MBS
MIND – BODY – SOUL
The mind, body, and soul can each be divided into 4 categories in which all growth of each faculty resides. One category out of every four contains a much broader range of ways to cultivate said category that utilizes each of the other three skills within itself and will be highlighted in that faculties color. The mind, body, and soul are all intertwined, enabling the existence of every organism, making them whole, and each part utilizes the others at all times. To put the importance of the mind, body, and soul into perspective, failing to utilize and grow just one of these parts will render you incapable of drawing upon even half of your true potential due to the sheer magnitude of their interdependency. Utilizing the mind, body, and soul at once in all that we set out to do grants exponential growth to their user while also deepening their understanding of the interconnectedness of all things, as Hermes states, “As above so below.” One thing to remember, which will be reflected in the order the three faculties are listed, is that the body answers to the mind and the mind answers to the soul. This reflects these three parts’ importance respectively.
Body
“We treat the body rigorously so it does not disobey the mind.” – Seneca.
The body is a sacred vessel that houses the soul/self, and is the faculty closest to the finite. Therefore, it is the most logical of the three components that makes one whole. Example, the results of the cultivation of the body are most clearly able to be observed and quantified. There are four ways one can gain mastery over the body: through strength, speed, endurance, and utility.
Strength
Strength is the ability to impose one’s will upon matter via the body. Each movement the body can make is fueled by a specific muscle or muscle group that increases physically, and in turn, capability-wise, the more one repeats that specific movement. The most important thing to remember when increasing strength, which is the same with any type of growth, is that our strength increases in proportion to the extent that we exceed our limitations. After we exceed our limitations by stressing the muscle, therefore giving the body a reason to allocate resources to the growth of that muscle, we must meet certain conditions in order to enable the actual growth of the muscle. We do not gain muscle through exercise, on the contrary, we actually tear the muscle in order for the muscle to be built up stronger. The actual building of the muscle is carried out during our time of rest. There are two things we must do in order to efficiently enable the growth of our muscles. One, is to provide the body with the proper nutrients needed to supply the muscle-building process, and two, we must give the body ample time to carry out the process of building muscle by getting a healthy amount of sleep (generally 8-10 hours depending on the intensity of our workout). When it comes to the most efficient way to cultivate strength we must approach our exercise with a certain form. Mike Mentzer, a world-renowned bodybuilder who helped popularize body building alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, was the only person ever to have won the title of “Mr. Olympia” with a perfect score of 300. He came up with a method to maximize the effectiveness of every rep. The way he completes each rep is as follows, let’s say we are doing a bicep curl, we spend 4 seconds on the lifting movement, then hold for 2 seconds at the top of the movement, and lower for 4 seconds. He also states that we should be going as heavy as possible for each exercise and hitting failure between the 5-10 rep range for most exercises. He also states that utilizing these guidelines, we should only be completing one set for each exercise. Due to the intense nature of each rep, one set is more than enough to insight the body’s acknowledgment of the need to grow muscle. He also emphasizes the importance of resting 48-96 hours between each workout because the muscle must first recover the resources exerted during the workout in order to then start building more muscle after the muscle has recovered. He also states the body heals as a whole and working a different muscle group directly after a workout disrupts the body’s ability to heal therefore leading to lackluster results.
Speed
Speed is the measure of how quickly we can manipulate our body. Without swiftness we won’t get the opportunity to initiate the use of our strength, and in a life-or-death situation, this lack of capability can lead to fatal results. Just like everything else, the more we push the limits of our speed, the greater our speed increases. Speed isn’t strictly contained within exercise; it also affects the mind and soul. By increasing the speed of our body, we also increase the speed of the mind and soul. Even so, we should still take the time to test the speed at which we can use the mind and soul as well. Some of the best ways one can exercise the limits of their speed is through cardio, focused on speed (running, punching with weights, fast feet, high knees, tall box jumps, etc.), or by completing strength exercises and instead of focusing on control we focus on reps/speed – while maintaining good form and avoiding placing too much pressure on the joints.
