PIECES OF MIND
–– LOST AND FOUND ––
Have you ever thought you were Losing Your Mind?
We hope not. But, in these very unusual times, we suspect many of our fellows have had such worries. Surely, Mental Health Clinics and their practitioners are being stressed to their limits to keep up with so many changes, separations, losses and the fragmentation affecting all of us.
In this vein, we are reminded of an old friend who had his own traumas and turmoil, stresses and strains especially from the mental side of things. These began long before Covid and Climate Crises.
Joe King is a wonderful man — yet also a walking set of contradictions. He studied metaphysics in depth, gave psychic readings over the telephone for a time, and could quote chapter and verse of various teachings. That is, on what you and I should know and do. But, he claimed that most all of his advice and guidance did not fit him.
Joe sad that was so because he is not of this planet. King believes himself to be a Starbeing. His equipment was lacking when other Beings left him stranded on Planet Earth. His missing parts included mind and emotions. Furthermore, he proclaimed, “I fired my Guides and High Self.”
There is more — and less — to his story.
When our small Montana town hosted its first annual Red White and Blue celebration in 1998, JK was visiting and acted as our stand-up comedian. King provided lots of laughs for the crowd of 60 or so folks on stage at the Rocky Mountain Garage while he gave out other reasons for his mental deficits. Early into his presentation, Mr. King told the audience, “I have given people so many pieces of my mind, that I have nothing left.”
It seemed the more Mr. King proclaimed such things, the more he believed them. At the same time, it was hard for anyone or anything to counteract those long-held views of himself. That is not unlike the case for most of us in various areas of our lives.
At one point in history, Yours Truly began an experiment with Mr. K. We referred to him as the “Big Giant Head,” like the one depicted in the TV show Third Rock from the Sun, popular in those days. We thought to nudge K. to think more highly of his mental self.
Well, our efforts seemed for naught. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Part of the problem may in fact have been as Mr. K. admitted that he had really given away “pieces of my mind.”
Was he just talking in metaphor? Or was there something factual in his words?
Could he really give away “pieces of mind?” If so, could he ever get them back? Don’t we require the whole mind to live and move freely? Just like the whole body?
Mr. K. is a warm, kind, generous and giving person. But unfortunately, we think that King did give his gifts away without learning or knowing how to replenish his own mental stores. Pieces of his mind and heart went out to others in sympathy and compassion for their hurts — most often in positive manners. But also at times, in anger and disgust at the world and its ways as well.
It seems that behind his jovial and gentle facade there was a tortured soul. K. used to say, “I feel everybody else’s feelings, but not my own.”
In another moment when something wise or insightful came out of his mouth, King might pronounce, “Well, I was just feeding off your mind. I don’t have one.”
If K. was not using the minds of others, he seemed to find himself commonly in mental-emotional distress. Things often didn’t go well for him. Then, he seemed to give up on his current mission, whatever that was.
Whatever mission you and I find ourselves on, our minds need to be as whole, complete as possible. When they become pieced, they need persistent efforts to put the puzzle back together. But all too often, we wait until late in the game to ask for help. That seems to be what Mr. K. did. Or so it appeared. Our queries suggested that when Mr. King did ask for help, he didn’t follow the recommendations given.
As mentioned in our last blessay, the Mind is a very subtle force field of energy which intermingles and overrides the brain and other physical parts of our natures. Even though the mind is ever so tenuous and fine, it can be twisted and torn, broken into pieces, even shattered. Yes, it can. That even though affected persons may appear physically normal to outer view.
We talk about broken hearts and souls. Well, people also have broken minds. We repeat mind and brain are not synonymous. The mind works through the brain and other organs.
You wonder about a mind broken? Visit a psychiatric hospital or ward. A large majority of the patients there have had all manner of testing done on the brain with “negative” findings. No physical findings. The mind itself cannot be directly tested like physical parts with Xrays and Scans.
The mind in pieces? Read Sally Field’s memoir called In Pieces. There are all sorts of humans who are functional but struggle every day like Mr. K. because of missing “pieces.”
Shattered? Consider soldiers over the ages who have suffered from Combat Fatigue or Shell Shock, now termed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In recent times, we have come to sufficient understanding of this problem to realize that PTSD does not just affect people in combat. It often appears in civilians traumatized and wounded in the course of daily life in a host of ways.
PTSD is not just the result of bombs and bullets, war and combat. There are other shocks which shake and rattle, rock and ravage our inner natures which control our senses and behaviors.
This fragile state of being can occur in many different ways. Shock and fright, terror and dread can and do create a wide spectrum of very potent, though relatively invisible disturbances. If we could see them as they appear to clairvoyants, we might well be frightened and shattered ourselves — to one degree or another.
People can be so terrorized as to be “Scared to Death.” On the other hand, we can be “Loved to Health.”
On that thought-provoking note, we will sign off for the moment — with intentions to share more on this thread in the near future.
George Carlin: “If ever I lose my mind,
I hope some honest person will find it
and take it to Lost and Found.”
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