Workshop - Albion Workshop 1972 - Page 4 of 4

CD 6 of 7: Albion 1972

 [CD 6 begins by repeating the last few seconds of CD 5.]

…that life puts to us. Now, life puts its questions in different forms than we do. It doesn’t verbalize very frequently as I’ve noticed. Like if it wants to tell me that to get some food for the body, it doesn’t say, “Hey Bob, get some food.” It just offers sensation that I jolly well know what itt means. When it wants some water to liquefy some of the tissues or work with in the body, it doesn’t say, “Hey Bob, go get some water.” It gives me a certain signal which I’m well acquainted with. Are you, John? I want water down there.

So life puts these questions to us by all the circumstances we’re around. So let’s see if we can look at what some of the questions are that life hands to us very, very quickly.

The first one is “What are you?” [starts writing on the board] which if you want to put it in another way is "What am I?" when I have to go work on it. Huh? So we will continue on this level from here on. But the question is put in second person, isn’t it. Where are... [corrects] What are you? “Where” you could say, “are you?” This is the way Life says and I have to answer, “Where am I?”

“What’s going on here?”
“What am I doing?”
“What can I do?”
Life says, “What can you do?”

Now all of these questions are continually before us just as much as life says, "Get a drink of water.”

One of the ancient stories says that a man was wanderin’ around the garden one day and got figurin’ out he wanted some questions or somethin’ else asked him one. And he wound up hidin’ behind the bush somewheres cause he didn’t have his clothes with him – he was em-bar-assed, you know. So a voice came screamin’ to him and said, “Where are you? “ So that’s the second one here. He’d evidentially already been asked, “What are you?” And I think if you’ll check the little story, it already has that in there.

So sometimes we look at this and say, “Let’s try on a tentative answer to the questions that life puts to us.” Now we’re not saying this is the one and only answer; but we’re saying it’s one that you may investigate and see if it fits your purpose. It does mine quite all right, so you try it and see what it’s worth.

“What am I?” We look it over, we’re a privileged invited guest. None of us did very much conscious arrangement to get here. We brought no particular talents that would make us worthwhile. About all we came with was kickin’ and screamin’ because it wasn’t like we wanted it, huh? And so we were invited to something – by something... we don’t know what apparently. But at least if we look it over, we brought nothing. I had nothing. Did you get here about like I did? Broke – helpless – nekkid – didn’t even understand the language and certainly didn’t know what’s goin’ on? That’s the way I got here.

So “Where am I?” I’m at a beautiful estate called the Earth. We’ve been out and looked around over it, even with the wind blowin’ and the snow howling. Few days ago I was down where palm trees grew. And then I stopped in between where skis were in the middle and all sorts of things. And I drove some thousand miles, two thousand miles while I was gone. And it was every inch beautiful – all the way – wherever you look. So I’m quite privileged to be invited to this beautiful estate called the Earth.

Now “What’s going on here?” They’re havin’ a big play, a big party and it's a great big show goin’ on and it's goin’ on everwheres. I find I have a seat in any cafeteria I sit down in, any coffee shop I have, any highway I’m drivin’ on, any street corner I’m standin’ on – there is a performance goin’ on. And of course, I’m part of the performance. And I don’t ever forget that – you know, I’m both the performer and the audience.

So what’s goin’ on is this great party. Most of the people who are at the party or in the play don’t know what’s goin’ on so this makes it doubly interesting. You know? They don’t know they’re on a play or in a big party so they get doubly interesting. Somebody plays a role of .... there’s a very few conscious actors in the role – in the whole big performance. You know? Very few conscious ones. And the rest of em then just jump accordin’ to, like puppets on the end of a string. You can come along and you can say “boop” at one of em and they jump up and down and they get all carried on and they judge the whole guest list. “Why did the Host invite all these other characters here? After all, what could He have possibly seen in Bonnie? Huh? I don't know what He ever even heard of... I didn't even conceive of why He let her come to the show.” But she’s here.

So I discovered somewheres along that the Host of this big party didn’t ask me to check His guest list out, so I have no rhyme or reason to judge anybody. He has never come and put the question to me in any form to check out the guest list. I just find they’re all here. And so I find when we put on a little “mimic party” amongst the people that's at the party, you invite someone to your party simply because you find that person interesting to you, hmm?

Now I think everbody here was invited to come to this little “mimic party” here on Southern Idaho and most everbody said, “Why I was invited?” Simply, you were interesting, that’s all. Don't get anything else. What else would you invite anybody to a party except you're interesting to have at the party?

So this big party is going on and the way it operates is very much [8 second break in the tape] .... the operators of the game which are few and far between around over the big party. All the players are blindfolded, all have a pin, and all have a tail. So they’re all trying to get the prize. The prize has been referred to as “happiness” – “peace” or some other kind of pretty goal out there – mostly happiness. So you take out with your pin and your little tail and you’re gonna get it on the donkey and get the prize called "happiness,” huh?

The only thing is you're blindfolded. But all the rest of the people, the players – unknown to you – are blindfolded. So if you bump into one with your pin and they scream and holler, do you say, “Oh, pardon me,” or do you say, “What in the devil you're doin’ in my way tryin’ to keep me from gettin’ the prize?” (laughter) Hmm? “You’re in my way!”

Now, if in a few minutes one pokes you a good solid lick with that old hat pin, you’d scream and holler that they are trying to interfere and injure you to keep you from getting the prize, is that right?

Now, the whole joke is “What am I doing?” I’m runnin’ around blindfolded with a long pin complainin’ when I get hit and complainin’ when I hit somebody. “They’re in my way,” aren’t they? That's all you were doin’ is standin’ in my way to keep me from gettin’ happiness, huh?

(That’s right.)

You ever accuse him of that... and a few other thousand people? And she in turn accused somebody else, and you accused a bunch of people who interfere with happiness and a bunch of things. Anything ever interfere in your happiness? Not a one so you carried your pin under your arm – yeah, I know, ask me. (laughter)

So when we see this, we see “What am I doing?” I’m complaining, gritching, griping because the guest list don’t suit me, because I don’t know it’s a game, and because the Host don’t let me run the whole Show, and because the whole party isn’t set up to suit me. Hmm? I wanna be “IT”, hmm? I wanna be the only kid at the party and I don't want to have to fiddle around and no matter where I stick my tail I win the prize cause I'm the only one left, huh? If I miss it 40 feet I still get the prize. That right? But this is “What am I doing?” And I think everyone here could look at that and see very plainly that’s what I am doing.

And I’m also runnin’ around makin’ a lot of questions about the Host’s reason for puttin’ on the party. And “why” did he put it on like this. And “why” didn’t he tell me it was a party to begin with so I’d know what to do.

(Why didn’t he let me approve of the guest list?)

Because he knew there wouldn’t be any more there, Gina, if he let you in on the act. But the first place how come he even let you in the first place is what worries me so you couldn't ______ (laughter) There's just no excuse for you being here, girl. No excuse. (laughter)

So when we’re doing, seeing what we are doing, you finally begin to see the joke and start laughin’ a little bit. That’s when you get a little bit peaceful. You’ve been trying to gain everthing. If you notice, everthing that’s here at the party was here when you got here. And a bunch of us run around and try to accumulate all the things at the party so we can take em with us. You know, we pick up the silverware, and we pick up the little tokens that we change, play games with, called Monopoly or somethin’ like that.
(All the food.)
And we try to store up everything and get lots of things so I will have it. But I have been on occasion number of times when somebody was invited to leave the party. And you know somethin’? They’ve never gotten to take one thing with em. They go like they started out and leave it all at the party. You see everything is at the party when you got here; and it will remain.

