Workshop - Port Orange, Florida 4/21/91 - Page 1
(We have put this on 2 pages because of the large size of the transcription - about 22,500 words)
Talk covers:
Re-evaluating not I’s,
The six decisions,
The tone scale including the upper states,
The three brains,
How to not make things important.
The “what” and the “how”
Think-act-feel
Faith and Grace
Will and Purpose
The basics – picture of man
So I think the first thing we'll talk about is conflict--and living with conflict is not very elegant, to say the least. So to begin to know yourself, we'll draw a little picture and you can see how it works.
First off, I'll tell you there's nothing wrong with anything on this picture we call the Picture of Man, but when you try to do two things at one time in opposite directions, you get in conflict; and conflict is the words I hear most often and talking with people all over is that they're in conflict. So we'll try to see how one gets in conflict and then we'll see how to undo it, if you'll listen. Ok?
If you'll listen, why we'll try to get you where you don't have conflict. So the first thing we'll do is to draw a little picture up here. We've drawn this picture before and will probably draw it many other times. So we'll put it like this. This is the physical body down here. We can see those all over the place, we all have one; we’ve found we kind of like it, use it and get along with it pretty well.
Next one is awareness. Now we're all aware to a great degree and pretty much know what's going on. We see people, we say hello to them and work with them and such. But then there's something we don't see, and it's obviously there. It's called X, for lack of a better word. We put X there because we know it exists, but we don't exactly know what it is. But X is Spirit in nature, and it takes care of the "how". Awareness takes care of the "what". We say well, I want to do so and so, and X takes care of the “how”. I don't know how to wiggle that finger; but I can say I want to wiggle a finger, and X
wiggles it. So that's the way it goes on all over whether it's wiggle a finger, or do a big transaction or whatever. It takes care of it.
So, this would all work pretty well if we're like this, but it's not because we've made decisions along the way, and “decision is the rule of attitude/action at the moment it's made until it is re- evaluated and unmade.”
So the first decision we made was probably in the process of being born. We were kind of kicked around a little bit, we became uncomfortable as it was hard to get our breath, it was cold, and we weren’t fed automatically and all these things. So the first decision was made and that became the “purpose of living” in the outside world. The uterine world which was very comfortable had suddenly changed very dramatically. And here we found ourselves this unfamiliar world, and it wasn't so comfortable and we were being mistreated and spanked and whathaveyou.
And so the person made a decision that the purpose of living, the whole purpose of living was to regain the non-disturbed state. The first way, of course is to have comfort and to escape all pain. We'll get the rest of them on there in a little bit. So that's quite all right, there’s nothing wrong with it. Of course the baby wants it RIGHT NOW, and it doesn't always have it right now -- sometimes it’s 30 minutes before you can get to it. For adults it’s sometimes a week or more: but you can always be reasonably comfortable if you allow a little time to take place.
This says for us to regain the non-disturbed state RIGHT NOW. So that's all right. And the next decision was made very shortly. We'll put #1 on it. It is important to have my way RIGHT NOW and the way to get it is to “complain”. Now it's quite all right to have your way, if you don't make it important to be right now. Sometimes it might take you a half a day to get your way--but you want it right now! So that makes kind of a conflict in there immediately because you want it right now. So you can have it if you just take a little time and patience for an hour, 30 minutes, a week--you can have your way. So there’s nothing wrong in having your way. We all want it. We can’t “not want’ to have our way, no matter how you work on it; you still want to have your way. Correct? You want to have your way, but you don't have to have your way right now. So I'll underscore this right now because it is what creates the conflict---I'll even draw a circle around it. So that's all we have to give up is the "right now" part.
The #2 one is "It is important to stick up for my rights. Now our rights are pretty much of a good question. We were born helpless, naked, didn't have anything -- didn't even have clothes. And so what really kind of rights do you have? You came into this world with nothing and so you don't have any. You’ve had a lot of privileges, but you don't have any rights. So let's get that one straightened out that I have lots of privileges’ and the easiest way to mistake privileges is to mistake them for rights and start sticking up for them. That's the best way to lose your privileges. So I have lots of privileges. I have food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and friends--all sorts of things. Those are privileges, but I don't have any rights. Can you see that? You don't stick up for your privileges; you kind of earn them a little bit. If you treat people nice they'll treat you nice, generally speaking. You treat them with simple good manners and they will treat you in a like manner. So I think we can get along there.
Now then we got a little older and we found other people around us, and they began to get a little tired of our complaining because we weren't having our way right now, and sticking up for our rights which we didn't have. So TIIEY began sticking up for ‘their” rights, which they didn't have either, but they were bigger than us. So they started sticking up for their rights, and telling us how they wanted to have their way right now too.
So we made another decision over here on the other side of the brain that ”it's important to please them”. Now that's a pretty commendable sort of a thing, is to please people. It doesn't cost anything--hardly. But if you're doing this one and the one of the other two previously mentioned, you have conflict. And that is where the trouble begins. Now there's nothing wrong with trying to have your way. There is nothing wrong with singing out for your privileges. If you see that you have some privileges, you want to work to enhance them, appreciate them, but you can't ‘please everybody” and ‘have your way right now”. You may have to delay your way for 20 minutes or so, maybe 30 minutes, maybe an hour, who knows, maybe a day. But if you try to ‘have your way” AND “please them” at the same time, you are unquestionably busy. In fact you are in great conflict. And this is what people complain mostly to me about, is “I’m in conflict”.
Well, I try to get them down to look at this or that. Which one do you really want? You can have one now and one a little later. You can please people if you don't go overboard for it. I say that if you treat a person with simple good manners, that's about all they really want, isn't it? Treat them with simple good manners, and I'll get my way pretty quick, and I have no conflict. So there’s nothing wrong in it; but we make conflict out of it because we wanted them both at the same time, so we divided ourselves right down the middle. We now have fragmented the awareness. We don't have it in one piece anymore, we've fragmented it.
