Up until this point we’ve really focused on the conscious mind. It’s easy to relate to this part of our mental processes. The conscious mind is the part of our brain that deals with our daily reality.

But, there is a second mind you’ve also probably heard about: the subconscious mind. It operates simultaneously and in conjunction with the conscious mind, yet functions quite differently. Test your own knowledge of the subconscious:

• How far back does your memory go?

• What percentage of brainpower do you think you use on a daily basis?

• Bodily functions operate independently of our conscious minds. True or False?

• In making a tough decision, people often advise, “go with your gut.” Are they referring to:
  1. Your large intestines
  2. Your conscious mind
  3. Your subconscious mind
  4. Your heart

• The subconscious mind carefully evaluates all information it encounters. True or False?

Read on for the answers.

The subconscious mind, your subconscious mind, is your closest friend, a loyal ally and most trusted advisor. Learning how to access, connect, program and respond to the subconscious mind gives us the ability to rise above the confusion of everyday living and achieve another level of greatness. The subconscious mind is where our unlimited power lies.

The general consensus is that we use about 10 percent of our brainpower. But, before you say that seems like a really low estimate, consider this. Some researchers insist it is really a much smaller fraction, one-thousandth of a percentage point or even less. That would mean we have a mind-boggling brain capacity. That spare brainpower is to be found in the subconscious.

Our normal bodily functions, the ones we don’t really think about, are all controlled by the subconscious mind. Our hearts beat, lungs breathe and nerves fire without any conscious effort. But our mind is controlling and regulating these wide-ranging functions that simply keep us alive. Can you imagine it any other way? If the conscious mind controlled bodily functions, then after you had a meal you would literally have to concentrate on your stomach to begin digesting your food. You’d also be expending a tremendous mental effort just to send blood through each and every vein. You can see that we’d never get anything done. Think of it this way: if our subconscious didn’t control our bodily functions, then as soon as we lost consciousness, like when we sleep, we would die. Can you imagine? You sleep, you die! That is how important our subconscious mind is to our body.

Most of us don’t remember much before the ages of 4 or 5. And, some of us can’t even remember what we had for breakfast this morning. But, etched in our subconscious mind is every event, every single thing we’ve ever said or done, read or seen, heard or even overheard. Each and every ache or pain. They’re all inscribed in detail in our subconscious minds. That’s pretty impressive. But there’s more. The subconscious mind is responsible for intuition and creativity. Even dreams emerge from your subconscious mind. The subconscious offers us guidance and “gut reactions.”

Not done yet. There’s another function of our ever-active subconscious mind that is even

less understood. Have you ever heard the phrase “We are all one?” Through the power of focused thought, the subconscious mind is able to transmit and receive thoughts that connect us all in an integral way.

Finally, the subconscious is able to direct our thoughts, desires and purpose. When focused with regular and heartfelt repetition and set in motion through synchronicity, a transformation of thought energy can transform into physical reality.

You’ve probably heard the old adage, you reap what you sow. That bit of wisdom, passed on through the ages, describes the interaction between the conscious and the subconscious. The subconscious has been likened to a fertile garden – the conscious mind, its gardener. Whether you know it or not, your intensely felt thoughts and beliefs are the seeds that you are planting. So, be very careful what you place in your head. Good thoughts or bad thoughts can be the difference between a garden filled with weeds, or one overflowing with roses. Your seeds, your thoughts, absolutely will and do make the difference.

This is how our two minds work together. The conscious mind is the evaluator, the instigator. It can discern right from wrong, lies from truth, beauty from beast. In the previous example, it is the conscious mind, “the gardener” creating the type of garden, choosing which flowers, which colors, which textures make the most striking combination.

The subconscious mind – “the garden” – will accept any passionately felt thought or belief. Whatever “seed” is sown. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or false, positive or negative. The subconscious is unable to evaluate as the conscious mind is able to do.

It is a provider. A plowed field can’t determine what it will grow. It simply waits for the seeds to be planted in it’s midst, eager to nourish them and provide the gardener with splendid bounty.

The point is that the conscious and subconscious work in tandem but are absolutely dependent upon each other. The soil is at the mercy of the gardener. If the gardener has acute vision, creativity, a love of beauty and willingness to carefully tend the garden, then the soil will provide an exquisite outgrowth of his vision and care. Neglect the garden and the return is a dusty patch of dirt and weeds.

Likewise the gardener is reliant upon the soil. Plant roses on rocks and you still have rocks. He is a gardener with no garden. Without the resource of the soil, he cannot nurture his vision into a reality.