Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Magic
Magic, the production of wonders, is the work done by a magician-that is, real magic, not the tricks of a sleight of hand artist. Most everyone has probably wished they were a magician and able to transform things and self by waving a wand.
It may come a surprise to one that the transformation of self, persons, things and circumstances can all be accomplished by anyone that cares to accept the magic wand and use it. Life is the ultimate Magician, the creator, the producer of wonders. Just a few moments cease taking everything for granted and watch the many wonders of life. Almost at once one will be filled with awe. You are an expression of Life, thus a magician. However, a magician that never practices his or her art may well not be a magician.
The magician's wand that transforms things is the ability to see things differently. If one sees self as a victim of circumstances and of past and other persons, one lives in a very bad place, a place of misery. If one sees self as an expression of life and surrounded with possibilities to express life by actualizing these possibilities, and surrounded by persons that would be transformed by a little contribution from self to their pleasant surroundings, one is filled with thanksgiving and joy. One has waved their magic wand and transformed self from a state of misery to that of a person filled with happiness (thanksgiving) and in the process spread a little light and joy to others. Not to shabby for starters.
The more one realizes that one is a magician (living) and has a magic wand (the ability to see differently) the more thankful is the state of being. There is no happiness without thankfulness. They are one and the same thing.
This is magic, this is transformation.
This is radiating life.
This is living.
It may come a surprise to one that the transformation of self, persons, things and circumstances can all be accomplished by anyone that cares to accept the magic wand and use it. Life is the ultimate Magician, the creator, the producer of wonders. Just a few moments cease taking everything for granted and watch the many wonders of life. Almost at once one will be filled with awe. You are an expression of Life, thus a magician. However, a magician that never practices his or her art may well not be a magician.
The magician's wand that transforms things is the ability to see things differently. If one sees self as a victim of circumstances and of past and other persons, one lives in a very bad place, a place of misery. If one sees self as an expression of life and surrounded with possibilities to express life by actualizing these possibilities, and surrounded by persons that would be transformed by a little contribution from self to their pleasant surroundings, one is filled with thanksgiving and joy. One has waved their magic wand and transformed self from a state of misery to that of a person filled with happiness (thanksgiving) and in the process spread a little light and joy to others. Not to shabby for starters.
The more one realizes that one is a magician (living) and has a magic wand (the ability to see differently) the more thankful is the state of being. There is no happiness without thankfulness. They are one and the same thing.
This is magic, this is transformation.
This is radiating life.
This is living.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Freedom
To experience freedom requires that one start with freedom rather than make freedom a goal to achieve. Most students to Life and higher consciousness start by letting a not-I known as the self-improver suggest that if one struggles hard enough and practices some techniques, or more than likely many techniques, that finally after many years one will gain freedom, that is, if one lives long enough. This approach is based on the idea that one gains freedom by being free from all things we have been taught to believe are bad. However, one never experiences freedom this way.
One does not become free. One starts by being free to. To start being free, one recognizes that one is conditioned and thus behaves as a conditioned person, which is to be in conflict. Conflict is experienced as anxiety. So-I am free to experience anxiety. When one is free to experience anxiety, anxiety disappears in a very short time, less than half an hour. The reason: now that you are free to experience the emotion of anxiety, a not-I can no longer bully you. The same is true for all the emotions-anger, guilt, fear and insecurity. We don't like these emotional states, as well as, by now knowing they are detrimental to our state of well-being.
We struggle against these states, or we resist them, or try to improve self to not have them. All the not-I's then get in the act. Some bully self to quit having them by improving self. Some justify them by saying that under the circumstances they are justified. Conflict is the state of being, year in and year out.
When one is free to experience these unpleasant states there is no condemnation or justification. Condemnation and justification are the work of the not-I's. Then the not-I's are put out of business. There is no longer anything for them to condemn or justify. Conflict,struggle and resistance come to an end naturally with the realization of this freedom. Trying to be free from is bondage. Being free to is seeing the truth, the truth that is truly freedom.
One does not become free. One starts by being free to. To start being free, one recognizes that one is conditioned and thus behaves as a conditioned person, which is to be in conflict. Conflict is experienced as anxiety. So-I am free to experience anxiety. When one is free to experience anxiety, anxiety disappears in a very short time, less than half an hour. The reason: now that you are free to experience the emotion of anxiety, a not-I can no longer bully you. The same is true for all the emotions-anger, guilt, fear and insecurity. We don't like these emotional states, as well as, by now knowing they are detrimental to our state of well-being.
