How do you curate your consciousness? What forms your personal narrative? Do you have a way to fine-tune the voices inside your head?

One of the biggest assumption we humans often make is in thinking that everyone else’s mind, brain, and sensory system operate in the same way. After all, we’re all human, shouldn’t things work in a similar fashion?

I recently learned about how the world works for folks who experience a variation of human experience known as aphantasia. More than 90% of us have what’s commonly known as the ‘mind’s eye’, meaning we form images in our heads of something when we remember or think about it.

People experiencing aphantasia understand things conceptually, not visually. They know an apple is red, round, and is crisp to the bite, but they are unable to hold an image of one in their mind. Perception, then, isn’t universal, but rather a form of internal experience.

Speaking for myself, my mind resembles a sponge. It’s like a Rorschach test of whoever or whatever I’ve been surrounding myself with. If I spend the day in the company of someone, then later I will hear their voice echo in my head.

The way you spend your day becomes the wallpaper in your mind as you drift off into the form of consciousness known as sleep. So it makes good sense to be mindful about what sort of content or company you keep as it will surely be there keeping you company later on.

I’m guessing that’s why days that are largely spent behind the screen, dealing with emails, chatting with customer service bots, or watching short snips of video feel much different than days spent with real live people having face-to-face conversations.

It comes down to embodiment. As our world continues to innovate with technology and offer more and more ways to communicate in disembodied formats, the value of human connection increases.

Your consciousness is like a reflecting pool. Depending on what you do with your time, the water can have a few pleasant ripples, be wildly turbulent, or as clear and calm as a mirror.

You can easily observe this on the people around you. A family member returning from a stressful situation can take days to settle down. Giving them space and circling around with food is generally a good idea.

It’s easy to become accustomed to being overstimulated. Knowing how to reset your baseline through meditation, movement, or with the help of nature, can make all the difference in the world to your well-being.

Your mind is much like an art gallery, library, or museum. You are the curator, the librarian, or the docent. When you’re intentional about the inputs, you can be at home in your head.

And home is where the heart is, right? When your heart and head are in sync, you put your body into embodied. Curating your consciousness is the key!

See you on the other side of Solstice, much love till next Monday!

Merci et à bientôt!

M+

ML #658

Mark Metz
Monday Love Movement Calendar