The Eight Components of "Mind"

Who are we within? What are the inner workings of our minds?

Was Sigmund Freud and his theory of the Id, Ego, and Superego correct? Was the ancient Hindu Katha Upanishad correct in its analogy of the Charioteer mind as the driving forces of our mental faculties, controlled by the Atman, the Buddhi, the Manas, and the Indriyas?

As mortals, none of us may ever grasp the real truths of the universe, of which we, our minds and bodies, are a part; however, this obstacle has yet to stop humankind’s desire to image, philosophize about, and reach for these eternal truths, nor has an abundance of accumulated, competing ideas stopped each new philosopher from dropping one more model into each proverbial hat of ideas.

In reflecting specifically on this “nature of the mind” question, I humbly submit a new entry into the hat of ideas - which, let me note now, will likely be subject to change over time. 

In terms of the makeup of the mind, I posit that there are seven components of mind, plus a sacred channel from our minds to that which is beyond mind and body. This sacred connection is one of particular intrigue that will be explored more in-depth in a future essay.

Furthermore, while each component of mind does its best to help each of us navigate life, I contend that there frequently arise unintended consequences in the operations of each component of mind, which hinder our ability to live healthy, sustainable, and fulfilling lives.

These eight components of mind came from deep reflection across a series of meditation sittings. This model of mind has helped me to more concretely visualize the dynamics underlying the rush of thoughts and emotions that constantly swirl about like wild animals in my head. In better visualizing these dynamics, it has enabled me to relax more into them, and to let them go and come back to my breath while meditating or to continue about my day, without creating feelings of frustration about the wild nature of my different thoughts and emotions.

Just as Freud and the Katha Upanishad author(s) intended with their own mental models, the purpose of the eight components of mind is to help us learn to better understand, and subsequently work with our minds. Hopefully, the following theory of mind and the essays to follow will be interesting at least, if not tangibly useful to you in conceptualizing the dynamics of your mind and helping you to live a more healthy, sustainable, and fulfilling life.

Beginning below the level of consciousness, I envision that there are two fully unconscious and autonomous components of mind:

The Automatic Mind

Is a part of the mind which might consist of what we call the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. The Automatic Mind - which encompasses the Autonomic nervous system, the encoding of DNA, and the reflexes component of the Somatic nervous system - is an ancient mind component that controls the parts of our bodies that must always function properly for us to survive and have children, such as growing/repairing/retiring cells, keeping your heart beating, and managing reflexes, digestion, and reproduction processes. While the Automatic Mind operates autonomously, it is nonetheless influenced by the products of the six conscious mind components, such as being worn down by persistent anxiety, and can be overridden by the conscious mind in some areas, such as breathing.

The Sensing Mind

Is the part of the mind that supplies information from the physical world through our senses of smell, taste, feel, hearing, and sight, as well as an arguably sixth, spiritual sense of sorts. The Sensing Mind’s chief role in helping us to navigate life is automatically supplying information for all of the other components of mind to process and utilize. The Sensing Mind’s information flows faster than the speed of thought, which is important in cases such as activating your Automatic Mind’s pain reflexes as quickly as possible, and the Sensing Mind itself does not think or add color to what it is sensing.

This leaves the six other components of mind, which counts the so-called Genius Channel, each of which operate both consciously, or at the level of thought, and also subconsciously. “Subconscious” in this context refers not to unconscious or without a link to thought, as in the first two components of mind, but rather to a shallow level of consciousness that occurs slightly below waking or alert consciousness. Examples include hypnosis, dreams, and other states of altered consciousness. In the case of dreaming, for example, the Core Mind can be activated through the practice of lucid dreaming, and the other components of mind are active to various degrees in the virtually unlimited expanse of dreams, powered by inputs from your cumulative life experiences, as well as occasional inspiration supplied through the Genius Channel, which we will discuss last. 

With the exception of the Memory Mind and the Genius Channel, each of these six components of conscious mind is highly subjective; that is, their tendencies and orientations are subject to change based on the influences of our cumulative life experiences. This contrasts to the objective Automatic Mind and Sensing Mind, which continue to perform their duties more or less unchanged by our cumulative life experiences.

I envision the six conscious components of mind to include:

The Core Mind

Is the part of mind that represents the inner “you,” or the central processing unit that observes the inputs from the other six components of conscious mind and makes decisions based on those inputs and your own cumulative orientation, which takes form at a subconscious level: below thought.

Ultimately, the Core Mind is the only direct component of conscious mind with the authority to direct your bodily interactions with the world. This leaves the Genius Channel as the only component of conscious mind that can supersede the Core Mind’s bodily control, however the Genius Channel is an indirect component of mind that lives beyond mind. 

In Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, Big Magic, this phenomenon of being controlled by something beyond mind was described as the inspiration of an external entity; a Genius of sorts. Examples of this phenomenon are also plentiful in the experiences of the shamans/seers/mediums/televangelists/etc. who fly into a trance and are seized through the Genius Channel and moved by what lies in the beyond. Being controlled by something beyond you sounds scary, but it doesn’t have to be so, and I believe that this phenomenon only takes place in special circumstances, of which the vast majority of people never encounter. I contend that the way the Genius Channel most often interacts with us is not by actively taking control of us, but rather by sending little bits of information into our minds in the form of inspiration, which our conscious mind refines into flashes of insight, boundless motivation, profound emotions or dreams, ingenius creativity or brilliant talent, and other mind-produced outputs.

Critically, the Core Mind also has the ability to quiet or amplify the other six conscious components of mind, including the inspiration of the Genius Channel.

Perhaps in a contrarian opinion, I assert that this Core Mind, or the “inner us” itself does not actually produce thoughts or emotions. Rather, the Core Mind is solely responsible for information processing, decision-making, and managing voluntary bodily actions. That said, as alluded to above, we - or our Core Mind - do evolve as we grow by establishing circuits of sorts, such as personalities, which are formulated below the level of thought and are more enduring than our ephemeral thoughts or emotions. 

The assertion that we ourselves do not think, but rather exist below the domain of thought is an essential part of the eight components of mind component concept and its applications. That is because this means that “we” - or our Core Minds are all innately endowed with the ability to fully manage our thoughts, our emotions, and our conscious bodily reactions by harnessing the powers of the other components of mind. We can also therefore mitigate the unintended consequences that each other component of mind can inadvertently produce. 

We are not our thoughts, emotions, or feelings; we are the witnessing consciousness that silently observes those mental formations, as Eckhart Tolle says.

The Memory Mind

Is the part of mind that captures memories from experiences that occur inside and outside of the mind. The Memory Mind’s role in enabling us to navigate life is by supplying the raw information that enables us to learn. This is helpful, for instance, in remembering that there are consequences to breaking societal rules or laws, which we eventually learn - whether vicariously or from firsthand experience - and remember via the Memory Mind component.

It is arguable whether memories are, in and of themselves objective or subjective, but I contend that the Memory Mind is objective, on the basis that reality is objective, and memories are snapshots of what is observed of reality. There is no “good” or “bad” memory; only good or bad reactions to memories. After all, two people can remember the same event with vastly different, subjective conclusions on the “goodness” or “badness” of that event. As far as we know, subjectivity and “goodness” or “badness” is a concept invented by and germane to human culture. Thus, it follows that the subjectivity that we experience as being attached to memories is only a result of the subjectivity of the other components of conscious mind. The other components of mind can also subconsciously suppress, block, or otherwise banish all or parts of memories from the reach of consciousness, but memories cannot be erased by the other components of mind (although memories can of course be destroyed if the part of the brain that stores them is damaged).

The Emotion Mind

Is the part of conscious mind that produces emotions or feelings - sometimes more quickly than the speed of conscious thought - in response to the Sensing Mind’s inputs, or the inputs of any of the other mind components. The Emotion Mind’s role in enabling us to navigate life is to speed up the decision making process of the other components of mind in response to stimuli and what we think or have learned. This is useful, for instance, when fear causes us to react quickly to being threatened with immediate physical violence.

The Emotion Mind may at times not feel quite so subjective, for after all: being punched in the face would likely make anyone angry, right? However, in crude case in point, as Trevor Noah explains in a stand-up comedy joke, the pejorative term “nigger” activates the Emotion Mind of Americans, while the pejorative term “kaffir” does not; however the latter does activate the Emotiton Mind of South Africans.

Yet, understanding that the nature of the Emotion Mind is subjective - or always evolving based on the cumulative experiences of our lives - is key to realizing that you - your Core Mind and not your Emotion Mind - have the ultimate authority not only in deciding whether or not to listen to or act on your emotions or feelings, but also in influencing whether or not emotions or feelings even arise in the first place.

The implications are that the Emotion Mind learns to generate emotional responses based on the orientation of our Core Mind. For instance, if our Ego Mind has painted a vision of self that is angry, and we - or our Core Mind - internalize this angry vision of self, then the Emotion Mind will learn to, by default, produce increasingly intense angry emotions to a broader set of situations in tandem with the degree to which our Core Mind orients with being an angry person; almost as if it is out of control. This also works in different directions, such as that of a Core Mind which is very stable and neutral, which will inhibit the Emotion Mind’s speed and intensity of produced emotions.

