Is God the subconscious?

If you’ve ever picked up Joseph Murphy’s "Power of Your Subconscious Mind," then you know exactly where I’m going with this.
I actually really liked the book. The core concept—that whatever we imprint on our subconscious through our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs eventually manifests as our reality... it shapes everything we go through. It’s pretty wild when you think about it.
But lately, I’ve been falling down a rabbit hole of reviews, and one particular critique really stuck in my craw. It goes something like this: "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind takes Hermeticism and repackages it as applied psychology, pushing New Age principles that spread like wildfire among Christian readers. Instead of praying to God, his methods suggest you're essentially just praying to your own subconscious"—that's what the priest Josip Blažević wrote in his book, "New Age Prophets."
The thing is, since he uses so many religious texts and keeps bringing up God, it feels like he’s throwing God and the subconscious into the same bucket. I just don't get it... are God and the subconscious supposed to be the same thing? 😕?

Justin Anderson3 said:If you’ve ever picked up Joseph Murphy’s "Power of Your Subconscious Mind," then you know exactly where I’m going with this.
I actually really liked the book. The core concept—that whatever we imprint on our subconscious through our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs eventually manifests as our reality... it shapes everything we go through. It’s pretty wild when you think about it.
But lately, I’ve been falling down a rabbit hole of reviews, and one particular critique really stuck in my craw. It goes something like this: "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind takes Hermeticism and repackages it as applied psychology, pushing New Age principles that spread like wildfire among Christian readers. Instead of praying to God, his methods suggest you're essentially just praying to your own subconscious"—that's what the priest Josip Blažević wrote in his book, "New Age Prophets."
The thing is, since he uses so many religious texts and keeps bringing up God, it feels like he’s throwing God and the subconscious into the same bucket. I just don't get it... are God and the subconscious supposed to be the same thing? 😕?

Look, any book out there promising to fix your life is going to be a bestseller, including that massive hit "The Secret." Honestly, most of this stuff is just the same old ideas being repackaged over and over again into books, expensive seminars, and online courses... But at its heart, we're talking about visualization. Simply put, the more vividly you can visualize something, the higher the odds you'll actually manifest it. These books tend to mention a method in passing and make it sound like you can achieve anything with minimal effort. In reality, doing this work is incredibly grueling (though you'll always hear those "know-it-all" types claiming it's a breeze), but it truly is possible to pull a specific outcome or event toward you if you play your cards right.

As far as I'm concerned, God and the subconscious are two completely different things.

I feel like I know this stuff pretty well, but honestly, I’m stuck on one thing... who am I actually supposed to be affirming to or asking for help? Is it God or my own subconscious?
For instance, is it better to say "Divine guidance oversees my life" or maybe "The infinite wisdom of my subconscious directs my life"? ????
At this point, I can't even tell where God ends and the subconscious begins...🙂

The subconscious is essentially a collection of processes—various thoughts, memories, and similar mental patterns—that occur within those deeper layers of the mind. These layers remain inaccessible to our waking awareness, yet they exert a distinct influence over our conscious thoughts and actions. That being said, all of this constitutes the conscious mind (the spirit or soul) itself; whether we are consciously aware of a specific element or not is a mere technicality. Now, regarding the relationship between the "soul" and God, it really depends on your perspective. Is the soul simply God manifested within a living being, or is it something else entirely? If you hold the former view, then the answer is a resounding "yes"; if you subscribe to the latter, then the answer is "no." Generally speaking, though, it’s a matter of definition. You first need to establish exactly what you mean when using those terms.

Justin Anderson3 said:I feel like I know this stuff pretty well, but honestly, I’m stuck on one thing... who am I actually supposed to be affirming to or asking for help? Is it God or my own subconscious?
For instance, is it better to say "Divine guidance oversees my life" or maybe "The infinite wisdom of my subconscious directs my life"? ????
At this point, I can't even tell where God ends and the subconscious begins...🙂

Maybe what some people call God is just your own subconscious, which was basically hardwired into you from the start...

