The Carousel of the Mind (Salvadore Poe)

Holger: What does he say about the “carousel of the mind”?

   

NotebookLM:

Salvadore Poe uses the metaphor of the “carousel” to describe the repetitive, conditioned movements of the mind and ego that keep an individual trapped in a state of constant seeking and identification with a personal story.

According to the sources, here is what he says regarding the carousel:

    

Types of Carousels

Sal identifies several specific “carousels” that the mind frequently rides:

• The Psychological and Analytical Carousels: These involve the constant processing of personal history, emotions, and the “me story”.
• The Intellectual and Philosophical Carousels: These are built on the need to understand, define, and categorize reality through concepts.
• The Spiritual Carousel: Notably, Sal includes spiritual seeking as a carousel, where one is constantly looking for enlightenment, progress, or “juicy information” from books and teachers.

   

The Nature of the Carousel

• Programmed Information: Sal asserts that the content of the carousel—your thoughts, doubts, and philosophies—is often just “programmed information” that isn’t even yours; it is often just a “replaying” of what you have read or heard elsewhere.
• A Roller Coaster of Suffering: He compares the carousel to a roller coaster that runs you around through cycles of struggle, thinking, and suffering.
• Effortful Maintenance: Upholding the sense of a separate self and its story is “a lot of work” and energy, which is what keeps the carousel spinning.

    

How to “Jump Off”

• Recognize the Pure Subject: Jumping off the carousel happens when you recognize the “purely subjective I”—the “I” that has no name, form, or description and needs no validation from philosophy or spirituality.
• The “Holiday”: Taking a “holiday” is described as the act of jumping off the “racket” of the carousel to simply be.
• Ignore the Allure: Sal suggests that when the mind tries to pull you back with a “juicy” bit of information or a question like “is nothing really it?”, you should recognize it as a trick of the ego and ignore it in favor of the “sun of pure being”.
• Discernment: Freedom involves a “paradigm shift” where you discern between the carousel of the mind and the stable, unchanging ground of your own being. Once you place your value on what is essential and prior to the mind, you are no longer “thrown around” by the carousel’s movements.

Salvadore Poe