An unintended consequence of the sub-thought speed and the intense nature of the Emotion Mind’s signals is that we can often end up tricked into deciding on a course of action before we have had enough time to properly process all of our inputs. This is especially the case when the Ego Mind is quick to develop its own opinion and motivational signals in tandem with the Emotion Mind’s information, strengthening the overall pull to immediately and decisively act.

The Ego Mind

Is the part of mind that envisions a multi-faceted, constantly evolving vision of “self.” The Ego Mind also tirelessly urges the Core Mind to act in order to attain, preserve and enhance. The Ego Mind’s power and utility lies firstly in its creativity in envisioning an idealized vision of self, and secondly in its intense and often long-lasting motivation, which drives us to continue trying to realize this vision of self. This vision of self that the Ego Mind is nearly always asymptotic; that is, different or more advanced than our present realities. Thus, the Ego Mind constantly encourages us to strive for new achievements on the path to its ideal vision of self, which is a mentality that is very good for keeping us alive and reproducing, but is not so well adapted to modern society.

For instance, the Ego Mind may suggest that we seek a better paying job in order to be more successful, so that we can earn more money, which we can use to increase our chances to survive and also find a good (“good” oftentimes being reduced to simply a “physically attractive”) mate. Yet, the unintended consequences of this are that following the Ego Mind’s directive strengthens that vision of self (i.e. someone with a lot of money who needs to find a good mate to be happy) and the motivational draw of this vision of self, which can cause us to get caught up in the cycle of money-making and seeking a physically attractive mate. The consequences of this are that we are misled by the idea that finding a physically attractive mate or our accumulated money will make us feel fulfilled or impervious to unhappiness, when the reality is that being impervious to unhappiness is itself an asymptotic, impossible notion, due to the cyclical nature of life.

An over-developed Ego Mind and an under-developed Core Mind is a recipe for a conflict and subsequent anxiety, depression, and self loathing or hatred whenever we have a down day. When our reality inevitably diverges from the Ego Mind’s asymptotic vision of self by the fact that we have a down day. At this point, the Core Mind may give in to the Ego Mind’s urges to keep chasing the asymptotic vision of self by doing something in order to avoid or run away from whatever is causing us to feel down. This fruitless action (again, it is impossible to evade the cyclical nature of life) prevents us from allowing the down cycle to safely pass through us, like a lightning bolt passing through a plane, or an earthquake rippling a body of water. Trying to resist or evade the down cycle not only fruitlessly expends energy, but eventually consumes even more energy by producing an Ego Mind - Emotion Mind combined frustration that appears when we realize the down cycle is still there under our distraction actions. Unless we stop and process what’s happening, then this new frustrated energy, which has a negative charge, becomes trapped in our minds and bodies. This negatively charged energy accumulates over time and eventually makes us mentally exhausted or sick.

The Ego Mind and the Deductive Mind are also the only two components of conscious mind which produce thought. What differentiates an Ego Mind thought from a Deductive Mind thought may take some time to learn, however it’s easiest to conceptualize the difference as any thought that involves “I,” “me,” “my,” or “myself,” as an Ego Mind thought; however, be aware that this is not always the case. The nuanced difference is in whether the “I/me” word in a thought alludes to a vision of self or not. For instance, the thought “I am hot,” may be a Deductive Mind thought, if it simply remains an observation and does shift into referencing a vision of self who is, for instance, uncomfortable due to being hot. Ego Mind thoughts are usually rapidly followed by emotions, whereas Deductive Mind thoughts are usually emotionless. Hence, if the thought “I am hot,” is followed by frustration at sweating and shame at smelling of sweat or having your shirt soaked in sweat, then it is an Ego Mind thought.

Philosophers such as Alan Watts paint the ego as a schismatic or entirely separate identity from the concept of Core Mind; however, I posit that the ego is simply one voice in a chorus of other voices. In this way, being only one in a many-to-one relationship to the Core Mind, rather than a one-to-one relationship, the relatively smaller proportion of the voice of the Ego Mind may more readily be accepted, and its unintended consequences more easily mitigated.

Thus, a trained and diligent Core Mind can properly harness the Ego Mind’s powers of creativity and motivation, while mitigating the risks of obsession and negative feedback loops.

The Deductive Mind

Is the part of mind that learns, ideates, creates, and generally produces valuable thought concepts to enable us - or the Core Mind - to do more than simply staying alive; although the Deductive Mind’s products do help us stay alive, too. The Deductive Mind is the intelligence which is necessary to progress towards the Ego Mind’s vision of self. To accomplish this, the Deductive Mind observes what comes in from the other components of mind and produces a stream of non-self oriented thought commentary, which the Ego Mind latches occasionally latches onto and subsumes into the act of attaining, preserving, or enhancing the sense of self it identifies with. 