Then of course we're taken down to see various and sundry authorities and officials. They show us the sheriff and we have to do what he says. And they show us the policeman and you have to do what he says. Most people take their kids to church and tell them they got to believe what the preacher told them. And you have to go to school and do what teacher tells you and believe what she tells you. So a decision comes up that “it is important to believe and do what I am told by my authorities”.
Now authorities are just humans, and they got their ideas and opinions and conditioning, so they tell us one set of things; and maybe the school teacher tells you another thing; and then the preacher tells you something else; and an official tells you something else not to mention the psychiatrist. Now you're in conflict over all the different ideas, ideals, rules and opinions they have. So what are you going to do to believe and do as you’re told by your authorities? Now everybody has a different authority. One person goes to one set of Ecclesiastical authority, another one goes to a different school. Another one goes somewhere else. And after you’ve heard all these different people who are quoting their authorities, you get conflict over it.
Now if you consider that there really are no authorities. There are officials, that's true, but there are no authorities, So you don't have to believe and do as told by these people. You consider--I am responsible, but whatever it is I do, I'm going to do what seems reasonable to me--I'm responsible for whatever I do. So, I can consider that and get along greatly, ok? Don't have to get all agitated over it, ok. Just do it.
But we're going to be in a lot of conflict if we’re trying to “stick up for my rights”--which means I want to do what I want to do without being responsible for it--and at the same time, I want to do what the authorities tell me. They tell me there are great penalties for not doing it. Some of those penalties are now, here in the manmade world; and some of them will be in the great hereafter. So, we have fears of not doing as we're told by authority, we want to stick for our rights and do what I jolly-well please without being responsible for anything I do.
Then we made another decision that said something like, "it's important to improve myself.” That's so we could get along better in the world. Now how are you going to improve yourself, put on another head or another arm, something like that? Or feel unprivileged because you don't have all those things--improving self is kind of an illusion, but we always want to be more comfortable than we are--that's what we call improving ourselves. But we didn't look at all the things that were making us uncomfortable.
Then we finally come up with the real answer. That if, (that's a big word IF), he she, they, you were all different then I'd be fine. So, we sit down and be miserable because everybody is not different, they are all what they are--no matter what. So they're not different.
So now we can look at these, and say we don't have to get rid of these conclusions, we can re-evaluate them a little bit so that they're livable. The purpose of living to be totally non-disturbed is not the whole purpose, but it can be a purpose of living to be as reasonably comfortable as you can--so that's comfort and pain.
The Four Dual Basic Urges
And the comfort as we get older is to have a little attention and to avoid being ignored. You know you feel kind of rough when you're being ignored.
And the next one is that you want approval, and you want to escape all disapproval and you want to feel important, and you want get over the feeling of non-importance or uselessness. I have people tell me that they're not competent to do anything. Now maybe they can't do some things, but they can do some other things.
Now let's re-evaluate these basic decisions which each one of us is living by that makes up the self.
So………it's not the whole purpose to be non-disturbed, but we would like to have as much non- disturbance as possible. I'd like comfort. I'd like attention. I'd like approval, and I would like to feel useful. I don't feel so important, but I'd like to feel a little useful in the world, so I look and see where that is.
I don't like pain; I don't like to be ignored. I don't like to be disapproved of. And I don't like to feel useless. But I'm not useless. I can look at that. I have a certain amount of approval. I have a certain amount of having attention. How about you?
(Plenty.)
You got lots of it. And once in a while I got pain, but that just tells us to do a something a little different and it will get all right. So we can re-evaluate this purpose of living to be totally non-disturbed. Keep this decision, but re-evaluate it in the light of common sense. You see we were infants less than five minutes old when we made that first decision, so we didn’t have much experience.
So now in the light of experience, we can remake this decision. We grew up thinking "it's important to “have my way right now.” That's the way the kid made it when he was a few hours old, and you don't have to have it “right now”, but we would like to have our way. It's not important, but it is interesting to have your way. But you don't have to make it up right now.
The next one says, "It's important to stick up for my rights." We looked at that a minute ago. We really don't have any rights, we have gobs of privileges, and we 'lose some of our privileges by sticking up for them--thinking they are "my rights" and sticking up for them. We get all angry and agitated and that is never to our advantage. And it's important to “please” them. You don't have to please people. I can treat them with simple good manners. That easy enough?—just use simple good manners. You can treat everybody that way, and I think they can see that. I'm responsible to keep my wits about me and treat you with simple good manners, ok? All right. You can treat everybody with simple good manners, and they don't fight with you very much.
And we can see that it's important to not “believe and do everything we're told by authorities”. We can check it out. We can check it out to some degree what we’ve been told, and the rest of it we can ignore. But we can “treat the authority as though he was right”. (laughter from the audience) Do that, no problem at all. Yes sir, I can agree with you. I can treat him as though he was right, and that keeps him happy. And you go on about your business, you know. So treat him as though he was right, ok?
And when I see that I am making it “important to improve myself’, I look at that one and say, “That's alright; I don't think there's any great need for improvement in me, but I can develop myself.” I can get a certain amount of worldly education, and use it for that. And I can keep the body in reasonably good shape by doing minor exercises, not any big stuff, but a little bit. I can walk around. I can check up on my nutrition and educate myself as to a balanced diet.
And then comes up that if he, she, they and it and everything else were all different, I'd be just fine. Well, people are not going to be different and I’m going to be fine without them being different. I'm going to leave them like they are. So this is really a cheating way out is to blame. So that's the whole blaming situation, and everybody's got somebody to blame for all their situations that they feel uncomfortable with. They go to such extremes with it that they're miserable because they're trying to get something different that's not different. The person is not going to be different from what they are right?--no matter how much I fret over it? But we're not going to be different than what we are right now. So, I can look at that and let everybody be what they are.
Now I haven't had to give up any of these six decisions from the picture of man, I have only re-evaluated them in the light of experience. I really use the experience instead of just numbly going on and using these four dual basic urges as they were originally made as they have all been unconscious. They’ve been the source of our unconscious motivation for our actions and will remain the “rule of attitude/action until we re-evaluate them. And we said we can just modify them a little bit and live quite peacefully with them, but you don't try to use “two at one time”--just one at one at a time. That's what gets you in conflict when you try to use two of them at the same time. So, if you try to do that you're going to get upset.
