The Instinctive Centre and Its Modification by the Ego – (2676)

Modifications

After prolonged manifestation in our human machine, certain egos can begin to modify our instinctive centre.

The instinctive centre can be modified. Though often in Gnosis it is taught that one should not try to extensively modify it. This is because it is taught, that if one makes changes then by the sheer complexity of the interconnectedness of the instinctive centre and its functions, changing one thing would mean changing many more things if not everything.

In light of the above we may say that the instinctive centre is not very adaptable. In truth it is not very adaptable in the short term, however over the long term it is very adaptable. The instinctive centre even has the function of adapting within it. It must have this function as human beings move through different environments the instinctive must work to adapt our body function to the conditions of these new environments.

When the ego manifests with great intensity it creates havoc in our human machine and chaotically engages various functions of the instinctive centre. The human machine then takes time to return the human machine back to normal.

The stronger the ego becomes the weaker the instinctive centre becomes in its ability to help us. When we are very gluttonous we are terribly weak. We feel we need food to ease the boredom, pleasantly pass the time and to comfort and reward ourselves. When we stop eating as a glutton then we feel all sorts of pains and discomfort. Normally our instinctive centre would function so that we don't feel all those pains etc. So  gluttony and the ego in general stops the instinctive centre from functioning in favour of ourselves upholding a healthy life.

Long Term

However, over a long time manifestations of the ego can result in making changes in the instinctive centre.

Such egos are gluttony, laziness, lust and pride. Gluttony for example changes the way we eat resulting in an altered appetite and altered feeling of gastronomical satisfaction. Laziness, lust and pride also do something similar.

The grave problem with gluttony is that we do not feel satisfied until we have gorged ourselves. This is of course an altered instinct, that the ego of gluttony due to underlying emotional reasons forced to be that way.

The real normal instinct is to feel reasonably comfortable with the right amount of food.

The marvellous thing about the instinctive centre is that it has memory and as we begin to dissolve the ego we actually cause the instinctive centre to return back to normal. It does not lose its way of normal functioning.

End (2676).