Now at a party I am free to use whatever you set out here, huh? But it’s not mine, is it? Hmm? If you set silverware on the table I can use the silverware. If you let me have the car to drive down to the post office I can use the car, but I don’t have it. You let me have a room to sleep in, but it’s not my room, is it? Huh? Still yours.

Is there anything that you can take away from the party other than that you see what’s goin’ on? if you take anything. You might get to stay at the party if you don’t make yourself so obnoxious. It’s surprising to me they let me stay the first 29 years because I was really gritchin’ up a storm about it. Since then I’ve kind of enjoyed the party and that’s been several days; and I find the party more enjoyable ever day since. But the first 29 years, I’m very thankful to the Host that he found me interesting enough in my carrying on that he let me stay. Because basically I was on my way out. I should have been kicked out – there’s no doubt about it.

But, nevertheless, since then I’ve had a good time at the party understanding that it is a party and that there is a lot of games goin’ on and I can play about any game that comes along. And the point is that the fun is in playing the game, not whether you win or not.

And the next question is that Life puts to us is, “What can you do?” or put it here:
“What can I do?” when I recognize the question.

Simply, “I can be an intelligent, conscious guest.” When a person is an intelligent, conscious guest you might say they have manners. They have a little couth. A lady down in Albuquerque told me about somebody one day. She said, you know, she's complaining about the other guests at the party and she said, “You just don’t pay no attention to em – they just don’t have any couth.”

So most people don’t have any couth when it comes to the party, whatever that may mean. But at any rate, you can have some couth at the party. In other words how do you behave when you recognize you’re a guest somewheres, Ann? Do you gritch about the guest list? Do you complain about anything that's goin’ on? Or do you behave – even though the food you don't particularly appeal to your taste, you’re very gracious about it. Huh? And go ahead and eat it, huh? And if the room is not exactly to your liking, what do you do? Get up and gritch at the host in the morning, or do you leave a little "thank you" note when you leave, dear? You behave as a guest, don’t you?

Now let’s suppose that we could see that each of us has been a guest and we’re given various little places in the party. We have lots of cabanas around over the estate, have lots of different spots in it. It’s an enormous estate – it's the entire Earth. And you find yourself in a certain place. The Host assigned you to a certain room – shall we say, huh?  –  with a certain number of the other guests in one of the cabanas. Are you gonna gritch and scream – huh? – because that one there don’t do to suit you or are you gonna be very gracious about the whole bit? Good morning, Meryl! How  are you?

(Good morning. Just great!)

Good. Wind finally blew you in. Took a while for Meryl to get across because the wind was head on and the resistance was there. (laughter) So what can I do? I can recognize I am a guest at this beautiful estate; and I also recognize that Life is the Host and that I don’t have to straighten the show up.

Now let’s take into consideration some of the attributes of a conscious guest. Number one would that we would understand that what all the guests are doing, that at the moment they’re doing it they feel it to be right or proper or justifiable. The word that refers to that state is, is used is Agape.

Now most of our lives if we answered this question, “What am I doing?” we have been practicin’ anti-Agape. We have been findin’ fault – knowing that they knew right and went on and did wrong anyway, durn em. And we have tried to straighten em out so they'd see em. We had some little idea and we try to convert em to our viewpoint, or we try to convince em that they should feel sorry for me or worry about me, feel pitiful over me or what-have-you.

But in Agape we see that the person is doing what they feel to be right or proper or justifiable. That is the first thing that a conscious guest would have for all the other guests. He wouldn’t go around sayin’ they’re terrible bad people – which is to imply that the Host doesn’t know what He’s doin’ when he invited em. Is that about right? Even though you’re married to em, they’re still doing what they feel right or proper or justifiable. Even though you should have, but you find yourself married to one.

The second thing is that you would be considerate of all the other guests. That is the first thing in simple manners, is that right, Ann? That you would have simple manners, that you’d be considerate of the other guests. You'd be considerate of their opinions, their viewpoints, their complainin’.

In other words we wouldn’t try to “straighten em out” and make em see it in my way, hmm? I wouldn’t throw any unnecessary blocks in their way in any shape, form, or fashion. I’d be considerate that all the things that they believe, that they sincerely believe them. All the things that they do, they feel they're right, proper, and justifiable. In other words, this is the idea and considerate is to be the preference.
I could have the idea and say, “Oh, I love all mankind.” And the first time you come along and gritch at me, I scream at you. I'm really loaded with that love, is that it? Man, really I'm really charmed up with it. I hear people sit down and say that, “I am a follower of the Christ,” the great teacher of Agape. “But you dirty so-and-so, what did you steal from me for?” Grrr ... “And I will throw you in jail and I’ll _____ and I’ll sue you. And I will annihilate you if I get a half chance and don’t get caught.”

The next thing that we would see that being a guest consciously at this party and that we have a certain understanding that everone at the party is doing what they feel to be right or proper or justifiable, is that I would be harmless. And by being harmless doesn’t mean that I would never produce a pain for someone because the Host might ask me to relieve a headache for somebody, and I might hurt for a minute to get the headache gone – I don’t know. Somebody might ask me to get a splinter out of one of the little guest’s fingers, and it might scratch a minute while I’m gettin’ it out. But nevertheless, we will not be harmless. [meant harmful]

Now to be harmless would be one thing to commit physical violence on one of our fellow guests at the party. I see no reason to go out and clobber you or hit you on the head because you don’t please me or anything. So I would commit no physical violence on you. If you are harming a whole bunch of other people or injurin’ em with your physical violence, I probably will tangle with you long enough to get you quarantined. And if I quarantine you, you’ll stay quarantined a day or two – but you can still go in a little while when you decide it’s not so well to go out and clobber people.

The fourth one would be that we would make some contribution to the party. The least I could do at any party is to make a contribution to a pleasant harmonious mood there. I don’t have to sit around and wait and gritch because other people haven’t contributed to my mood. That'll be about right?

One of the things you know the Host usually assigns us to a little cabana with one or two or three other people in it, you know. Sometimes he even asks you to look after some of the new guests comin’ in. That's kind of tedious, but we all get assigned that chore sooner or later looks like – that we have to look after one or two new guests comin’ to the party, huh? So if we are going to do that then we, of course, would make some contribution to the party – that it goes off as a pleasant harmonious mood. Be about right? A pleasant harmonious mood. That's the least I could contribute.

And then I might contribute my skills if I have one or two that I brought to the party or developed since I’ve been here. I’ve been given an opportunity to develop a skill or two – I might use it, hmm? – for the benefit of the Host.

So I go to the Host and say, “Look, I’m here at this big party; and I’m sure glad I’m here. I finally found out what’s goin’ on at the party, so I’d like to do whatever I can around the place. I can cook,  I can entertain people, I can make em feel up when they’re down. And I can down em a little bit when they're up; I can knock em down to size. Or I can know how to sweep floors and wash dishes and clean pots and pans and so forth. And a few other skills I’ve learned along the way is that I can relieve a headache or a bellyache if it’s so necessary.

So I say, "Fine, whistle me up any time." So pretty soon one of the other guests has a bellyache and the Host says, “Bob, would you relieve Susie’s bellyache?” And I say, “Certainly.” Now who am I doing that for? For Susie or for the Host? For Life, which is the Host here. Tell me about that. Whom am I doing it for?

