Workshop - Santa Ana, CA School – 1977 - Page 8 of 12

Note from proofreaders:  Marsha does the original transcribing from cassette tapes or CD’s and we do the final proofreading.  We strive to give as close a verbatim transcript as possible, so that this can be a companion to the audio files found in the “Links” section.  We work to retain Dr. Bob’s interesting vernacular.  If you knew the man, not correcting his grammar and laid back “Kentucky-ese” makes reading it sound like he’s actually talking.  He’d say “everone” for “everyone”; or “somewheres” instead of “somewhere”, and many more…all part of his dialect of which we’ve tried to remain true.  Notations have been added where there was audience (laughter), which was quite often.  He was a master at keeping the mood up! 
(Audience participation is contained in parenthesis. )
Any emphasized word is in italics.
[ Any clarifications for the reader in regards to Dr. Bob’s references, words, or actions have been italicized inside brackets. ]      

Continued from page 7:

Well, it was taken over by somebody who thought he knew somethin' about it and didn't quite know it all; but he was acquainted with it very much so.  And he was a Pharisee and not Essene.  And he got converted to the ideas of the Essene and he was like certain ones, he got some of it and then he wanted to put some of the Pharisees in it.  It's reminded in the central parable of the Scripture says that a man knows how to sow.  And there's four things can happen to the seed he sows, ok?  One, it can hit a rock and the birds eat it up.  And two that it falls on a real shallow ground and the… springs up real quick, but the first little frost or little wind or a little dust storm, somethin' comes along, it falls down because it has no root.  Some falls amongst the brambles, which means of course, mix it up with some of your pet ideas, otherwise.  And some falls on good soil.  And so Paul, in his total zeal, couldn't have been wrong with all of his Pharisee tradition, and when he came across the Essene tradition which was the School that was a working School and had not been diluted at that time, he had to mix a little of the two together, ok?  And you'll find a lot of Pharisees, which is where the preachers like to preach out of because they can find the appropriate word here and there that says all these things that you should do, you know… and ought to do and how women ought to be sittin’ in the back corner and don't never say nothin' 'cause their husbands will do all the talkin’ for 'em and all that BS.  Shouldn't cut your hair either, you know. 

(Sampson met a cropper on that one.)

Yeah, well Sampson was a man and he belonged to the Nazarite order and the Nazarites never used whiskers – they were the original hippies.  And when he cut his hair (when old Delilah kind of petted him up and cut his hair off) why he couldn't live to [unclear].   But when his hair grew back out, he yanked the temple down.  That's quite a long story, and that's a symbolic story too. 

(What’s the meaning of the book of Job?)

Well, Job tells… it's a little novel and a little Teaching story that people are always tryin’ to explain everything.  So Job had all these terrible troubles, you know.  Wives and kids got killed and his houses got burned down and his… the lightening and all of his cattle and camels and donkeys and cattle died.  And everbody come and said, "You did somethin’ wrong and that's why it happened."  But the real story was that one fine Sunday mornin’ or Monday mornin’ or somethin' up in heaven, why the King of the Heavens was sittin' there having His morning coffee and Lucifer walked through (which was one of His sons) and the Father said to son Lucifer, "Where you been?"  He said, "I've been out runnin' to and fro through the earth and watchin' all these jokers laugh at you.”  And He said, "Well how about my servant, Job?  He's very dependable."  He says, "Yeah he is, but just pinch him a little bit."  He says, "He's got everything; you've pampered him to death.  But if we kinda bugged him a little bit, he'd call you an S.O.B."  So the father gave Lucifer, His older son, permission to go down and pinch him.  He said, "Now you can't really hurt him, but you can cause him a lot of trouble."  So that's when he went down and had all the sons, his whole descendants was havin' a big party over at one place and lightning hit the house and killed ‘em all.  And a whole bunch of the cattle died and the camels run off and all this stuff; but still old Job hung in there and he still worshipped the Almighty Being.  And so went back, got up one mornin' and was havin’ coffee and the devil or Lucifer said, "Well, I didn't quite get him; but you didn’t let me hurt him.  If I just pinch him a little bit… I just knocked off some of his kids and stuff."  So they made another bet and he goes back and that time he gives him boils and all these things.  He told him he couldn't kill him, but he could really torment him, you know, put boils all over him ‘n everthing.  And so he still didn't go and all of his friends come and tried to tell him how bad he must have been or he wouldn't have all these things.  So you see you never know where your troubles come from.  Maybe just Lucifer and God are havin' a bet.  (laughter)

That's what the story is, isn’t it?  Read it!  The point of the story is that, “If you serve me, Oh Lord…” which is a prayer – it comes out to the traditions says if you can say this prayer, you don't need to bother with much else:  "If I serve you, oh Lord, to gain a heaven, deny it to me.  And if I serve you, oh Lord, to escape a hell, throw me in.  Amen.”  So you see most people are only doin’ all their religious kick as a hope – a little insurance policy to try to gain the Four Dual Basic Urges.  And if you already see you have all the Four Dual Basic Urges, then you're simply being a good servant at the party; you're not trying to gain a heaven or escape a hell, hmm?  You're just doin' it as a way of saying, “Thank you.”  So if I be a good guest to gain a heaven, deny it to me.  If I'm trying to be a good guest to escape a hell, throw me in.  Amen.  So that's what the story of Job is about.  That Job wasn't servin’ God to gain a heaven or escape a hell, he was just sayin’ thank you.  And even though he had all these difficulties, he still was around and damn lucky he was at the party – even though God and Lucifer was havin’ a big bet over him.  I think it's a pretty little story myself.  Course I don't think it happened, but it's a good story – a Teaching story. Huh?

