s higher
stages it almost reaches the plane of Reason or Intellect, in fact, they
overlap each other, or, rather, blend into each other. The Instinctive
Mind does valuable work in the direction of maintaining animal life in
our bodies, it having charge of this part of our being. It attends to the
constant work of repair; replacement; change; digestion; assimilation;
elimination, etc., all of which work is performed below the plane of
consciousness.

But this is but a small part of the work of the Instinctive Mind. For
this part of the mind has stored up all the experiences of ourselves and
ancestors in our evolution from the lower forms of animal life into the
present stage of evolution. All of the old animal instincts (which were
all right in their place, and quite necessary for the well-being of the
lower forms of life) have left traces in this part of the mind, which
traces are apt to come to the front under pressure of unusual
circumstances, even long after we think we have outgrown them. In this
part of the mind are to be found traces of the old fighting instinct of
the animal; all the animal passions; all the hate, envy, jealousy, and
the rest of it, which are our inheritances from the past. The Instinctive
Mind is also the "habit mind" in which is stored up all the little, and
great, habits of many lives, or rather such as have not been entirely
effaced by subsequent habits of a stronger nature. The Instinctive Mind
is a queer storehouse, containing quite a variety of objects, many of
them very good in their way, but others of which are the worst kind of
old junk and rubbish.

This part of the mind also is the seat of the appetites; passions;
desires; instincts; sensations; feelings and emotions of the lower order,
manifested in the lower animals; primitive man; the barbarian; and the
man of today, the difference being only in the degree of control over
them that has been gained by the higher parts of the mind. There are
higher desires, aspirations, etc., belonging to a higher part of the
mind, which we will describe in a few minutes, but the "animal nature"
belongs to the Instinctive Mind. To it also belong the "feelings"
belonging to our emotional and passional nature. All animal desires, such
as hunger and thirst; sexual desires (on the physical plane); all
passions, such as physical love; hatred; envy; malice; jealousy; revenge,
etc., are part of this part of the mind. The desire for the physical
(unless a