Now, this is knowing the self. They're all here. They're in every one of us. We can look at them and re-evaluate them. We're not going to have to unmake them and start out with a clean slate like we were just being born again. We’re not going to do that. If you did, you would have to make very similar to the same ones if you were going to get along in the world.
So now then we can re-evaluate all these decisions. They are sometimes called not-is because they act up and motivate us to do things that's not to our advantage. So we can just re- evaluate. For instance I'll just leave off "right now." That's all, I don't have to have it right now, and I’m going to get my wants, but just not right now. I'll get it in a little while. Give me a little time and I'll get it. And I'm going to “take off that it's important.” I find that when I make anything important, I'm very angry. So I don't make it important, but it's interesting to do, and it's an interesting way to work.
And I'm not sticking up for my rights, but I’m going to protect my usual run and enhance my privileges.
And it's not important to please people, but it is kind of worthwhile to use simple good manners,--that's good enough.
This one here, I'll consider what they told me, I don’t have to believe it or act on it, but I’ll look it over, take my time, but it's not important.
So we can start living a very comfortable existence without conflict as soon as we re-evaluate these basic decisions that everybody has. There's nothing wrong with them, they just weren't that exactly correct. So we re-evaluate them.
So you can see the source of conflict and struggle in every day existence, and you don't need it. You don't even need to change these decisions or totally eliminate them, we can re-evaluate them a bit and put them in proper perspective in light of experience, ok?
Now, that would take care of that arrangement for a bit, I think. Now, first off, are there any questions on this. I made it clear as mud so you can ask questions on it. I like everybody to join in. Got a question?
(The question that comes up a lot around me is "I'm making it important, how can I not make it important?)
Just don't. You usually say the words "I'm not making it important," but you make it very important right here. So stop it there and don't say the words.
(The way out of that is to be free to experience whatever it is at that moment?)
Why sure. You'll get your way in a few minutes, OK? Don't bother. I get my way all the time.
The What and the How
(Sometimes one of the not "i's" is talking there that we have the six decisions. When one of the "i's" is taking over, we think that it is X--like he's talking to us, and we have that illusion--that l'm un-fragmented and I'm expressing X, and I do and say all kinds of crazy things in the name of X.)
Let's don't play that game, that's deluding yourself So X takes care of the “how” of anything. If you wanted to do the stupidest thing in the world, and you said that's what you want to do, X will do it. But don't say X told you to do it.
(No, I don't say that X is telling me, but I think that I am representing X.)
You're representing whatever you put the conclusion on. X will take care of the work, that's true; but it's going to do it according to what you said was the thing to do—what you are valuing. You said “what”, it takes care of the “how”. So you’re only expressing X when you keep your wits about you and you report accurately as to “what's going on”. We'll say this is very accurate for a baby, and X carries out the appropriate thing for the baby--it says "it's important to have my way now" and screams and cries for having its way right now. In the light of experience, you see, you don't have your way right now, but you can have it, ok. So it will take a little amount of time for it to get there.
But I wouldn't say that I was representing X.
(Do you get a message from X?)
When you are quiet enough, yes. I'll get to that one later. You see, ordinarily people say X, tell me what to do and I'll do it. That doesn't work, X’s job is to take care of the “how”. Your job is to figure out “what”. So you want to do a certain project, you start on the project; X’ll do the work and carry out the project. But it won't tell you what project to work on, it leaves that up to you. That's your job to say the what; it'll take care of the how.
That answer your question here?
(You were saying to do what I want to do and not to do what I don't want to do.)
That's correct.
(If you're saying to X the “what”, and X is taking care of the ‘how”, then the only way X can get to do the how is by doing what you want to do?)
That's correct, and if it's based on a misconception, it'll turn out kinda crappy. If it's based on reality, it'll turn out wonderful, ok? So, we say re-evaluate.
(You speak of the not it's as usurping the ‘being”…..)
…..the “awareness function’. The not I’s are usurping the action because of the way they're stated. They need to be re-evaluated in the light of experience.
(In the re-evaluating although you're still doing it, are you saying it's non-destructive. It's not usurping the being anymore?)
Well, if you take off "right now", that's been re-evaluated and corrected. If you do this one, you don't have any rights to stick up for, you have privileges, and so you'll protect your privileges.
(Second side, tape 1)
The infant made the decision and it was necessary at that time, but we’re grown up now and that original purpose is not longer accurate. The not ‘I’s have usurped the function of awareness. But now if I re-evaluate them in the light of experience, they're made accurate, ok?
Re-evaluation
If you want me to, I said I'll write this down how it can be re-evaluated.
So it's important to have my way. I'll take off the “importance” and see it as very “interesting” to have my way, but it’s not important. Now it's not usurping anything, ok. I didn't say “right now”. I didn't say it was “important”. Ok?
Then the next one says "It's important to stick up for my rights." It's not important and I don't have any rights. I don't have anything to “stick up for” there. So I'm not usurping there. Ok? I just re-evaluated and made them into a different state which is accurate in the light of experience. I’ve just been granted a lot of privileges and I can enhance them and maybe be granted more. That help a bit?
(What about like the people after issues like the ozone layer and #2.)
Aw forget all that junk. What can you do about it? What could you do about it if the ozone layer is thick or thin? Can you do anything about it? It’s not in your world. So you just heard some propaganda. Ok?
(Do I have a privilege then of protecting my privileges?)
Take care of them. Don't stick up for them, just take care of them. You be a lovely lady and you've got all your privileges.
(You said don't care about the ozone problem)
Yeah.
(But there is a problem that we're living with. If you say you don't care about those problems it's like you're ignoring them. It doesn't mean that they don't exist.)
Do you know they exist?
(Well I can see that there is a problem in the Middle East and people are starving? You say don't care?)
I didn’t say a word about that? I was talking about the ozone layer. Two entirely different subjects. Yes, they are having a rough time. So we're sending as much assistance to them as we can.