We struggle against these states, or we resist them, or try to improve self to not have them. All the not-I's then get in the act. Some bully self to quit having them by improving self. Some justify them by saying that under the circumstances they are justified. Conflict is the state of being, year in and year out.
When one is free to experience these unpleasant states there is no condemnation or justification. Condemnation and justification are the work of the not-I's. Then the not-I's are put out of business. There is no longer anything for them to condemn or justify. Conflict,struggle and resistance come to an end naturally with the realization of this freedom. Trying to be free from is bondage. Being free to is seeing the truth, the truth that is truly freedom.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Subjective and objective consciousness
In the study of consciousness, it soon becomes apparent that there are two types of consciousness, each with several levels. The most common type of consciousness is subjective consciousness.
Subjective consciousness has several levels, all of which are emotional in nature. In subjective consciousness, all is internal considering. What do I want? I'm entitled to have everything just like I want it without any effort on my part. You must do exactly as I want you to do, or you are violating my rights. This is so prevalent that the present is often referred to as the "me generation".
The Me Generation has of course produced many conflicts, seen as protest against whatever is targeted as preventing 'me' as having 'my' rights. Many classes in being assertive. This type of consciousness of course justifies all blaming, anger, resentment, violence, escapism, and the feeling of being victimized.-anti-agape, in other words.
Objective consciousness also has many levels and is totally different in that there is no 'I' and 'you'. There is only description, seeing things as they are, with out any not-I being involved. There are no emotions (emotions being anger, fear, guilt and insecurity and their many synonyms. There may be many feelings in objective consciousness, but there are no emotions.
Possibly the easiest way to know about objective consciousness is to experience it. So here is a practice to make possible the experience. It's called 'telling the story' of a segment of the life of ------(your name).
In this practice one plays the role of a historian. Start with, say, one year ago, and tell the story in the historian's or novelist's style. For instance, Joseph met Pam at a meeting of Parents without Partners, and at once felt very attracted to her. Joseph managed to strike up a conversation and get to know her better but was hesitant to call her because he didn't want to get involved, etc.
Continue this story according to the facts as known. This is the beginning of actualizing the objective type of consciousness and the beginning of building a point of awareness.
Enjoy-keep it up- this is transformation.
Subjective consciousness has several levels, all of which are emotional in nature. In subjective consciousness, all is internal considering. What do I want? I'm entitled to have everything just like I want it without any effort on my part. You must do exactly as I want you to do, or you are violating my rights. This is so prevalent that the present is often referred to as the "me generation".
The Me Generation has of course produced many conflicts, seen as protest against whatever is targeted as preventing 'me' as having 'my' rights. Many classes in being assertive. This type of consciousness of course justifies all blaming, anger, resentment, violence, escapism, and the feeling of being victimized.-anti-agape, in other words.
Objective consciousness also has many levels and is totally different in that there is no 'I' and 'you'. There is only description, seeing things as they are, with out any not-I being involved. There are no emotions (emotions being anger, fear, guilt and insecurity and their many synonyms. There may be many feelings in objective consciousness, but there are no emotions.
Possibly the easiest way to know about objective consciousness is to experience it. So here is a practice to make possible the experience. It's called 'telling the story' of a segment of the life of ------(your name).
In this practice one plays the role of a historian. Start with, say, one year ago, and tell the story in the historian's or novelist's style. For instance, Joseph met Pam at a meeting of Parents without Partners, and at once felt very attracted to her. Joseph managed to strike up a conversation and get to know her better but was hesitant to call her because he didn't want to get involved, etc.
Continue this story according to the facts as known. This is the beginning of actualizing the objective type of consciousness and the beginning of building a point of awareness.
Enjoy-keep it up- this is transformation.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Ideals
We have all been conditioned to hold ideals in high regard, thus we all believe that we know "what ought to be" for ourselves and others and all circumstances.
When we believe we know "what ought to be"- and all reality is "what is" in as much as "what is" is usually much different than our idea of "what ought to be" we feel frustrated and have the need to struggle and to resist what is.
One can drop the ideal by seeing that it is merely a fantasy and that we could not know what ought to be unless we knew the future, knew the outcome of every situation a week from now, a month from now, a year from now, and so on.
When we concentrate on the idea of the ideal for a little while, we can drop all belief in the ideal. We then find self in the present and quite capable of dealing with the present moment. We will find we are free to experience what is from moment to moment and to respond instead of react because things are not as we fancied they ought to be.
Being free to experience whatever comes our way today is to be free of conflict, struggle, and resistance is the only human problem.
