15 things you need to give up to be happy

1. Give up your need to always be right.

There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – which is just crazy – since to be happy, you should love the idea of being wrong. Who wants to be right? Being proven wrong is one of the best feelings the truly enlightened individual can ever hope to experience. Like being dumped. As “Dr.” Wayne Dyer asks: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” FYI: those two states are mutually exclusive.

2. Give up your need for control.

Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, moving vehicles, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or travelling at great speeds with tons of metal and inertia behind them – just allow them to be, and, possibly, crash. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are, and you will see how the wheels come off in no time – both figuratively AND literally!

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu, who was obviously talking about architects, train conductors, and emergency medical technicians, and not, obviously, about proper punctuation.

3. Give up on blame.

Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel, stupid. Stop giving your powers (flying, x-ray vision) away, and start taking responsibility for your life. If you have a black eye and a fat lip, ask yourself, “Did I really need to burn that roast?”

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk.

Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted, and repetitive self-defeating mindset? After all, if you can’t pull yourself out of the mire that is your stink hole of a life, it’s definitely your fault, you sack of crap. Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that. You were raised better than that! You were raised a winner! SNAP OUT OF IT, IDIOT!!

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle, referencing the work of Dr. Wayne Dyer.

5. Give up your limiting beliefs

about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck on the ground like a human. Spread your wings and fly! Being earth-bound is for suckers! Listen to those voices inside your head! No building is too tall!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle, who was, as everybody knows, a real person.

6. Give up complaining.

Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, and nobody wants to hear your whining. We can’t tell you how irritating that is! GOD!! WeHATE it when people complain! It’s like … theworst! Just one day, we’d like to go without hearing somebody bitch and moan about their lives. No situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how badly you hate yourself. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. Don’t do it. Don’t. Never. Not once. Negativity is bad. Terrible. Awful. (You are so dirty …)

7. Give up the luxury of criticism.

Give up your need to criticize things, events or people who read “how-to” lists on the internet. We are all different, yet we are all the same. Right? That’s valid. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved, and we all waste our time reading watered-down platitudes and sound-bite philosophies that only ultimately make us feel worse about ourselves. We all want something, and something is wished by us all. Like grammar, for instance.

8. Give up your need to impress others.

Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. Let us tell you how it works: the moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take off all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly. It’s worked like gangbusters so far, right, you human toilet!

9. Give up your resistance to change.

Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
 “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell. Now, do all of this in your spare time, after work, between picking the kids up from school, dropping them off at their piano/swimming/horseback riding/luge lessons, shaking with rage in the middle of the night because the mortgage is going to be late, again, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it, staring at yourself in the mirror, your fist clenched furiously around the bottle of pills your just daring yourself to swallow, andbingo! You’re there! (Bliss = Instant happiness.)

10. Give up labels.

Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. (Just like Kuato said in Total Recall.)

“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer. (He’s the best.)

11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist, so… next!

“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt, speaking to a roomful of children about Closet Monsters.

12. Give up your excuses.

Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real. Like diabetes, or epilepsy.

13. Give up the past.

I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present, when you and your children weren’t refugees, and you were a gainfully employed land surveyor, but now that you’ve been forced to emigrate, your new host country doesn’t recognize your credentials, and you are forced to work in a kitchen at a chain restaurant. You have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. This present moment. Cleaning the plates of the people who’s government bombed your country back to the Stone Age, that forced you to flee like hogs from wolves. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about, when you were comfortable, loved, and warm – was ignored by you when it was present. You blew it! Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all, life is a journey, not a destination. Be the best jalapeño popper friar cook Applebee’s has ever seen!

14. Give up attachment.

This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is – like proofreading my own articles, or run-on sentences – which I love, and cannot stop using, even when the original point that I was trying to make is lost, stuck in the past, which I just told you to stop living in!) but it’s not something impossible. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (like your skin) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. Like me! You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words. Beyond needing to tell others how to live. Beyond irony, even. “Attachment, like, TOTALLY blows …” Buddha.

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations.

Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They stole their lives from the clones they grew in labs, harvesting their organs so that they could continue to live on, long past the time they should have died, their bodies, horrific nightmares of technology and human remains. Also, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, which is dumb. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need … and eventually they forget about themselves. Cyborg Necromancers. And if there is anything that Disney movies have taught us, it’s that, unless you believe, all of the Christmas Fairies will die. You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

9 things you need to stop caring about

1.  Old regrets.

You don’t have to be defined by the things you did or didn’t do in the past.  Don’t let yourself be controlled by regret.  Maybe there’s something you could have done differently, or maybe not.  Either way, it’s merely something that has already happened.