(As long as you're not a part of the bet, you're safe.)

[Bob laughs as he talks]  I think once or twice I've been part of the bet!  (laughter)

(Bob, in the various cultures as far as I can find out, a lot of them have a Jonah and the whale.)

Yeah, that's a very, very old… Jonah and the whale.  Right, that’s a.... a man come out of the fish.  The fish swallowed him and went away.  Well, the fish represents underwater, you know, a creature under water, which is darkness to the general idea.  And all of us have been swallowed by the Four Dual Basic Urges, which is the whale.  But if we finally see what we are, where we are, then the whale spits us out and we can be on dry land, and it's basically that story.

(I understand that this is also been attributed to the Inca or Aztec culture.)

Yeah, it was.  They had it down there, too.  Some guy showed up down there and taught 'em quite a bit – how to farm and raise cloth, ‘er make cloth, and all sorts of things.

(May I ask a question at this point that maybe digresses from everything?  In my way of thinking, it's probably quite logical that the Phoenicians, in their wanderings, were very quickly and easily blown across the Canary Islands.)

Yeah.

(Once the trade winds get 'em it goes into the windward, why off they went.)

Right, liable to wind up in Belize.

(Well, I hope not in Belize.  I know you want to go there, but it’s awful buggy.)

That's the end of the world – Belize.  I like it! 

(Anyway is there anything you've run across that, uh, any indications or anything how this thing was carried across because the teachings seem to be on both sides of the water.)

Quetzalcoatl, he was down there, and he came in a ship.  It was very similar to the ones that Cortes came in because they were fully prepared… Cortes, if he would have just not been such a stupid zealot.

(He would have had it, wouldn’t he?)

Oh man, he was offered the whole kingdom.  Montezuma said, "Here it is," if he just wouldn't be a smart ass and try to make a Catholic out of him.

(Well, you know what the times were.)

Yeah, I know, but old Cortes was so intent on convertin’ ‘em.

(The library that was destroyed by the priest down there, that was –)

Oh, that was somethin’ atrocious.  I did have one book that we did… I think Max has it over at his house now.  He always gets all my stuff.  His fingers are very sticky.  (laughter)  We did photocopy one – it's one fantastic one.  I'll try to get ahold of it for you.  Old Cortes and Montezuma and it’s one of the most fantastic book I've ever read and I'll try to get it.  That was the most fantastic story of this whole bit of Cortes comin’ down and took over.  Montezuma was a smarter man than Cortes was, really.  Brilliant.  I’ll try to find it.  The book’s never been published in this country – I got it off down in the woods somewhere.

(Bob, I don't know the Bible, but there seems to be an awful lot of talk about reincarnation, various aspects of...)

I don't know anything about reincarnation.  I only know that you're incarnated.  So there's a difference between incarnation and re-incarnated.  And anybody that tells me about reincarnation, I would like to know what's gonna be "re".  (laughter)  What are you gonna do?  All of our screwy problems and their crazy misconceptions and so forth?  Those are all in the brain apparently because you can cut off a little piece of brain and that's gone.  You cut off a little bit more and that's gone and that's gone and pretty soon it's all gone so what would be reincarnated anyway – the personality?   That's a mess.  A, you got one of those anytime you get born anyway and B, you have that for a minute so why carry it around?  I don't know anything about it.  I just know you’re incarnated.  So I see X incarnate continually; and it builds its nice little Awareness Function and nice little pick up unit called a body and it's all there.  I don't know why it would do any reincarnating.  Of course, I'm like the guy that said he wasn't so concerned if there was life after death, he wanted to know if there was life after birth.  That's the one I'm working on. 

(I assume that you probably read the book "Life after Life".)

Yeah, I went by it.  I also read the one called "Many Mansions" and I've also attended little sessions where we put people into regression and took 'em back to past lives.  I've also, to very few, sent 'em forward for 300 years and they were in other lives.  You see I'm always screwy.  When they started all this, you remember back years ago they had Bridey Murphy craze goin' on?  Well they talked about regressions, so in hypnosis it's fairly ordinary to regress a person back to childhood and all this stuff and then you can just go on further and they'll always tell you somethin'.  So I decided – you know, bein' the reprobate that I am – to advance ‘em.  So I had ‘em tell me what went on today, and what's goin' on tomorrow and then I took 'em next week, next month, next year and then I took 'em 50 years, 100 years and 200 years down the line and they all told me just beautiful stuff just the same.

(Were they able to tell you their deaths when you went forward?)

Aw, they'd tell you somethin', you know.

(Did you ever keep track?) 

Oh, sure.  A person under hypnosis will not… there's no capability of telling you, "I don't know" or, "I can't,” so they'll always give you a story.  They have no capability of sayin’, "I don't know".  No matter what you ask ‘em, they'll give you an answer.  Now if the material is recorded in their head, they'll give you a straight answer.  If it's not recorded in there, they'll give you an answer – period.  I've done all sorts of stuff.

