Our language gives so much away.
It reveals the inner workings of the mind,
As well as some esoteric clues as to how our self-aware mind operates.
Take for example the phrases,
My heart's not in it,
Or I wished I trusted my gut.
These two common utterances could indicate that our self-aware mind,
Sometimes referred to as the ego mind,
Has overruled the mind sensors located at our lower chakra points,
Namely the sacral,
Solar plexus and heart centers.
When we say,
Off the top of my head,
It's possible that it describes an idea that has entered our neurology from the collective consciousness,
Via our crown,
Which is then routed via our third eye into our brain.
Take the phrase though,
It's on the tip of my tongue.
We say this when what we want to say slightly eludes us.
It's another reminder that our intelligence is distributed across our whole neurology.
It's the muscles in our tongue and voice box that know how to vibrate the air,
Such that our inner thoughts can be heard.
At the same time,
Language sensors in our outer cortex remember the words and their meaning,
And other related sensors form them into sentences.
There are a myriad of reasons why the words then don't quite come out.
Just reflect on that for a few moments,
And the last time it happened to you.
This meditation does not purport to explain these phonological phenomena,
But to encourage you to explore and ponder their meaning and relevance.
For example,
It could be that different phrases mean different things to different people.
In addition,
Different languages will have their own idioms,
Which have differences in nuance,
Derivation and meaning.
I'd be grateful if any non-English speakers who listen to these words could share examples by way of comment.
So let's explore the title of this particular meditation and reflection.
If someone wants to find out what we're thinking about,
They might ask,
In English,
What's on your mind?
They might be more explicit and ask,
What are you thinking about?
But perhaps that's a little direct and intrusive.
While we never say,
What's in your mind?
We might ask of somebody who's taken a few too many substances,
What's your mind on?
Notice how the placement of the word on to the end of the sentence slightly changes its meaning.
This is the suddenty of our language.
So from now until the music fades,
I'd like to encourage you to mull over this common phrase,
What's on your mind?
And as you do so,
Pay attention to both where your mind goes,
And where it ends up.
