The Three Principles
Uncovered by a Scottish welder, Sydney Banks in 1973, The Three Principles of mind, Thought, and Consciousness help to explain the spiritual nature of our psychological experience of life and the Innocent ways we can sometimes get ‘stuck’.
Mind
Mind is the intelligence, the formless energy, behind the Universe. It is the energy that serves as the foundation for creation and is larger than us all. This has been known by many names (God, for instance).
The Mind reminds us that we are all connected to each other. Further, each and every one of us has access to this larger presence. This presence is and has always moved us (beings, nature, etc) forward through life. It reminds us that, since we are connected to its energy, at our core, we are perfect and whole just as we are and can utilize this strength at any time.
Thought
Thought is given to us by ‘big’ Mind for creation, for our ‘little’ mind to use. We are given a million thoughts a day. Memories, judgements, anxiety, depression, excitement, compassion, etc. Since we are given all of this thought, we also get to decide which thoughts to take less seriously and which thoughts to give ‘weight’ to.
Understanding that we have the power to choose the importance of our thoughts means that all of our experience of life is related to our thoughts about it. You and I could have very different thoughts/meanings/perspectives on the same outside circumstance. This is exciting news! It reminds us that our perspective doesn’t have to be so solid, that the truth is like a prism (many sides, with each angle representing a different point of view). It is neither right, nor wrong. It is not concrete. It is fluid and changeable at any point in time.
Consciousness
Consciousness allows us to experience what has been created by our thoughts. It is our Awareness. Like a movie projector displaying each picture slide telling the story.Consciousness makes our feelings feel more (or less) real. Meditation and Mindfulness are helpful tools that can help us utilize our consciousness and ‘zoom out’, become an observer instead of a character in our story.
When we begin to understand these principles, our relationship with life (and our thoughts about it) begins to change. Possibilities open up where we may not have seen them before. We begin to tap into the potential that exists within all of us and take notice of the opportunities available to us.
These principles have helped people all over the world improve their quality of life. From individuals to groups. From inner cities to prisons.
Join me on your journey towards emotional and spiritual freedom!
Recommended Reading
- Life Hacks: Tips and Tricks for Accessing Your Inner Resilience by Laurie Smith, LMSW
- Being Human: Essays on Thoughtmares, Bouncing Back and Your True Nature by Amy Johnson
- The Little Book of Big Change: The No Willpower Approach to Breaking Any Habit by Amy Johnson
- Suffering is Optional: A Spiritual Guide to Freedom from Self-Judgement and Feelings of Inadequacy by Gail Brenner
- Somebody Should Have Told Us!: Simple Truths for Living Well by Jack Pransky
- The Serenity Principle: Finding Inner Peace in Recovery by Joseph Bailey