(The Host is asking you to do it, so –)

And so I’m doing it for His guest and so I’m doing it for the Host, okay? So I never do anything for a fellow guest. I only do things for the Host. And the Host has given me untold gifts – indescribable gifts. First he's allowed me to be at the party for several years now – and for 30 of those, approximately, I behaved very uncouthly. But he still let me stay around.

I have food, clothing, shelter – at the party, what else do you want? About anything I want to use – I have transportation at the party and He gives me very interesting people to work with [chuckles] – most interesting – and He gives me all sorts of interesting things to do.

So I’m doing this not because I should, ought to, or have to –  simply I want to because the Host invited me and I sincerely want to do what I can to make the party a howling successful joy. Okay? So I can make contributions. I can make contributions to what? To Life. So I give no charity because Life doesn’t need it. It has all riches.

I don’t go around thinkin’ I’m giving something away. I’m only looking after some of the things the Host has entrusted to me to look after over on one corner of the big party.

And try to do a job where I don’t befuddle the Host’s affairs. So wherever you might see Robert give away ten dollars, don’t you think that Bob gave $10 to that person. He was merely being an agent for the Host that said, “Look after one or two of these people over here.”

If you see one of these things put on like this party has been for the last several months and one down in Borrego before this one, don’t think Bob’s doin’ anything for you. He sure is not concerned. He’s trying to do a job for the Host that the Host said, “Would you do it?” I was not obligated to, I did not have to – I wanted to. For the Host, not for you or anybody else. I try to look after the Host’s material that he has given to me as a steward – that I don’t waste or damage or injure or destroy that which He has entrusted to me including this human body that he has allowed me to use while I’m at the party. I don’t want to abuse or damage it. I don’t want to abuse and damage furniture that I might find in the cabanas around over the place. I don’t want to abuse and damage the vehicles that He provides for us to get around over the estate with. Use em? Yes. Abuse em is another story. I don’t want to make anything to anyone that would give a difficulty to them.

Now all of this, then, is done for who? Everthing you do. You provide for the lady or do you look after the lady because the Host asked you to look after her for a few days? Just a few days. Maybe just today, I don't know. If that’s the way it is, you won’t need to look after her anymore, I don't know, huh? But the Host assigns us various people and says, “Would you look after this kook until they get a little brain in their head sometimes?” (laughter) Hmm?

Right, Darrol? Huh? “This one’s all confused – would you stay with em until they get their head straight?” Huh? Or would you think, “No, I don’t want to.” Well, now you’re not obligated to cause you get to stay at the party anyway. A guest does not have to do anything. You’re invited because you are found to be interesting or some way or other; but not because you have to do anything. You’re not invited to be a slave. We invite people to our places and there’s always work around. Now this is a duplicate of the big party – a little tiny one. You know, a similar one, make-believe, a toy. Do you have to do anything? Is there anybody here that's been around here for several months that thought you had to do anything? And if you did it, were you doin’ it for one of the other guests or were you doin’ it for the Host, huh? Is that right?

Nobody says you’ve gotta do this or do that. Now of course, somebody came to me the other day and said, “Well, now you’ve got to get these things organized – get details laid out and get assignments put together.” You know I don’t know anything about that because nobody has to work unless they want to. If they don’t want to do anything for the Host, they sure they don’t have to. If they want to do for the Host, they’re sure free to do so; but they don’t have to.

Now this is only a little apparent simile, but is it possible that this is the question that’s being put to you?
What are you?
Where are you?
What’s going on here where you are? What are you doing?
What can you do?

If you could see those questions and possibly see somewhat of an inkling of their being, you might find that you were entirely in a state of being that is indescribable. Now, there’s only one way to find that out, isn't it? That’s to act. You can theorize, philosophye, wonder why, and all of this from now on and you’ll be no further along than you were the day you heard the questions.

But if you experiment with them you might find that you’re in a state of being wherein there is absolutely no obstruction. Where there is no conflict. Where there is no struggle. Where there isn’t anything to resist. Then you find out what that state’s like. I’m not gonna try to tell you because as we said it’s indescribable – there isn’t any words for it because all the words that we have learned at the party are concerned with opposites and struggle and conflict and resistance. Try it on and see, and you’ll find you have no words to talk about it. It’s unspeakable because there is no words.

Now, I’m not gonna say this is the answer. I’m saying here is something to look at, to work with, to see if you can see: What are you? When you accept the question you have to say, “What am I?” If you don’t ever hear the question, of course, you never even dreamed of it, what’s the difference?

“Where are you?” When I accept the question, it’s “Where am I?" It’s pretty obvious if you just open your eyes and look around.

“What’s goin’ on here?” That’s pretty easy to see also if you just look around a few minutes.

“What am I doing?” That’s a real easy. I’m gritchin’, complainin’, carryin’ on like, “I haven’t’ been treated right at the party and I don’t even think it is a party anyway, I think it’s a veil of tears and that I’m here struggling through to get out as quick as possible. Why can’t I go back where I come from where I never had any entertainment, anything that could wake me up, which I call being disturbed every time I wake up.” Hmm?

“If I could just have things different at the party, it'd all right. Why don’t I have a different husband or a different wife? Why did I have to raise this bunch of durn kids? Why do I have to work so hard and have it so rough when everbody else has it so easy? All I want is to feel good and be happy like everbody else is.” (laughter) Blah blah blah blah. Huh?

"What can I do?" Ohhhh, “What can you do?” is the question asked. The smallest little thing we can do when we recognize we’re at a party is that we can make a contribution to a pleasant harmonious mood. We may make other contributions to skills, to beautifying the estate. We may do a thousand other things, but all of em will be summed up pretty well in one thing: I’m making a contribution to a pleasant harmonious mood at the party.

Now if you were at a party where all the moods were pleasant and harmonious, I think that would probably been referred to by that word of “paradise” or “heaven” or one of those other beauties. Is that right? You’re an expert on such matters, Mr. Ridge? Being the head of theology and philosophy, would that be somewhat right, sir?

(Yes, I agree.)

It would probably be, but it’s immaterial to me. It’s just the big party where everbody is gritchin’ and complainin’ at the party and each one’s pokin’ at the other one and complainin’ because they don’t have it like the other people. They think havin’ where everbody feels, “Why did everbody else have it so good and I had it so rough all my life?” Huh? “Why, oh why haven’t I been happy like other people?” Huh? When all of this is goin’ on, what would probably be the name for that place? Rachael? Where did you call that one – hell? Oh, you wasn't here. I'm sorry.

So whenever we observe these, we could pretty well see what the answers are. These are physical practices – things that one does. This is a recognition, which is sometimes called “seeing”. [writes on the board] This is seeing and this is being. Is there any difficulty in doing any of em? We have only offered that's a possibility. Now for six months here we have only talked about these four. Is that correct, Meryl?

(That’s right. That's right. )

I was around here for approximately six months almost every day. The other day I started to leave and somebody was practicin’ “anti-Agape” in no uncertain terms – “I’m not going to put up with that!” I thought how funny – I wasted six months time if I was working for people. I tried desperately to give away something so I can go on.

I know how the rich young man felt that wanted to give away all he had so he could follow another Teacher into the world of the Regeneration, but he couldn’t go until he give away all he had – somebody would take his place. And I can recognize that sometime you could look at that as being sad if you were very sentimental.

Being totally unsentimental, it didn’t make me sad – I kind of laughed about it. But I do recognize that I will not be able to progress along to another point for quite a long time because no matter how much you pound out and show this, it all talks good. But nobody wants to work. Nobody wants to practice it. It’s just "talk about" – aw, we can talk up a storm.

