Practical Mysticism 4: Divided Mind Basics of The Infinite Way

 


Today I’d like to look at the triangle metaphor as it would relate specifically to the teachings of The Infinite Way as taught by both Joel Goldsmith and Herb Fitch. The Infinite Way shares basic metaphysics, principles, and practices with A Course in Miracles, but the terminology in some cases is different, so let’s look at the triangle metaphor using Infinite Way language. 


The triangle symbol is a metaphor for what is referred to in The Infinite Way as the divided mind. The divided mind is a way of describing the condition of the mind when it is in a state of ignorance, divided between a consciousness of matter, mortality, duality, and illusion, and a consciousness of Spirit, Immortality, Oneness, and Truth. The mind is split between these two opposing states, and the aim of the Infinite Way is to have the mind come to rest in the consciousness of Truth alone. 


In the consciousness of illusion, the mind is identified as a body in a world of matter, believing it is separate from its Creator, and unaware that beyond the five sense universe is an Infinite invisible Universe of Perfection. Furthermore, in this state of ignorance, the mind is unaware that it is the maker of the five sense universe, believing instead that the seeming material universe has an objective existence apart from the mind. 


When the mind resides in the consciousness of Truth, which is symbolized by the top of the triangle, the mind knows itself as mind, or consciousness, and no longer identifies itself as a human being. The top of the triangle perspective also understands that what appears to be a material universe of matter is actually a mental universe of images which is a veil blocking the Infinite Spiritual Universe from awareness. The mind understands that the sense universe of images is a misperception of the Spiritual Universe of God. The mind dwelling in the consciousness of Oneness knows truly that God is All and that the universe of appearances is actually nothingness. 


This mind, purified of all thoughts, beliefs, and concepts of humanhood and a false universe, knows its identity as One with its Creator, as One with All that Truly Is. The undivided mind knows that the apparent material universe has no objective existence apart from mind. It knows it is the maker of the world of images, and that this world of images is solely mind, similar in substance to a nighttime dream. Knowing the falsity and nothingness of this mental world of duality, the mind never gives credence or power to any of the images. From this elevated state of mind we know ourselves as the Christ and we have dominion over the world of images.


The goal of The Infinite Way practice is for the mind to be undivided, purified of all beliefs and concepts associated with humanhood and the false universe, and resting in the abstraction of our Immortal, Infinite, True Identity. 



The Infinite Way uses many different terms to describe the states of mind at both the top and the bottom of the triangle, and I’ll incorporate more of these terms in future posts when we dive deeper into The Infinite Way and into Practical Mysticism. I hope you found this content helpful. Thank you, and peace to you. 





The audio presentation of this blog post, including images and diagrams, can be found below and on the Practical Mysticism YouTube channel:








No comments:

Post a Comment

Featured Post

Practical Mysticism 5: Understanding, Acceptance, Application with Focus on Understanding

Hi there! Today I’d like to talk about three components of spiritual awakening in the mystical practice of A Course a Miracles, The Infinite...