Bringing our Intellect into
Service of Spirit
by Jef Bartow
Within metaphysics, our mentality is organized with two different minds. The lower mind, or intellect, provides the source of our habitual method of thinking, how we learn, how we make knowledge useful and the way we communicate. Our habitual method of thinking involves both deductive and inductive reasoning and to a certain extent logic or analytical thinking.For those of you have tried to learn to meditate, the ongoing mind chatter in the intellect provides a barrier to higher levels of energy. We've all experienced our mind chatter as we tend to circulate on the day's activities with the annoyances and frustrations that it brings. Another major source of this unproductive mental circulation comes from how we tend to let our issues in relationships, work, with money and other obstacles to our security, comfort and happiness. A good method to get a handle on your own mind chatter is to take a day and write down in your journal exactly what you were thinking every hour on the hour. After a while, you will begin to catch yourself in the incessant mind chatter that tends to dominate thinking. One of the first major successes in meditation is to stop the mind chatter if only for a short period of time. Learning to consciously stop the mind chatter is a powerful step in learning to contact higher states of consciousness and energy.Our articles are available for reproduction for all members. Please give credit to the author.
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Our astrology chart can provide an excellent means of getting to know how our intellect works, both productively and unproductively. Mercury within astrology represents our intellect. By looking to where Mercury is (house position), we can highlight the activities which most powerfully develop our means of communication, how we learn and how we make knowledge useful. For example, if Mercury is in the third house natally, how we learn and make our knowledge useful will naturally come through educational activities including school, ongoing classes, seminars and structured courses. It also suggests that we communicate most easily through writing and structured communication forums (Internet chat rooms, blogs, etc.). Each of the above activities relates to the third house astrologically.Images provided by NASA
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By looking to our Mercury's element (earth, air, fire, water), we see our natural tendencies toward activities described above. If our Mercury is in an air sign (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), we will naturally approach communicating and thinking in a versatile, balanced, flexible, and appreciative way. The quality of our natal Mercury (cardinal, fixed, mutable) clarifies how we need to think and communicate. Let's say Mercury is in Aries. This means that while communicating, thinking, learning and making knowledge useful, we need to do so in a dynamic, active, resourceful, progressive and energetic way.The characteristics of our Mercury's sign natally shows both the positive and negative tendencies in our thinking. In Aries, this means that our intellect will tend to operate courageously, self proving and pioneering. Our intellect will also tend to be dogmatic, pushy, hasty and argumentative. The method to this madness is a fundamental need of Aries to be "I am": to prove our identity and sense of being through action. An Aries Mercury (intellect) will naturally tend to use communication, learning and making knowledge useful as a means of solidifying one's identity and sense of unique beingness.Because Mercury naturally rules both Gemini and the third house, we can look to both of these in our natal astrology chart to help fulfill the needs of our intellect. We've already described Mercury in the third house and how that naturally fits together. With Mercury in Aries in the third house, Gemini will normally be on the fifth house cusp. This indicates that we can further develop our intellect through our creative self expression, our romantic and leisure activities, our involvement with children and how we pursue our life goals and purpose in life (all fifth house activities).With Gemini on the fifth house cusp and in the fifth house, we will need to approach these activities just described in a flexible, interested, intellectual communicative and curious manner. It also indicates that this person will tend to be overly gossipy, talkative, scattered or fickle in these areas of life (all Gemini characteristics).By cultivating the qualities of Gemini (mutable) while self expressing, pursuing life goals or romantic or leisure activities, we can further develop our intellect and ability to communicate. In this example, that means being adaptable, changeable, versatile and responsive (qualities of mutable) in these life activities.
Another means of helping develop our intellect into its spiritual function as the mind in service of spirit, we look to the ruling planet of our natal Mercury. In our example, Mars is the nadir ruler of Aries and therefore rules our Mercury. By cultivating the needs of our natal Mars in this example is another powerful means of spiritualizing our intellect. The needs of natal Mars are represented by the sign qualities (cardinal, fixed, mutable) and the natal house activities of Mars in the natal chart. Let's say in this example that Mars is in Cancer in the fourth house. By being progressive, resourceful, dynamic, and active (Cancer qualities) within the home environment, dealing with family and emotional issues in life (fourth house activities), this individual will further help bring the intellect into the service of spirit.In my life, my intellect has been represented by Mercury in Taurus (fixed earth) in the six house at birth. My natural tendencies in learning, thinking and communicating are to be practical, material oriented, detailed, persistent and responsible (earth element) throughout my daily routine, my work, serving others and making self-adjustments to be useful (six house areas of life). In order to further develop my intellect and help transform it in service of spirit, I have needed to be dependable, determined, reliable, patient, methodical and consistent (fixed qualities) in these activities.
How I accomplished this was to pursue a career in finance and accounting and later consulting to clients in these matters. The role of finance and accounting in business is to provide dependable, reliable, consistent and methodical information in which to base decisions on. For decades, using my intellect in service of spirit became directly related to how I helped distressed companies become successful again.Mercury in Taurus is ruled by Venus. By fulfilling the needs of Venus in my natal chart also contributed to the developing of my intellect in service to spirit. In my birth astrology chart, my Venus is in Gemini in the seventh house. This indicates that by being adaptable, versatile, responsive and observant (Gemini qualities) while dealing in one-on-one relationships, my marriage, and working cooperatively with others would also contribute toward transforming my intellect. This became readily apparent while helping my entrepreneurial clients change their business. A good consultant is characterized by the ability not just to provide an expert solution to a problem, but through observation and adaptability to create versatile and responsive solutions to ingrained problems in small businesses. When done very well, a consistent response from clients is what a "genius" one is. One characteristic of genius is the versatile use of spirit in making knowledge useful (i.e. through the intellect).Transforming our habitual way of thinking, communicating and making knowledge useful can be as difficult or frustrating as other major aspects of spiritual growth. Meditation is an excellent way of beginning the process. Tailoring our transformation to the needs of our intellect as represented by Mercury in our astrology chart is an excellent way of accelerating the process and making conscious connection with our higher spiritual faculties.
