How To Stop The Negative Thinking Within
There are three main strategies that we must consider when seeking to find this stealth virus which we will call "The Inner Critic." Here are the three main strategies we must use:
Detect.
Detain.
Deactivate.
The First step, like a computer, we need to create a virus scanner that will work inside our head ... to scan our brain. The virus that we seek is "The Inner Critic" or what most would recognize as ego-self. This virus inds it's way into our daily thought processes totally unnoticed. When we become aware that it has taken control of our hard-drive ... the cerebral operating system ... we have recognized most of the battle.
The rest of what we have to do, is not as difficult as one might think. This is because the Inner Critic is embedded deep in our minds. Like any virus, it doesn't want us to know it's there. It's desire is to remain stealth. It doesn't want you to stop it from taking control of your life.
Most people will not have any idea what this virus looks like and is the main reason fighting back is futile. They don't know what it is they're fighting. If you are like most, you try to stop negative thinking by randomly deleting files on our brains hard-drive in hopes of erasing the virus. But the Truth is, you'll miss the virus, and end of deleting a bunch of valuable files in the process. This makes your hard-drive brain mostly unusable. It will leave the virus in place and your subconscious mind will be even more confused and frustrated.
Remember now ... this virus is not static. It is clever, and has the ability to morph into any situation it deems necessary. As you progress in life, it adapts and becomes more effective. There are many ways that it can weave throughout your mind and create more negative influence on your life.
For example, you may be wanting to start a new business venture and this Inner Critic will step up from the background and try to convince you that "you can't do this," "this will be a failure," "you'll never be able to complete this." Always negative and doing it's best to deter and detract you from your creative abilities. But then begins the process of morphing into other angles. As you continue your plans regardless, the virus will try another method of negatively influencing you. It will send signals like "you're really good at this, you should be doing more," "you're suppose to work on this project every day and today you didn't," and "you really need to improve yourself if this is ever going to be successful." The ego based Inner Critic still dictates what you do ... only it has the ability to get more and more sophisticated and diabolical.
The first step in detaining this virus is to become far more aware of all the things in your life. Essentially, to wake up and pay more attention to whats going on inside of you. Examine your past and ask yourself ... "When was I experiencing self-criticism?"
You will come to notice many ways that this viral pattern has usurped your life through the use of your thought processes. Until you become consciously aware of this process, attaining inner peace will not be possible. This is the foremost reason people, even deeply spiritual people, are falling short of attaining peace, joy, and abundance in their lives.
It is because there is a saboteur loose within their thinking faculties and is wreaking havoc at their chances for happiness, joy, and inner peace. The real problem is that most are not even aware of this intruder. The ego serves a great function however, it was never meant to lead. It was never meant to call the shots. It operates in fear, whereas Spirit/Soul operates in Love and Wisdom. Our job is to tame the ego, find the Inner Critic, halt the virus and have it submit to our Spirit consciousness. We have to transform this power into serving us, rather than enslaving us.
In closing, I am reminded of a great analogy in the New Testament Bible where the words ascribed to Jesus are:
"But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but on man's."
~Matthew 16:23
In a deeper metaphysical sense, Peter represents this ego, this cunning Inner Critic, and is presented as "satan" which literally means "the opposer" and realizes that it is Spirit/Divine mind that must lead, and that man's base nature ego mind must follow in submission and servitude to Divine Christ Consciousness. The Divine Spark of God that is within all of creation is the default of the universe. It creates in it's default setting ... moving forward and lever looking back. Here is where we must find ourselves on this spiritual journey in Earth School. We resurrect the Divine within us, and overtake the independent base-nature ego mind. This is our ascension to higher vibrational energy. This is how you Saviour Self.
Mind the entrance gate of your mind. This will assist you in keeping in check all that enters from without, and all that hides from within. Once we properly balance our polarity, and deactivate the illusion, we will ride the waves of good and bad, we will shine light on the darkness, we will triumph over evil.
Just a thought ...
~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.
My thanks to Chris Cade and to Leland Vincent for inspiration.