(But you cannot send assistance just by yourself. You have to organize something. You have to make the appropriate telephone calls. You have to have the connections, etc. and if we say we cannot help it, it's so far away; it doesn't mean that we cannot make something....)
Worthwhile for it, certainly, but not for the ozone layer. If you go flying up there in your airplane, you'll get in trouble. You want to fly up and check it out?
(If we evaluate things in the terms of our experience, can we always be sure that that experience is correct?)
No, but it's better than nothing. Ok? Check it out and you can re-evaluate it another way. All right. But it's better than just going on as though you were six hours old, ok? Now you can experience, but I don't know if there's anything absolute or not.
(I just got a call about being polite to people and authorities and the rest of it. I read someplace the definition of tact that I would like to achieve. It said the definition of tact is being able to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they will look forward to the trip. )
Nice one to work on, ok? That works well--that's using more than simple good manners. Ok.
(You made the first diagram, and then you made the second one. The first one supposedly is the ideal and the second one is where we are, and we try to reach the first one. Don't you think that this is an improvement because you are referring to the improvement as you have a third
center, but the improvement is in a different…….. )
Well, you can call it improvement if you wish. I don't choose to call it improvement, but you can, ok? I don't know whether it's an improvement, it's a re-evaluation. You're looking at things in the light of experience, not just going on living it unconsciously, ok? I suppose that you could say that the more conscious you are, the more you are improved. I don't choose to use those words, but you can.
(I'm saying that because me, as a student, and talking with other students while studying the work, the moment we say I, we automatically categorize each other as being in the not-I; and immediately there is a different perception of talking. So we the student have a tendency to make certain type of discussion. We are involved with "you are in the not i," "I am in the not ‘i". And there is a conflict right there as we are talking.)
You got it going. Keep it up. You'll have good conflict every day. You're welcome to it--I won't argue with you. I'm only telling you how it works, and I won't tell you not to do it--you probably will.
(After break)
States of being or moods
We looked at how you can keep from having conflict if you want to, and that leaves me in a decent state of being. We'll list a bunch of moods up here that a person can have--not really your mood, but your inner state of being. You’re inner state of being can be your greatest asset or it can be your greatest liability depending on which one you use. So let's use the asset portion of it; but right now we'll start out with the very bottom one.
So, the lowest mood is called a coma. Now I was informed the other day that coma is not a proper word anymore; we're supposed to say the person is unresponsive. So that's a very low state of being when a person is in a coma—we don’t know too much about that.
So the next one up we do know about and can see from time to time is the person who is still moving about, but is in “apathy”.
Now in apathy the person just doesn't feel like doing anything and their physical body is so heavy it just hangs. So when they raise an arm off the table, the arm stays there quite a while until it gets way up there, and then it finally turns a-loose. When they stand up their flesh hangs around their ankles and so forth. They're very uncomfortable,
When I was practicing medicine, one time there was an apathetic lady carne in my office. When she’d leave, I would tell her every day that she'd be feeling better by tomorrow morning. She’d say, "I sure hope so."
I knew she wasn’t listening, so one day I said, "You'll be dead by morning." She said "I sure hope so." and she went on out the door. In two hours she called me and said "Did you say I'd be dead." It had finally sunk in after about an hour. I told her no, she misunderstood me. so she was all right then.
And the next one is “fear”. Fear is worrying about things that might happen. It hasn't happened yet, but it might. What if?
That’s the big thing with fear--what if? What if this happens? What if that happens? What if I don't have a job? Wonder what I’d do if I didn't have so and so? What would I do if I didn't have you? And so on and on it goes………what if? This person is usually decidedly overweight. Not just a little bit, but a lot.
The next one is ‘held resentment”. Held resentment is anger but afraid to express it, so they're burning themselves up. They're real dry and whathaveyou.
Many long years ago there was a form of practice of medicine called homeopathy and they said that patients could be divided into two categories, dry man and wet man. So inasmuch as those accounted for most of the people that showed up in the doctor’s offices, why we considered they had that pretty well covered. You treated wet man and dry man--fear and resentment. Didn't bother with the rest of them because they were gettin' along all right.
The next one is “anger”. Now the angry person is always angry, but they don't always express it. He holds it in a lot. But you can look at him and see he's very angry. Now when you mix anger and fear you have held resentment.
So the next one is “boredom”. You've all run into bored people. You can't get them interested in anything.
The next one is “contentment”. Now contentment is on the line between the lower and upper states of being. It is not living above the line or living below. It's just kinda hangin' out. So you find a few contented people in the world; and this is the dividing line, and they can take off from there and go to better or they can go to worse.
Now all of these states of being from “contentment” on down are varying degrees of liability. So if you want to have an inner feeling like that you can do so. Don't feel good. People with these moods never do feel good, but once in a while they'll change a little bit--maybe go from fear to boredom to contentment, but each seems to have their home bases. They stay there the biggest part of the time.
Upper atates of being
Now we'll start another column over here. Moods that you can have that might be the greatest asset you could ever have.
So the first one we will call “vital interest”. Vital interest the person is fine, they can't wait to get up of a morning and go do whatever it is they want to do, whatever they're interested in; and they feel good, look good and in a pretty viable state of being. So if you’re in vital interest, you're doing fine, don't even need to be here at the workshop, ok?
The next one is “exhilaration”. That is you're in a state of exhilaration, and you’re going on about your way which is very fine. Now those are the only ones that I have generally spoken of for people; but I will go the rest of them today because I've been asked to do it a number of times. I really don't see much use of it, but I will do it. I don't think most of you have even gotten to vital interest yet.
I'll give them, 1, 2, 3, ok? So the first one up here is called an "artist". I didn’t name these, somebody else did. It says that an artist is a person who sees relationships and the outcome of relationships, ok? Whatever that means. So it sees the outcome of them.
The next one is a "prophet". The "prophet" has the ability to teach understanding of “self” to others.
The next one is a "clairvoyant''. Clairvoyance is the ability to see at a distance. Can speak in tongues and can see things that other people don’t see, and has direct communication with X, Spirit, ok?
