As we get skilled at self-observation, we may discover how utterly opinionated we are. We see the prevalence of opinions in our lives and how they justify our behavior. If I can see my opinions for what they are, I have a chance to work with them. I begin to make the effort to detach from that opinion since I now see it as just that: an opinion. Opinion is based on our likes and dislikes but is a more cemented version that has developed into a belief. We seem very attached to our opinions because they have formed over … [read more]
Blog
Living On The Edge
Living on the edge emerged as one of the themes at our most recent Awareness School retreat. The edge is a place of transition where one thing changes to another. It is where two different things meet. One cannot diminish the significance of edge when looking at presence and consciousness, but living on the edge is not confined to things of a spiritual nature. Magic happens at the place of yes and no. Holding that place of two things simultaneously brings about a third thing. It is not one or the other, and cannot exist without either of them. The … [read more]
False Conscience: Doing The Right Thing For The Wrong Reason
False conscience breeds doing the right thing for the wrong reason. It is a term that describes seeing right and wrong from a conditioned perspective. For example, we often vow to go on a diet after a binge, buried in guilt. This vow is not really a choice but a reaction to the immense guilt and self-loathing we are experiencing. The decision is a result of false conscience which simply wants to do “the right thing” to rectify “the wrong thing.” We have developed ideas about ourselves based on survival tactics that kept us “accepted and loved.” In our past, … [read more]
Intention, Energy and Manifestation
Life transitions are tough and we often ruminate for a long time before taking action. Sometimes it means leaving something you love or something you have been dedicated to, and sometimes it means extracting yourself from an unhealthy situation. Under any circumstance, if you have been involved in something for a long time, it takes preparation to leave. It often feels risky and fearful because you are leaving some form of security, healthy or otherwise. It is hard to say goodbye even if you know it is the right thing to do. I recently left a job of fourteen years … [read more]
Self-Remembering and The Tipping Point
There is a point, a real tipping point, where self-remembering becomes the catalyst for permanent transformation. One can read a lot of fourthway material on Self-remembering from Gurdjieff to Ouspensky to more modern writers like Red Hawk. Each has a certain take on what self-remembering really means. Is it the point at which one wakes up and realizes how long they have not been awake? Is it an effort to remain “conscious” of oneself while doing other things? The danger of attempting to be conscious of oneself is that it may be a one centered event in which the thinking … [read more]
Small Efforts Lead To Huge Presence
I want to elucidate how small efforts lead to huge presence. We had a great turn out for our last open meeting! I decided to do an exercise that would illustrate what happens to our inner state when we attempt to divide our attention. Many guests were confused when they tried to do this with their thinking mind and “concentration”. Some became overwhelmed with the effort and found it to be too much, even impossible. Here is the big reveal. If you are trying to maintain awareness on several things within yourself, you will soon see that it must be … [read more]