Cleanse your heart of these regrets every night.  Just as your body needs regular washing because it gets dirty every day, so does your heart.  Because every day people may hurt you, offend you, forget you, snub you, step on you, or reject you.  But if you choose to forgive these people and let these things go before you go to sleep, you cleanse your heart.  You wake up the next morning refreshed and free of negativity.  Refuse to carry old regrets, mindsets and distractions into each new day.

2.  The excuses you’ve been telling yourself.

In life you always have one of two things, either you have the thing you are capable of achieving, or the reasons why you don’t.  Laziness may appear attractive, but dedication and work leads to fulfillment and happiness in the long run.  If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way; if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.

Truthfully, almost anything is possible if you’ve got enough time and enough nerve.  What you need to remember is that you can’t always wait for the perfect time and conditions, because there may be no such thing.  Most of the time you must simply dare to jump.

And don’t say you don’t have enough time.  You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, etc… 

3.  What you don’t have.

You will NEVER have enough time, enough resources, or enough money to do the perfect thing.  But what’s truly amazing is what you can achieve without “enough” of these supposed requirements.  Sooner or later you will come to realize that it’s not what you are missing that counts; it’s what you do with what you have.

To be upset about what you don’t have is always a waste of what you do have.  The happiest and most successful people aren’t the luckiest, and they usually don’t have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes their way.  The reason so many people give up is because they tend to look at what’s missing, and how far they still have to go, instead of what’s present, and how far they have come.

4.  Always feeling safe and comfortable.

To play it too safe is one of the riskiest choices you can make.  By leaving your comfort zone behind and taking a leap of faith into something new, you find out who you are truly capable of becoming.  Obstacles are put in your way to help you determine if what you want is really worth fighting for.

Remember, the strongest people are the ones who feel pain and discomfort, accept it, fight through it, and learn from it.  They turn their wounds into wisdom and growth.

5.  Fear of failure.

If you are too afraid of failure, you can’t possibly do what needs to be done to be successful.  Your desire to succeed must overpower your fear of failure.

Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what could be.  Just keep going and keep thinking, “I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday!”  Inevitably, you will make lots of mistakes and you will feel plenty of pain, but in life, mistakes make you smarter and pain makes you stronger.

Bottom line:  Don’t worry about mistakes too much, because some of the most beautiful things we create in life come from changes we make after failures.

6.  Relationships that suck the happiness out of you.

Give, but don’t get used.  Never waste too much of your time on someone who doesn’t value it.

A good relationship doesn’t drag you down, it lifts you up.  Listen to positive people and ignore negative ones.  People that doubt, judge and disrespect you are not worth your time and attention.  Life gets easier when you delete the people that make it difficult.  All failed relationships hurt, but losing someone who doesn’t appreciate and respect you is actually a gain, not a loss.

Being alone in the long run is far better than being with someone who doesn’t appreciate your worth.  Know your worth.  Know the difference between what you’re getting and what you deserve.  There comes a time when you have to stop crossing oceans for the people who won’t even jump a puddle for you.

7.  Being rewarded for every good deed you do.

Most of the time the people who want more than they need end up losing everything altogether.  Greed and selfishness will get you nowhere in life.  The happiest, most successful people are looking for ways to help others.  The unhappiest, most unsuccessful people are still asking, “What’s in it for me?”

A life filled with loving deeds and good character is the best tombstone.  Those who you inspired and shared your love and compassion with will remember how you made them feel long after your time has expired.  So carve your name on hearts, not stone.  What you have done for yourself alone dies with you; what you have done for others and the world remains.

8.  Shallow judgments.

It’s impossible to know exactly how another person is feeling or what kind of emotional battles they’re fighting.  Sometimes the widest smiles hide the thinnest strands of self-confidence and hope.  Sometimes the ‘rich’ have everything but happiness.  Realize this as you interact with others, long before you pass judgment.  Every smile or sign of strength hides an inner struggle every bit as complex and extraordinary as your own.

It’s a sage fact of life, really, that every one of us encompasses a profound and unique set of secrets and mysteries that are absolutely undetectable to everyone else.  So smile at people who look like they are having a rough day today.  Be kind to them.  Kindness is the only investment that never fails.

