Category Archives: Chuck’s Blog

Welcome to Chuck’s Place! This is where Chuck Ketchel, LCSW-R, expresses his thoughts, insights, and experiences! Currently, Chuck posts an essay once a week, currently on Tuesdays, along the lines of inner work, psychotherapy, Jungian thought and analysis, shamanism, alchemy, politics, or any theme that makes itself known to him as the most important topic of the week. Many of the shamanic and psychological terms used in Chuck’s essays are defined in Tools & Definitions on our Psychotherapy page.

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: Still The Wheel Of Waking Worry Mind

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We are in a new Eon...Aeon is the twentieth card of the major arcana in Aleister Crowley’s Thoth tarot deck. In traditional tarot decks the twentieth card is named The Last Judgment. Crowley, however, changed its title to Aeon, representing a new beginning versus the end of the world. The destruction of now is the impact of labor pains, the precursors to new life, not the final judgment and end of the world.

The new eon is that of Horus, Egyptian son of the Goddess Isis and the God Osiris. Horus ushers in a time of greater consciousness and spiritual awakening, a step beyond the dogma and drama of the patriarchal Abrahamic religions. The eon of Horus represents humanity’s gradual withdrawal of the projection of divine power onto deities, as it awakens to, and becomes responsible for, its own divine power.

The eon of Horus parallels the astrological eon of the Age of Aquarius with its emphasis upon consciousness beyond narcissism. This is the perspective of an interconnected we, as opposed to everything being just about me. Aquarius, the water bearer, from the mental plane of thought, waters the Earth, nurturing it with healthy solutions and community spirit.

The downside of these shifting eons is the duration of their destructive labor. We could be looking at 500 years of Dark Ages, not terribly comforting to our current generation. However, as Crowley suggests, “today we have brighter torches and torch bearers.”

I submit that many of us alive today are here to provide that bright light, as we move rapidly through these dark times and pass on that torch to the future of the human dream.

Our greatest power in this Horus/Aquarian eon lies in the actualization of our divine powers of conscious suggestion and subconscious manifestation, in the service of the greater good. The first step in consciously engaging in this divine process is to still the ever-turning wheel of waking worry mind.

Since the subconscious mind is deeply engaged in supporting the activities of daily life, we first disengage from physical activity to free up subconscious attention. I suggest the use of autogenic phrases, repeated quickly and redundantly for several minutes.

The subconscious, which totally dominates physical functioning, responds to these commands by literally putting the body to sleep. Mentally we enter a hypnagogic state, the intermediary state between awake and sleeping consciousness. To arrive there, state these commands several times without pause:

“Feet relax, ankles relax, calf muscles relax, thighs relax, pelvis relax, stomach relax, chest relax, shoulders relax, arms relax, fingers relax, sacrum relax, back relax, neck relax, head relax, face relax.” Repeat several times until drowsy. 

Now, having arrived in the hypnagogic state, shift to mental focus. State a simple, prepared suggestion to the subconscious mind, such as: “Peace of mind is mine, thank you.”

Say this out loud, or quietly inside the mind with accompanying lip-syncing, for at least 5 minutes. The subconscious absorbs this intention and prepares this mental template for physical manifestation.

Finally, imagine someone of significance to you congratulating you, shaking your hand and hugging you for your achievement of deep inner peace. Feel the joy and calm of such deep inner peace. This mental completion in the imagination will be matched by the subconscious, in its own time, with its creation in physical form.

Perform this practice 3 times per day. Persevere with this practice and see what happens, sooner than you think!

This practice produces the fuel for the sacred eternal flame of conscious truth, as we endure the labor of new and glorious life.

Let not the flame die out,
Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: The Ego’s Journey To Discover Its Divinity

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From our ego center we design our own destiny…
-Artwork © 2024 Jan Ketchel

With the acquisition of consciousness the human species evolved beyond its instinctually bound animal compatriots. Consciousness provides us with the divine prerogative to design and manifest our own destiny.

The ego is the center of consciousness in a human being. With its powers of thought and free will, the ego is our sovereign leader who directs the course of our lives.

The ego is of divine origin. Its parents are the masculine and feminine sides of its immortal soul that sent it off to live a finite life, attached to a human form. World mythology, fairytales, and actual human history are replete with stories of orphaned royal infants raised by humble citizens or protective animals. Unaware of their royal origin, these children ultimately mature into adults who discover and exercise their innate divine powers.

Examples include, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, King Arthur, Oedipus, Romulus and Remus, Superman, Moses and Jesus. The same archetypal theme of the hero’s journey pervades all of these stories.

The journey is one of taking on the adventure of a human life, with all its trials and tribulations, and ultimately entering the abyss of the unknown self, where they retrieve their true royal birthright and come into conscious possession of their divine powers.

