The Power of Subconscious Mind by Dr Joseph Murphy

When I picked this book for reading on the recommendation of one of my students, at that juncture of the moment, the theory of opposite began to spin in my mind which is presented by one of the early and an ancient philosopher named Anaximander posits that in the universe everything has its opposite force or thing and that is the system through which this universe and its phenomena work smoothly such as day/night, male/female, hot/cold, good/bad, happy/sad, honest/dishonest, and so on. In the same manner, Dr Murphy has presented some of the fundamental questions at the very beginning of the book which go in opposite directions. However, these questions drag human consciousness from its very foundation and compel the human mind to search their answers but unfortunately, people and the world has been so much materialistic and mechanical at the moment that they never think and ponder over for friction to study and come up with some answers which are around living with us every day and each moment of our life. Though I am utterly surprised about the approach and awareness of postmodern people who have pulled themselves into the shallow world which just brings material for time being, and at the cost of that people have forgotten their original and main aim of life.

In that scenario, Dr Murphy has raised some of the very interesting points in his book before individuals which set the roadmap for all of us to think compassionately, argue freely, discuss fearlessly, see inside, play outside, step up boldly, use potentially, work honestly, identify an unlimited set up of mind, understand the immense value of body parts, figure out stages of being conscious and unconscious, open windows of success, control brain activities, uplift human capabilities, overcome fears of failure, lift chances of success, unravel the mysteries of the universe, learn to live happily in the world, unblock the doors of obstacles, let the miracles happen in life, etc. As Murphy says in the book, “There is a gold mine within you from which you can extract everything you need to live life gloriously, joyously and abundantly”.

I find this not only book like other books but a kind of guide that teaches people from all walks of life to learn because he simply defines the stages of reaching the highest level of our potential by understanding impeccable functions of the human mind like he believes that man possesses the power by birth but she/he has to learn to identify that power that resides inside because power has been there but the stimulus is all around us in the environment where a man has to learn some lessons to reach out that power then the possibility of using that power will begin to spark like fire. As he says in another place, “The infinite intelligence within your subconscious mind can reveal to you everything you need to know at every moment of time”. This means that the mind has got a central place in the life of human beings to open it so that it acquires everything easily which exists in the universe.

One of the most intriguing questions which have been asked and discussed in all types of classes is what makes humans-animal different from other animals? There are presented various fascinating answers about that but none has given too much attention to the fundamental answer which Dr Murphy has given in the book and that answer is level of consciousness which ultimately differentiates we animals from other animals because we animals can do the same action consciously and unconsciously but that is not the case with other animals they are instinctively programmed to carry out an action with the same pace just to fulfil their hunger. Consequently, man has a single mind, but its level is so many which begin to grow and raise as a person begins to raise her/his consciousness levels. These levels can be understood via looking at the various types of people, in them, some are highly successful and living a very peaceful life and on the other hand, some people face failures and living a very low life. This answers the question which Murphy has pointed out and raised at the beginning of the book. As John Milton says in Epic Poem Paradise Lost, “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven”. So, the mind stays there at its own place, there is only a level of consciousness that goes down and raises up.

In the end, there is a lot to write about such masterpiece but I sum up here by adding some of the key points which Dr Murphy has hugely emphasized such as this book as a type of guide to surviving well, presents a roadmap for human consciousness to recognize its unending capacities, separating wonderfully the differences between conscious and subconscious mind by saying that the conscious mind comes into contact with people’s situations, circumstances, experiences, conditions, actions, results, outcomes which can be thoroughly observed and understood, whereas the subconscious mind is somewhat mysterious and has no shape but it is helping human beings to carry out their actions consciously. Moreover, the enormous beauty of the book is that it has calculatedly made a bridge between spirituality and rational/scientific inquiry which comes closer for us to attaining, reaching, sustaining, meeting, mingling, collecting, comprehending the mysteries of the human mind and its infinite functions.

For sake of understanding, the writer has outlined and referenced the examples of multiple philosophers, scientists, and doctors that how these people overcame and controlled their minds and came up with some of the marvellous inventions, innovations, discoveries, and enlightened the world with their efforts. I completely acknowledge the worth of this wonderful book which holds the power to change the mindset of individuals and moulds them to understand the thinking pattern of their minds. A person must trust her/his abilities and have faith in them so that they can undoubtedly find themselves in the treasure of love, success, harmony, peace, affection, passion, attraction, infatuation so on, and so forth. In the end, every person from any walk of life must go through this book once in their life and see the miracles and magic of their subconscious mind. As Jean-Paul Sartre beautifully quotes, “Everything has been figured out, except how to live”.

The writer is an English faculty member at Quaid E Azam Law College Nawabshah & MS Scholar at English Language Development Centre (ELDC), Mehran University of Engineering & Technology Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan.