THE POWER OF YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND - SEPTEMBER 2013 - VOLUME 5 ISSUE 5

 
   Introduction

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful summer!  Since the season has passed for sitting outside in the shade with a good book, this month I’m doing the reading for you and reviewing a book by Joseph Murphy called The Power of Your Subconscious Mind.1  I highly recommend you read it for yourself – it was first published in 1963, but Dr. Murphy was way ahead of his time in many ways, particularly in understanding and applying the Law of Attraction. 

However, a word of caution is also in order.  The book reflects the values of the early 1960s, and things really have changed a lot since then.  Also, Dr. Murphy was a minister among other things; his language is often biblical, and there are many quotes from the bible. These aspects of the book may discourage a few readers, but there is a huge amount of excellent information.
   About the Author2,3

Very briefly, Joseph Murphy wrote, taught, counseled, and lectured to thousands all over the world for nearly 50 years.  He was born in 1898, and educated in Ireland and England before he moved to the US.  He first became a pharmacist in New York after completing a chemistry degree.  In addition to being an ordained minister of the Church of Divine Science in Los Angeles for 28 years and later, in Laguna Hills, he obtained a PhD in psychology from the University of Southern California, which led to a writing career.  He died in 1981 after publishing 25 books in addition to his career as a minister and lecturer.

   The Power of Your Subconscious Mind - Joseph Murphy

This book covers a multitude of topics – too many to review in detail in this newsletter.  Murphy devotes a lot of time to defining the subconscious mind and describing how it works.  He then covers many practical applications of the subconscious mind, e.g. “how to use the power of your subconscious for wealth.” 

He also gives many examples of the Law of Attraction at work.  Although the Law of Attraction has been recognized since biblical times, it didn’t become popular until quite recently, and Murphy was ahead of his time in his writing and understanding of it.  (See our newsletter of May 2012 for a review of The Secret, which discusses the Law of Attraction in detail.)

Murphy divides the mind into 2 spheres – the conscious mind and the subconscious mind.  His discussion of the conscious mind would correspond well with more recent writings.  In Murphy’s view, the subconscious mind includes not only the subconscious, but also what others refer to as the superconscious (e.g. Bruce Lipton in The Biology of Belief, see our newsletter of November 2012.)  Still others would call this the soul, or the part of us that is one with the universe/God or whatever you choose to call it.

The marvelous power of your subconscious
“You can bring into your life more power, more wealth, more health, more happiness, and more joy by learning to contact and release the hidden power of your subconscious mind.
You need not acquire this power; you already posses it. But, you want to learn how to use it; you want to understand it so that you can apply it in all departments of your life.”

This is a huge promise, but Murphy delivers.  He shows by giving many examples, as well as explaining in more detail how the subconscious works, how these statements are absolutely true.

The conscious and subconscious minds
Murphy suggests getting to know the 2 functions of your mind by thinking of yourself as a gardener planting seeds (thoughts) in your subconscious mind all day long, based on your habitual thinking.  “As you sow in your subconscious mind, so shall you reap in your body and environment.” 

Beginning now to sow thoughts of peace, happiness, good will, “right action,” and prosperity, and accepting them fully in your conscious (reasoning) mind will result in your subconscious bringing about harmonious conditions.

Outstanding differences and modes of operation
Murphy likens the conscious mind to the navigator or captain of a ship who directs the ship and signals orders to men in the engine room.  These men do not know where they are going, but they follow the orders.  If the captain were to issue faulty orders, the ship would go on the rocks; the men in the engine room obey orders automatically.  The men in the engine room are, of course, analogous to the subconscious mind.  It does not reason, it bases its conclusions and actions on the information it is given, rightly or wrongly, given that the conscious mind accepts the information as true.  For example, if you repeatedly say you can’t afford something, your subconscious mind takes you at your word and sees to it that you will not be able to afford what you want. 

Change your beliefs, and your circumstances will change; Murphy provides several examples to illustrate this (page 21).

How your own mind works
In this chapter, Murphy explains in more detail the roles of the conscious and subconscious minds.  For example, he clarifies that there are not 2 minds, but 2 spheres of activity within one mind.  Your conscious mind reasons.  The subconscious does not.  It, however, is creative.  It works by association and uses every bit of information collected over a lifetime to accomplish its mission.  The conscious mind is viewed as the objective mind, and the subconscious as subjective.

Murphy provides a number of examples of the power of suggestion both for good and for ill.  He notes that a suggestion has no power in and of itself except if you accept it mentally.  Positive examples of autosuggestion include overcoming fear, restoring memory, and overcoming a nasty temper.   He gives examples of negative suggestions made by other people, and how we can either fall victim to them or ignore or overcome them. 

He makes it clear, with examples, that false information accepted by the conscious and subconscious minds can literally create disease and even death – totally unnecessarily, of course.  This brings to mind the third of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, “Don’t make assumptions,” (see our newsletter of July, 2012).

 We can choose to reject negative suggestions, and choose only positive ideas.  “Choose life!  Choose love!  Choose health!” 

The miracle-working power of your subconscious
“Your subconscious mind controls all the vital processes and functions of your body and knows the answer to all problems.  Your subconscious mind never sleeps, never rests.  It is always on the job.” 

Murphy claims that the reason there is so much chaos and misery in the world is because people do not understand the interaction of their conscious and subconscious minds.  He says that when they work together as they should, you will have health happiness, peace and joy. 