(Were you able to check anything out on it – in a week for instance?)

Oh, yeah.  They don't know any more about it than you do.

(Did it check out, what really happened?)

Course not.  They don't know any more about it than you do.  It hasn't been made yet.  Even you went to a little movie last night, I think I recall that in the script it says, "I don't know what it's gonna do, I haven't made it yet."

(What about a person who's been generally anesthetized, you know, and they’re reported that, you know, the operating scene?) 

Oh yeah and all that stuff.  I've talked to those, too.

(Is that –)

Why they're just in a state of certain level of hypnosis.  Bring ‘em a little further they'll recall; you can lead 'em and a certain one they do.  And most of 'em can recall anything you have while you were unconscious, but that's far different.  Most of ‘em you know you can't remember anything while you was conked out.  I had a little anesthetic one time when I was kid and I went sailin' off out to the sky and I'd see a pretty cloud and I'd get it and it’d explode into fire; and it skip on it's floating and I kept catchin' bright little clouds and they'd explode and I finally fell into a mine cart, you know – the kind of carts that go down a chute and it knocked the doors open and I went in to total blackness and said, "I better get the hell outta here."  I was headed into the wrong place there.  (laughter)

(But he’s with us today.)

I stuck around [he laughs] – hell with that noise.  People have some dreams and also under certain states you hallucinate; and of course hypnosis is basically hallucination, induced.  And as long as there's somethin' recorded in their head, they'll give it to you straight.  But then you can send them beyond that and they have no capability of saying, "I don't know" or "I can't".  They have to carry out everything you give 'em.  So they’re beautiful – we got a dreamer in there.  You’ve had dreams, haven’t you?  And really it was based on nothing except you had a dream, a nice little picture last night probably, huh? 

(What about the second book, you know, which is supposedly about many people who have died, had the same experiences, no consistent backgrounds or anything?)

I know about those too.  I have worked with people with uh… that died.  I have had several of 'em.  I've worked with a couple resurrected beings, both bastards, but that's all right.  [he chuckles]  Try to get along with 'em.

(Are they really resurrected or did they come back?) 

Well, what's the difference?  They were dead and they came alive, so they both claimed they were resurrected.

(I assume resurrection is a transference of form.) 

Anyway, they came back after bein’ gone, said they were dead, ok?  Somebody said they were dead.  And both of 'em was awful hard to get along with – you really had to keep reminding yourself that’s Christ playing the part of a resurrected being.  (laughter)  And both of 'em tell the story that's somewhat similar.  But I also worked with people where they hallucinate when you go into a deep state of coma and the hallucinations are very similar.  And you can put a person in that state through hypnosis and they will hallucinate very similarly to that.  Now I don't think the person's totally dead just ‘cause he quit breathin’ or they're heart skipped a few beats.  If it did I wouldn't be around here either – my ticker slips a few beats every once in a while.  Has been known to all my life.  And just ‘cause you missed a breath or two and your ticker wasn't showin' on the thing, it really stopped and started again 'cause it was [unclear].  Doesn't mean to me the person's dead.  I mean it would knock them out.  I do know that, and they would hallucinate under that stage and hallucinations are very similar under that stage, yes.  And you could produce ‘em with hypnosis. 

(I heard of some woman that was dead two hours.)

Yes I met one that was dead seven hours according to the story.  They had her down to the funeral parlor and they was about ready to do all the good stuff, you know, like…  And some of the good brethren from the local congregation got over and prayed on her and she come to.  And she had been a very devout member of this holiness church group you know, where they have tongues and the whole bit.  But you know she never did go back to church or anything.  Pretty soon she had her a beer tavern out in the country and she and her husband both stayed drunk most of the time while they were running the tavern.  He come in one night (one of these guys with a big pot belly) he come in and said somethin’ to her and she was about nine tenths drunk and she grabbed up a French knife, the kind you use in a restaurant, and she drove it in his belly and it went straight in.  You know, she hit him so hard and it popped out and nobody knew that he even had a hole in there for a while; but he died in a few minutes.  And she's still servin’ time in the Ohio State Penitentiary for murder.  Now you know it'd been pretty well if they had just let her alone.  She'd a went out with a great reputation of being a very holy sister of the group.

(Hmm.  I missed something…)  (laughter)

Do what?

(I missed something.)

Did you?  What'd you miss?

(I think the whole thing.)  (laughter)   

And I have also known a lady that was in a coma and pronounced dead for 14 hours one time, yeah, and she came to and she told a whole lot of fantastic story.

(Bob, the fella that wrote the book Life after Life – I can’t remember his name – but I talked to him one time very briefly and I asked him if he'd ever hypnotized any of the people and he said no.  I said, "Why not?"  He said he thought he'd better leave that well enough alone.)

Right.  Better leave it alone before you mess up my whole book.

(So I didn't go into that with him because that was the name of that as far as he was concerned.)

I'm totally unconcerned with death and all that kind of stuff. 

(It's gonna happen so why worry about it?)

