7 planes of mind

! References 

*https://www.greekmyths-interpretation.com/en/olympian-gods-interpretation/hermes-interpretation-greek-mythology/

! Physical mind

*It is represented by Alcyone. The Halcyon is a mythical bird which nests near the sea and the breaking waves, and is therefore a symbol of a mind just emerging from the plane of the animal vital personified by the children of Pontos. 

*This is an aspect of the mind that is mostly preoccupied with the satisfaction of the needs and wellbeing of the body like food, sleep, security, reproduction and so forth.

! Vital mind

*It is represented by Celaeno (Κελαινω), whose name means ‘black, dark’. It is the second level of the human mind, a quality of mind which still progresses in darkness but acquires a gleam of reflective consciousness, hence the name of the son she had with Poseidon, Lycos, ‘the light preceding dawn’.

*In this plane mental activity is concentrated on the justification of vital expressions such as passions, desires, ambitions, etc. It is the source of prejudices and opinions which cannot resist the urge to analyse, and is associated with what is peremptory, arrogant, undisciplined and resistant to all spiritual progress in man.

! Intellect or the reasoning mind

*It supports itself on memory and functions through deduction, induction and inference, pursuing the truth through trials and errors. As it builds up new hypotheses which ceaselessly break down previous ones, it is almost impossible for this aspect of the mind to integrate opposing truths. 

*It is on this plane that man is situated in his moments of real reflection. The rest of the time he functions at the preceding levels, with a great persistence of the animal mind associated with the reptilian and limbic brain represented by the children of Pontos.

! Higher mind or extended vision

*This is a particular modality of the perception of Truth

*It results from a widening of the mind, a vast vision which introduces the intuitive mode so as to surpass the approximations of the logical mind. Attaining this plane presupposes the effort of questioning one’s opinions and prejudices and striving for a higher synthesis.

! Illumined mind

*This is a relatively stable state of the higher mind in which consciousness is filled with a flow of light. In this state there is a great enthusiasm for achieving the aim which the soul has set for itself in its incarnation, and which becomes clearer and clearer for the seeker as he moves forward in his progression. 

*The emergence into this plane is often accompanied by new creative capacities, the most natural expression of which blossoms in the domain of the arts (let us however specify that only a very small number of artists produce works of the level of the illumined mind).

*It is represented by Electra, who was one of Zeus’ lovers. Their son Dardanos was at the origin of the royal dynasty of Troy.

! Intuitive mind

*In this plane, the flashes from the world of Truth become more numerous and precise. *Everything becomes more rapid, evident, immediate and simple. 

*However, this is still a vision of disparate points rather than of a whole. 

! Overmind

*It is the plane that forges a transition with the Supramental. 

*In the Vedas, it is described as an ‘ocean of stable lightening’. This mass of light in the consciousness allows the vast extensions of space and time to be considered, but not to be comprehended in their totality yet. 

*It is the plane of the highest knowledge which can be attained by the mind at the level of a great inner force. 

*It is represented by Maia, whose name signifies “dedicated consciousness”, or “gift of oneself”. She is the mother of Hermes, whose name, formed around the characters PM, indicates ‘the evolution of a devotion or dedication in accordance with the right movement’.

*Hermes therefore represents the highest plane of the mind accessible to human consciousness, probably from a period earlier than that of Homer or ancient Egypt. This explains why he is the last god to have arrived on Mount Olympus.

*It is only at the level of the overmind that the seeker can completely integrate within himself the forces which these gods represent.