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For decades, philosophers and scientists have tried figuring out the dialectics of the head and the heart, the body and the soul. Is the world of brain and thinking vastly different from the world of emotions? Does the realisation of spirit or soul come through an extremely intuitive metaphysical process that has nothing to do with intellect or rationality? On the contrary, it is a process that like Immanuel Kant’s metaphysical conceit borders on extremities of faith, a stage wherein we as human beings come in contact with something so very divine that we surrender all our common sense and rationality. Is it this state of self – realisation or awakening the mind something that spirituality asks us to seek? For decades, psychology and science have simultaneously tried to figure out answers to these somewhat perturbing questions of soul, spirit and consciousness.

Both science and psychology have tried to figure out the spiritual world around us. Infact, the two are intrinsically connected. Psychology is but a science that is notorious for its ability to map the human consciousness. Physical sciences teach us about the physical universe surrounding us, its tangible contours, the world of matter, as it were. Psychology, on the other hand, helps us grasp the inner intricacies of that tangible world, the role and importance of soul, spirit, consciousness, spirituality.

Psychology fine tunes for us vague concepts of humanity, people, happiness and depression. It tells us that our consciousness is always dependant on the external factors surrounding us. This consciousness always changes colours like a chameleon in accordance to the vagaries of the external environment. Happiness and depression are also just extreme manifestations of this consciousness. Our external environment has a major role in making us happy or sad. As ordinary human beings, we are vulnerable to happiness and depression depending on the events in our life and the lives of those who are close to us. In other words, we are stuck in this material world and its numerous treacheries or ‘Maya’ as well call it in Hindu mythology, keep us away from awakening the mind or personal development. It is only through meditation and spirituality that we can master the material world and get out of the torturous grip of ‘maya’.

Perspective also plays an important role in this whole game of Maya. The mind sees something and creates an illusion. What the mind sees, it takes that as the truth and swears by it. But, maybe, someone else’s mind is filtered through a different sieve. Therefore, they see the world as different from us. But, we fail to understand this trickery of illusion and think that our perspective or worldview is the supreme.

Also, often we are unable to control our anger and get stressed out because we get overpowered by emotions. In order to control these emotions we need to take recourse to meditation. Any medium that helps us de- stress and takes us away from the clutter in our consciousness is meditation – be it music, exercise, etc.

What is important is that we realise that our mind and emotions might be entirely different from someone else’s. So, we should learn to be tolerant of divergent views and not let rigidity clog our soul.