Having completed his explanation of the living power of thoughts, Hazrat Inayat khan now begins to examine the work of the imagination.

The mind has five aspects, but the aspect that is best known is that for which we use the word ‘mind.’ Mind means: the creator of thought and imagination. The mind is the soil upon which, in the form of thoughts and imaginations, plants grow. They live there; but, as they are continually springing up, only the newly created plants are before one’s consciousness, and those plants and trees that were created before are hidden from one’s eyes. Therefore, when thoughts and imaginations are forgotten, then they are no longer before one and one does not think about them anymore. However, whenever one wishes to find a thought that has once been shaped, it can immediately be found, for it still exists in the mind.

That part of the mind which our consciousness does not see immediately is called subconsciousness. It is called this because the consciousness remains on the surface, making clear to us the part of our thoughts and imagination that we have just shaped and are busy looking at.

Nevertheless, once a person has had an imagination, a thought, it still exists. In what form does it exist? In the form that the mind gave it. As the soul takes a form in the physical world, a form borrowed from this world, so the thought takes a form, borrowed from the world of mind. A clear mind, therefore, can give a distinct body, a distinct form to the thought. A mind that is confused produces indistinct thoughts.

One can see the truth of this in dreams. The dreams of the clear-minded are clear and distinct, and the dreams of those whose minds are unclear are confusing. Besides, it is most interesting to see that the dreams of artists, poets and musicians, who live in beauty and who think of beauty, are beautiful; whereas the dreams of those whose minds contain doubts, fears or confusion are of the same character.

This gives proof that the mind gives a body to the thought. The mind supplies form to each thought, and with that form the thought is able to exist. The form of the thought is not only known to the person who thinks, but also to the one who reflects the thought, to the one in whose heart it is reflected. That is why there is a silent communication between people, the thought-forms of one person reflecting in the mind of another. These thought-forms are more powerful and clearer than words. They are often more impressive than the spoken word because language is limited, while thought has a greater scope of expression.

To be continued…