Endurance
Endurance is the measure of duration in which one can complete a specific action. There are two main areas where endurance can be measured, first, under the strength category, we measure how long we can hold a certain amount of weight, and two, under the speed category, we measure how long we can maintain a certain movement while moving as fast as possible. These forms of measure are also known as stamina. Endurance is extremely important because even if we are stronger and faster than an opponent, if we can only hold out for a few minutes, we are completely vulnerable to whatever happens after our time runs out. We can train endurance in two ways: for strength, we can time ourselves to see how long we can hold a specific amount of weight in various positions, and, for speed, we can time ourselves to see how long we can complete a specific movement as quickly as possible.
Utility
Utility is the broadest category of the body’s growth. It includes the use of the previous three categories utilized to the max in a single activity such as boxing or MMA, stretching and yoga which increases flexibility and our ability to understand the body’s physiology, specifically which movements engage which parts of the body, and lastly, health, which includes our diet, massages and other chiropractic exercises that strengthen our joints, bones, muscles, and most importantly, our sleep. The best way to efficiently upgrade the body’s utility is to first, eat healthy. Try to eat foods hat are as close to being naturally made as possible and no matter what you are eating, do not eat in excess. In Japan, people eat to satiate 75% of their hunger. This is a great way to stay at an optimal body fat percentage without having to measure all that we eat. Second, every day at the start of the day we should stretch our body. This will leave us feeling great, more capable and flexible, and in the long run we will be able to derive much greater use from our bodies. Third, once a week we should participate in a sport or activity that will utilize our strength, speed, and endurance. This will enable us to passively upgrade our faculties’ cohesiveness when used in action, our strength, speed, and endurance respectively, as well as help us maintain physical competency as we get older. Lastly and most importantly, we have sleep. Our sleep is the most important ingredient to growing especially in regards to the body. We must make sure to get sleep of equal or greater intensity to the amount we are exerting our faculties. One of the laws of the universe states, all things have a rise and a fall, and if we work without rest, we are essentially picking a fight with the rules that govern all, which will inevitably result in the downfall of the individual as a whole. There will be times that we must stay awake longer than usual, but remember to keep a mental ledger of the sleep debt accrued and pay that debt as soon as possible.
Mind
The mind is the bridge between the infinite and the finite, logic and emotion, body and soul. The mind is the greatest subordinate one could ever hope for, but if the mind is given authority over one’s faculties, pandemonium is all but assured. There are four distinct categories in which one can upgrade the mind: learning/logic, focus, memory, and visualization/thinking.
Learning/logic
Learning/logic is our most broad category in respect to the mind. It is also the most commonly upgraded category of all due to the fact that the society we live in today relies upon this ability to cultivate new members of every type of workforce. But there is far more to this category than most think. Most people dread learning because almost everyone was forced by their schooling system to learn about a topic they have no interest in and sometimes, the information gained is never even utilized. In spite of this, learning a new skill that interests you is one of the most rewarding things one can do, in more ways than one. Learning in its rawest form is an application of logic that is extrapolated into many complex systems in order to properly keep track of all the different types of information that can be studied. There are too many of these complex systems to name but the most well known are: mathematics, language arts, social studies, science, and the various art forms (music, design, painting, etc.). The most efficient way to learn is to, first, find a topic you feel passionate about, second, map out all of the components and gain a basic comprehension of them so you can connect each component to each other as you progress, third, set goals for which components you want to master and a deadline by which you will master them. A goal without a deadline is a fallacy.
Memory
Memory is the ability to retain and recall information, which is arguably the most important section of all because without the ability to memorize events and information, there would be no meaning to life nor would we be able to grow in any regard. Although most important, it is probably the easiest faculty to upgrade due to its plethora of applications. Some easy ways to build your memory are playing games based on memory, at the end of the day reviewing every action taken from start to finish, or when you need to relay or write down information, try testing how much of that information you can recall before writing down or checking the original piece of information. Memory is utilized every second of every day so the most important thing to do is be conscious of its application and put forth a willingness to gain a greater capacity for memorizing so its cultivation becomes more passive than tedious.