9.  Your obsession with the end result.

Fulfillment is not a matter of achieving a specific goal; it is a matter of mindfully enjoying the process required to achieve that goal.  Fulfillment flows from focusing your life around specific and authentically held intentions – ideas and activities that genuinely speak to your purpose.  When these intentions are clear, consistent and meaningful, you have sufficient means to bring fulfillment and joy to your life, whether you ever fully achieve your intended goal or not.

In other words, it’s the process of following your path that’s important, not the speed at which you progress down it.  Happiness is found during the journey, not at the destination.  Slow down so you can appreciate the forest for each of its trees.  You have a better chance of truly seeing where you are when you stop spending every waking moment trying to get somewhere else.

Take the time to celebrate the goodness surrounding you and how far you’ve come, rather than focusing exclusively of what’s still left to be done. 

Next steps…

Do you hold too tight to your comfort zone?  Do you judge yourself and others unfairly?  Do you let someone constantly suck the happiness out of you?  You know which of the points above apply to you.  Pick one and focus on improving in that area every day for the next 30 days.

The floor is yours…

So which of the points above are you struggling with most right now?  What else would you add to the list?  Please leave a comment below and share your thoughts and insights with us.

8 things extraordinary people give to others

1.  Reliable, sincere support.

The closest thing to being cared for is to care for others.  We are all in this together and we should treat each other as such.  The very demons that torment each of us, torment others all over the world.  It is our challenges and troubles that connect us at the deepest level.

If you think about the people who have had the greatest positive effect on your life – the ones who truly made a difference – you will likely realize that they aren’t the ones that tried to give you all the answers or solve all your problems.  They’re the ones who sat silently with you when you needed a moment to think, who lent you a shoulder when you needed to cry, and who tolerated not having all the answers, but stood beside you anyway.  Be this person for those around you every chance you get.

2.  Undivided attention and focus.

There is greatness and beauty in making time, especially when it’s inconvenient, for the sake of someone nearby.

You don’t have to tell people that you care, just show them.  In your relationships and interactions with others, nothing you can give is more appreciated than your sincere, focused attention.  Being with someone, listening without a clock and without anticipation of results is the ultimate compliment.  It is indeed the most valued gesture you can make to another human being.

When we pay attention to each other we breathe new life into each other.  With frequent attention and affection our relationships flourish, and we as individuals grow wiser and stronger.  We help heal each other’s wounds and support each other’s growth.  So give someone the gift of YOU – your time, undivided attention and kindness.  That’s better than any other gift, it won’t break or get lost, and will always be remembered.p

3.  The freedom to be themselves.

Life’s greatest privilege is to become who you truly are.  You have to dare to be yourself, one hundred percent, however anxious or odd that self may prove to be.  The people who support you in doing so are extraordinary.  Appreciate these people and their kindness, and pay it forward when you’re able.

Never bully someone into silence.  Never victimize others for being different.  Accept no one’s close-minded definition of another person.  Let people define themselves.  You have the ability to show people how awesome they are, just the way they are.  So act on this ability without hesitation; and don’t forget to show yourself the same courtesy.

4.  Their willingness to be open-minded and wrong.

The mind is like a parachute; it doesn’t work when it’s closed.

It’s okay to disagree with the thoughts or opinions expressed by others.  But that doesn’t give you the right to immediately reject any sense they might make.  Nor does it give you a right to accuse someone of poorly expressing their beliefs just because you don’t like what they are thinking and saying.  Learn to recognize the beauty of different ideas and perspectives, even if it means overcoming your pride and opening your mind beyond what is comfortable.

Healthy relationships and human interactions are not a power struggle.  Be willing to be wrong, while simultaneously exploring your truth.

5.  A voice of inspiration and positivity.

If you attach to the negative behavior of others, it brings you and everyone close to you down to their level.  Stay positive when negativity surrounds you.  Smile when others frown.  It’s an easy way to make a difference.  Every time words are spoken, something is created.  Be conscious of what you say and how you say it.  Use words that build up, appreciate, encourage and inspire.

It’s your job to inspire and motivate others, to feed another’s senses with the ideas and endeavors that move you.  Inspiration and positivity begets inspiration and positivity times infinity.  Imagine if the people who were inspired to create the light bulb, the telephone, and the personal computer didn’t share it with the world.

6.  Recognition and praise.

A brave, extraordinary soul recognizes the strength of others.  Give genuine praise whenever possible.  Doing so is a mighty act of service.  Start noticing what you like about others and speak up.  Having an appreciation for how amazing the people around you are is extremely rewarding.  It’s an investment in them that doesn’t cost you a thing, and the returns can be astounding.  Not only will they feel empowered, but also what goes around comes around, and sooner or later the people you’re cheering for will start cheering for you too.