And very frequently somebody says, “I don’t think you’re practicin’ Agape for me.”And of course, that is totally missin’ the point so far it’s unbelievable. Because there is no such thing as “expecting to have agape for me.” It is to see what other people are doing – is that they feel it’s right, proper, and justifiable. All of these are thrown at you quite frequently.

Okay, is there a question? Comment? Somethin' you want to talk about? Don't have to be a question; it can be anything you do. We have practiced this big party for more than 12 months all told – several months down at Borrego, several months here.

I find it a most interesting thing to run a small duplicate of the great party that covers the whole earth. The only reason we put them on is that some things are so big you can’t see em; and some things are so small you can’t see em. So we try to get one that fits our eyesight with our various and sundry limitations that's there, but at least it’s put down in a size that can be seen. Somethin' too big you can't see it, hmm? And too small you can't see it. So we try to put it down in a handful. Okay?

And we hope there is more of em started in the very near future – not because they are going to do any great shakes, but at least it’s doing something for the Host. It is seeing about the Host’s affairs. Not because we should or ought to – simply because I want to.

But obviously if we went out trying to convert the world, make em see a certain viewpoint, philosophye em, control them and direct them, we haven’t been about that at all, have we? We are only trying to put forth our own little show that says, “I don’t see why this thing is in such a mess – I’m gonna organize this party and get it in shape; and then it’s gonna operate like it ought to. We will have discipline and we will have control and we will have proper bookkeeping on it so that we will know where everbody stands at every moment.”

Incidentally, that system is in direct competition with recognizing that it is a party. And It is being promoted; and it’s being promoted far faster than we are managing to promote the recognition of the big party. It might be most interesting to see which one you wanna live in because you don’t have too long to make up your mind. And I’m not saying that to frighten anybody or scare anybody. If you don’t believe it, go out and walk up and down the street with your eyes open and look. Okay? Just go look – don’t take my words for nothin’ – we told you that always, always. Okay? But go look. It might be surprising to you.

Okay? No questions, no comments? Clear as mud, huh? Okay we take a few minutes break and we will be back in – [tape cuts off]

[After the break]

… said that this one here has no further comments, questions, etc. about it? Not at all? Okay.

I may have to ask somebody to read part of the questions because they took lessons in handwriting from me. (laughter) One time I wrote on the board and Meryl swore that I didn't do it. I had to duplicate it so she’d believe that I could write it. Right, Meryl?

(You bet.)
And you could read it, couldn’t you.
(You bet, you could read it.)
But most of this looks like my usual variety, honey. [chuckling]

The first question is: “Will you describe what is happening within me when I have only this question to ask?”

That's pretty obvious, isn’t it? (Laughter) It’s not obvious to you. It’s not obvious to the person asking the question. Well, it’s an attempt to make a problem out where there could be no problem. It’s an attempt to make a problem. You know everybody tries to make problems; and some of em go to great lengths and that is going to the utmost lengths I’ve ever heard of. (laughter)

That help you answer your question, dear? Huh? That’s really goin’ to great lengths to try to create a problem. You see, if I feel only that I’m alive when I have a problem so I will have a problem. Like my dear old mother used to have, say, “Somethin’ terrible’s gonna happen; everything is so nice.” So I begin to feel uneasy because everthing’s so nice. Paul, does your mother play that one? They came from the same part of the country. Paul’s mother came from down in the hills where I did.

(_________.)

“Everything’s going so nice, I just feel uneasy.” In other words, the only way I know I’m alive is when I was a kid was by makin’ noise or cryin’ or complainin’. As I get older I have to make a problem even though I can't find nothin’ to make a problem so I take a bunch of words and twist em together in an impossible sequence – now I got a problem. Hmm?

[reading another question] “Why do I ask ‘why’?” Why not? Here’s one... you’ll have to read the question, dear. Besides this, you’ve been around the doctor’s Office recently and you _______.
(In an earlier lecture, you talked about how people attract problems to themselves ______.)

They’re problem makers and so they attract the problem because you have to make. There is no such thing as a “problem” in the world. There is only the “problem-maker” – like “Why do I only have this question to ask?” And I’m makin’ a problem. Anybody can make a problem out of anything – all I’ve got to do is to say “why”? Now I’ve got a problem. So I attract all sorts of things to ask “why” about because they’re all around me and that’s the only ones I pay attention to. There is no such thing as a problem. There is only problem-makers. Yes, yes, yes! What? (laughter)
(Umm...)
(I got a question.)
(Oh... well, you –)

Well now, she’s urgent here – let it wait a minute would you, please? C'mon – get it out before you explode. (laughter)

(Oh, my car went out on us on the way down. Yeah.)
Went out on you?
(Yeah...it –)

What’d it do? Get a date with a good lookin’ other car or somethin’? (laughter)

(Anyway... thIs is not a problem of our manufacturer, was it? I mean, it happened –)

It wasn't a problem! You solved it.

(Yes I see...)

It’s no problem. You just got a challenge. You know, you fix the car. You make a problem out of anything. Car breaks down, why you got a challenge, not a problem. A problem is when you say, “Oh what can I do about this?”

(Right. Now, in other words these... these things –)

There are challenges in this life, yes – everbody has challenges. The fact we’re alive, that’s what the party is about is to have challenges.

(______)

Oh, no. There is no big difference to it. Be quiet. Now you got that out of your system.

(There seems to be many innocent victims... tragedies happening and so on and... )

Well, what are you talkin’ about? Give me, give me a for instance. Maybe we can discern from it.

(Talk louder, please.)

Well, he can't talk any louder than that. If I have him repeat it, we’ll be here for hours. (laughter) One time Darrol went out to court a girl to make love to her and she was already married to another guy before he got through the first part of the question. (laughter)

End CD 6

CD 7 of 7: Albion 1972

[CD 7 begins by repeating the last few seconds of CD 6]

 

(Victims… tragedies happening and so on and…)

Well, what are you talkin’ about? Give me, gimmie a for instance. Maybe we can discern from it.

(Talk louder, please.)

Well, he can’t talk any louder than that. If I have him repeat it, we’ll be here for hours. (laughter)

One time Darrol went out to approach a girl to make love to her and she was already married to another guy before he got through the first part of the question. (laughter) He caught her daughter about the time she got grown. (laughter)

I came from the South. I’m the one that’s supposed to mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble. Darrol is the one that does it. Okay – now, where’s these innocent victims that’s runnin’ around that we’d want to rescue from being victimized?

(Several kids stole a car. They were driving down the road and went off a viaduct, hit a car down below and all the family were killed.)

Right. So? Who’s got a problem? (laughter) Dead ones don’t have any more problems.

(Well, they appear on the surface to be innocent victims. But in our discussion –)

Well, what is a victim? Of what?

(Circumstance.) (Well…I don’t know if they’re victims or not.)

Well, I don’t either.

(You understand my question.)

I understand your question – that they’re drivin’ down the road and they get hit, huh?

(Right, now, another way we’ve described it –)

But do you know what would have happened to em had they stayed at home that day?

(No, I don’t.)

Is the worst thing in the world that can happen to you is to get deaded?

(I don’t know that.)

I don’t know that either. So I don’t know whether they had a problem. Now, you’re makin’ a problem out of it, you see, by gettin’ to wonderin’ as to what the answer is, is. So here is a simple fact and we have a problem when we try to find an explanation, is that right? So-and-so, a bunch of people got killed. Well, they’re dead. The undertaker don’t see it as a problem; he sees it as a wonderful source of income – “Look at all this wholesale mass here in one day, man – five of em!” (Laughter) Five whole funerals in one day. He’s wheelin’-dealin’, you see. So was it a problem? I don’t know.