Visualization/thinking
Visualization/thinking is the most direct mode of tapping into the infinite landscape that lays within the mind. There are two main things we can do in this space: see and hear. Visualizing or seeing is the process of constructing a vivid picture as intricate as our mastery over the mind’s eye, and thinking is the process of the mind speaking to the soul aka the self. Thinking is the more commonly utilized tool for most, but visualizing is an integral part of life that must not go unnoticed. The most common way visualization is utilized, is as a means to attract the things we desire by vividly imagining the circumstances of a present moment where all that we sought has been acquired in as much detail as possible, even going as far as recreating the feelings, mindset, and actions one would take in the future reality they are visualizing. This is most effective when done right before falling asleep so that the subconscious mind can process one’s visualization while they are sleeping. This premise is explained thoroughly in the book “Feeling is the Key” by Neville Goddard which can be viewed in an audio format on youtube in under 40 minutes. The other main use case for visualization is based in logic more so than the mystical. Nikola Tesla, one of humanities’ greatest minds of all time, responsible for the technology that affords us many of the luxuries we take for granted, attributed his technological breakthroughs to visualization where he claims the blueprints for his innovations were shown to him in his mind’s eye. Another form of this practical visualization was spoken of by a world-renowned musician known for her skills on the bass guitar, Tal Wilkenfeld. In her youth, Tal was unable to practice on the guitar for more than thirty minutes a day due to her parent’s fear of her becoming enthralled in music and pursuing it as a career. In spite of this, as her passion for music was so great, she proceeded to memorize the entire fretboard on the guitar along with the sounds each positioning of the fingers produced, therefore allowing her to continue her practice in a realm nonphysical. You can think of this method of visualization as a way to test your knowledge of a certain practice and continue your training in your desired field wherever you may find yourself. When it comes to thinking we can use our thoughts as a means to converse with ourselves in order to sort things out and practice speaking. We can also use our thoughts as a way to set intentions and manifest without useing our physical voice.
Focus
Focus is the ability to maintain engagement of the mind on a single goal or subject for a certain amount of time. We first formulate an intention and then in order to carry it out one must devote the entirety of their faculties until the intention is achieved utilizing the mind as the leader and regulator of this endeavor. Without the ability to focus, our lives will forever remain in a state of disarray. Focus can be utilized in a broad way or a more concise way. An example of a broad use case would be the ability to set your mind to the accomplishment of a grand task that requires you to wake up every day, for years, with the furthering of your goal being your number one priority. Examples of this goal could be amassing wealth, achieving a world record, or, most arduous yet rewarding of all, gaining mastery of the mind, body, and soul. An example of a more microcosmic implementation of focus would be utilizing focus to complete the smaller daily activities required to create a healthy and balanced lifestyle. For example, doing your homework, cleaning your room/car, or working diligently. Without the control to exercise focus, these tasks will seem and feel much harder than necessary. Some of the most effective ways of upgrading the ability to focus would be, reading a book, meditating with the intention of maintaining a clear mind, and most importantly, limiting social media, television, video games, and really all major forms of instant gratification as to not hinder your ability to complete the truly important tasks in your life by creating a daily habit where over 30% of your time is spent chasing artificial dopamine instead of receiving your dopamine from the completion of tasks that will actually improve you and in turn, your quality of life.
Soul
The soul is the most important and divine component of every individual, for if we consisted of only a mind and body, we would be no greater than a robot. The soul is our innermost part and when this part is in disarray, that state of being is extrapolated outward towards the mind and then to the body. The soul is pure consciousness/energy, which means it is of a higher dimension, for it surpasses the finite notions of creation and destruction. It is what makes you, you. There are four main categories into which all capabilities of the soul lay: creation, psychology/introspection, experience/life, and spirituality.
