Exploring the Beginnings

Abstract

Everyone who begins on the voyage of self-discovery soon realises that there seem to be three distinct parts to our minds. One part, of which we quickly become aware, is the part that wishes to ‘do’, or to ‘feel’ something. It may be experienced as striving towards a goal that lies ahead. Most commonly it is felt as a longing for a relationship, or for work achievement that feels satisfying and yet seems not available. We become aware of a second part which is often more difficult to recognise as actually a part of ourselves. This part seems to be working in opposition to the first part, as if ‘it’ was determined to prevent ‘our’ wishes being put into practice! At first it may seem that there are only these two parts ‘arguing it out’, but in fact there is a third part which is ‘aware of’ and ‘listens to’ the other two and which feels separate yet often helpless — either to stop the second part ‘sabotaging’ the first, or even finding a good compromise between them.