(I’m trying to understand the technical nature of how the “law of attraction” works here, how…)

I don’t know whether there is such a law.

(Well, we described this one time and I didn’t…)

Well, you could make it – and as not as a law if I said it. Because I maintain there’s only one law and that’s the Law of Balance, is that right? So, you’re not gettin’ me into one that says that I talked about a “law of attraction” – cause I didn’t. Right?

(I was just balancing the effect and I –)

Well does it really matter? The car hits you on the head. The balance is you get squished because you’re in front of the car. And so the balance is maintained, it looks to me like.

(Well… we invite problems.)

No, we make problems. We don’t ever invite one, we make em.

(Now, how does the people who are dead make this situation… we don’t know that it’s a problem…)

Right and they’re not; they don’t have any problems.

(There isn’t any problem, period.)

No. That’s right. Now then, you’re tryin’ to make a problem by wanting an explanation. Now we talked about this yesterday.

(Well, I…)

We start with a fact. The fact’s here and now we have no problem. But if I start lookin’ for an explanation, now I’ll get one that agrees with me for a minute. And then somebody says, “Why that?” Now I’ve got my problems all messed up and my explanations shot and now I’ve got a problem to try to try to resolve two answers to the problem, two explanations. But there is no problem unless you try for explanations. Now, when you look for an explanation to everything, you got a problem. Is that right, sir?

(Yes, sir.)

Okay. Now that’s how you attract or make a problem, is by lookin’ for an explanation. So Joe Blow got killed, period – boom! He’s dead. Now there’s no problem there for anybody concerned. But if you begin to look for an explanation as to why Joe Blow got killed, hmm? Now you got a problem and you may never get it solved. You can work with that the rest of your days. You can write learned books on it this thick – there is many of em like that – and so on, huh?

And then there’s another book gets written that says that all the other one said was haywire. One would say, “Well, they were ready for evolvement into the next lab and so they were reincarnated into great states.” Another one say, “It was the karma from their last existence that didn’t get paid for and so they had to suffer a violent death this time.” And who knows it suffers a violent death? If I’m gonna get out of world I’d like to do it suddenly. Man, I don’t wanna sit around and middle-fiddle with it and aggravate everybody. I want to be considerate to the rest of em, get it over in a hurry. I can’t see where there’s a problem necessary unless you’re lookin’ for an explanation.

(I don’t see it as a problem, it’s just a curiosity.)

Right, well then, that’s the problem, you see. You have curiosity for what? An explanation. It would please you and there isn’t one, because soon as I give you one… I could give you beauts, I’ve got hundreds of em. 

(Well… well I see it as…)

I can give you a beautiful one. Hmm?

(… totally as a, just… you know, getting an explanation…)

Well, try it and see. What are you askin’ for?

(Technical information.)

Well why is it technical information unless it is, is the kind you’re askin’ for is not seein’ how to kill a guy – I can tell you that, that’s technical information.

(I don’t want a philosophy, but I’m trying to see the relationships.)

Maybe there isn’t any. The relationship was the car went over the top, hit one on the top and it’s the one below got smashed. That’s the relationship. The road underneath it that [claps his hands together] held it from goin’ down and one hit it on top and people – being kinda fragile – get smashed.

(That’s the Initiative, Passive, Form and Result about the –)

The Initiative was the car wheelin’ down the road. The Passive was the one that was sittin’ there, the earth holdin’ it still, down below. The Form was a whole mess of twisted up metal with little human speckles in it.

(Oh, ughh. I’m ill!)

(And the Result was…)

And the Result was a bunch of funerals… and some people wonderin’ “why?” (Audience chatter)

(Next question.)

Next question, okay? You can read this one for me. Here, you read pretty good there, you got bright eyeballs even though you ______________.

[she reads] (Aside from the physical aspect, will you describe what harming another guest consists of?)

Of tryin’ to convince them that they are not responsible for all their behavior. In other words we would like to assume “you made me mad.” So I throwed a temper fit and you made me mad. I’m sad; you told me somethin’ terrible. She says she’s gettin’ sick from thinkin’ about squished human bodies in a tin can, you know. But only a person is responsible for their own responses. And when I try to convince by teaching, I’m using a position as where somebody might stand and look at me and convince somebody that they are not responsible; I’m harming. And being responsible is responsible for your inner states and your responses.

Now, most of us claim that we are victims. And there’s many peoples who tells us that we are victims of circumstance, that we are victims of this and we are victims of the other thing and, of course, when a person accepts that from someone who they will… has the position that they will listen to… See anytime anybody starts listenin’ to you, you accept a whole bunch of duty. Be kinda careful what you say. If nobody pays any attention to you, you can say anything. [chuckles] All right.

So sometimes it’s take a vacation while you go off and pretend to be totally incognito and nobody pays any attention to you – then you can say anything. But when somebody listens to you, then you have a considerable amount of duty to be careful that you don’t tell the person that they are not responsible, that they’re a poor little victim. Okay? That help answer that question, whoever asked it today? 

[another written question from the audience] “What do you mean by your comment that time is short?”

Would you say three years is a relatively short length of time? Is that fair enough? (Laughter)

(Oh, come on, now you’re copping out!)

I am not copping out.

(All right, now you know they want to check in on more than something like that…)

(Laughter)

[____________]… approximately two to three years. That answer your question?

(No, I didn’t ask it, but I am going to. What do you mean?)

Look and see. Wait and see.

(But they’re asking your opinion.)

Well, I have no opinion.

(Ha!)

“What is the symbolic meaning of the spirit of…” What’s this word here?

(Elijah.)

“…the spirit of Elijah. Why…” Read the rest of it.

(“…and the turning of the heart of the children to their father, and the heart of the father to the children.”) 

(An opinion please?)

I have no opinion on it. What is the symbolic meaning of the spirit of Elijah? Elijah was a great prophet, I believe, was he not, Max?

(Yes, sir.)

Yes, and he went along and did a number of things that you can read about which represents any Teaching that has anything to do. The spirits of the fathers turn the hearts – or intelligences or ideas or concepts – of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers, means that they would be… the Teaching would continue. After all, the idea is that a father teaches his son and the son respects the father’s teachings and carries it on. So the “spirit of Elijah” is a Teaching that went on for many years; it was a school and was later called the School of the Prophets. Now that was one that started back BC, not the one that started back about 1830 or so, which was dated on that. But the “School of the Prophets”, which meant a school of teachers that carried on a certain Teaching and it meant that they would keep the Teaching going. So when the command for the fathers to turn the hearts of the children to them, the “spirit of Elijah” was one who taught so clearly by action that there was no misconception about it.

You know, gradually teaching departed from demonstration to elucidation and explanations.  Now that is a false school – they can be thrown in once in a while – but basically the true Teaching is always by demonstration.

Now, we talked here a moment ago about a big party. And we’ve said a time or two during the past six months that we could dispense with all the words but not the demonstrations, is that correct? Some of you that’s been here recall it. The demonstration was that a big party was being run. Is that correct, Paul? Were you at a big party? Did you ever come in and find that the Host had forgot to provide food for you for that meal? Did you ever find that there wasn’t the usual things that was going on at the party, even possibilities of earning, doing, learning, all sorts of things was available? Whether you used em or not was entirely up to you, is that right? But they’re all there, hmm? And there was games to play ever day if you wanted to play em. Is that right?