So yeah, the inner workings of the mind are pretty wild.😂

The author treats God and the subconscious as two sides of the same coin—basically, God is that supreme intelligence we turn to when we need a hand, some guidance, or just a sign...
It’s the same story, really. Our subconscious is all-knowing; it carves out our reality. We tap into it by leaning on positive thoughts and beliefs to pull better experiences toward us.
In this "scientific prayer" concept, the author talks to God or the subconscious—whichever one feels right in the moment—whenever they need direction, a fix for a problem, or to nail down a specific goal.
It makes me wonder... what’s the actual distinction here? Is God one thing and the subconscious another, maybe dancing together in some kind of interaction, or is God actually just the subconscious itself😲?
And from a Christian perspective, is it considered wrong to pray to the subconscious instead of to God? 😕

Just a side note here:

Sigmund Freud—the big man himself—always pushed back against using the term "subconscious."
The whole idea behind the word "subconscious" makes it sound like there’s just another version of your consciousness tucked away somewhere else, sitting right "underneath" everything.

Freud didn't see it that way, and honestly, neither do I. He preferred talking about "the unconscious," or *The Unconscious*. It's more about certain psychological processes happening outside of our conscious awareness altogether.

The subconscious exists outside our conscious control, but honestly, even the word itself implies it’s subject to what we think... It’s like everything—every single thought, feeling, or belief—just flows down into this subconscious layer that’s inherently creative, reacting naturally to whatever we feed it. Basically, consciousness issues the orders, and the subconscious follows them. That's why we even call it that.
Anyway, let's not get too far off track 🙂. Maybe someone who's actually dug into Joseph Murphy's books would have more to add to 😍.

Justin Anderson3 said:The author treats God and the subconscious as two sides of the same coin—basically, God is that supreme intelligence we turn to when we need a hand, some guidance, or just a sign...
It’s the same story, really. Our subconscious is all-knowing; it carves out our reality. We tap into it by leaning on positive thoughts and beliefs to pull better experiences toward us.
In this "scientific prayer" concept, the author talks to God or the subconscious—whichever one feels right in the moment—whenever they need direction, a fix for a problem, or to nail down a specific goal.
It makes me wonder... what’s the actual distinction here? Is God one thing and the subconscious another, maybe dancing together in some kind of interaction, or is God actually just the subconscious itself😲?
And from a Christian perspective, is it considered wrong to pray to the subconscious instead of to God? 😕

Yes. Since the subconscious is essentially an extension of your conscious mind—and you are that mind—you would effectively be praying to YOURSELF.

In traditional Christianity, God isn't something residing within you, and He certainly isn't just your own spirit.
Though, if we look at it through the lens of Jesus, that becomes a much more complex discussion entirely.

Nancy Wilson2 said:Yes. Since the subconscious is essentially an extension of your conscious mind—and you are that mind—you would effectively be praying to YOURSELF.

In traditional Christianity, God isn't something residing within you, and He certainly isn't just your own spirit.
Though, if we look at it through the lens of Jesus, that becomes a much more complex discussion entirely.

The author's whole point is that God lives within us because He's omnipresent, so He's embedded in all His creations. Everything we see is just a reflection of God.

True, but we aren't talking about the same God that Christians pray to. In fact, from a Christian perspective, this kind of New Age stuff is practically synonymous with Satanism. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Old Testament Yahweh—the one who merges with Jesus's God, the Father. So, the answer to your question remains what it is: if you're looking at this through a Christian lens, believing in something like this is a one-way ticket to eternal damnation. 😁

I honestly think the Bible has been totally misinterpreted... which is probably where all those fears and superstitions regarding God come from.

Whether it's the unconscious, the subconscious, or just our own ego mechanisms—our personality is essentially shaped by how we've been trained and how we've trained ourselves. Because of that, I don't think people really pray to their own subconscious—I mean, that place is a total chaotic mess of everything under the sun! Instead, they pray to some higher power (or God) to just strip away all that mental junk—you know, that "constant stream" of wrong thoughts and bad decisions that stem from all that clutter.

In my view, no deity—biblical or otherwise—can simply swoop in and liberate someone from the root cause of those harmful thoughts. Why? Because those causes are woven directly into the subconscious through an individual's own free will.

So, the responsibility falls on us. We have to face that negative, destructive content in a way that actually works for us—rather than just begging it to leave us alone!😁

That’s the only way to clear the path so intuitive information can flow smoothly from the subconscious up into our conscious awareness.

Justin Anderson3 said:I honestly think the Bible has been totally misinterpreted... which is probably where all those fears and superstitions regarding God come from.

I wouldn't go that far, even looking back at how things used to be, but I’d say Jesus did a pretty decent job explaining the whole deal—even if he didn't lay out every single detail on who to pray to or the exact mechanics of how to do it. It feels like those New Age crowds just took his core ideas, gave them a little makeover, and rebranded them as this trendy new-age stuff we see everywhere today.

I've always felt like God is Consciousness itself, whereas the subconscious is just... something else entirely.