One cannot believe in their ideals and be free to experience whatever arises in one's way today, then one is free of conflict, struggle, and resistance. Freedom is real being, now.
When we believe we know "what ought to be"- and all reality is "what is" in as much as "what is" is usually much different than our idea of "what ought to be" we feel frustrated and have the need to struggle and to resist what is.
One can drop the ideal by seeing that it is merely a fantasy and that we could not know what ought to be unless we knew the future, knew the outcome of every situation a week from now, a month from now, a year from now, and so on.
When we concentrate on the idea of the ideal for a little while, we can drop all belief in the ideal. We then find self in the present and quite capable of dealing with the present moment. We will find we are free to experience what is from moment to moment and to respond instead of react because things are not as we fancied they ought to be.
Being free to experience whatever comes our way today is to be free of conflict, struggle, and resistance is the only human problem.
One cannot believe in their ideals and be free to experience whatever arises in one's way today, then one is free of conflict, struggle, and resistance. Freedom is real being, now.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Real knowing
In recent letters, articles and talks, we have mentioned that higher states of feeling open the door to higher levels of consciousness, wherein there are flashes of intuition or insight- real knowing.
These statements have brought to us considerable call and letters. Most of these have been something to the effect that, "I know this but..." In this letter we will discuss information and learning. Information we can gather from many sources. Information is of great value when acted upon. We could say information plus action equals learning. It would appear that many believe that learning means accumulating information and committing it to memory. Such a belief is false and results in an obstruction to learning. Acting out a bit of information Leads to experiencing. Experiencing is learning.
Take some examples, and act out a role. First take a role one is more or less familiar with, say being a victim. Act as though you are a victim of circumstances, that nothing in your life will work until circumstances are different. Observe carefully. you will see how you feel and what kinds of thoughts race through to awareness. Now you are learning. Now act out a the role of a happy person. Again you will experience a totally different kind of feeling, and a very different type of thought will be present. In the same manner, act out the role of a discouraged person, then the role of a sad person, then the role of a blissful person. The contrast of the roles, feeling, and thoughts and ideas in the awareness are great learning tools.
What is written here is INFORMATION. Acting out the roles is acting on the information and results in LEARNING. More exercises in these roles will result in more learning. The more roles can be acted out and experienced, the more proficient you will be. Then more roles can be taken on as exercises that will lead to higher and higher states of consciousness. This is real learning.
However, past unconscious mechanical learning will imply to you that you already know his, and therefore there is no need to practice these exercises, or this stuff is for kids, or I'll try sometime when I have the time; how will such stuff do any good now that I'm broke, why try to kid myself.
Some way or other most individuals will justify not taking the opportunity to learn. Some will; they are the real students. They are on the way.
These statements have brought to us considerable call and letters. Most of these have been something to the effect that, "I know this but..." In this letter we will discuss information and learning. Information we can gather from many sources. Information is of great value when acted upon. We could say information plus action equals learning. It would appear that many believe that learning means accumulating information and committing it to memory. Such a belief is false and results in an obstruction to learning. Acting out a bit of information Leads to experiencing. Experiencing is learning.
Take some examples, and act out a role. First take a role one is more or less familiar with, say being a victim. Act as though you are a victim of circumstances, that nothing in your life will work until circumstances are different. Observe carefully. you will see how you feel and what kinds of thoughts race through to awareness. Now you are learning. Now act out a the role of a happy person. Again you will experience a totally different kind of feeling, and a very different type of thought will be present. In the same manner, act out the role of a discouraged person, then the role of a sad person, then the role of a blissful person. The contrast of the roles, feeling, and thoughts and ideas in the awareness are great learning tools.
What is written here is INFORMATION. Acting out the roles is acting on the information and results in LEARNING. More exercises in these roles will result in more learning. The more roles can be acted out and experienced, the more proficient you will be. Then more roles can be taken on as exercises that will lead to higher and higher states of consciousness. This is real learning.
However, past unconscious mechanical learning will imply to you that you already know his, and therefore there is no need to practice these exercises, or this stuff is for kids, or I'll try sometime when I have the time; how will such stuff do any good now that I'm broke, why try to kid myself.
Some way or other most individuals will justify not taking the opportunity to learn. Some will; they are the real students. They are on the way.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
The purpose of the teaching
We are frequently asked, "What is the purpose of the teaching?" There are, of course many purposes but we will assume that for the moment that the question refers to the ultimate purpose. The ultimate purpose of the teaching is to prepare the student to be capable of being aware of the many levels of consciousness or inner feeling available to be able to choose and generate or bring into being any level of consciousness so desired, because many areas of service can only be rendered when in a given state of consciousness or being. Healing, for instance, cannot be practiced while in a state of consciousness called fear, nor in the state called anger, etc.