(That’s right.)

So then the demonstration that “this is a big party,” which is a little visible spot that you can look at of a big one, is the demonstration. Somebody frequently asks us, “How do you operate these so called schools?” And the only answer is “by demonstration.” Well, how do you demonstrate? And you say, “Well, come find out.” Because there is no way that you’re goin’ to short cut.

You see, what that person is askin’ for: “Let me find out and I can say the words then and I won’t know anything about it.” It is still by demonstration is the only way any Teaching goes and that was the demonstration that old Elijah handed out – or accordin’ to the story which was a school – was the “School of Demonstration.”

It gradually deteriorated in ages to come of the Pharisees and the Scribes, which set down in discourse and cogitated and give answers to “why” and explained everything. But then there was another little bunch come up called Sadducees and they explained it different and then the people were confused. And another Teacher came along and kind of got em in demonstration again, but they didn’t like that long because it’s so hard to keep movin’ all the time, it’s better to sit down and philosophize, right?

(Mm-mmm.)

Did you ever notice that? It’s so easy to sit around and philosophye. You can get your inertia goin’. You know what inertia is? That’s when you can’t raise the gluteus maximum up. And you can just sit on it and philosophye, and you can “why” and “if” and “how” and you can talk and the other guy can say his and you can contend on that and you can look and look and look. But until you break the inertia and get the glue off of the gluteus maximum and get it up and start moving you won’t ever see anything, okay?

Here’s one you can read, nice and plain. Thank you. “What is the difference between taste and conditioning responses on the worldly level?”

That is about the only level you’re gonna respond anyway. (Laughter) Taste is something that is inherent within each particular person. And conditioning is what you have been taught. Now, one of us may be chilly in a room of 78 and another one may be perspiring – especially if Richard has just had a little Tabasco sauce, his head’s perspiring about that stage even if it’s 40 degrees in the room. But I’m chilly at 76 and somebody else is shovin’ doors open and fanning and that is a matter of the nature of the human being.

As far as taste, sometimes you can taste a bite of food that you’ve never tasted before in your life and it’s wonderful to you. And the next person says “Ugh” or won’t even try it because they’re not familiar with it. So conditioning is things that we have been taught to do. How many times a day are you hungry by conditioning, Paul?

(Three.)

(Eh, three.)

(Ha – six!)  (more laughter)

And you’re eatin’ all day long because Mama said you must eat or you will waste away and she’s tryin’ to prove Mama didn’t raise any stupid kids. (laughter)

(I don’t wanna make a liar out of Mama.)

Right, at this stage of the game you sure wouldn’t want to do it. So you’re trying not to waste away.

(I’m being considerate.)

Yes, you’re right sittin’ over there. Read the rest of em.

(Uh… Enuthia? E-n-u… enunasthasia, anasthiza?)

Somebody talkin’ about…

(Whoever wrote…)

… disposin’ of people because they’re –

(__________.)

Well, askin’ about what that word is there. It’s the one that somebody is askin’ means disposin’ of people because they’re in the way? Who wrote, who wrote the question?

(Inertia, Bob.)

Inertia – oh!

(Inertia… That one’s right.)

Inertia, that’s a new way to spell it. Only Bill Kinney could a spelled it that way and he would only done it once if he’d use the word in two sentences.

(Laughter) [spells it] (e-n-e-r-s-h-a)

My friend, Bill, is a wonderful student of spelling. He figures there’s no reason to spell the same word twice. So, he… (Laughter) And I admire that because it gives me so much challenge to figure out what it was he was talkin’ about.

“Describe Inertia. And what are the masters of our own fate?” Inertia is feeling that I don’t want to do anything until the Spirit moves me – and the Spirit could care less. So one feels like one’s gluteus maximum is made out of pure lead, it is very difficult to raise it up and get it in motion. However, if one does take charge and does raise it up and get it in motion, very shortly you feel real fine. Did you ever notice that a lot of times you get up of a mornin’ you feel “ughh?” And so you’re gonna wait and feel “ughh” until you feel good. That’s developing inertia.

But if you just get up and go on even though you feel “ughh,” very quickly you feel pretty good, you know. You’re just wheelin’ dealin’, goin’ on about your business.

But if you wait until you feel good… We sometimes describe it somewhat like this, that mankind is capable of feeling, acting, and thinking. So he generally starts with his feelings that he don’t feel so good and so he’s gonna act like he feels and he’s gonna think to explain why he don’t do anythin’ until he feels good. And of course at least one area of the body gets fat – so, usually goes all over. (Laughter)

And then there is using thinking to determine how do I want to feel and how would I act if I felt that way. And he will use his thinking to begin to determine how he will act. And as you act you will find you feel it a little bit. Now, if any of us is [groans, mumble to illustrate] and you keep goin’ that way, you feel that way. And if you get up and bounce around a little bit and get goin’ you begin to feel wonderful.

Now, you notice that most people are so much inertia that the whole body is down; so…it’s down, it’s way down. (laughter) Now, get up and do that for a little bit and you’ll see what… better still just slop over in your chair and look like you’re gonna, you know, limp jello that’s tryin’ to stand up. You push it in here and it falls out over there. (laughter)

Or stand up someday when you feel so miserable, get up and take charge of the destiny and begin to move like you know where you want to feel in an hour from now – that you’d like to feel – act like you already feel that way and you’ll find very quickly you already are.

But most of us are so “sincere” we have to act like we feel and we’re very sincere. “Because I would be a hypocrite if I felt like I do and got up and act like I feel wonderful, huh? God forbid, I don’t want to be a hypocrite.”

Of course that’s not being a hypocrite. A hypocrite is one who doesn’t pay any attention to what they’re doin’. They’re “hypo,” – below payin’ attention. The hypocrite is a person who is not paying attention to what they are doing and what they want and how they’re behaving and whether they’re making a contribution to existence, whether they’re being harmless or not, whether they’re being considerate or not, or whether they have any idea of Agape. They’re sound asleep, which is what the word “hypo” always means – below. Critical means to be conscious enough to see what’s goin’ on. But it’s been changed to mean that you behave a little different from the way you feel. And you see if you want to control people all you do is confuse the language. Read Animal Farm, it’s a beautiful little demonstration of it.

“Can something come from nothing? Then how is nothing to ask something?”

This is a good philosophical deal, so we’ll try writin’ on it. [writes it differently on the board] “Can some thing come from no thing?” Now, function is no thing; it’s an action, is it not? Now if there is no function will any thing ever come about?

(No way.)

If you want to philosophye, Robert knows how to philosophye.

(Laughter)

Don’t you fret, I’m an expert with it.

(laughter and unintelligible comments)

(I’m lost already.)

Huh?

(I’m lost already.)

Well good, you was lost ‘fore you got here. (Laughter) They lost you when they got born. They needed to put you in another stable, but they can’t. They made a mistake I guess. (Laughter)

So do you see that some “thing” is implies an object? Now, will an object ever do something unless there is an action upon it, which is a “no thing?” Hmm? So something does come from no thing.

“Then how is nothing to ask something?” Nothing can’t ask something, but a “no thing,” a function, is asking. All asking is a no thing; it is a function. “I will wait for nothing.” I can’t see how you would wait for no thing or for anything else. I won’t wait for function – that’s inertia. “I will look for nothing nowhere.” That’s the best place in the world to look for it.