Well, I've had a terminal condition for years and I'm gettin' alone fine.  You know I always feel if I see if I have a terminal condition, I'm gonna live it up today – best I can make of it, huh?  Cause I don't know how long a time it’s gonna last.  (laughter)  You know I don't know and could care less whether there's life after death or not but I want to be sure there's a great amount of it after birth though. 

(Well, that's a decision we’re gonna postpone.)

Yeah, I'll find out about it soon enough.  I know I was totally unprepared to arrive in this world and I've got along all right so far.  I don't think I have to worry about the next one.  I'm sure if I could… if there is another one, there's no way I can conceive what it’s gonna be like any more than a baby in the uterus could conceive what this mess is gonna be like.  Don't you?  You see, people have wishful thinkin’:  “I'll get over there and I'll just have all the Four Dual Basic Urges and go flittin' around.  I'll have this bod, only it'll be prettier, understand.  And I can just go flittin around… just really a little nap,” so that's good wishful thinkin’.  Sounds good, it’s a good story, but I don't buy it.  Sometime when you haven't got anything else to do you can get the book called "The Great Divorce" by Lewis – the guy that wrote "Screwtape Letters" and stuff.  What's his first name?  E. S. Lewis I think or...

(C. S.)

C. S. Lewis. "The Great Divorce".  That's a real beauty. 

(It’s really good.)

Oh it is, it's a beaut.  And it's a real interesting reading.

(What's it about?)

Oh, what happens to you after you get dead. 

(Is it fiction?)   (big laughter)

Well, what else could it be, goodness sake!  What else could it be?  You been talking about fiction all evening.  What’s this stuff you was just telling me about here?  It's fiction too, dear. 

(I always satisfy my curiosity about this by saying if there was something I was supposed to know, I'd be told.)

Yeah, some way or other, I would remember it, too.  You know, if I could remember where I was 100 years ago it'd be all right.

(Even if you remember, you don't know if it…)

Right, just dreamed it up you see.  So I'm totally disinterested in where I was 100 years ago or a week ago or anything else; but I'm very proud to be here.

(If we had to bring our lives, if we did live again, and we had to bring that lifetime’s worth of conditioning down to this life, we’d fill a bucketful.)

Well, we had some events so the person's life is just an event and I don't want nothin' clutterin’ it up from the last trip around.  If I get a chance at another whack, I don't want nothin' of this one cluttering it up, honey.  [End of CD 16]

Santa Ana School – CD 17

(Background talk about food, drink, etc. as everyone gets settled.)

Okay, so we'll start off and talk about something 10 or 15 minutes this morning and then we'll all drift around and have a nice day somewheres.

(Okay.)

A few minutes is all right.  You don't want to work all morning, do you?

(Yeah.)  (Laughter)  (I do, yeah.)

We talked yesterday some time about – that I am free to experience whatever may arise in my way today.  And I said it was a very touchy thing because many times somebody decided that they didn't hear quite all of it and said, “I am free to do everything” and didn't hear it – it said, "I am free to experience what may arise." 

So to kind of help along with that we will put a little picture up here that we will for this mornin' refer to the “Two Worlds.”  [writes it on board]  It seems that we live in two different worlds simultaneously and sometimes we get 'em confused.  So I will try to leave them where they are non-confused.  I'll wipe off one world over here and one over here.  Now, “world” means the things that goes on – not the planet Earth.  So that's a planet or the Earth, not the world.  The world is what goes on in it, huh?  So the first one we will call the “Manmade World” because basically most of us help make it or have done – “Manmade World.”  And the other one we will call the “Real World of Living Beings.” [writes both on board]  The “Living Beings.”  Now, the manmade world is the world of machines, ideas, ideals, standards and games.  [writes these on board]  Now, any of us could use a machine and we can have all sorts of standards for the machine.  If it doesn't fit the standard, we say it’s a reject and throw it out, hmm?  And even a pair of shoes is a little portable floor so that's a machine, isn't it? 

(A portable floor.)

Well, isn't that what it is?  (laughter)

(I like that.)

Is that what it is, Gary?  It’s a portable floor – you walk around on it, carry it with you and put it out on rocks and concrete and everything.  And you’ve got a little portable floor to stand on all the time, right?  And, of course, a house is a manmade cave and so we can set those up, you know, and still makes a reasonably good cave.  We've never gone very far in housing – we make little boxes and get in ‘em.  And you can make a spark plug, and if the spark plug don't fit – the threads are drawn – we can say that's a reject and throw it out.  So we're very comfortable with machines.  So we have a tendency to carry that same idea – and the world of real living beings is a world of “Individuality.” [writes it on board]  So there is no two living beings – real living beings exactly alike – exactly alike.  Now, if you have a whole bunch of things and no two of 'em are exactly alike, you have to say they’re individual pieces of art.  And, therefore, there can be no standard for 'em.  So there is no standard for a real living being – no standard because no two are alike.  [writes it on board.]  They're individualized works of art.  Now, any of us can set up an idea and I could teach it to you or share it with you.  And then I could give you an examination a few days later and see how well you could play that idea back to me, that correct?  And I could grade you according to how well you replayed it – is A - B - C - D - E - F, hmm?

(Right.)

‘Cause you didn't give me back my idea real straight, I can say you flunked.  And if you give it back real good…now, it don't mean that the idea was true or anything but merely that you could play it back.  Now, we can also have set up ideals for how fast the traffic moves on the highway – it don't mean it'll do that, but we can set up the ideal.  We can set up an ideal as to how far the house is to be built from the property line.  We can set up an ideal as to how density the population gets in a given area, hmm?  And we can have all kinds of ideals as to what anybody is going to use as long as it’s not a human being.  But, again, we have so many ideals for everything else, we have a tendency to carry them over to people.  Now, you can have an ideal as to the colors you wear, right?  And the way your dress is made and the way your various articles of clothing you buy – what-have-you.  You can set up an ideal – that's fine.  And that's all right.  Now, the standards we come along and so that we could trade a little bit.  I can order me a pair of 13 AAA shoes from all sorts of places and when they get there, I’d wear ‘em – they feel good, huh?  I can order me a 42 long suit with 37 pants and a certain length on 'em and when they come in, they fit just fine.  I can order me a shirt and it comes in – why it'll be just right because we have standards, hmm?  And I can order a part for an automobile or most any other machine and I can get it and it'll fit because there's a standard set up for it.  And so, of course, we have a tendency to go overboard and say, “I can set up a standard for you.  You should weigh so much.  You should be so tall.  Your hair should be a certain color…” and so on down the line, huh?  But that don't work very well. 

And then, of course, we have all kinds of games.  Now, a game has certain things that goes on.  At first, there must be players or there's no game.  And then there must be rules of the game or there is no game – you're just goin' out and runnin' around, you're not playin' a game.  You're just gone for a hike or whatever you want to do – just fiddle-dickin’ around.  And you have to have rules and if there's rules you have to have an official who observes the rules.  And then there is rewards or penalties accordin’ to how we play the game – if we don't play the game accordin’ to the rules.  Now, if we observe this, we see that we have 100% freedom to play the games according to the rules.  So let's say that we were going to have a game called “baseball” – there would have to be players.  There has to be rules.  There has to be an official and, of course, they get rewards or penalties right down the line.  [writes these on board]  Now, the famous football team called the Tampa Bay didn't know they could win a game until the other day.  And they had a fluker, and then they went out and whipped the ones that whipped the Dallas Cowboys – just bloomp, you know?  That would say they were better than the Dallas Cowboys, wouldn't they, Gary?  If that team that they beat, beat the Dallas Cowboys it would indicate they were better than the Dallas Cowboys – which is supposed to be one of the top teams in football.  So there is everything that we play.  Now, if we took a game called “Traffic.”  [writes it on board]  Now, a lot of times we don't think of it bein' a game, but it really is.  It takes players.  It takes rules.  I'd hate to get out there if there wasn't any rules, wouldn't you?  Some guy decided he wanted to ride on the right-hand side of the road and another one drive on the left – one wanted to go north on one side of the freeway and another guy was wantin' to go south on that same side, it would be a little chaotic, hmm?  So I'm very thankful for the rules.  So, as long as I know the rules, it really doesn't matter what they are, does it?  I can play by one set of rules as well as I could another, couldn't you?  And if we don’t like the rules, we do gradually get them changed, if you've noticed.  Now, any of you'se been around a few years knows that there's a tremendous number of games that the rules have been changed in the last few years.  Now, you don't have to have a big fight or anything, it's just that gradually with a little insistence upon it, a new set of rules gets there, hmm?  So let's take the game called “Marriage.”  [writes it]  It's had a lot of rule changes lately – in fact it's about to go out of style.  They're playin that kind of game another way now – got a whole new set of rules for it anyway.  But, basically, it’s bein’ played entirely different.  Now, we can take “Business;” and always, in order to have a business, you must have players.  You gotta have rules.  You gotta have officials.  And there is great rewards and also great penalties for not playin' the game accordin’ to the rules, right?  So then if we can see that all of this is manmade – it is games – then I have no trouble playin' the rules.  I don't holler it's not fair because I can't drive 90 miles an hour on the freeway unless I'm taking a small chance of having the “umpire” – the guy out there with the little red light on top of his car – pull me over and give me a penalty ticket.  But I can go ahead and do it.  Now, I'm free to not play by the rules.  But, if I am, I better be free to pay a whole bunch of penalties – that correct, Tom?  I can play any of these games other than by the rules; but if I'm going to do that, I certainly better be prepared to pay a whole bunch of penalties.  Now, that's nothin’ haywire – bad struggle that I can see of. 

Now, there is four great games, which they forgot was games and tried to convince us they are not.  But we'll call them “Great Games.”  And we'll notice where, if we recognize they were games, we’d get along all right with them.  And if we forget they're games, because most everbody has agreed to forget they're games, we can get all tangled up with ‘em.  Now, the first game is “Power Policies.”  [writes it]  And they set up a standard for real living beings of what is "in."  Now, it's “in” to like certain people this year and it was “out” to like a few years ago.  It was “in” to like the Russians and hate the Japanese and love the Chinese.  Then, all of a sudden, that all got changed around because that didn't look like a balanced set-up.  And it became “in” to like the Japanese, “in” to hate the Russians and forget about those Chinese – preferably hate 'em a little bit, huh?  Now, for several years now we have hated Cuba – it's “in” to hate Cuba.  Now, then we're gettin' ready to all go down to visit the island as a resort area.  Next year, why we will all be gettin’ little trips to Cuba Island for resort, hmm?  We're gonna like those folks.  It’s in to like 'em. 

