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Does the term “mental muscles” make you think of a part of the brain?
I was explaining my research into erotic energy last night, and a friend told me she thought “mental muscles” were part of the brain. The word “mental” suggested it: Mental = mind, and mind = brain, at least for her. But when I say “mental muscles,” I mean magickal structures that connect to the brain, but are not themselves part of the brain. They don’t take up space, and you can’t point to them on an MRI. So, something quite different than the concept that my term, “mental muscles,” conjured up in her mind.
I can see where she’s coming from, and I’d like my terms to conjure up the right concept for as many people as possible. She suggested “astral muscles” or “spirit muscles,” and I’m thinking of the term “ethereal muscles.” First, “ethereal” isn’t tied to one particular school of thought, and second, it sounds natural to say, “You engage your ethereal muscles to send a message to ethereal software.” And, since I’m still working on my book, now is a good time to get my terms straight.
But I want to hear from you, dear readers. Does the term “mental muscles” make you think of a part of the brain? And how do you react to “ethereal muscles” and the other terms?
Thanks!
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I personally knew it wasn’t literally connected to the brain physically, but rather the “ethereal muscles” move because of the brain. (And the way the two interact is, of course, obstructed by the ITA-Gap, or Interface-to-Action Gap.)
However, “mental muscles” sort of explained the cause, the brain/mind. However, “ethereal muscles” sort of explains the method used. Maybe “psychic muscles” would be a better, clearer way of explaining the basic idea of the term, although it should be mentioned that the term isn’t associated with any school of thought, magickal style, etc.
While the physical brain is my first thought when I hear the term ‘mental muscles,’ my next vision is that of the effort put into thinking logically and critically, solving puzzles, and learning. I do like the term ‘ethereal muscles’ for magical structures and effort. ‘Psychic muscles’ sounds a little gimmicky, and ‘ethereal,’ to me anyway, paints a picture of any kind of magic or spirit work, where ‘psychic’ feels more divination-focused. I think mental muscles and ethereal muscles can be employed together, but are two separate groups in my mind.
I think the change to ethereal is a good idea. It adds to the consistency of your magical thesis.
Thanks, guys. (And thanks to those of you that emailed me, too.) Based on your feedback, I think I will go with “ethereal muscles.” Thanks!