“I will listen to the symphony of silence.” That’s a pretty word that I’ve read in a lot of books by men who were trying to explain, but listening to the symphony of silence is to listen to action. It is the questions we put on the board and said, Life is putting these questions to us and they are a symphony. They’re putting em to us in silence. Life tells you, you want a drink of water in silence. It tells you, you want a bite of food in silence. It tells you want to take that long walk down to the end of the aisle, down here, in silence. And it is a never-ending symphony that is explaining to you something.

“Then I do not know.” Know implies past or future. Present is I am experiencing. “When I do not care how, it matters not.” When I do not care, how it… matters not. “A leaf floating in the current of events.” We are, we can be floating or we can be riding the currents. Either one is quite all right and they are both capable at the same time. Now, if a leaf is floating down a stream, bumpin’ along on the little current, if you talk to the leaf, it says, “I’m riding the current,” maybe. If it’s another leaf it says, “I’m floating with the current.” Wonder which is being conscious and responsible? There’s two little leaves floating down the river, as far as you can see. But you say, “Hey little leaf, what are you doin’?”  And little leaf says, “Hey, I am riding the currents.”

(That is an action.)

“I’m riding the rapids down the Snake River, I’m riding the rapids down the Colorado.” And another one says, “I’m being forced down this thing against my wishes, and I’m all out of control.” Huh? Every way. Ahhh, another I can’t read, here.

(“Is there –)

Last time I went to get a driver’s license after seven years the lady said, “I’ll let you by this time; next time you’d better bring your cheaters with you.”

[Woman reads the next question.] (“Is there something we can to for you, Dr. Bob, that will increase your pleasure for interest in life?”) (laughter)

To increase my interest in life would take a thousand things you could do to increase my pleasure. (Laughter) How about a few hundred-dollar bills? (Laughter) Ya’ll give me one, one-hundred dollar bill extra for each one of you, I will increase my pleasure – but not my interest, okay? Cause I couldn’t be more interested ____________.

“What do I need?” Intelligence. (Laughter)

Now read that one. “Would you discuss the relationship between the Four Dual Basic Urges and the decisions on the Picture of Man?” Yes, we will remember to do so, if there is a relationship. Here is the Four Dual Basic Urges. Here’s the first way I try to get it – which is about as far as most ever get – is to “complain in order to have my way now.” That’s been used, the most overworked one of the decisions, is tryin’ to gain the Four Dual Basic Urges, right? So the relationship is that they are a means of achieving it, we hope.

The second one is to “stick up my rights” – that’s belligerency, wars, and all these fights and aggravations, and… stuff.

Third one is to “please everbody.” That one is not exactly overworked, but it is used quite often by certain people a few minutes at a time.

The fourth one is to “believe and do what I am told by my authorities” and this one, of course, is used quite extensively by people who are ascared not to use it – that’s all. They have to put the fear of the Lord and the fear of the authority in them, which is the fear of the Lord, you know. And then they do that when they don’t think they couldn’t get by without avoidin’ it.

The next one says, “I ought to be different.” This one is used quite a bit in wishful thinkin’ – very seldom in practice. If I could just be different, if I could just feel good and be happy like everbody else then I would be a bundle of joy. If somebody would give me a job so I could work and have lots of money. And then they got a job: “If I didn’t have to work so hard.” You know, you tried that one, too. If I had a different husband, I would be happy. If I could get rid of the one I got, I’d be happy. And as soon as the one they got says, “Goodbye, I’m tired of listenin’ to your gritchin’!”…”I can’t live without him! Why did he ever treat me that way?”

And then, of course, we have the one that says, “If all of you cats would straighten up and fly right and do what I want you to do, then I would be happy.” And that one is decidedly overworked. So this is the pretty Debbie side. Last night you had a bit of a demonstration of it in the play. The devil temporarily gave up his position as the Four Dual Basic Urges and said, “Man, just use all these.”

And that little witch around here – where’s she? She’s not here this mornin’ – played the role of tellin’ you how terrible and guilty you were because you hadn’t lived up to all the ideals, huh? And, of course, the person’s head goin’ like this. But this is the relationship is that the basic decisions are the means – two opposing means – we have devised in order to gain the Four Dual Basic Urges. This is the jungle one we came by natural. This is the one that the environment insisted that I make if they were at all possible for me to make. Okay?

Says here, “A person who drops psychedelic drugs says he does this to have greater awareness of life and life processes. Please answer my unasked question.”

I don’t know what the unasked question is, but I know what he’s sayin’. He is saying that he wants an excuse or an explanation for what he’s doing. Now he has as many explanations as he wants. I can give a thousand of em. One says, “I wanna escape this veil of tears.” Another one says, “I wanna open up the gates of heaven.”

I rode with a man one time who said he could drive much better after six drinks. He took an extra one after he got started and I got out at the first traffic light. I convinced him that the light was red. He was tryin’ to tell me it was purple, but we got it through there and I got him stopped and I got out. But he could drive better – that was his reason for pourin’ a drink.

Now, if I want a drink, fine, I’ll just drink it, I don’t have to give some highfalutin excuse for it. If I want to get touted out, I just wanted to knock out and I don’t have to give you any excuse because I don’t see there is any purpose. I can’t tell you why I wore a blue suit today, I can’t tell you why I’m here. I am, period. That’s enough.

“By looking within are we stopping the progress of awakening?” Well, I’ll tell you what you do. Just do a little experiment: turn your eyeballs inwardly and look a minute. (Laughter) Stick your finger down your throat and feel what’s goin’ on there for a minute. That might help a little bit. Did you try it? (Laughter) It looked like it stopped all progress, dear. And a demonstration, would you stand up so everybody can see it? You’re very marvelous, stand up and turn your eyeballs inward… (Laughter) …oh, go way on down.

(laughter) (Please…!)

How many…

(Laughter and clapping)

Did you ever notice that all of mankind’s senses are directed outwardly and that none of em are directed inwardly? Did you ever notice that? In other words, I’m a Point of Awareness and if I’m trying to crawl into the point, it’s like havin’ ingrown whiskers, ingrown toenails, ingrown eyelashes – it’s rather painful. The only looking within is to see where to look from. We ordinarily have looked outwardly to find something to blame, instead of to look. When one is unaware of “how is this affecting me?” – which is to turn it inwardly – one starts looking outwardly and sees what’s going on. And it might even be a question: “How am I affectin’ Paul?” instead of “What’s Paul doin’ to me?” Am I practicin’ Agape or am I saying, “You’re not practicin’ any Agape for me”? You know… too simple.

“What about a husband and wife using being faithful as far as sex goes?” How far does it go? (Laughter)

[he rereads it] “What about a husband and wife being faithful in… in as far as sex goes?” Well, how far does sex go? And then I’ll try to take the rest of the question, huh? “Faithful” I suppose means that we would not… uh, beyond a certain point, so it’s the rules of the game. It is a manmade game that is played at the Big Party and it’s called the “marriage game.”

In the marriage game that one plays that game, it’s like any other game – you want to play, play the game accordin’ to the rules unless you want to have certain penalties. Now I don’t know whether it’s moral, immoral, good, bad or indifferent, but I do know that if you are playing baseball and you don’t play by the rules and the umpire catches you, there’s a penalty to pay, hmm? If you’re playing football and you don’t play the game accordin’ to the rules and the… a referee, or whatever the official’s name is in football catches you, you have a penalty to pay.