Now we can go through that for a long, long time – what's “in” and what's “out.”  But most of us can't 100% agree that everything they’re told to be “in,” is that right?  You agree with all the “in” things?

(No.)

No, so you are “out.”  (laughter)  At least to some degree, okay? 

Now, we also have the “Healing Arts,” which is a very great game.  [writes it]  And it has the players, the rules, officials, rewards or penalties.  But they try to get us to forget it and they set up a standard called “normal” for a human being.  Now, I went to school one time to study the healing arts.  And when I first arrived, one of the first things that we were told – that the dean was gonna give all the freshman a talk.  And I remember the talk very well because I thought how wonderful it was then, and I've laughed about it a lot of times since.  The basis was that he told us that we were there to study the first two years the “normal.”  So that when we were in third, fourth, and fifth years, that we would be in clinics and that we could recognize the abnormal.  (titters)  Well, now I thought that sounded very, very reasonable.  So I studied the “norm” for two years – charts, mannequins, all sorts of goodies like that.  And I knew the “norm” now – it was purely an imaginary set up.  But, since then, I examined a few thousands of people – in fact, at one time, I counted up the current files in my office and there was over 8,000 of 'em.  And then there's an awful lot of dead ones back there in dead files, not dead people – dead files.  And I moved a few times because I got tired of 8,000 people hackin' at me so I’d moved.  So I must have examined some 20,000 people in those years and, you know, I never found a one that fit the “normal” that I learned in the books and mannequins and charts and standards – not one!  So every one of you is a patient – including Judy, see?  Not only Judy, but everbody else is a patient because some of us has got somethin' that don't fit the norm.  You weigh too much, you weigh too little, you're not tall enough, you're too wide, your heart beats one or two times, at least, too fast or too slow, your blood pressure is a few points off – especially if I've just excited you or somebody almost hit you, or you been ticked off all night, and whatever.  So nobody fits, so all of us are what? 

(Out.)

Abnormal – no you was “out” before, now you're “out” and “abnormal.”  Now, you're “out” and “abnormal.” 

Then comes along “Theology.”  [writes it]  And we've all been exposed to some brand of it.  Even though you might say you’re an atheist – even an atheist is a theology.  And it has things that are set up as "good."  I attended a meeting not long ago where the whole thing was atheists; and they had the most set up of "goods" I ever heard of.  They was worse than the Baptists – they really had a slew of 'em laid out there.  So they set up a standard for "good"; and I don't know about the rest of you, but I've never been able to live up to all the standards of “good” I heard.  How about you, Neal?

(Never.)

How about you, Diane?  Did you live up to all the standards of “good” you've heard?

(And I really tried, too.)

And that I never did – because it doesn't look like any fun.  Did you live up to all the “goods,” Stacy?

(No.)

How about you?

(Uh-uh.)

No way, huh?  Did you – you really got a good dose of the goodies when you was growin’ up, didn't you?

(True.)

And could you live up to ‘em?  No way.  Now, some of us got better shots of the "goods" than others.  Our dear little friend got an awful good load of what was good and an awful long string of what was bad, wasn't it?  Real good.  And so then we're not only “out” and “abnormal,” we're “bad!”  (laughter)  That correct? 

(Yep.)

You're bad.  Now, furthermore, comes along “Big Business.”  [writes it]  Big business wanted to get in on the act so they set up a game and they established a standard called “pretty.”  And so, we're all supposed to be pretty.  And, of course, everthing that goes with you to fit the "pretty," you can't quite live up to it.  Even Gaye and Robin and all these little beauties can't live up to that, huh?  And so how do you feel about yourself sometimes?  You like you all right, huh?  But I notice that you spend a considerable amount of money – just casually walkin’ by, you know?  I've noticed you spend a great many dollars to try to cover up what's not pretty and make it pretty, that right?

(That's true.)

And do you?

(A whole lot.)

And do you?

(Yes.) 

And you?  And you?  And you?  And all the rest of us – we spend a whole bunch of loot to be sure we don't smell bad – we show up shiny and bright, with our hairs in the proper shape and form for the newest "in" of pretty, hmm?  But even then we can't quite make it so we all feel that, in some way, we're a little ugly.  So now we're not only “out,” Cici; we're out, bad, ugly and abnormal.  And, you see, that makes us great consumers.  We have a consuming economy and without feeling that I'm in some way at least a little bit bad, ugly, abnormal, and out, I wouldn't be such an overgrown consumer, would I?  You see if you have a ‘71 automobile – I don't care how well it runs, you're out – it's not pretty anymore, right?  It's an old clunker – and you absolutely need a new car.  And if you're wearing around a piece of clothes that you got three years ago, oh God forbid, hmm?  If your dress is not the proper length for this year's statement, you're in a mess, hmm?  Yes, Judy?

(Did anybody see “60 Minutes” a couple weeks ago on Saudi Arabia?  Talking about standards – they're so rich now that they're buying up all the perfume of France to embalm their dead.)  (Oh God.)  (And what else are they doing – but they're setting up new standards that –)

Of what's pretty and in and good and normal.

