“I changed my mind”
We have heard it and we have probably all said it. But have you taken the time to parse this out? What does it actually mean to change your mind? And where exactly is the mind? It’s in our head, right? Well perhaps. As a self-proclaimed recovering analytic, researching the location of the “mind” took me down a path I had not expected. Oddly, scientists and doctors have researched the “mind” for years, yet no one seems to know where it is located. They all agree that we have one. That, is if you haven’t lost yours yet! What they can define, however, is the location of our brain. And not only that, they have extensive information about how it works. They have even dedicated an entire medical sub-specialty to it called Neurology. One source indicated, that even though no one knows where the mind is, “they” theorize that it may be part of the human spirit. Again, “they” don’t know where that is either. Hmm…
Man is a spirit who has a mind and is housed in a body
This spirit being is referred to as a soul in Genesis; 2:7 “And the Lord God made man from the dust of the earth, breathing into him the breath of life. -Basic English Bible Your spirit is the part of your being which is eternal. It is closely related to, if not synonymous with the spirit. Your spirit is the complete essence of you. It completely embodies all aspects of your conscious and sub-conscious mind, senses, emotions, personality, memories and will. Your spirit has a mind. It’s the one you’re thinking with right now. That’s right. The mind is spiritual not mortal. Another reason why examining it is problematic! Metamorphically speaking, the mind is the engine of our spirit. And like the analogy of the automobile, it is contained within the body of the car (our spirit). It is intricately fastened to, and in constant communication with our conscious and sub-conscious parts. The mind is also receiving continual subjective sensory input from our spirit which wittingly or unwittingly factors into our decision-making.
Anecdotal and biblical support for a Spirit based mind
Perhaps the concept of a spirit sourced mind can be partially supported by those who have had recounted near-death experiences, wherein they have viewed themselves as rising out and above their corporal bodies shortly after having been pronounced clinically dead. They were capable, however, of ongoing thought, sight, hearing etc. yet their bodies, at least for a short period of time lay lifeless before regaining a heartbeat. If the residence of the mind was solely limited to one’s own biology, conscious capacities would cease upon biological death. A spirit-based mind is actually supported by scripture as in 1 Corinthians 2:11 11For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
Does your mind have a 6th sense?
Your spirit also possesses an additional sense which it confers to the mind. This sense can interact with that which is subjective or unseen. That is to say, your spirit is aware of things not observable by our five physical senses. For example, we can all identify occasions where we have sensed something before any visible evidence was available. What do we call this subjective sense? There is much debate about that but it seems anecdotally viable to suggest that intuition, as well as premonitions, ESP and clairvoyance may also be contributions of man’s spirit to his mind. As one might surmise, however, there is little scientific evidence to help to establish this as a provable fact.
What changes?
When one changes their mind, they have opted to change what they have formerly believed. This occurs at the direction of the; 1) Conscious mind, 2) sub-conscious mind, 3) Spirit, or some combination of all three. If the change of one’s mind has to do with altering a particular behavior, change will likely occur. But will it last? That depends on whether there is congruity between these three interdependent parts. Mind Transformation Inc. is specially trained to help in this area.