Also, be sure to follow this rule: “Praise in public, penalize in private.”  Never publicly ridicule someone when you have the option not to.  If you don’t understand someone, ask questions.  If you don’t agree with them, tell them.  But don’t judge them behind their back to everyone else.

7.  The compassion and space to save face.

What others say and do is often based entirely on their own self-reflection.  When someone who is angry and upset speaks to you, and you nevertheless remain very present and continue to treat them with kindness and respect, you place yourself in a position of great power.  You become a means for the situation to be graciously diffused and healed.

A Zen teacher once told me, “When somebody backs themselves into a corner, look the other way until they get themselves out; and then act as though it never happened.”  Allowing people to save face in this way, and not reminding them of what they already know is not their most intelligent behavior, is an act of great kindness.  This is possible when we realize that people behave in such ways because they are in a place of great suffering.  People react to their own thoughts and feelings and their behavior often has nothing directly to do with you.  

8.  Gentleness and consideration.

Be gentle and compassionate with those around you.  Mother Nature opens millions of flowers every day without forcing the buds.  Let this be a reminder not to be forceful with those around you, but to simply give them enough light and love, and an opportunity to grow naturally.

Ultimately, how far you go in life depends on your willingness to be helpful to the young, respectful to the aged, tender with the hurt, supportive of the striving, and tolerant of those who are weaker or stronger than the majority.  Because we wear many hats throughout the course of our lives, and at some point in your life you will have been all of these people.

Bendición Maya

Gran Creador, 

Tú nos formaste, 

Corazón del cielo,

Corazón de la Tierra:

 

Te damos gracias 

por habernos creado

Dios del Trueno, 

Dios de la lluvia:

 

Desde la salida del sol buscamos la paz en el mundo entero.

 

Que haya libertad, 

tranquilidad, salud para todos 

tus hijos que viven en el Este, donde el sol se levanta.

Te pedimos también, 

a la puesta del sol,

hacia el Oeste, 

que todo sufrimiento, toda pena,

todo rencor terminen, como el día termina.

Que tu luz ilumine los pensamientos, 

las vidas de los que lloran, 

de los que sufren,

de los que están oprimidos, de los que no han oído.

Rogamos hacia el Sur,

donde el Corazón del Mar purifica toda corrupción,

enfermedad, pestilencia.

Danos fortaleza, 

para que nuestras voces

lleguen a tu corazón, 

a tus manos y a tus pies.

Nos postramos delante de Ti

con nuestras ofrendas, invocándote día y noche.

Rogamos hacia el Norte,

desde los cuatro puntos cardinales de este mundo,

confiando en que 

El Corazón del Viento

llevará hasta tus oídos la voz, el clamor de tus hijos.

Oh Gran Creador, Corazón del Cielo, 

Corazón de la Tierra, nuestra madre:

Danos vida, mucha vida y una existencia útil,

para que nuestros pueblos encuentren 

la paz en todas las naciones del mundo.

Zazil

Kiin da'aniik Uh Zazil

Kiich kelem Yuum

Tumen tian tii Te'eeneé

Te'eeneé ub Beelilen

Ma'alel Zazil

Tumeén le Zazil loh

Tian tii te'eené

Invoco a la luz

De la divinidad

Que habita en mi

Yo soy un cristal

Claro y perfecto

Parte de la luz

Es la luz quien me guía

WHY I USE THE WORD SOUL

Title 1

WHY I USE THE WORD SOUL

The word soul, according to most psychologists, is unscientific.

It has been discarded long ago, and few writers on psychology

use it today. Only philosophers, ministers, and poets use it,

and many of them use it apologetically.

At present, behavior seems a more accepted term to denote

the phenomena of human personality. It carries more scientific

Prestige and it has the imprimatur of orthodox scientific psychology.

Even the terms mind and consciousness are regarded as being too vague

and indefinite for scientific purposes.-Besides; they carry over too much of

the connotation of the idea of the soul.

All terminologies that smack of the soul, or even as much as

Approximate its traditional meaning, are usually held under

suspicion. They are not scientific. They are medieval and superannuated.

They belong to prescientific psychology. As far as the

majority of modern doctors of psychology are concerned,

such terms have no scientific usefulness.

This attitude, of course, is unfortunate because it is the product principally

of a prejudice-the prejudice that favors a mechanistic interpretation of the

universe and rejects almost anything otherwise.