Many of the ideas of the teaching are to make the student aware of the usual states of consciousness by the use of tools such as the picture of man, the Tone scale, etc.
Much work on self knowing is necessary before the potential student can remove the obstructions to higher states of consciousness, thus the reason for schools. Only by being at least somewhat familiar with the possibility of many states of consciousness can the student begin the work of actualizing these states of consciousness in his or her own being. This is a stage wherein the potential student becomes a student.
Many people are present in a school setting who first must attain a desirable state of well-being before they could first be considered a potential student. Some have to learn first the most fundamental knowledge of how not to destroy the body, then how not to disintegrate the whole being. Being a potential student, much less being a student, requires to much energy energy for sick or disintegrating persons to be involved. So in a school situation many levels of work are going on at the same time. First, to make possible the transformation of sleeping, disintegrating persons into potential students, then the transformation of potential students into students, then students into beings who experience any level of consciousness required for the task at hand.
Many of the ideas of the teaching are to make the student aware of the usual states of consciousness by the use of tools such as the picture of man, the Tone scale, etc.
Much work on self knowing is necessary before the potential student can remove the obstructions to higher states of consciousness, thus the reason for schools. Only by being at least somewhat familiar with the possibility of many states of consciousness can the student begin the work of actualizing these states of consciousness in his or her own being. This is a stage wherein the potential student becomes a student.
Many people are present in a school setting who first must attain a desirable state of well-being before they could first be considered a potential student. Some have to learn first the most fundamental knowledge of how not to destroy the body, then how not to disintegrate the whole being. Being a potential student, much less being a student, requires to much energy energy for sick or disintegrating persons to be involved. So in a school situation many levels of work are going on at the same time. First, to make possible the transformation of sleeping, disintegrating persons into potential students, then the transformation of potential students into students, then students into beings who experience any level of consciousness required for the task at hand.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Self remembering
As many of you know, much of the day is spent on the telephone with people who call for information on their situation at the moment. It is interesting to note that the information people request is basically about something they have made important, and have become very anxious over, and sometimes very ill from the anxiety.
What has been made important frequently relates to the four dual basic urges and the master decision on the picture of man. A person has made it important that they receive more attention so that they cease being ignored in the least iota. Or that they have more approval and an absence of any disapproval. Or that they are appreciated whether they do anything to gain any or not; and of course more entertainment and less discomfort from making things important!
This week the greatest number of calls has been how to make somebody quit rejecting "me"This seems to be a very powerful motivator to do anything and everything wise, unwise, frantic, panicsville, which of course interferes in every facet of the person's life. What can we talk about? What are we making important and can we change anything? Or can I take charge of my inner feelings by taking charge of my actions?
So, essentially the work on the phone is to remind the caller of a fundamental idea of the Teaching that they already know but have totally forgotten. SELF REMEMBERING is the key to eliminating all these stressful situations. Remembering WHAT I AM, WHERE I AM, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, and WHAT CAN I DO? I can also take charge of my inner state of being and contribute to a pleasant, harmonious mood wherever I am, which will result in "me" feeling serene and peaceful, or enthusiastic, as the case may be. Really nothing needs to be changed but-WAKE UP! Being awake means to be in a state of self-remembering.
What has been made important frequently relates to the four dual basic urges and the master decision on the picture of man. A person has made it important that they receive more attention so that they cease being ignored in the least iota. Or that they have more approval and an absence of any disapproval. Or that they are appreciated whether they do anything to gain any or not; and of course more entertainment and less discomfort from making things important!
This week the greatest number of calls has been how to make somebody quit rejecting "me"This seems to be a very powerful motivator to do anything and everything wise, unwise, frantic, panicsville, which of course interferes in every facet of the person's life. What can we talk about? What are we making important and can we change anything? Or can I take charge of my inner feelings by taking charge of my actions?
So, essentially the work on the phone is to remind the caller of a fundamental idea of the Teaching that they already know but have totally forgotten. SELF REMEMBERING is the key to eliminating all these stressful situations. Remembering WHAT I AM, WHERE I AM, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, and WHAT CAN I DO? I can also take charge of my inner state of being and contribute to a pleasant, harmonious mood wherever I am, which will result in "me" feeling serene and peaceful, or enthusiastic, as the case may be. Really nothing needs to be changed but-WAKE UP! Being awake means to be in a state of self-remembering.
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