This archetypal theme of the hero’s journey of self-discovery, in its life in human form, is shared by all human beings. We are all born in a blank slate mental state, surrounded by a wall of amnesia that blocks out knowledge of our true divine inheritance.

Were we to have known of our actual immortal status, we would have been deprived of the ability to truly experience a finite human life. Souls attracted to Earth School to further their growth enter a finite life in space and time, where they are unknowingly raised and socialized by their mortal adoptive parents.

The ego secretly always harbors an underlying feeling of inadequacy, rooted in being forced to live and master a life in an alien form, in an alien world. Is it any wonder that the ego becomes obsessed with the need for attention and validation of its self-importance, as a central pursuit in this life? Self-importance is the natural compensation for a deep sense of inadequacy, the true mental status of all of humanity.

Ironically, the ego’s obsession with self-importance, that steals the lion’s share of its energy and attention throughout its life, unknowingly engages its innate divine powers in perpetuating a life of inadequacy. The thoughts and beliefs we emphasize create the circumstances within our lives that reflect those thoughts.

The conscious mind of the ego is the architect that engages the infinite intelligence and divine building substance of the subconscious mind to manifest its will. There is no such thing as predetermination. What we emphasize in our thoughts is our destiny.

What we tell ourselves we are is what we magically become. These are our divine powers: thought and the ability to physically manifest those thoughts. Our current eon is challenging us to wake up to our unconscious use of these powers and to shift to consciously choosing  thoughts of right action.

Regardless of our values, it is the thoughts we are drawn to and emphasize that are manifested. Thus, if we are preoccupied with fascination and rage toward political figures, we are in fact inadvertently pledging our energy toward the realization of their dream.

Waking up to our innate royal privilege also requires that we become responsible rulers. If we saturate our minds with thoughts and feelings of love, compassion, right action, forgiveness, and abundance we are certain to manifest these physical conditions in our lives, individually and globally.

The ego of our time must die to its obsession with self-importance, as it assumes, with divine confidence, its ability to manifest a positively evolved self and world. The current eon requires us to claim our divine powers and exercise them in the service of truth.

What we give our attention to, consciously or unconsciously, is our real vote.

Attend wisely and responsibly, 
Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: Establish A New Major Premise Of Being

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Any day is a good day to start anew…
-Artwork © 2024 Jan Ketchel

The subconscious totally accepts and manifests the beliefs of the conscious mind. If we believe we are a good person, the subconscious manifests that belief in the positive emotions we feel toward ourselves and the kinds of people and positive opportunities that are drawn to us in daily life.

Carlos Castaneda lamented the impact of negative conditioning upon the vulnerable psyche of the child, who absorbs, without any available means to fend off, the words and beliefs of its caretakers. According to the shamans of ancient Mexico, these internalized elemental beliefs are assembled and fixated at a point of consciousness, aptly called the assemblage point, that orients our perception and interpretation of ourselves in both inner and outer reality.

Internalizing the theme of being bad in childhood can pervasively fixate our assemblage point upon this belief, such that it serves as our basic premise of self throughout all of life.

The fixation of the assemblage point is so rigid that shamans have for centuries used psychedelics to allow their habitual fixation of the assemblage point to be temporarily suspended, freeing up their ability to journey deeper into their human potential.

This form of soul exploration, or retrieval, is not without its risks, as the shattering of ego consciousness by a psychedelic can lead to difficulty in fully returning to the consciousness of everyday life, or hamper the integration of  knowledge gained in heightened awareness with ordinary reality.

Carlos Castaneda recommended alternative methods of exploration that allow the grounding and reasoning abilities of the ego to support deeper exploration and positive integration, enabling one to establish a new, positive position of the assemblage point.

Intentional autosuggestion provides a powerful interaction with the creative powers of the subconscious mind that can greatly enhance the realization of our innate potential. By consciously establishing a new basic premise as a suggestion to the subconscious mind, we can fundamentally shift our experience of self and world.

Though the subconscious does not engage in rational thinking, it powerfully accepts a basic premise presented to it by the conscious reasoning mind as fact, and rationally goes about demonstrating the truth of that premise in its manifestations based upon it. The premise is the seed planted in the fertile soil of the subconscious.

The action, or law of attraction, exercised by the subconscious, is to draw to it from the soil the vital nutrients needed for it to grow into physical beingness, as solid proof of the validity of the major premise planted in its soil. This fertile soil is the divine energy and infinite intelligence the subconscious attracts as it fashions, in physical form, the intent of consciousness.