Creation
There are three reasons we exist: to grow, to know ourselves, and to create. Creation is the greatest way to show proof of one’s existence. Just like the mind, body, and the soul, all three reasons for living are interconnected; but if there was an optimal way to order them, it would be in the order previously presented and here is why. Before we can know the Self, we must first create something to be known, we must act. The greatest act one can partake in is growth, for it leaves us with the broadest amount of favorable options. After we grow, we must analyze our growth by figuring out what our preferences are which lead us to our goals and passions. After we grow the Self, and know the Self, it is time to show the Self. Creating by showing the Self is akin to painting, one of the many microcosmic forms of expression. But when we paint on a macrocosmic level, we use our thoughts and feelings as the paint, our actions as the paint brush, and the WORLD, REALITY ITSELF, as our canvas. Some of the greatest ways to practice creation is through any of the many art forms such as music, painting, drawing, design, fashion, and writing to name a few. We must first acclimate to the art form of our choice by studying it through the mind to understand its innermost workings/components and their relationship with each other so that they can become the limbs of the soul enabling the channeling of our emotions into an observable form of expression.
Psychology/introspection
Just like how the outer world is governed by physical matter, our inner world is governed by our thoughts and feelings. Our inner reality is most important because the state of our mind, body, and outer reality is a direct reflection of our inner reality. So, in order to have a desirable mind, body, and outer reality we must study ourselves through our thoughts and emotions in order to properly regulate and direct them in the right direction. This is the goal of psychology and introspection: the studying of the various states an inner world can exhibit = psychology, and how to properly apply the principles learned on ourselves by studying the Self = introspection. There are many sources from which one can study psychology, but there is one man in particular who I found to have the most beneficial and open-minded/expansive approach to the study of psychology, Carl Gustav Jung. He was the first person to map out the human psyche which is comprised of: the persona, which is how we want to be perceived by those around us, the anima, which is the feminine aspect of the psyche within man, the animus, which is the masculine part of the psyche within a woman, the ego, being the center of our field of consciousness comprising our sense of self, the shadow, which is the unconscious, containing the parts of ourselves that we cast away and are reluctant to acknowledge, and finally, the Self, which is the unification of the conscious and unconscious aspects of our being encapsulating all of the psyches smaller parts as a whole. There is much more to his work that I suggest you research, and many other psychologists from which you can study, but Jung is by far my favorite and if you look into him I’m sure you will understand why. Next, I recommend reading two books, one leaning more towards the spiritual realm and the other more in regard to a practical use case of psychology. The first is called “The Inner Work”, by Mat and Ash. I consider this a great way to gain some stable footing in understanding the causes and effects of our thoughts, feelings, and actions, in regards to our inner world. The second is called “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, by Dale Carnegie. This book will help you better understand the workings of relationships in a practical way by providing guidelines on how to approach certain situations that are backed by real life experiences from common folk, all the way to some of the greatest business men, presidents, and even infamous criminals, highlighting the humanity shared between all echelons of society. In regards to introspection, here are some of the most beneficial practices one can partake in so that they can properly navigate their inner worlds. First, we must find a purpose, figure out what type of person we want to be, and why. This may seem hard to do but when you don’t know where to start you must pick a starting point, begin, and adjust accordingly. A great way to find a place to start is to ask yourself, “If I could do anything and I knew I would succeed, what would I do?” Then find the kid you used to be, the one who was not hindered by what other people think, anxiety or depression, and await their response that bears with it a seemingly infinite fountain from which positivity, imagination, hope, wonder, joy, and positivity springs forth without restraint. Second, we must become conscious of everything we do throughout our day and constantly ask ourselves, does this thought, feeling, or action, benefit me or hinder me and adjust accordingly. Third, we must dive deeper into our inner nuances shining light upon our shadow and the other parts of the psyche through the analyzing of our dreams, thoughts and feelings through the lens of meditation and journaling, as well as entertaining the possibility that what we believe to be true about ourselves, may be false and exploring that possibility and it’s causes objectively. By exploring the psyche, identifying imbalances, and correcting them we enable inner harmony.