(That's right.)

So I said they could undergo changes, but, you see, it's been kept up and goes under constant changes of what's pretty even – is very decidedly changed.  But we all, at the present moment, spend considerable money to keep from bein’ abnormal, right – you're abnormal in some ways aren't you, Judy?  That's why you had to go to the doctor – ‘cause you’re “abnormal”.  And you spent a certain amount of money on bein’ pretty 'cause you must be ugly or you wouldn't spend all that loot on gettin' yourself prettied up.  Gettin’ your hair the right color and your eyeballs to match...

(She’s already very pretty.)  (But how do I keep it there?)  (Wait ‘til the grey comes in.)

Well now…see, I've been trying to get mine to get snow white for years and it just won't cooperate worth a durn.  It’s just got a lot of grey in it.

(Okay.)  (You haven't been scared enough, that's all.)  (laughter)

I was scared enough I lost several other things, but not my hair color.  So when we go around feelin’ that we're bad, ugly, abnormal, and out, are we not pretty much sittin' ducks for exploitation?  Hmm?  We're sittin' for exploitation.  Now, there’s a million ways to exploit us that we're not “in” properly.  In the first place, maybe we haven't joined the latest cult – it's “in,” you know – if it's been promoted adequately.  And the latest theology, you can call it a theology, you gotta be good or you're not good unless you're hep on so and so.  I'm questioned almost daily, are you up on so and so – whatever – I don't bother to mention ‘em because I choose to forget them.

(Werner Erhard?)

Werner Erhard?  Am I up on Werner?  I don't know – what's he kick up?

(EST.)

Oh, I've heard of that – I think I spent a little bit talkin’ about it once.  No, I'm not up on that or anything else, you know?  So that makes me “out” and a bad guy because I'm not “in” on that one, you know – or whatever.  And I'm not “in” on the latest theories of reincarnation or any of those good things.

(Astrology.)

Astrology.  Somebody asked me the other day, “When is your birthday?”  And so I got just about as far from it as I could figure out – about six, seven months off, I said.  He said, “I knew it.”  (lots of laughter) 

(When someone asks me what sign you are I say, “Slippery when wet.”)

Right.  They got off the road there, you popped up, huh?  So I wasn't born under any signs – I think they found me under a rock back there when they was lookin' for fishin' worms and so forth, found me along with it.  But, nevertheless, you see that there is great business of people very involved in this.  And then they want to know what the letters in your name is and they sit down and do some quick mathematics – they number the letters and then they tell you all about you then.  And so I give 'em incorrect spellings of the name.  And, besides that, I’ve changed it three times since I was born and I doubt if it really all jives up anymore, you know?  So how could you tell anything about all that junk, you know?  But it’s all “in” – that's some theology these days – and very essential. 

Now, I can see what all the games are that I choose to play.  As we’ve said – in the “Big Party” – that we can choose to play whatever games we want.  And I cannot play some of the others.  One time I decided I didn't want to play the traffic game.  So, for no particular reason, I just didn't drive a car for three years.  Nobody bugged me about not playin’ the game.  And when I wanted to play the game, I went down and got me another little card that said I could drive a car.  You know, I got their permission to play that game.  I got my card and now I can play the game whenever I want to.  I still don't like it very well, but that's immaterial.  But, if I'm going to play the games, then it behooves me to know that I either play the game accordin’ to the rule or be prepared to pay penalties, hmm?  Now, the other day I wanted to go 750 miles – was burdened with a car to do it with and I wanted to do it in about 12 hours.  I did, but I was fully prepared to pay a penalty.  However, every time I saw a police car, I saw him as X drivin’ – playin’ the role of a policeman – and they all looked the other way.  And I sped ‘round through.  And they did pull five guys off right in front of me, but they let me on through.  Now, the next time I'll probably get a ticket for going 56 miles an hour – that's true, too.  But, anyway, I got through.  But I was fully prepared to pay a penalty; but I did want to not play the game according to the rules that particular day.  'Cause I wanted to be at a given place at a given time and I got there…and didn't have to pay a penalty.  But, you know, that don't mean I won't get one today 'cause sooner or later…I never fuss when I get a ticket because I think of all those 100 ones that I passed by and didn’t get one – simple enough.  So if I want to play any game at the Big Party, I can play the game of whatever it is.  And I can join in with the other players – play by the rules – thankful for the “official-ness” that the game is played by the rules.  And take my rewards or penalties accordin’ to how I play it. 

But these four great games I don't choose to play anymore.  Now, I've been involved in these games and I have played them, but I just don't choose to play those games anymore.  Because they act like they're for real.  Now, if everybody knew it was a game and could choose whether or not you wanted to be abnormal or not, hmm – you abnormal?  (titters)  You're a unique work of art and there’s only you in all the world like you so I can't see how you could be abnormal, see?  Huh?  ‘Cause you're the only one of a kind – there's nothin’ to compare you to – except a mythical ideal, which we've talked about quite a bit this week – a mythical ideal.  I think you're just wonderful just like you are, okay?  I don't want to change that piece of art at all.  You abnormal?  Because you don't fit some ideal been put up by somebody over here playin' a game said, “We're gonna set up an artificial norm and if you don't fit it, you're a mess,” huh?  But you're a unique work of art also – there's not another one in all the world just like you.  So what am I gonna compare you to – to see if you're abnormal – nothing see, ‘cause there's nothing to compare you to.  You abnormal?

