If you’re new to this way of thinking, you might hear terms like Mind, Consciousness, and Thought and wonder what they mean. These aren’t ideas to memorize—they’re more like signs pointing toward something you already know deep down, something you’ve felt before but maybe never had words for.
So, instead of starting with definitions, let’s start with a metaphor:
Imagine the sky—vast, open, and unchanging. That’s Mind.
It’s the quiet, steady presence behind all of life. You might call it life itself, presence, intuitive intelligence, or inner wisdom. It’s not your personal thoughts or opinions. It’s the calm you return to, the insight that comes out of nowhere, the healing that happens without your effort.
Now, picture the sunlight that makes everything visible. That’s Consciousness.
It’s your capacity to be aware, to experience life. Without it, there would be no “you” to notice a thought, feel an emotion, or recognize beauty. You could also call it awareness, the light of knowing, or the part of you that observes.
And finally, imagine the clouds that move through the sky—changing shape, appearing and disappearing. That’s Thought.
Thought is the creative force that paints the picture of your reality moment by moment. It includes your ideas, your inner dialogue, your judgments, your stories—and it’s incredibly convincing. But just like clouds, thoughts come and go. They aren’t permanent, and they aren’t the sky itself.
In everyday language, you might think of these three forces this way:
- Mind = your deeper intelligence or inner steadiness
- Consciousness = your capacity to be aware
- Thought = the stories and interpretations that shape how life feels
Together, these create every moment of our experience—from joy to frustration, from peace to confusion. When we forget this, it can feel like the world is happening to us. When we remember it, even briefly, there’s more space, more possibility, and a chance to see that we’re not stuck in the clouds forever.
And that’s really what this work is about: not fixing the weather, but remembering the sky.
Vince Flammini 