Next one is a “magi”. Those were the people who brought gifts to Christ. They heal…they are healers and are needful expressions of wisdom. They are in complete union with Spirit and speak in tongues as well.
The next one is Christ-like man. It says that he has no limitations, is indestructible and doesn’t die unless he wants to.
Now I will try to explain a little bit about these. Any of these from here up is a gift. It's called grace or undeserved goods; and it happens when you by your own intentions keep yourself in the state or mood of vital interest, at least and to here if you want to.
But when it comes to these upper states, these “just happen as they are needed.” There is nothing you can do to increase the speed of it happening, or that you would detract from it. It is just pure grace.
It is interesting to note only that there are happenings now and then. In other words the person that has achieved “this state” by grace, lives here; but he'll go “there” sometimes when it's needed. He may go to “there” when it's needed. “This one” I don't know about, but these I do know he goes to, and “this” I will have to take off of what I was told. That he is an indestructible--man doesn't deteriorate or anything else and is immortal if he wishes to be. He dies if he wants to and he doesn't if he doesn't want to.
But these do happen to the individual who decidedly keeps himself in vital interest. Now the person in the lower moods or states doesn't know anything about any of these up here. This is where the big dividing line comes, from contentment.
Below contentment, these are liabilities to you. Above contentment, these are all great assets. Your inner state of being is the most valuable thing you have or it can be the biggest liability, if you let it stay down in the bottom. Now there's no reason to let it stay down here unless you just don't want to be bothered because by using a simple technique, you can go to here with the greatest of ease.
Think—Act—Feel
I will describe the simple technique. Now there's only three things that I know that any of us can do.
We can think, we can act and we can feel. Can you tell me anything else you can do?
You can think, you can act and you can feel. Now, feeling and action go together. If you have a feeling first, you will act that way automatically—but if you act a certain way, the appropriate feeling will follow.
Now, knowing that part of it, we can kind of see how we can get wherever felling we want to experience to happen. So let's say that you have been living for years in anger and you'd like to get out of it.
So we can look at things a bit. As long as you feel angry, you'll act angry, ok? It just kind of happens automatically. But let's say that you decided to get out of anger. You can't change your feeling, but you can change the way you act. So let's say you act “vitally interested” in something for a little while. That would be an act that you would put on, and you would get the feeling of being vitally interested in a little while.
Now the way this works is….first thing, you think how you would like to feel. You kind of know that don't you? You don't have to think too long on that? So I would like to feel vitally interested and at peace with the world, is that all right? So you think that. Then you would ask yourself:
"How would I act if I already felt this way?"
Well you don't feel that way! But how would you “act” if you felt that way. You would be interested. You'd have a smile on your face. You'd stand up erect, walk around like you knew what you were doing and so forth. So you begin to act that way. You would put on an act after thinking. It's purely an act, a "put on" if you please. And in very short order you will begin to feel that way--it usually takes about 30 minutes of acting and you will begin to feel “vitally interested.”
Now let's say you haven't been angry in a long time, but you're bored. So if you wanted to be angry, all you got to do is clench your fists, lock your teeth and march around like you're going to slaughter somebody, and you'll begin to feel angry in a very few minutes--probably in less time than it takes to feel good. But you'll feel angry in a little bit. So you can experiment with these three ideas of “think”, “act”, “feel”.
Now our ordinary way of “being” is that we feel a certain way when we wake up in the morning like ‘gr-r-r-r-r-r-r-r”. So we automatically begin to act that way, and, consequently, we think to explain why we're so miserable. That spells F-A-T.—so we call it “Fathead” or backwords would be “we feel”, then “we act” that way and then “we think” as to why we feel that way—that’s the FAT of “fathead”.
So we can reverse it and change it to TAF-think, act, feel. So you can go anywhere you want to on the “tone scale” except the upper states mentioned up here that we said is a gift of grace or undeserved goods or whatever way you want to say it.
But we can certainly get to exhilaration with think, act, feel. Did you ever experiment with that sir?
(Yes.)
Did it work?
(Every time.)
It worked every time you used it. So you could feel fantastic from now on if you wanted to take the time to pay attention and put on an act, ok? Pretty soon you won't have to act because you'll really feel good, ok? Of course, by old habit you'll go back to it tomorrow morning. So practice it every day for two weeks and you'll get so you stay there all the time.
(Whad do you do if you're around a lot of people who are complaining and whatever .....)
You laugh.
(I think if you laugh, you’ll get punched out.)
Sure you just laugh, they don't know what you're laughing about, and they think you're stupid anyway. They don't hate you usually. I've tried it; you can laugh all day with these complainers and "bitchers" when they come by.
(Might it be good for you to get off by yourself--you maybe able to at least go to “contentment”? You don't want to be “vitally interested” in their complaining?)
I'm not interested in their vital complaining. I'm interested in seeing "what's going on". Ok'?
And their complaining is a good thing to be interested in if you want to be; but I've got my own things to be interested in. You'll find people who will complain and play the victim role and everything all day long every day. So if you have to escape from them in order to feel good, you'll have to be a hermit. And hermits are dreary people. Were you ever around one? They want to live by themselves and don't want to be bothered; and they're usually ticked off anyways. (When you were experiencing these other people in these lower states such as complaining; do you see “what is” and “what the value is of what is? How do you see the value?)
I don't see any value, to me. So they're probably enjoying it. So the value I see is that it reminds me not to do it.
(You see the results of doing it, so you see the value of not doing it?)
I see the value of not doing it.
(There's no value in doing it?)
No, no none whatsoever. I said it's a big liability. So the person's in a great state of liability, and the liability reaches also to their inner state of being. They're deteriorating, and they're getting sick. They feel miserable. They are just in an altogether miserable state of being. I don't want to be there with them.
Now I don't have to run totally off by myself or get out in a boat in the middle of the ocean to get away from it. I just see “Well that's your deal and this is mine”. So I say to myself when I'm around those folks. I say:
“THAT'S YOUR INNER STATE, THIS IS MINE. I'LL TAKE MINE, YOU KEEP YOURS.”