He says there is no sickness or discord when the conscious and subconscious work together harmoniously and peacefully.  He gives an example of how he had healed himself of a skin cancer that had been getting worse and not responding to treatment, many years earlier, based on the advice of a clergyman with “deep psychological knowledge.”  The clergyman used the analogy of a watch that had been made by a watchmaker, who knew how to repair that watch.  Likewise, the subconscious mind that had created his body from a single cell, knew exactly how to recreate it and heal it.  Murphy developed a simple prayer that he repeated for about 5 minutes 2 or 3 times a day, and in about 3 months his skin was completely clear.  The prayer can be found on pages 38-39 (of the ebook).

Murphy discusses how to get the subconscious to work for you, by keeping you conscious mind busy with positive thoughts.

Healings in ancient and modern times
Murphy actually devotes separate chapters to healings in ancient and in modern times, with many extremely impressive examples.  He emphasizes that in all cases, the subconscious mind, and belief, were the healers.

The tendency of the subconscious is lifeward
You may not realize that over 90% of the brain’s activity is in the subconscious mind, and that only a small percentage of activity occurs in the conscious mind.  The subconscious mind not only oversees all vital functions but it is the source of intuition, hunches, impulses, intimations, urges, and ideas.  Murphy assures you that your subconscious works continually for your common good, and that it is always trying to help and preserve you from harm.  He emphasizes that it is normal to be healthy and abnormal to be sick.

After describing how to get the results you want, Murphy then deals with a large number of specific topics as follows:

  • How to use the power of your subconscious for wealth
  • Your right to be rich
  • Your subconscious mind as a partner in success
  • Scientists use the subconscious mind
  • Your subconscious mind and the wonders of sleep
  • Your subconscious mind and marital problems
    • While you might think that this topic would be more dated than some, it gives excellent examples of the Law of Attraction, and is therefore much less dated than you might expect.
  • Your subconscious mind and your happiness
  • Your subconscious mind and harmonious human relations
  • How to use your subconscious mind for forgiveness
  • How your subconscious removes mental blocks
  • How to use your subconscious mind to remove fear
  • How to stay young in spirit forever

Selected points to remember

  • Your subconscious mind is the builder of your body and can heal you.  Lull yourself to sleep every night with the idea of perfect health, and your subconscious will obey you.
  • Use only positive affirmations, e.g., I can do all things through the power of my subconscious mind.
  • The law of life is the law of belief.  A belief is a thought in your mind.  Do not believe in things to harm or hurt you.  Believe in the power of your subconscious to heal, inspire, strengthen, and prosper you.
  • Change your thoughts and you change your destiny.
  • Think good, and good follows.  Think evil, and evil follows.  You are what you think all day long.
  • Your subconscious mind does not argue with you.  It accepts what your conscious mind decrees.
  • You have the power to choose.  Choose health and happiness. . . . Choose to be cooperative, joyous, friendly, lovable, and the whole world will respond.  This is the best way to develop a wonderful personality.
  • The suggestions and statements of others have no power to hurt you.  You can choose to reject the negative thoughts of others and accept only the good.
  • Do not let others do your thinking for you. Choose your own thoughts and make your own decisions.
  • Your subconscious mind controls all the vital processes of your body and knows the answer to all problems.
  • Prior to sleep, turn over a specific request to your subconscious mind and prove its miracle-working power to yourself.
  • The law of action and reaction is universal.  Your thought is action and the reaction is the automatic response of your subconscious mind to your thought.  Watch your thoughts!
  • You can interfere with the normal rhythm of your heart, lungs, and other organs by worry, anxiety, and fear.  Feed your subconscious with thoughts of harmony, health, and peace, and all the functions of your body will become normal again.
  • Keep your conscious mind busy with the expectation of the best, and your subconscious will faithfully reproduce your habitual thinking.
  • The symptoms of almost any disease can be induced in you by hypnotic suggestion.  This shows you the power of your thought.
  • A mental picture is worth a thousand words.  Your subconscious will bring to pass any picture held in the mind backed by faith.
  • When your mind is relaxed and you accept an idea, your subconscious goes to work to execute the idea.
  • The feeling of health produces health; the feeling of wealth produces wealth.  How do you feel?

There is an enormous amount of information packed in this fairly short (180 pages) book.  Again, I think it’s well worth reading yourself.  If you think you would benefit by discussing any issues regarding the workings of the subconscious mind with me, please do not hesitate to contact our office to arrange an appointment.  Happy reading!

For additional information, please email ramila@ramilas.com; or call Ramilas Healing Arts Clinic at 613.829.0427 for an appointment. Please continue letting friends and family know about this newsletter. Also on our website, please see back issues of this newsletter, additional information about products, order products, and see information about our Clinic.

   Reference
  1. Murphy J. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind. Radford VA: Wilder Publications, 2007.
  2. Joseph Murphy. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Murphy_(author)  Accessed July 31, 2013.
  3. Joseph Murphy (1898 – 1981) Prosperity writer extrordinaire [sic]. http://josephmurphy.wwwhubs.com/  Accessed July 31, 2013.
   Disclaimer
The suggestions and recommendations in this newsletter are not intended to be prescriptive or diagnostic. The information is accurate and up to date to our knowledge, but we are not responsible for any errors in our sources of information.
   Closing

These newsletters will help you make better choices for better health. The choices that you make today can either have a positive or negative impact on your overall health. Begin by choosing better. It is a step toward longevity.

Sincerely,

Ramila Padiachy
Ramila's Healing Arts Clinic