Thus, if your new major premise states that “by day and by night the infinite intelligence of my subconscious mind guides, directs and prospers me spiritually, mentally, physically and materially,” abundant change, in accordance with this suggestion, will begin to materialize in your life.

Notice that this intention does not try to engage, overturn, or argue with a negative habitual premise, such as, “I am bad and unworthy.” Any such thought activity places attention upon the older habitual position of the assemblage point, which draws the subconscious back to that fixation, and, hence, to that old state of being.

To the contrary, recitation of this new basic premise causes the soul, through the attractive power of the subconscious, to pave new neuropathways in the brain, releasing hormones and neurotransmitters that generate the emotions and sense of self intended by the autosuggestion.

This divine intelligence also draws people, circumstances and opportunities into our life that further its manifestation in the material reality of life. We begin to notice these changes in mood and energy level, as well as in events that occur in the physical self, in career and social life. As we take notice of these changes, our faith in the power of the subconscious deepens, which in turn intensifies the realization of the autosuggestion on all levels of being.

Though we may occasionally (or often!) find ourselves suddenly shifting to an older habitual position of the assemblage point, the trick is to not engage it but to quickly state our new basic premise. The word truly does become the flesh.

Remember, we arrived at our early basic premise of self through the constant repetition of words spoken to us. To shift to a new basic premise of self, we must constantly saturate ourselves with the words of our new basic premise.

As always, no attachment to the outcome. Only the subconscious mind knows how to truly attract what is needed. Just keep reminding it of your new basic premise. State it, let go, and let the magic materialize.

By day and by night, prosperity,
Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: The Mind Is Privy To Divine Power

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Bring your dreams to Earth…
-Artwork © 2024 Jan Ketchel

The mind is privy to Divine Power. Here’s how to exercise it:

1. Relax. Release. Let Go. Quiet Now. Enter into grogginess. Body asleep, mind awake.

Trance is the optimal state to be in to reach the subconscious, the organ of divine connection. A whole body relaxation accompanied by calm breath disengages the dominance of the thinking mind. Additionally, the subconscious, which is responsible for the operation of the physical body, is freed up to make contact with a stated suggestion as the physical body progresses into an inert state.

2. State your intention, suggesting it many times to the subconscious mind.

Rote repetition with mindful presence is best. Be declarative, direct and commanding. Vague wishes and hopes don’t register. The subconscious does not think rationally, it fulfills clear and definite orders. If a suggestion is filled with qualifiers, it’s too confusing. Avoid the use of any negatives. State what you want in positive form, not what you don’t want. Be certain that your intention is for the greater good of self and world.

3. Imagine the manifestation of your intent. Direct it as a mental movie. Embellish it with detail. See it, feel it, touch it! Feel the joy of your suggestion’s realization.

The conscious mind raises the vibrational level of its intention through the use of the imagination and emotion. The subconscious is drawn to this heightened energy state. Once impressed by the suggestion, the subconscious transmutes this energetic state into a magnetic force that attracts divine substance to create its physical equivalent. Thought becomes matter.

4. Express deep gratitude and love to the infinite intelligence for its response to your request.

Strengthen and broaden this channel to the divine through genuine appreciation. A deepened relationship between conscious and subconscious facilitates rapid guidance through intuition, synchronicity and resonance. The channel to total memory and ancient knowledge is enhanced through this ever deepening connection.

5. Have faith that the seed of your suggestion is fruitfully planted in the fertile soil of the subconscious. The law of the subconscious is growth; your intention is already a subtle fact. Be patient. If tempted by doubt, incessantly state your intention. Let go, let divine.

Your suggestion is a fact, a magnetic mold on a subtle plane attracting physical reality to it as it coagulates into human form. This is an act of creation that follows its own path. Leave rational thinking out of it, its job was completed when it generated its suggestion. No attachment to outcome, either with time or space demands.

Know that your intention is in the act of fulfillment at all times. Watch for the signs. Respond to the requests for decisions and actions placed before you that are mysteriously honing the realization of your intent. Hold your intention in the sealed alchemical womb of your subconscious mind. Best to keep the door sealed by not telling others of your creative process while it germinates.

Can’t stop the magic,
Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: The Royal Spheres Of The One Mind

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The Royal Couple…
-Artwork © 2024 Jan Ketchel

The mind is a subtle body that creates, runs, and maintains the physical body. A cord, similar to an umbilical cord, connects these two bodies while we are physically alive. When that cord eventually breaks, the physical body dies, while the mind, in its soul body, moves off to life in a  subtle dimension of reality.

The mind is a singular organ with two significant spheres, one conscious and the other subconscious. The conscious sphere is the King who chooses the blueprint for life in this world. The King is a ruling dominant of the mind, as reflected in the attitudes, beliefs, and thoughts one imbues one’s attention with and that determine the course of one’s life.

