life.

A major function of the subconscious is habit formation and control.

Another major function is the evaluation of experience.

A third is the recording and disposition of attitudes.
 
Result Getting Projects

There is both profound knowledge that is valuable to you and the promise of an exciting future in the contents of this chapter. All of the value of both should be yours, because they are potentially positive influences in your life. This value will be possessed by you if you have an intellectually complete, and an emotionally stimulating, reaction to the story of "inner space."

The project for this chapter, then, is to take it into retreat with yourself. The objective of this time in retreat is to bring the power that is within you, to live as you want to live, up to the point of action and use. This will come through a clear understanding of that power. This you will have, as the result of a retreat, and concentration on this chapter.

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