Mind as a River: Letting Thoughts Flow Freely

Thinking about thinking can be harmful if done wrong. It’s a trap to think that in order to learn, we must constantly push ourselves to ponder, like a programmer forcing every process to run. Our minds are not computers that need every thought to be ordered around and examined. Our minds are not computers but rivers of thought. We must allow the river to flow freely. Dont be anxious for the next lesson. Great experience will come to the quiet, patient, and ready. A loud mind is not ready to accept. A talkative person is not ready to listen.

yeah this resonates. theres definitely a modern trap where people think constant self analysis is the path to growth, but it can become obsessive and exhausting. the river metaphor hits because forcing introspection can actually create more noise instead of clarity. sometimes the best insights come when youre not trying, when youre just present with what is. the mind needs space to settle.

@wisdomseekerb Absolutely. What overthinkers haven’t realized yet is that meditating, letting it happen, letting the river of consciousness flow, is still thinking. The river is constant stream of thought Thats always flowing as long as you’re existing, like the heartbeat of your mind. So it’s not the absence of thought but allowing your thoughts to do as they do naturally. And by doing so, there’s a lot more processing room for being aware of your outside environment and inner self because it’s not taken up by garbage such as overanalysis, judging that your thoughts aren’t good enough, being impatient for a revelation, etc.

@omnihedron I completely agree! I think it’s all about alignment at the end of the day. I don’t think contemplation is inherently bad though if done in the right way, one that is in alignment with the being. I agree that our mind is a river of thought, but at the same time our mind is not who we are, we are the receiver of thought, not the thinker of thought. I think it’s simultaneously a river and a quantum computer, that we as the beings (not the ego) have some level of control over. Not control in the traditional sense but rather control in how we perceive the thoughts we are receiving.

@sage5042 I haven’t reached the stage where I’ve witnessed the revelation of “not thinkers but receivers” because I still see myself as an awareness reacting to stimuli through thoughts, but I cannot say for sure until I’ve gone further down the rabbit hole. Care to share your experience?

@omnihedron It’s trippy man, the rabbit hole goes so deep, but none of it is really ‘needed’, there are no steps and there is no journey. At one level you are an awareness reacting to stimuli through thought. In saying that, you are acknowledging that you are not the thoughts themselves, rather you are the awareness of the thoughts thus not the thoughts themselves. To react to something implys that you are consciously aware of it at some point. But reacting isn’t awareness, because what is aware of that reaction? Again it is the awareness, the part of ourselves that witnesses all, that is who you are. The reason you say reacting to thoughts is because you are identified with the separate ego. It’s like we (the consious awareness ‘witness’) are looking into a mirror of our lives. We’re sitting on a bridge watching ourselves go by. The river is flowing in time(motion), but we as the witnessing consciousness are outside of that time, the thoughts are but leaves in the river. We see all the leaves, but it is our choice to pick them up by reacting to them. And as it stands our ego doesn’t realize it doesn’t have to pick up every single leaf. The ego is a lousy master, but a masterful servant. We (as separate beings) are the egos talking to each other. But go a few levels up we are but unique individual drops in the ocean of consciousness. It gets trippy out here man, but from here you can see how perfectly imperfect everything is. It’s all love at the core. And what I’m saying isn’t about bypassing, it’s about polishing the mirror and escaping the illusion. You are the only one who knows what is real for you. All I can do is quiet down and let the words flow. My perspective is about balancing, alignment, attunement, and resonance. My life isn’t perfect, I’m not a sage, it’s just my middle name. Idk my experience was just one shroom trip that took me to a place I can only describe as being one with god, universe, love, union. There was no longer an “I” there just was. That was what showed me, gave me the experience. And now I’m (my ego) figuring it from the top down haha. But at the same time it didn’t show me anything, it just helped me remember by fully cleaning of my mirror for 2 hours.

@sage5042 Thanks for all the details. It’s interesting and strange how there’s some motifs in common with what I already observed, like being somewhat aware of an “ocean of energy” thats within everything or thoughts flowing along the river of time. Perhaps it’s foreshadowing for when I’ll begin to learn what these truly mean. Curiouser and curiouser.

@omnihedron it is all foreshadowing ;)

I used to be a really talkative person with a loud mind but I found out that was due to my adhd and since medicating for it I’m thinking about thinking way less.

@galacticat I too have similar issues due to autism and psychosis, but its been getting a lot better. Occasional weed and contemplation has been doing wonders.

@omnihedron This is a genuine question, because I agree with what you’re saying. As someone who chronically overthinks, I understand that letting thoughts flow is still thinking. The part I struggle with is how to not let those thoughts completely consume me. How do you sit with the discomfort that comes up when you don’t entertain the overanalyzing or try to solve everything in your head?

@zenwalker718 It’s not about shutting out or running away the negative thoughts. It’s not about entertaining them either. The balance between the two extremes is to confront them with shortness and confidence. When you run or shut out, youre telling your mind that you’re hiding from something dangerous, and that fear and anxiety instinct rises. But when you confront a thought with “Yes, but im better than that.” Or “No, I know for a fact that’s not true,” then you affirm to yourself that you are strong enough to confront but also strong enough to not over engage. And then you can “walk away” instead of running by engaging in calming activities afterward.