I just say frequently to myself, that's your inner state, this is mine. I like mine and I'm not going to let anybody take it away from me, ok? They can complain, they can cry, they can talk the house of doom down................... I won't feel miserable, ok?
If there's anything I can do for one of them, I will gladly do it; but if I can't, I'll just let it alone. Ok? Most of them I can't do anything about.
(I'm involved in a kind of business relationship with a guy that I work with; and his not “I”s are so lightning quick that……..)
So what?
(Lightning fast. He changes. Like he'll say one thing and two seconds later he'll say the exact opposite.)
So what?
(He does it constantly, so I’m constantly confused and frustrated.)
Why are you confused? You see what he's doing.
(I know, but it's difficult.)
Well, I wouldn't work there then.
(I've told him a couple of times: “Well, you just said that and now your saying this. He says "No I didn't.”)
He doesn't know any difference, so what's the difference. He's totally unconscious, so why try to straighten him out. You see “what's going on’ and laugh. You can do that if you’re vitally interested. If you want to be confused about it, be confused.
(I should tape our conversations and play it back so I remember when he does it next time.)
You can just ignore it, you can say that is your inner state, this is mine. You don't allow yourself to get confused just because he is. You are telling me that you're confused, so that's your inner state. But you can realize that this is my inner state—I’m choosing my inner state, and I'm not confused. You don't say it out loud--you say it to yourself. “That is your inner state, this is mine.” You will find you can get along there quite well.
You are playing the victim role because you work with him and he is expressing confusion, and it makes you confused. But you're playing the victim role there Miss Mary; and it's not a great, desirable state either. Ok?
(Bob what was the difference between exhilaration and vital interest?)
(Beginning of tape two so words may be missing.)
(Would you say a little bit more on how you act?)
Well, I told you, but I'll run it by again. I said first you get a smile on your face, stand up straight, you move like you know where you're going, ok? And you are looking at things because you are interested in them. Doesn't matter what it is you're interested in. You could be interested in squirrels in the back yard. You could be interested in cats on the floor. Or you could be interested in cars on the street. Or you could be interested in art or some subject you see in front of you at the moment. But act interested. That help all right David? Ok, another question right here?
(What about somebody who when he gets bored he moves down the tone scale?)
That's quite often. Most people who live down here in the lower moods vary up and down here--but they always have a home base whether it’s anger, fear, held resentment or whatever. But they move around from time to time. Ok?
(Could you say to X, I want to be in vital interest, and X would take care of the how.)
If you act your part as a partner—you see, you must do your part too. Nothing will happen unless you act it, don't just say it. Just do your part by acting out the vital interest.
(My son was on the golf course and he hit a bad shot, and he started getting caught in feeing frustrated at that. Could he get vitally interested in trees and squirrels and things and get himself distracted?)
Well, he could get himself into vital interest when he started on the golf course that morning. He would say, I'm interested in this ball going where I look for it to go, ok? Don't worry about all the little fancy swings and the tees and all that good stuff--just go out and say "I want the ball over there." So it goes over there. X will take it over there then.
(Then he has all the time until the next shot when he’s walking down to the next tee to see it going in the hole? Right Dray?)
Oh well, he makes it important that he does it right and gets to worrying, "Now what if I don't stand just right or swing just right," or something or other. But if he walks up to the ball and says, “you're here and I want you over there”, then he'll hit it and it'll get there. Ok?
(I think I just need a little bit of clarification Bob. You said before that the upper states are the ones that enable you to be of service like healing or accomplishing something, but if it's grace, you can't put yourself there, can you?)
No, you can't put yourself there; but when you're needed to be there, you do.
(So if you're in vital interest...)
Somebody called me up and said he wanted to walk on water, and I said "What do you need it for?" They have boats and bridges and all these things. "What do you need to walk on water for?" If you don't need it, wait until it turns into ice and then you can walk on it.
(Well, Bob, suppose you're being in vital interest and someone says I need a healing, and asks for help. You can't put yourself in a state.)
No, but if you're vitally interested, you're liable to be there in just a minute.
(So when the need is presented, you're there.)
You're there, yeah. Grace takes care of that.
(To be in the upper states, isn’t there something you would need to see?)
No.
(What would be the state?)
We'll say that one day you were floating along here in vital interest and somebody come along and needed something that “this” level would fill. You'd be there. And you might be there for 10 minutes or you might be there for a half an hour, whatever, then you'd be back here in vital interest again. And then another probable case could happen the same day. Somebody comes along with some need, and you were in vital interest; and so you'd again be in the appropriate upper state. But it is not a permanent state, thank goodness.
(For a healing of a physical problem which state would that be?)
It would take you up to magi.
(You would go all the way up there?)
Oh, yeah.
(Would you feel differently?)
Oh yeah, you'd feel differently until the job got done, then you’d go back to vital interest, ok?
(There's no reason to stay up there.)
No it'd be worthless up there. Do you want to be a great healer every minute?
(So, people can get into vital interest.)
That you can do deliberately.
(Are there people who are permanently in those upper states?)
No.
(So they don’t stay in the upper state until they get to be Christ-like man.)
That's correct.
(Then that would be permanent?)
That's what I heard. I said don't know, I have to tell you second hand here.
(Some of these other ones are speaking in tongues. What does that mean?)
They talk where the person they're talking to can understand even though it's a foreign language. So in other words if you met a Greek and you really needed to speak to them. I don't know -maybe you speak Greek. But more than likely you could speak to him in your languate and he would understand in his language.
(You would speak in your own language, but he would understand?)
As far as you're concerned you would be speaking in your own, but he would understand you in Greek.
(If you're in a really tight spot somewhere and you really need to know something.)
It'll be there.
(You mean if you can get to vital interest.)
You stay in vital interest; the rest of it will take care of itself, ok?
(What is the characteristic of the magi?)
A magi is a person who can do healing and speak in tongues and has no problems of his own. While he's in the state of maji, he can be of assistance in whatever difficulty a person has.
(He also sees some things clearly?)
Oh yes, he sees everything clearly. And he's a healer.
But the prophet--I didn't get down what you said about the prophet.
