The only way to talk with the subconscious mind is through the pictorial imagination, because it has a very archaic mode of mentation that developed before speech had been thought of. It is unresponsive to logic, or argument, or appeals to its better nature. But show it a picture, and it understands and is only too ready to cooperate - now that it knows what is required of it.
This is an exemplification of the well known maxim that the hand follows the eye.
If you look over the hedge when driving a car, you will end up in the ditch because, all unconsciously, you will steer in the direction in which you are looking.
The novice keeps his eye on the kerb in order to avoid running into it, and follows St Paul's example in doing the thing he would not.
The expert looks where he wants to go, and gets there.
Edited from page 21 An Introduction to Ritual Magic by Dion Fortune -
edited by Gareth Knight, 1997/2006
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This is a metaphor for the role in our mortal life; "where we want to go" means our desire for, and confident belief-in, salvation.
The hand follows the eye... "The hand" is what we do in life - all that complex and potentially bewildering combination of attitudes, and knowledge, and actions.
"The eye" is what is the subject of our attention.
If we "look over the hedge", looking around instead of looking ahead; we shall be distracted by the temporary contingencies of mortal life, and will end up in a ditch...
If our attention is focused on the close-up and specifics of life - such as the avoidance of sins, or doing particular good works - then we will drive into the kerb...
We need instead to focus on where we want to go.
And for a Christian: where-we-want-to-go comes after death: and is Resurrected Eternal Heavenly life.
When we know where we want to go, are confident that we can get there; when we look at it and keep this vision before us - then we will get there.
5 comments:
I was thinking something similar on Sunday trying to sight-read through a Mission Praise hymn book at the piano. I realised that I shouldn't worry about how I was going to play the notes; my sole concern in the moment should be simply *reading* the printed notes in front of me on the page. It took quite a bit of the cognitive load off, or seemed to.
Hebrews 11:1 comes to mind, reading this.
i am further reminded of the phrase "the peace of God" and can't help but intuit that the certitude of the hand following the eye, trained properly upon its aim, has not little to do with a concomitant if implicit understanding of these other ideas found in the New Testament.
@Rich - Your reference is "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
I'm actually not sure what the author of Hebrews is getting at here.
@Ron - That is indeed another instance of the general phenomenon. Or maybe it would be a closer example if you were trying to reproduce a known melody, rather than thinking about how to play a particular printed sequence of notes.
What is faith? Is it trust?
@H - Yes, faith is trust - it is an ideal version of the implicit trust of a loving child for his loving parents - a continuous, implicit and explicit, knowing that they will always have at heart his best interests.
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