Experiences/life
Experience is what enables all growth. This relationship is similar to that of a pencil and a paper; without the paper, there is nothing to record our writing on, leaving the pencil useless. There are an infinite number of experiences one can have, to go along with the infinite number of ways one can grow. The thing about infinity is that there is always a possible reality where the most tedious or overlooked task can lead to one of the most important and defining moments of our lives. If we close ourselves off to that possibility, we will ultimately miss out on some incredible experiences leaving many of us with regrets. Think about it utilizing the law of equivalent exchange, the greatest experiences are the ones that beat all odds and surpass expectations – that is where the value of those great experiences lay. Therefore, if we only act out of what we expect to be pleasurable, and miss out on experiences that we deem not pleasurable, we rob ourselves of experiencing the beauty, awe, and wonder that life every so often provides and that is such a sad thing. In order to upgrade this category, we should make some time every week, two weeks, or month, etc., to do something we normally wouldn’t do, without any expectation of how it will go in order to embody the essence of living, change. Think about how many fewer times we regret doing something than not doing? For even when we do something wrong, we acquire the experience and wisdom we previously lacked to make better decisions moving forward.
Spirituality
Spirituality Is the study of the spirit and the interconnectedness of all things through their infinite/spritual nature. Within this final broad section, some of the ways one can gather a better understanding of the order of the infinite, will be discussed. All reason indicates that there is an entity beyond creation, and therefore destruction, that created this reality in a deliberate and meticulous fashion. Put simply, there is too much order for this to be a product of the disorderly and there is too much life for it to have been a product of non-life. The most fundamental premise that enables the proceeding information, is that ‘all is one’. Everything is connected. Whether finite, all matter is fundamentally a product of the same building block that is slightly altered to produce different qualities based on its varying energy, vibration, and frequency, or, infinite, all consciousness is a product of the original collective consciousness to which we all return. All is one, making it so we are all Alon(e) together. This oneness has been experienced by many who have had near death experiences, and they describe a phenomenon that seems to consist of one’s ego/identity being dissolved and replaced with a sense of being everything all at once which leads to a peacefulness so profound its true refulgence cannot be described. Many of the greatest humans throughout history such as Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, etc., all understood this interconnectedness and preached about how we are all one and how we should treat each other like family or the way that we would treat ourselves. Because of this, by knowing ourselves, one is able to know G-d or the universe. This understanding is what allowed the greats of humanity to become enlightened to the degree that they were. This also explains why karma works the way it does, because by treating others in a certain way, we are showing G-d/the universe that this is how we want to be treated as it views us all as the same person just at different stages in life. This section is broadest because it is the culmination of the meaning and intentions behind the other three soul factors but applied not only to the inner world but to the outer macrocosmic scale of reality as well, helping us to grasp the intentions of the creator. The first premise of spirituality that will be brought up are angel numbers. Carl Jung defines synchronicities as events or circumstances that bridge the gap between our inner and outer worlds in such a way that it seems like our thoughts and emotions are having a direct conversation with the universe and it is replying back to us through various signs or experiences that acknowledge what it is being told, guiding one in the right direction. For instance, let’s say you read a book and for some reason one line really sticks out to you. You keep thinking about that line and then all of a sudden, you see it on a billboard. Then later on, you get a call from a friend and they mention that same line. And after you get off the phone, you go about your day only to turn on the TV and see it again. Pythagoras immersed himself in the study of numerology and dubbed numbers to be the language of the universe, finding very specific meanings in each of the numbers and the patterns that math produced in nature as well as through various equations. The form of synchronicity I witness most frequently are in the form of angel numbers. All numbers are angel numbers with their own unique meaning based on the attributes and order of the numbers that are presented but the most famous