Making Connections: Becoming an Instrument

Making Connections: Becoming an Instrument

“If these ideas become connected rightly in you then your mind will become a receiver, an organized instrument, that can pick up the vibrations of Higher Centres, of finer and finer meaning, and then you will be taught from within.” — Maurice Nicoll

To be “taught from within” is extremely mystical and exciting to me. But before I speak about psychological thinking—which is what Maurice Nicoll is directing us to—I want to step back and review the attributes of the most common form of “thinking.” You will quickly realize that when it is compared to the thinking people are capable of, it is a stretch to call it thinking at all.

The logical mind proceeds from the idea that intelligence is measured by the accumulation of knowledge and the ability to rapidly recall and use what it has learned. The lowest part, or the mechanical part of the Intellectual Center (Jack of Diamonds – see glossary) is where most people live their lives, and this part has a special name – the formatory mind. In proper balance, it is useful for storing memories, associations, previously learned facts, figures, and details.

The formatory mind is the storehouse of knowledge, and in that sense, a valuable lexicon to draw upon when needed. Unfortunately, it presents itself as speaking for the whole and tries to problem solve and answer questions without the assistance of the higher part of the Intellectual Center in combination with other higher parts of centers. It “thinks” in absolutes and divides everything into two: yes/no, black/white, good/bad, and prefers to simplify complex ideas into short, talking points and sound bites. Much of our daily experience, including social interactions and political discourse, originates from this mechanical part.

To know about, observe and begin to understand how the Jack of Diamonds operates is a tremendous advantage to learning how to truly connect our thinking in the right relation to things. P.D. Ouspensky describes psychological thinking as “finding the relation of the part to the whole.” He says, “If you can think rightly of the whole, you will understand every part.”

I am reminded of the parable of the blind men describing an elephant based upon which part of the animal each blind man is touching. The blind man touching the tail says it is a rope; the one touching the ear says it is a fan; the one touching the trunk says it is a huge snake; the one touching the leg says it is a tree trunk; the one touching the tusk describes an elephant as a hard, round spear. They each are confident with their subjective observation and assert their partial understanding as representing the whole of an elephant.

To bring this idea to my personal Work, this parable reminds me of an experience where I was being disciplined for leaving work early. The person was not aware of the whole extent of my circumstances and therefore could not understand my actions. I was trying not to express negativity, and my aim was also not to speak to anyone about the fact that I was fasting and feeling weak. I saw a more complete picture, but my coworker could only see my actions in relationship to what she knew. This discrepancy of what each of us knew created in me a feeling of compassion towards her and gave me a deep understanding of what she – through no fault of her own – had no possibility of understanding.

“If your mind does not change, you cannot change.” — Maurice Nicoll

When we engage our minds in a new way and take on an intentional attitude—that is, psychological thinking—the larger whole emerges from seemingly unrelated parts. We expand our understanding, erase division, and move toward unity. We can connect to the inner meaning of things and begin to vibrate sympathetically with the scale and relativity of Higher Centers. The mind—our instrument or receiver—being finely tuned is then able to resonate with higher frequencies. It takes patience and endurance to await the coming of a new state, a state of Presence which is capable of being taught from within and seeing the connectedness of all things. When the state of Presence is brought into being, we experience those “aha” moments when conflicting ideas reach us in a new way and bring us insight into the interdependency of the parts to the whole. I am then able to hold contradictions with serenity of heart and mind.

“Great knowledge is knowledge based on understanding of the whole by a more developed mind.” — P.D. Ouspensky

Join the discussion

Hansken the Asian Elephant, Rembrandt, 1637