Not Five But a Continuation of Four

Two Minds, Two Realities: Breaking Free from the “Monkey Brain”

Have you ever felt caught between an impulsive reaction and a calm, reasoned response? Or found yourself stuck in a loop of worry and immediate desires, even when you crave something deeper? This isn’t just a quirk of personality; it’s a fundamental aspect of human consciousness, understood for ages by mystics and now even hinted at by science. We operate with what I call two minds: the Lower Mind (or “Monkey Brain”) and the Higher Self (or higher faculties).

The “Monkey Brain”: Driven by Instinct and Illusion

Let’s start with the Lower Mind, or as I often refer to it, the “Monkey Brain.” This is our primal, instinctual operating system, deeply wired for survival. It’s the part of us that:

Reacts instinctively: Think “fight or flight.” It jumps to conclusions, responds to immediate threats, and seeks instant solutions.
Is emotionally charged: It’s easily swayed by strong emotions – anger, fear, lust, craving. It lives in the drama of the moment.
Feeds on fear and competition: For the Monkey Brain, the world is a place of scarcity. It constantly scans for danger, sees others as rivals, and believes it must compete to survive.
Craves instant gratification: Patience isn’t its strong suit. It wants what it wants now, whether it’s food, pleasure, or validation.
Operates with linear limitations: This is where the famous “counting to four” comes in. The Monkey Brain excels at subitizing – instantly recognizing small quantities (like seeing three apples and just knowing it’s three). But when it comes to quantities beyond four or five, it loses that immediate intuitive grasp. It needs to consciously count, or it simply estimates. This isn’t a flaw; it’s designed for immediate, concrete perception, not abstract reasoning.

Essentially, the Monkey Brain is brilliant at navigating the immediate, physical world. It ensures our survival, reacts to danger, and seeks pleasure. But it keeps us tethered to a limited reality, one often fueled by fear, scarcity, and a sense of separation.

The Higher Self: Accessing Cosmic Consciousness

Now, let’s turn our attention to your Higher Self or your higher faculties. This is the expansive, intuitive, and truly limitless part of your consciousness. When you access your Higher Self, you gain:

Meta-cognition: The ability to “think about your thinking.” You can observe your thoughts, emotions, and reactions without being consumed by them.
Reflection and wisdom: Instead of reacting, you can pause, reflect, and choose a response aligned with your deeper values.
Pure creativity: This is where true innovation and inspiration flow from, unburdened by fear or societal limitations.
Cosmic reasoning: Your Higher Self allows you to grasp abstract concepts, understand symbols, perceive interconnectedness, and tap into universal truths. It’s the part of you that intuitively understands concepts beyond the immediate and measurable, like love, compassion, and the infinite.

This Higher Self is abstract, symbolic, and deeply spiritual. It sees beyond the surface, recognizing the unity in diversity and the potential for boundless creation.

The Lifelong Trap: Why Most Are “Stuck”

The unfortunate reality is that most people spend their entire lives primarily operating from the Monkey Brain. They’re caught in cycles of immediate reaction, fear-driven decisions, constant competition, and the endless pursuit of instant gratification. They live within the “four-counting” limitation, always focused on the tangible and easily measurable.

This isn’t a judgment; it’s simply an observation of the prevailing state of human consciousness. Society, with its emphasis on consumerism, constant stimulation, and superficial measures of success, often reinforces the Monkey Brain’s dominance. We’re rarely taught how to consciously access or cultivate our Higher Self.

And this, my friends, is precisely why mystics, spiritual seekers, and enlightened beings cultivate a mind that sees beyond the immediate and measurable. They understand that true wisdom, peace, and freedom aren’t found in reacting to every external stimulus or chasing every fleeting desire. Instead, they learn to:

Quiet the Monkey Brain’s chatter: Through practices like meditation, mindfulness, and inner reflection.
Observe without judgment: Stepping back from their emotions and thoughts to gain perspective.
Cultivate intuition: Trusting inner knowing over purely logical, linear thinking.
Embrace paradox and abstraction: Understanding that truth isn’t always neat or easily quantifiable.

By consciously shifting their awareness, mystics learn to live from their Higher Self, perceiving the deeper currents of reality, the subtle energies, and the profound interconnectedness that the Monkey Brain simply cannot grasp. They move beyond the perceived limitations of “counting to four” into the infinite possibilities of abstract, symbolic, and spiritual understanding.

So, where are you operating from today? Are you letting your Monkey Brain run the show, or are you consciously stepping into the expansive wisdom of your Higher Self?

When someone is primarily operating from their Monkey Brain, they literally perceive the world through a very narrow lens. They grasp only what they can immediately see, touch, or count – a concrete, literal reality. Life becomes a constant struggle viewed through the lens of scarcity, fear, and endless repetition.

They’re often trapped in predictable loops:

Reactive cycles: Constantly responding to external stimuli without conscious choice. Someone cuts them off in traffic, they immediately get angry.
Generational patterns: Unknowingly repeating the same mistakes or dynamics as their parents or ancestors because they can’t see the underlying patterns.
Base desires: Driven by the constant need for immediate gratification, whether it’s food, entertainment, or superficial validation.

This is a life lived in the confines of “counting to four.” You see what’s directly in front of you: four walls, four immediate tasks, four problems to solve. There’s little room for anything beyond that immediate, tangible reality.

Learning to “Count Past Four”: The Awakened Mind

But what happens when a person truly begins to awaken their Higher Consciousness? They learn to “count past four” – not just mathematically, but experientially. Their perception expands dramatically. They start to see patterns, purpose, and potentials that others simply cannot.

Living from this symbolic, intuitive, and multi-dimensional awareness, they begin to perceive:

Inner worlds: They recognize the vast landscape of their own consciousness, understanding that external reality is often a reflection of internal states.
Archetypes: They see universal patterns of behavior, personality, and experience playing out in themselves and others, recognizing the deeper roles individuals embody.
Time loops: They become aware of recurring cycles in their lives, not as random events, but as karmic lessons or opportunities for growth.
Spiritual causality and karma: They understand that actions, thoughts, and intentions have energetic repercussions that extend beyond the immediate moment, creating a web of cause and effect.

Consider the simple example of apples. For the Monkey Brain, it’s just four apples – a concrete, limited quantity. But the awakened mind, having learned to “count past four,” sees something far more profound. It sees:

The cycle of growth: From seed to tree to fruit, understanding the natural processes of life, death, and regeneration.
The laws of return: Recognizing that what you sow, you eventually reap, connecting the apple to the seed that preceded it and the seeds it contains for future growth.
The essence of giving: Understanding that the apple embodies nourishment, sharing, and the generosity of nature.
The archetype of abundance: Seeing the apple not just as a single fruit, but as a symbol of infinite possibility and inherent richness.

This is the fundamental difference. One mind is confined to the immediate and the literal, while the other perceives the symbolic, the cyclical, and the boundless potential within all things. Which path will you choose to cultivate?

Temple Whispers