The subconscious sphere is the Queen, who creates life through her access to divine substance and intelligence, in accordance with the dictates of heredity and consciousness, which constantly provide her with guiding suggestions. The Queen is the ruling dominant of the mind that manifests new life.

The conscious sphere works with the subconscious sphere when it is awake. The subconscious never sleeps. When the conscious sphere  sleeps, the subconscious continues to monitor and address the needs of the physical body. These two spheres of the mind, though distinct, are deeply intertwined royal partners.

The physical brain, with its nervous system, provides the conscious sphere with the sensory data gathered through its five physical senses, allowing it  to choose behaviors that address its physical needs. Thus, if one senses cold through the sense of touch, they may decide to put on a sweater.

The subconscious sphere of mind also receives sensory data from the brain, which it automatically responds to via the association of sensory experience with reactive suggestions from innate instincts of survival and growth. Instincts are powerful programs of habitual response to address sensory activation and mental thought. If, for example, one hears a noise and imagines an intruder, a fear response and mobilization for physical action and survival will result.

The conscious sphere of mind constantly presents its own suggestions to the subconscious, who then manifests them through its total control of the physical body. Thus, if one tells the heart to reduce its rate of heartbeat, the subconscious slows it down.

Suggestions from both the conscious sphere of mind and the instincts, stored in the subconscious, influence the actions of the subconscious in accordance with the law of attraction. That law operates via like attracting like. The subconscious attracts divine substance to it as it fashions, in physical form, the energetic intent of consciousness.

The shamans of ancient Mexico called this divine substance and intelligence the energy of intent. This independent magical energy permeates the universe and is the energy behind all of creation. The subconscious mind has access to this divine energy of intent, which it calls upon to both run the body and manifest, in physical form, the suggestions it accepts.

The conscious mind has its own relationship with intent through its ability to intend its intentions to the subconscious mind via suggestion.  Like the subconscious mind, the energy of intent neither reasons nor moralizes, it creates what it intends to create.

The subconscious, with its access to the energy of intent, can thus create a reality that serves the whims of narcissism as equally as intentions presented for the greater good. A heartfelt conscious master of intent would thus choose to exercise their divine freedom of will for the intent of the greater good of self and other.

Consciousness also has the Knightly duty to protect its Queen, the subconscious sphere of the mind. Concretely, this can mean choosing to not expose itself to the content of the negativity influencers on social media, who seek to implant their suggestions into the subconscious minds of listeners and readers.

The subconscious does not rationally reflect upon the rightness of the suggestions presented to it, it is solely the irrational center of creation. The subconscious depends completely upon the conscious sphere to discern right action.

The conscious sphere of mind is also charged to face its own fears and negative beliefs which might be secretly undermining its own intentions for change in accordance with the greater good. For example, a hidden fear of scarcity might result in the subconscious being attracted to purchase less healthy but cheaper food to save money, whereby compromising its intent for perfect health.

Consciousness must monitor its use of words, as it is words that become the flesh. I’ll never be able to have that, is a powerful suggestion to the subconscious that will be manifested as scarcity and poverty. The antidote: immediately change all negatives into positives. In this instance, never have that becomes a definite, I have that!

The declarative, I have that, rests upon the conviction of the conscious sphere that it has successfully planted the seed of its intent into the fertile soil of subconscious substance. The law of growth insists that that seed will physically manifest through the energy of intent in the subconscious sphere of the mind. The conscious sphere waters its seed through its certainty that the full maturation of its seed of intent is a physical fact, in definite progress.

During the watering of the seed of intent, the affirmation, I have that, is repeated often in the conscious mind, together with a powerful exercise of the imagination that visualizes that in one’s possession, as one passionately feels one’s desire and joy at its realization. The conscious sphere must choose to engage in this practice frequently, to both impress the subconscious with its intent, as well as to become a habit of mind and, eventually, a new reality.

Consciousness, with its royal prerogative to choose, must also acquiesce to the divine prerogative of the subconscious to attract the necessary events to realize the given intent, in accordance with its own methods, and in its own time.

The mind is ultimately a royal partnership, of interdependence and deep love and respect, between the conscious and subconscious spheres of the mind. Without the conscious mind’s reasoning powers and discernment of right action, the subconscious mind is prey to create all manner of unsavory suggestions. Likewise, without a positive working relationship with the subconscious, the conscious sphere cannot realize the fulfillment of its true desires, and potential, while in physical form.

As with all intimate relationships, the relationship between the conscious and subconscious spheres of mind requires focused attention, appreciation, and mutual respect, to grow and become all that one unified mind can be while attached to life in physical form.

Mindfully,
Chuck