The prophet sees relationships within the relationships.
(More than the artist?)
Yeah, the artist sees physical relationships.
(Could this apply to something like this--we have close friends--delightful people. They have a daughter who one day came home from work and said to her mother that two blocks down the street she had seen this terrible accident. She described the whole accident clearly. They went down there and there was no accident. Two days later an accident happened exactly as she had described it. Is she at that moment in one of the upper states or not?)
Probably so. She could see the future.
(She was not trying; she was just walking home and saw it.)
It just happened. If she had tried she wouldn't have seen it.
(She might have been in vital interest)
Might have been. She apparently was, and so she went up and happened to see what was going to happen. I don't know how they see what they see, but they see it, describe it, and it happens. I've seen that situation a few times. And people call them big liars--first off. But in some cases, they're not big liars, ok?
(I know several people who call themselves clairvoyant.)
Oh yeah, they CALL themselves that.
(But I'm saying they do seem to have the ability. They can, like, grab it. And yet at the same time they are very ego-centric. They have a strong not-I center. What is happening?)
I don't know. I'd have to check on that one to see. But I really don't know.)
(But you've met people like that.)
I've met people like that.
(What is the characteristic of this clairvoyant?)
Clairvoyant can see all sorts of things that other people can't see--see things that are happening in Europe while he's sitting right here. Or he can see something that's going to happen tomorrow, next week or whenever it's going to happen. He really doesn't know. He thinks it's happening right now while he's in it.
(If you're with him and he's claiming it, he might not really be there.)
That's right. But if he tells you he's a clairvoyant, why I would forget about it. I'd forget about it. “Self-proclaimed clairvoyants”, I'd forget about.
(I had an experience last year where I felt like I was pulled up through this tunnel of light’ and at the top of it I felt like this total love, and it healed some things in me psychologically)
Good.
(Would that have been exhilaration or bliss?)
Probably so. Probably exhilaration for a little while.
(I saw a whole picture of what I had been ……….I saw a big truth about how I had been seeing things in a flash. Could that have been like exhilaration.)
Ok. Probably was exhilarated and you saw something. You felt much better. It was for you not other people, ok?
(I had an experience once of sleeplessness when I was building something out of wood, I got all involved in this and was working way late into the night. Finally, when I needed to go to sleep, I laid down; but there was no way I could get out of that creativeness--I just laid there thinking about going back out there and working on this wood. Is there a way of getting out of that?)
No, not until it's ready. It doesn’t care about your sleep. When it gets ready, it will quit and then you're all right; but no, you have no choice when you're going to be there or a choice of how long you're going to be there. It might be a flash like Mary said, or it may be hours, ok?
Yes, Charles?
(In what state would you be in connection with unconditional love?)
Probably magi. They have unconditional love. And it would be there for the time you were in the “state of maji”, and then you’d go back down--say down to here. (vital interest) OK?
(I know a wonderful teacher that works with first and second graders, and what you said clarified something for me. When her students say, “I’m bored”, she says, “Only boring people are bored, so you just get yourself interested in something. She teaches them this idea right in the very beginning. Bored?--find something to do. And I thought that was interesting?)
People that are bored are boring people. That's true. That's right. Ok? Another comment or question?
(Direct contact with X--I believe you said was that the Christ-like man or was it ....?)
That was Christ-like man.
(I guess I'm not sure exactly what that means because..... )
I don't know either. I told you that, I don't know.
(On other levels is there a feeling of union?)
Any of these would have that feeling of union.
(But the top one is something a little different.)
That's something that I don't know about. If I ever know I'll let you know.
(Can you clarify relationships for me? Artist is physical relationships--like what you would build. How things work?)
Building--working on the relationship between the house and the trees–the relationship between you and another person, people or things.
(What's the difference between prophet and relationships?)
Prophet has far more understanding of a relationship and will see the ends of the relationship. Sees how the relationship will end.
(All of us have the possibilities of being up to Magi depending on the experience needed?)
Far as I know you have the opportunity to be there if it's needed. Ok?
(Well I guess you see lots of us who make it through all the various stages, and I was wondering if you've seen any make it up to the top.)
Yeah, I expect so. Some of us will get there. I hope.
(The question is have you already seen people in those states?)
I haven't seen a person in the top one. I've seen them all up to here, but I've never seen that one.
(Never seen the top one?)
I said I'm going by what I was told are the attributes of that person. Yes, sir?
(Bob, you said several times, if it's needed. Does this have to do with the environment in which....)
Seems to be that if there is a need for a healing you can be there. If there is a need to see the outcome of a relationship you'd be here and so forth. Only when you need it. I don't think it's just by will.
(From artist on up then you're saying is it from within your ….Inaudible…. needed for yourself. Artist on up is what’s needed for the people around you?)
It seems that way more than likely. Most of the time. It may be for you now and then. I don't know. But it's usually for other people. Ok?
(Is there a change in the body when one is going from vital interest to artist or above? It seems to be that something changes in the body…...)
Yep, there sure is. It quits deteriorating. It looks very vital, ok? Things go on in the body we don't know about.
(That's not necessarily a lasting state, though?)
No, not necessarily, it'll stay around for a while.
Yes, Charles?
(This question of when it's needed.)
When it has something that it can do. Something that can be done that aids a person some way or another.
(Does the person have to want it to happen to them?)
More than likely, Yes.
(I'm sure that you see all kinds of needs?)
Yep, there's always needs around.
(Are there needs that you don't do anything about?)
Correct, I don't do a thing, but then again, sometimes I do.
(So to get in that state, it needs something that is needed. I don't quite understand what that means?)
Well, it would be advantageous for the person to have a certain thing, and probably they want it, I don't know. I suspect a definite want has to be in everything that’s needed. Yes.
(It sounds as though we can report to X until we reach that vital interest, and at that time something takes over and possibly X takes over. Where our reporting doesn't really matter because what will happen will happen……..and so when you reach that vital interest, those self- centered not I’s are not there.)
That is usually when a person can report accurately, ok?
(That person is not figuring out what to report?)
No.
(It's just being reported, so I'm not reporting, the reporting is happening.)
That's correct. We'll talk about that……ok?
You see I don't think this person down here in apathy could report anything. They say, "I sure hope so." But they're tone of voice says, I know damn well it won't. So that takes care of that.
(Can you know what they're thinking?)
No, they aren't thinking--they're just reacting. I told the lady that she'd be dead by morning, and she said "I sure hope so."
(But she was really pleading with you and begging and all this kind of stuff to feel better wasn't she?)
No. She was enjoying playing the victim role.
(So if someone is asking us to report for them because everything is so horrible and all that kind of stuff…….)
They're just playing the victim role.
(So they're playing the victim role. So to yourself you say, you're just playing victim and……….)
So I'll report for you, go on, what difference does it make? Mary?
(I had a case where I spent an afternoon trying to write a song; and I don't get very far .....)
No, it didn't get started, did it? You couldn't get the first line.
(I went to bed that night, and just as I was about to fall asleep, suddenly a whole song came full blown—everything--all the lyrics, music and such.)
There it is.
(And I got up and notated it; and it's like I didn't write it, It just came ………..)
That happens when you don't make things important. As long as you were making it important to write the song, you couldn't write two words that fit together.
(What kind of state is one in when it feels like it's just dictated to you?)
Oh, any kind.
(You have to get up and write it down.)
Oh any kind, as long as you're not making things important. Ok?
(Is that an artist state when you .....)
Oh no, it's probably vital interest. Don't make things important and you'll have it happen more often. I said we'll talk about that after lunch, ok?
Ok--another word, another question? Everybody get involved in this. Yes?
(So it's a decision when you recognize that you are in fear or anger. I had a situation where I became emotional for about a week and really saw where I can't physically handle the emotion.)
In other words, the anger was rattling around.
(Is it just the process of recognizing the conditioning has taken over?.)
Yes, recognizing and doing something about it. Think, act, and you will get to feeling like you want to instead of the miserable state you were in. ok?
(Thank goodness it only lasted a week, when before it was my whole lifestyle.)
So you could have had it last for only thirty minutes, if you were willing to work to change it, ok? And you can get up to vital interest in thirty minutes. Say you were down here in fear or apathy or the next thing to it. You could be in vital interest in thirty minutes if you think how you want to feel and then act like it was already there; and then the appropriate feeling will happen. That's is a tool that you always have handy to do--if you remember to do it. That’s self-remembering. If you forget and start feeling how much of a victim you are, and what a horrible state you're in, you can get in a mess for quite a while, ok?
Burl?
(So a way to use that every day is maybe to use it as your purpose of living.)
Ok use it as a purpose. I'll just feel good today. What's wrong with that? Start acting on it and you'll do it. Ok? You don't have to put on an act for thirty minutes; we're all “ham actors and actresses”. Why not do it right now? Ok?
Long as we have taken all this time, we'll take a break until 2:00 p.m. Meanwhile I will be here to have private appointments if anybody so wants to have one. I'll tell you more or less in private what I said in public. I'll be here to retell it in private if you want it that way.
(After lunch)
The three brains
Let’s see if we can find out about us human beings--strange creatures. So we'll talk about the brain situation. You have three of them. We're called three-brain creatures. So we'll consider what each brain does and what we can do with them under different circumstances.
The first brain is number one, and is called a primitive brain. They called it “primitive brain” because the most primitive creatures on earth have it. They only have one. The primitive brain looks after the body. It does a very good job of taking care of it. If you get excited, it runs the heart rate up, blood pressure up and digestion stops and all that stuff. So it knows exactly what to do. If you exercise, it makes the muscles stronger. If you goof off, it makes them weaker. It's not going to do anything for you if you don't need it. So if you lift big weights, it'll build big muscles on you. And it digests food, tells you when you’re sleepy, and when to stay awake. And when you go to sleep it tells you when to wake up. It takes perfectly good care of the body, and I suppose it laughs a lot when it hears people say they “should do this for their health and that for their health”. That they should take a little exercise and that they should eat some oat bran and whathaveyou. And it knows exactly what you need if you just listen to it, it takes good care of it. So number one is the primitive brain.
Number two is the brain of logic and reason. Now it works real well to solve math problems. It does a few other things, but not near as much as we ask of it. We ask it to tell tis what to do, and what the future will bring; and what everybody’s motive was in saying or doing something; and what to do to get rich and what to do to be peaceful and all sorts of invalid questions that the number two brain cannot answer. So the individual ends up with a lot of misconceptions, confusion and conflict, and shall we say, a lot of noise inside.
So if we look at it as the brain of logic and reason, we can use it for logic and reason to work math problems and whathaveyou, but we wouldn't use it for living purposes. But everybody tries to use it as a living ordinance and it doesn't work very well.
The number three brain is called the ‘intuitive brain”. Now it has intuitive action and it only works when everything else is quiet. So you’ve heard about a quiet mind. This is what you've working for is to have a quiet mind. When you’re mind is quiet, then intuition takes place. I heard some gentlemen talking about writing a song. He said he sat down and tried to use logic and reason to compose, and he couldn't get a word or a note down. He worked for hours. Finally he just gave up and let the mind go quiet. So when it got quiet and was doing nothing, “so to speak” all of a sudden he had a whole song written--just in a flash--because “intuition” made it available.
So we do a pretty good job with trying to ‘control the primitive brain”; and we do a pretty good job of trying to use the logic and reason brain for everything; but we usually do nothing with the “intuitive brain”. One of the best things to get the mind real quiet is to listen. I don't care if you’re out in the desert or on the coast or on the beach or anywhere, you can “just listen” to see what you can hear. And if you're very quiet, you'll find the mind gets quiet almost instantly once you start listening, really listening. Want to try it right now.
(I heard the bird outside.)
Well, just listen. Are you thinking anything while you're listening?
(No.) Quiet as can be, isn't it? Ok? So then if you had something you wanted to know, you'd ask the question and then, shall we say, just listen contently for a little bit. The mind becomes very quiet and then you will know from intuition basically what you asked for or about. You will know it very easy. But, you see,
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