By George A. Boyd ©2022
Q: How can I move beyond the unconscious mind? It keeps holding me back from transcending into deeper states of meditation.
A: There are seven major methods for moving through the unconscious mind. If you imagine that these tracks across the unconscious mind are like pathways through the centers of a form, we can visualize these tracks as follows:
- Base of the spine – This is the track of the Kundalini Shakti. When the Kundalini moves through the unconscious band of the mind, it can generate spontaneous emergence phenomena. This typically occurs when the Kundalini is drawn up into union with cosmic consciousness in the First Cosmic Initiation or with a Supracosmic seed atom, when an individual’s cutting edge of spirituality is Planetary.
- Navel – This is a vocal track, where you give a voice to the issues in your unconscious mind. This is done in dramatic forms of psychotherapy like Primal Screaming or Psychodrama. This speaking from the issues in the unconscious mind has been called abreaction or catharsis, and produces a release of pent up emotions.
- Solar plexus – This is the breath track. This uses techniques like Rebirthing or Holodynamic Breathing to move attention across the unconscious, which brings about insight into the issues and facilitates emotional release. When this Breathwork culminates, it permits breakthrough into the Superconscious mind.
- Heart – This track employs mantras to move attention across the unconscious. Commonly, simple mantras like “OM” or “I AM” are utilized. This grants full awareness of the issues that dwell in the unconscious mind.
- Throat – This track gives rise to glossolalia, which are mantra-like syllables of an “unknown tongue.” Christian Charismatic sects activate this track to move attention across the unconscious into union with the Moon Soul or Christ Child nucleus of identity.
- Point between the eyebrows – This track makes use of Tratakam, which leads attention along the thread that passes through the unconscious mind. This practice ultimately results in consciously crossing the entire zone of the unconscious, which we call Yoganidra.
- Brain – This track visualizes the unconscious as a series of layers, resembling a mandala. Using Vipassana to focus on each successive layer and releasing the energy contained within it allows the meditator to sink down to the very core of the unconscious and then transcend it.
Different meditation and psychotherapeutic techniques appear to access these tracks:
We teach Opening, moving attention over the boundary of the unconscious and observing the content in our intermediate mediation classes—the in-person Mudrashram® Master Course in Meditation and the by-mail and online Accelerated Meditation Program. This moves attention along the point between the eyebrows track.
In the Mudrashram® Advanced Course in Meditation, we teach Yoganidra, which moves attention much deeper on the point between the eyebrows track, and the Rebirthing Breath, which moves attention along the solar plexus track. More than simply dipping into the unconscious like in Opening, Yoganidra moves attention to the other side of the unconscious mind.
We discourage our students from using the base of the spine track that spans the unconscious, which pushes Kundalini beyond the cutting edge of spirituality. This readily produces emergence phenomena, which students have difficulty integrating.
We do not specifically teach abreactive methods, which arise from the track across the navel, for this is the province of psychotherapy. This giving a voice to the issues of the unconscious, or acting them out, needs to be carefully managed.
One of the techniques arising from the I AM meditations of the Second Planetary Initiation is using “I AM” as a mantra to move attention along the heart track through the unconscious mind. We teach I AM meditation to our students who are taking the Second Planetary Initiation. Those who have unfolded their Soul’s spiritual evolutionary potentials to this level or beyond can readily use this application of I AM meditation.
Yogi Preceptors and their advanced disciples commonly use the “OM” mantra to unite attention with cosmic consciousness, and then explore the track of the unconscious behind it, which separates this nucleus of identity from union with Brahman.
Some of those receiving the infilling of the Holy Spirit demonstrate glossolalia. We do not specifically train people in this method: it appears as a special gift of the Holy Spirit.
We teach a mandala method in our intermediate meditation classes to explore individual issues; this method can be readily adapted to identify the layers of the unconscious mind that separate you from liberation.
We suggest that you learn to move your attention using the methods of tracks (3) solar plexus, (4) heart, and (6) point between the eyebrows to help you consciously transcend the blockages of the unconscious mind you are encountering in your meditation.