The Deductive Mind may also produce sub-thought directions, which the Core Mind may allow to manifest as electrical impulses, such as moving your fingers or mouth. In response to the Sensing Mind’s signal of hot, humid weather, for instance, the Deductive Mind may produce the thought “The sun is really bright today.” If that thought were to expand to reference a vision of self as a healthy, unblemished person, such as “I’m going to get a sunburn in this sun!” then this would be an interjection of the Ego Mind for the purpose of preserving that image of self, not the Deductive Mind. The Deductive Mind - or alternatively the Ego Mind - may next suggest to your Core Mind the sub-thought direction of asking a friend for sunblock, or seeking shade.

The Deductive Mind’s ability to learn is its strength, although this is where the unintended consequences arise. As alluded to above, the Ego Mind likes to take credit for the Deductive Mind’s work by attaching “I/me” motivations to what the Deductive Mind produces, which can be used to inflate the Ego Mind’s perception of its ability to achieve its vision of self, and in turn expand the Ego Mind’s relative size, which ultimately threatens your - or your Core Mind’s - ability to maintain order and continue living a healthy, sustainable, and fulfilling life.

The Deductive Mind’s ability to learn, while powerful, is in the grand scheme of the universal and our mortal limitations, also quite limiting. Born blind, the Deductive Mind learns by groping about for insights and truths in the dark of reality, hoping to discover something important to help the inner you - the Core Mind - better navigate life. Often, the Ego Mind and Emotion Mind of both ourselves and other people in the world will confirm important discoveries as they happen by excitedly producing their own signals in response to what the Deductive Mind discovers.

Occasionally, out of the the Deductive Mind’s incessant chatter will arise interesting discoveries, such as a work presentation that is well-received, the proper guitar finger pattern for Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, or helpful words of advice to a friend who is discouraged.

In very rare cases, the Deductive Mind will produce incredible insights. While it is always born blind, I believe that each person is born with a certain width to their Genius Channel, which is will be touched on below and covered in-depth in a future essay. Examples of incredible insights that a Deductive Mind has produced with the inspiration of the Genius Channel are not limited to the scientific variety and include Einstein’s mathematical genius (not only the equation of e=mc2), Abraham Lincoln’s political savvy, Martin Luther King Jr.’s charisma, oratory skills, and societal vision, Maya Angelou’s creative talent, and Rosa Park’s revolutionary resolve.

Finally,

The Genius Channel

Is the part of mind that is able to bring in inspiration from beyond your body and mind, sourced from the accumulation of all the experiences in the totality of the universe. Unlike the other components of mind, the production of the inspiration that we receive through the Genius Channel does not occur within our bodies. Instead, the Genius Channel acts as a channel to that which cannot be contained within a human body. The Genius Channel therefore may so be thought of as a channel to God, the collective unconsciousness, or cosmic intelligence.

As mentioned earlier, my opinion is that the size of each of our Genius Channels is greatly determined at birth, hence the presence of prodigal geniuses. But that is not not to say that there is no hope for the rest of us to unlock our own greatness. By training our Core Minds in the art of quieting the other components of our conscious mind, I believe that we are all able to receive inspiration from our Genius Channel, no matter what size it was at birth.

That said, because I do not personally believe that we are ourselves puppets of fate who are bound to one path in life, I do believe that we can widen our Genius Channels of our own actions, whether temporarily or permanently. This is the reason I assert we see the presence of individuals who experience deep and profound transformations in the course of their lives. I contend that this occurs due to a widening in such individuals’ Genius Channels, which is a result of the interaction of serendipitous life experiences with the components of such individuals’ mind, rather than a Genius Channel that was always wide, but only blocked, and was fated to become unblocked.

The concept of the Genius Channel will be explored much deeper in a future essay. For now, it is enough to know that the role of the Genius Channel in helping us to navigate life is to inspire us to discover and excel at our life’s great work. The good news is that this means that each of us does possess a great work, or Dharma in Sanskrit, whether it is already discovered, or yet waiting to be.

In regard to the Genius Channel, an Albert Einstein quote comes to mind: 

”I want to know how God created this world. I'm not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts; the rest are just details.”

Einstein already knew the mind of God; his deep connection to it far exceeded that of the multitudes of those who came before and after him, and the proof was the “God mind”-inspired theories, which were a result of the inner workings of his incredible mind, as whole. Einstein, it is worth noting, was one of history’s great people who managed most to tame his Ego Mind, while retaining its power of motivation.

Stay tuned for more mindful musings on the eight components of mind, how to open the channel to your Genius Channel, as well as how to live mindfully with more happiness, love, peace, energy, and meaning.