Now if you’re playing the marriage game and you play it accordin’ to the rules, you get along pretty good. And if you don’t play it accordin’ to the rules and not accordin’ to the rules and get caught, then there’s a penalty to pay. Now as long as you don’t get caught, you know… you’re doin’ pretty good. But it seems to be in this world that I live in that there is eyes in the walls and in the floors and they all seem to know about it. As little Kaye Lynne went “ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch” to Meryl last night on the stage, it seems they all see it, okay? That’s all I know about it. I don’t know whether it’s good, bad or indifferent. It’s a game and the game has rules. And one of the rules is, I believe, that while we’re playing this particular game I don’t play the game with anybody else. Is that the way the show goes? That the name of the game?

And then if you don’t want to play that game, they have rules to get out of playin’ with that particular compadre, you know. It’s like playing chess. As long as I’m in the middle of a game with chess, I don’t want to quit playing chess with that particular partner. But if I don’t like the way he plays, soon as I get this one session over with I won’t play with him no more.

(_________.)

Well, wonderful. Honey, that’s all I would even know about playin’ one game. (laughter) The rest of em, you will have to look through and see.

(“Bob, are there some ways to check up on my consciousness in the manmade world to see how in tune I am?”)

See what kinda melody you play. So if I’m interested in checking up, I’m only interested in seeing if I’m attained. I’m not interested in being conscious. So we’re still interested in techniques. Now I could do this sittin’ down, couldn’t I? I could get inertia and be glued to the chair and I could check out.

Let’s see how much you act to answer the question. Let’s see how much action you’re involved in or how much thinkin’ you do. If you’re thinkin’, you’re sound asleep. If you’re doin’ somethin’ you might be awake.

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” I don‘t have a brother so I don’t know. I think maybe there used to be some, but I lost em. I’m like the lady that lost the car. I lost my brothers and all that stuff, so I don’t guess I can keep em cause I don’t even know whether they’re still alive, where they live, if they are, so I don’t guess I can’t keep em.

Now the next question is, this is a question put by Cain in reply to, “Where is your brother?”

Now, is you your brother’s keeper means: am I totally responsible for my brother, hmm? Now, we had on the board this mornin’, which obviously we have talked about for six months here, “Agape, Harmlessness, Consideration, and Making a Contribution.”

I cannot determine what my brother does with my contribution, with my consideration, and with my practice of harmlessness, hmm? Now, if I am committing physical violence on him then obviously I had somethin’ to do with his state of affairs, is that right? And this is the question that was put to Cain: “Where is your brother?” and he wanted to sidestep the issue and say, “Who am I, my brother’s keeper?” He was one of the progenitors of the Jewish race, which always answers a question with a question. And so the best way out of anything; it gives you time to think of an answer.

I was told in school that when you practice psychiatry that you always answer questions with a question and smoke a pipe. Cause the pipe’s usually out and you have to light the durn thing before you can get around and by then you can ask em a question and you’ve got lots of time to think of an answer.

So I think this was what Cain was doin’. He didn’t have a pipe so he had to answer the question with a question. The guy said, “Where’s your brother?” He said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” That gave him a little time to unthrottle around a little bit. Now somebody says, “Why do you always answer a question with a question?” The guy says, “Do I?” And he said, “Yes, you do.” (laughter) And he said, “Isn’t that strange?” You can keep that thing goin’ for a long time…

So who is your brother? I don’t know, do you? Everbody has the same Father, I think it’s considered. So we’re all brothers and sisters. Obviously I – as a guest, a conscious guest – I’m gonna be considerate, I’m gonna be harmless to the best of my ability, and I’m gonna make whatever contribution I can. Now, what you do with those is entirely you. So no question would be entirely… [corrects himself] any answer to the question would be entirely correct, okay?

I have a duty if I want to accept it. And I cannot determine what goes. Mama told me I could take the mule down to the pond to get a drink, but I couldn’t make the mule drink. Now if I got the mule locked up in the barn and I went to the mule to take it to the pond once in a while, I suppose, but I can’t get him drinkin’. Okay now, come’ on, dear – what is it?

(I’d like to carry this odd symbolism…)

Take it as far as you like, dear.

(… with Cain a little bit further. It seems to me as we read in the Bible or as we’ve been told, the Lord asked Cain.)

Right.

(Now, the Lord is all-seeing. He knows everything.)

Now, that’s your, that’s your particular God, isn’t it?

(Yes.)

Okay, now, your God does all these things. I don’t know about the others. Somebody else’s God may not be that way.

(Well, all right. My point is… )

Is it’s your God.

(That, my God is, ah…)

Is omnipotent and omniscient, okay?

(Fine. Now, so why would He ask this question? Otherwise…)

Well, why not? (Laughter)

(What was the purpose in the question?)

What’s the purpose of your dissertation?

(Following… What?)

What is, what is the purpose of your dissertation?

(I am trying to gain knowledge to be free.)

You sure of that, or is just attention you want?

(I don’t know, I don’t know what I’m trying to do)

(What did the Lord ask?)

She don’t know – she just wants some attention. She’s got it now, we’ve all paid due attention. Everybody stand up and applaud.

(Yes, please do. Please do!)

Then it will be complete.

(Clapping.)

Now, she got what she wanted, now go on ahead. Okay? She is an excellent straight man and I enjoy havin’ her at the place, but we have learned to only allot certain amount of time cause otherwise she gets too much. So, that’s all right. But we do want you to know you are greatly appreciated because anybody that’s a comedian must have a straight man and you are a beautiful straight man when I wanna play comedian.

(Thank you.)

You’re welcome.

(I guess.)

Now you’ve got due attention and approval…

(Uh-huh and now I…)

… and you’re important. (Laughter)

And delightful…

(Ah, well!)

… and fat. (Laughter.)

That’s the last of the questions. Brother Max has just brought in a bunch of papers and apparently he has somethin’. What do you have, Max?

(I have a lot of definitions.)

(Oh, great!)

Now, we have some words that are used in a technical sense in the workshop. And it took several years to get it through Max’s head that they were technical only for the workshop and could be used any way anywheres else. These I feel would be very worthwhile to everybody here, inasmuch as they said, “hand out” – they’re not for sale but if it was me they’d be 50 cents apiece for the paper, nothin’ for the information. But Max will probably give em away. He likes to do things like that.

So the things that we take words that are commonly used interchangeably as synonyms and we use them in a technical sense in the workshop discussions. Starts off with believing, believe and know, wonder and thinkin’, experimenting and inventing, problem and challenge, cooperation and help, seein’ em as safe, hurt, harm, self-improvement, a bunch of things here that are specifically used. It’s all on one page? Two pages.

(Four pages.)

Two pages?

(Four pages.)

Four pages.

(Front and back.)

On the backside. They’re usin’ it… we’re saving, see – we’re turnin’ the pages. And things is gettin’ tough up here. Cold weather, it takes a lot to heat the building so we have to print on both sides of the pages. But, I… In any workshop class if you become familiar with these usage of the words. Now we’re not saying that this is the one and only way to use the words. We’re sayin’ it’s the one and only way we use the word in the workshop. Okay?

Anywheres else you can use em to your heart’s content. However, you will find that you think much more clearly and concisely if you use the word in a specific way. And so we think they’re most interesting.

Dear ones, we have enjoyed coming here for the workshop this time. As always, we are very thankful each and every one of you is here. We hope you put it to work.

And you’ve been offered a gift. I hope somebody takes it – I’ve got somethin’ else I wanna do.

Okay? Thank you. Lunch will be ready almost immediately.

[End of CD 7 of 7; End of Albion, Idaho 1972 Workshop]

Albion Page 1
Albion Page 2
Albion Page 3

Here is a link to a PDF file of a segment of a couple paragraphs from this workshop which was

made into a framable piece for you to view or print.

I Have Something.pdf