From Psychology to Physiology

Thus, it has come to pass that psychology which started suspiciously

as the "science of the soul. (Psyche, soul, and logos,

word or knowledge or science) became a science of bodily functions"

or physiology. This conversion of psychology into physiology

may be regarded as the greatest bathos of the twentieth

century.

From the human psyche to the human physique, this is the history

of modern psychology:

·         From the soul to the body;

·         From the mind to the brain;

·         From consciousness to behavior;

·         From the sublime to the ridiculous.

·         This is psychology, indeed! and alas!

Classroom Psychology

Consider, for example, the ordinary classroom instruction in

the so-called fundamentals of psychology' The professor is an

specialist in his chosen field of study. He holds a doctorate in

psychology from some reputable American university He

knows his business as the saying goes. On the other hand, there

are the students—young, eager, new. they have heard about this

science called psychology. they have been advised to enroll in it

as a prerequisite for graduation. Credit? Three units. And what

is it they want to know? They want to know what the mind is; is

there soul; what is consciousness; what is intelligence; who am

I; what is the self; what is memory; why do I love? And so on'

The professor begins his lecture with the statement that psychology

is a science As such, therefore, it is based on facts'.

What are the facts? Here the professor deceives both himself

and his students. He became involved in what Stuart Chase

calls "sheer verbalism" -- the tyranny of words and phrases

without discoverable referents, registering a semantic blank. I He

talks of consciousness, but discusses the nervous system" He

talks of the mind, but discusses the areas and fissures of the

brain. F{e lectures on the emotions, but explains the endocrine

glands. He analyzes the personality, and reduces it to the body,

He is a professor of psychology but he teaches anatomy and

physiology.

Are These Facts?

What legacy of knowledge does a student inherit from such

a class? If he is reflective and philosophical, he emerges more

confused than before. If he is a mental blotter, absorbent but

undiscriminating and uncritical, he comes out equipped with an

accumulation of dogmatic and highly dubious information

concerning neurons ,synapses, engrams, hormones, axons and

dendrites.

Ask him what consciousness is, or the nature of the self, or

the meaning of the mind, and he is as blank as a tabula rasa.

In fact, the so-called facts arc all theories. If there are facts at all,

they are facts concerning the body and not the mind or the psyche.

They are physiological, not psychological facts.

What The Student Learns

The student learns, first of all, that psychology is not a

science of the psyche or soul, as its etymology- implies. It is simply

a science of human behavior-how man behaves.

But what is man? Here a gigantic semantic blank registers.

Modern psychology does not know exactly what man is unless it

dogmatically identifies him with the body. Limited by the rigors

of its methodological philosophy, it finds itself compelled either

to confess almost complete ignorance of man, or to assert that

man is identical essentially with his body and no more.

Some scientists have taken the first alternative. Dr. Alexis

Carrel is quite frank in his admission that man's ignorance of

himself is profound. He states, "We do not apprehend man as a

whole. We know him as composed of distinct parts. And even

these parts are created by our methods. Man, as known to the

specialist, is nothing but a schema, consisting of other schemata

built up by the techniques of other sciences. Each of us is made

up of a procession of phantoms, in the midst of which strides an

unknown reality."2 Thus, man, according to Dr. Carrel is the

unknown.

Others have championed the second alternative, declaring

that man is purely a body, a protoplasmic machine, his mind

merely an epiphenomenon or byproduct of the brain, "a highly

attenuated material substance surrounding the cerebrum, like

the halo round the head of a saint."3

In truth , it can be said with a large margin of safety that the

ancient riddle of the Sphinx is unsolved until now.

The proper study of mankind is still man because man is still

the biggest question mark in the universe. Nor has modern psychology,

with all its scientific instruments and appliances, explained

the true nature of man's psychological functions, his consciousness,

his memory, his perception.

How we see is as miraculous as how we hold a piece of stone.

And it is as difficult for psychology to explain the former as it is

for physics to explain the latter. Both are, from the stand point of

scientific erudition, as mysterious as the mystery of the Holy Trinity.

Just the same, the student learns dogmatically enough that

he sees with his eves, hears with his ears, smells with his nose,

tastes with his tongue and thinks with his brain! Consequently,

he cannot see without his eyes, hear without his ears, smell

without his nose, taste without his tongue, nor think without his

brain. Thus, the student learns to regard his body as himself and

the brain as his mind.

Science Abolishes the Soul

The abolition of the soul concept from scientific psychology

Was not a sudden eradication.  It was rather a gradual retrogression.