displays are when a number is repeated multiple times amplifying its attributes such as 444, 777, 999, etc. The most well known angel number is probably 11:11 which is most commonly known to be a sign to make a wish. I don’t remember exactly when or where I found out about angel numbers but I do know that I was skeptical at first. I used to chalk it up to coincidence and never pay them much attention until I became more and more conscious/enlightened. As I grew, the signs became more and more incessant and irrefutable. Just trying to wrap my head around the statistical probability of seeing 999 every single day for weeks, multiple times, and never in the same place, made me acknowledge its significance, but the fact that when I looked up the meanings of these numbers and they changed as well as directly pertained to what was happening in my life at the time while also foreboding what was to come accurately time and time again not only made me acknowledge these synchronicities, but have in no small way led me to where I am today. These synchronicities served as guidance through my darkest times, where I found myself betrayed and abandoned by everyone and everything I knew, plagued with a burnt out and broken mind, body, and soul, no friends or family I could truly trust, along with a nightmarish past, abysmal future, and a hopeless present. During this time, I was left with no other choice but solitude and within that I found solace in the guidance presented to me and the growth those signs enabled. Nothing can be a coincidence because everything stems from a deliberate intention. Angel numbers are not the only way we can witness the interconnectedness of all things; synchronicities can come in many different forms. The most important thing to seeing the correlations within life is to constantly stay conscious of and open to the messages that life grants us. Another practice that helps become spiritually attuned to life’s nature is through meditation. Through meditation we close ourselves off from the stimulus provided by the outside world in order to connect to the subtleties of the soul and witness the tranquility of being. The same way that our phones and computers must be restarted from time to time, the human being must reset in order to refresh and recalibrate itself just as any other complex system. Through meditation, we achieve this by distancing ourselves from our outer circumstances that become far too controlling when we go too long without a reset which allows one to connect to their inner truth of being one with all and reassess our priorities, shifting from a material/finite perspective to a spiritual perspective that operates out of infinite love. The third topic under spirituality is manifestation. Manifestation is the process of directing our thoughts, feelings, and actions in such a fashion that the universe cooperates with us to make what we seek out, seek us. Nikola Tesla stated that if one wants to understand the universe we must think in terms of energy, vibration, and frequency. So, it aims to reason that if we use our thoughts, feelings, and actions to alter energy, vibration, and frequency, the building blocks of reality, we can effect favorable changes to the universe. We have already discussed using visualization to manifest, but we can also use the 369 method Tesla formulated in tandem for greater results. The 369 method is simple: write down your goal 3 times in the morning, 6 times in the afternoon, and 9 times before bed. Through these repeated actions we gain the attention of the universe/G-d and our realities begin to adjust according to the energy, vibrations, and frequency we display. There are many more forms of spirituality but for the sake of time, this will be the fourth and last part, intuition. Miyamoto Musashi, one of, if not the greatest samurai to have ever lived, wrote “The Book of Five Rings”, in which he imparts the culmination of his wisdom gained throughout his life. In this book he mentions the importance of intuition, stating that one must develop an intuitive judgment and understanding for all things, underlying its importance especially if one were to become a great leader. In every being there is a conscious and subconscious component. The potential for all information to be learned resides within us already, in the subconscious mind, and all we have to do is become conscious of the information we wish to learn. Through this premise, intuition is the ability to tap into the subconscious knowledge within, in order to make decisions based outside of the confines that conscious reason resides within. Intuition is not something that is quantifiable like other things because it can only be controlled by yielding control. It is more so something we experience when we let go and tap into the subtleties of being. Despite this difficult use case, intuition has been a well-known tool that has served many throughout all of history. The next time you have to make a decision, before you find out the right choice, take note of your gut feelings and whether or not the feeling chosen was the right feeling to have taken notice of.