It’s like we’re totally disconnected from God while we're stuck down here in our minds or the subconscious. Honestly, even the terminology is such a mess—it's easy to get lost in the weeds when nobody can agree on what the words actually mean.

People say the mind is fair, you know? Like, you get back exactly what you put in. I guess you could say our character—that whole loop of action and reaction—lives in the conscious mind, but karma? Or maybe just destiny? That stuff is buried deep in the unconscious.

What even is the subconscious, really?
Are we talking about those little impulsive actions we can't explain, or is it that constant internal monologue—that nagging voice that won't stop rambling in the back of your mind? Or is it something else entirely?

I find myself nodding along with what mistygull16 was saying.

Honestly, praying to oneself as if one were their own subconscious feels incredibly self-centered to me.
Mind you, I realize I’m playing fast and loose with my terminology here...

mistysailor23 said:What even is the subconscious, really?
Are we talking about those little impulsive actions we can't explain, or is it that constant internal monologue—that nagging voice that won't stop rambling in the back of your mind? Or is it something else entirely?

I find myself nodding along with what mistygull16 was saying.

Honestly, praying to oneself as if one were their own subconscious feels incredibly self-centered to me.
Mind you, I realize I’m playing fast and loose with my terminology here...

Hey everyone.🙂

Trying to pray to your subconscious is kind of a lost cause, really—mostly because that part of the mind is packed with what we call limiting beliefs, patterns, or old programming. And let's face it, those things usually hold more sway over us than our conscious thoughts do. We can influence that subconscious content through intentional action to eventually shift our conscious reality, but it’s a pretty complex process.
Wherever we run into trouble in life, you can bet there are some limiting subconscious programs at play. Someone trying to heal might be fighting one or more deep-seated ideas, like "I don't deserve to get better" or "I'd rather just give up." You usually uncover these through various psychological techniques. People who know their stuff can work through this on their own, though most people see a therapist. That said, there is a simple way to at least identify which beliefs are holding you back, which makes taking next steps much easier. If anyone's interested, I'm happy to write more about it.🙂

Justin Anderson3 said:If you’ve ever picked up Joseph Murphy’s "Power of Your Subconscious Mind," then you know exactly where I’m going with this.
I actually really liked the book. The core concept—that whatever we imprint on our subconscious through our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs eventually manifests as our reality... it shapes everything we go through. It’s pretty wild when you think about it.
But lately, I’ve been falling down a rabbit hole of reviews, and one particular critique really stuck in my craw. It goes something like this: "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind takes Hermeticism and repackages it as applied psychology, pushing New Age principles that spread like wildfire among Christian readers. Instead of praying to God, his methods suggest you're essentially just praying to your own subconscious"—that's what the priest Josip Blažević wrote in his book, "New Age Prophets."
The thing is, since he uses so many religious texts and keeps bringing up God, it feels like he’s throwing God and the subconscious into the same bucket. I just don't get it... are God and the subconscious supposed to be the same thing? 😕?

Not at all. Murphy doesn't treat them as the same thing—God would be more like a higher consciousness, a cosmic principle, or maybe just a universal law. Or even just a specific kind of energy.

vividrider472 said:Hey everyone.🙂

Trying to pray to your subconscious is kind of a lost cause, really—mostly because that part of the mind is packed with what we call limiting beliefs, patterns, or old programming. And let's face it, those things usually hold more sway over us than our conscious thoughts do. We can influence that subconscious content through intentional action to eventually shift our conscious reality, but it’s a pretty complex process.
Wherever we run into trouble in life, you can bet there are some limiting subconscious programs at play. Someone trying to heal might be fighting one or more deep-seated ideas, like "I don't deserve to get better" or "I'd rather just give up." You usually uncover these through various psychological techniques. People who know their stuff can work through this on their own, though most people see a therapist. That said, there is a simple way to at least identify which beliefs are holding you back, which makes taking next steps much easier. If anyone's interested, I'm happy to write more about it.🙂

I agree. Through deep self-analysis, we can improve our own lives and even the lives of those around us. First, we need the awareness to realize something isn't quite right with us, then we have to find the bug in the software and attempt to correct that behavioral pattern. It's pretty straightforward. That’s just a common-sense approach to the problem.
But when people claim that the subconscious is God... 🙄

God definitely isn't what those church folks try to sell you on.
The way they perceive God... honestly, it’s an insult to anyone with half a brain.
To them, God is just a convenient little alibi to justify living their best lives on everyone else's dime.