First, the soul with all its religious, moral and metaphysical

Implications, was accepted as reality. Psychology, as its name

indicates, began as the science of the soul. Psychologists, however,

began doubting the scientific validity of the soul because

they resented its philosophical associations. They jettisoned it

and put in its place the term mind. Psychology became the

science of the mind. But even mind was not  good enough. It was as abstract

and nebulous as the soul. They got rid of this and took the word

consciousness.  Psychology became the science of  consciousness.

But what are we conscious of at any given moment? The structuralists

Came in and introduced the concept of mental states.

Psychology became the science of mental states. But ate there really

Mental states? Are there not only mental functions? The functional

Psychologists redefined psychology and called it the science of

Mental functions.

Entered Watson and his behaviorists. Mental functions, they

said, are not directly observable. They are subjective' They' can

be reached only by introspection. And introspection is not scientific.

In fact, all we can observe is behavior, the overt behavior of

the organism interacting with its environment' Beyond this, we can

only surmise, speculate. We cannot be scientific. In reducing

psychology to the science of behavior Watson has also reduced

it to physiology and anatomy.

There have been strong reactions against the limited and materialistic

philosophy of behaviorism, such as Gestalt psychology,

harmonic psychology, and psychoanalysis. In the main,

however, modern psychology has become what Watson wanted

it to be .- observational, no introspective, mensurable, statistical,

physiological, anatomical, but certainly not psychological.

The Watsonian attitude is similar to that of the materialistic

scientist who,  in order to find out what made Goethe's novel,

Werther, cause and epidemic of suicides, begins to study its first

edition according to the method of exact, positive science.

He weighs the book, measures it by the most precise

Instruments, notes the number of  its pages, makes a chemical

Analysis of the paper, the number of letters, and even how  

many times the letter A, is repeated, how many times the letter B,

and  how many times the interrogation mark, the period, the comma

are used he writes an erudite treatise on the relationship of the letter A

of the German alphabet to suicide.4

Behaviorism is effective in the study of animal psychology because

Animals are not self-analytic. Their minds are inaccessible.

Only their overt behavior can be observed. But this certainly not

Adequate in the study of human psychology.

It is lamentable to discover that in spite of the emergence of

Other schools of psychological thought, behaviorism is still

The dominant psychological philosophy of the century.

From soul-psychology to behaviorism – that was the retrogression, the

Devolution, the materialization of the science of psychology:

• The science of the soul.
• The science of the mind.
• The science of consciousness.
• The science of mental states.
• The science of mental functions.
• The science of the boy.

When psychology discovered the body, immediately abolished the soul.

C. G. Jung and the depth psychologists may have begun to reverse

This trend, but academic psychology still clings to the physical

Interpretation, and so perpetuates a soul-science without soul.

I Use the Word Soul

Hence, I use the word soul deliberately, internationally, and purposely.

I use it, because to me the soul is no less real than any so-called scientific

Fact, like the revolution of the earth or the existence of the electrons.

I use it, because to permit the continuance of its banishment from the

Filed of science is to perpetuate the tyranny of a method that cannot

Soar above the limitations of inert matter and the illusions of the

Sense organs.

I use it, because a psychology without a soul completely deprives man

Of the true basis of the moral life.

I use it, because under different names, like old wine in new bottles,

The soul-concept is coming into its own.

Names by Which the Soul Has Been Called

McDougall, the dynamic psychologist, employs the word soul. The

Gestaltists call it “total configuration”. Frederick Myers calls it “subliminal

Consciousness”. P. D. Ouspensky employs the term “fourth dimensional consciousness”.

Dr. R. M. Bucke and Edward Carpenter name it “comic consciousness”. The

Freudians call it the ego, sometimes the subconscious.

In the East where the psychology of the soul has never lost its charms

For either the scientist or the philosopher, the soul is called by various

Names. The Vedantist calls it Atman, and identifies it with Divine

Essence of Brahman. The Sankhya names it Purusha. The Jaina gives

It the name jiva.

But by whatever name it may pass, the soul is regarded in the East

As a unitary and multi-dimensional consciousness which uses the

Body as a vehicle or instrument of manifestation in the physical

Universe.  It is distinct from the body. It relinquishes the body at

Death. But even before death, it may, if it wants, emancipate it

Self from the limitations of the body by the practice of yoga.

The soul is the “I Am”, the man himself: the body is only his garment.

None of the terminologies mentioned gives the full meaning of the

Word soul. Each of them emphasizes one aspect, but none has the richness,

Comprehensiveness, the completeness of the ancient word soul or psyche.

That is why I use the word soul.