(Nope.)

You ugly?

(Nope.)

Diane?

(Nope.)

Not even “out” are you? 

(No.)

Sometimes you’d like to be, but that's all right.  Enough of us get “out,” that makes it “in” – did you ever notice that?  If a bunch of us get together and get “out” far enough, that's a new “in.”

(That's right.)  (The Hippie movement was an example of that.)

Oh, sure.  That got to be where it was “in” – to be a hippie, you know?  You weren't anything unless you was a hippie for a while.  So now then that you can see there is two worlds – yes, that fits in with what we were talkin’ about as the Big Party.  There's all kinds of games out here to play and there's some of 'em I don't choose to play.  And I just don't happen to choose to play these four.  I don't say they're bad, wrong, improper, I just don't want to play ‘em anymore – in the way they're generally played.  So now, that doesn't mean the games are wrong, bad – it just says I wanna be sure I know it's a game.  And if I don’t want to play the “ugly” game, I don't guess I'll do it, huh?  You with me?

(No.  What about the games people play?)

Well, which ones are you talking about?  They're all under these, aren't they?  So, if you want to go play baseball and you know the game’s baseball – is that games people play?  Or are you talkin’ about this guy's book that wrote about “A” and “B” activity and called it Games People Play?  People don't play those – “A” and “B” plays those games.  People don't play those games, they just go along for the ride.  “A” and “B” plays the games, you know, like “I'll complain to get my way.”

(I don't know what “A” and “B” is, can you tell me?)

Well, somebody around here will enlighten you.  I will appoint Neal to take care of that good job, okay?

(Okay.)

In other words, you don't know what a not-I is either...

(No.)

You think that all the things that run through your head you originated, huh?  You didn't.  There's a bunch of little mice runnin' around in there.  And they throw out all kinds of little ideas in your name.  They use the telephone in your name a lot and run up the bill on you.  Neal'll explain it to you, okay?  He'll draw you a picture and describe it to you.  Will you do that, Neal?  She's gonna do it right now.

(No, not now.) 

Neal will take care of it.  Okay – so, in other words, you don't play those games – the not-I’s play all those things.  Like complainin’ to get your way, and “You did this to me; therefore, I'm hurt and justified in givin’ you a hard way to go,” or goin' and gettin' drunk tonight or whatever the case may be.  You know, the little not-I says, “If I can't have my way, I'll just go eat worms” or get drunk or somethin' tonight.  Did you ever let those run things for a while?

(No.)

No, you never did – never did – you’re always in charge, aren't you?

(Yeah, absolutely.)

Right on.  One of 'em jumps up and says, for her, you know, one little not-I jumps up and says, "I sure wish I had some companionship, I'm sooo lonely."  And another little not-I over on the other side jumps up and says, "Yeah, but you get hurt if you had one of those cats around."  Now, that wasn't her, she was just the battlefield, hmm?  Did you ever have one that said, "Well, I should go to Honolulu because I'm probably needed there."  But another one jumps up and said, "Well, I'm not goin’ unless they ask me, anyway."  Hmm, you ever had that goin' on?  Two little guys – you were just the battlefield. Now, you didn’t have anything to do with those.  You couldn’t control whether that thought jumped up or not.  Did you ever have a thought bug you all night – you called it “worryin’?”

(Uh-huh.)

Did you do it or did you just listen to it all night?  Which one was it?

(Listened to it.)

Sure, so pretty soon you get to know that not-I's are just traffic in the street and who pays any attention to 'em?  But most of us feel that they're authorities from on high and I must do exactly as they say even though there's two sets of 'em.  One of 'em tells me to do it and the other one says, "Don't do it."  Is that right?  But we're obligated to do both and so we sit there an’ tear ourselves apart.  Now, that's the one about that guy wrote the book called, "Games People Play."  You've read that?  I forgot what his name was – it starts with a “B”…

(Eric Berne.)

Yeah and he lives up in Carmel and...

(He died.)

Well, I know, he listened to too many not-I's evidently.  (laughter)  He believed ‘em – he actually thought he was doing that.  He wasn’t – he was just a battlefield for not-I's – one of 'em said, “You shouldn't write this book,” and the other one said, “You should,” and the other one says, “You shoulda got more money out of the contract,” and the other one said, "Well, you shouldn't be greedy."  Did you ever have things that no matter which way you tried to reason on it, the other side jumped up and just cancelled it out?

(Yes.)

Just like her friends and not gettin' hurt BUT, there's a little “but” sticks in the middle.  One of 'em says it and the other one says “but” on the other side and that kills the first one and the second one tries to get another one.  You come to what's called the “agony of decision.”  You been there?  Where you just couldn't decide what the right thing to do is, but you had to do the right thing – that correct?

(Yes.)

Well, that wasn't you – you were the battlefield in that game, okay?  And we say they're not-I's that's runnin' all that show.  And so you get so you don't pay any attention to that argument goin' on out there.  You know, it's like playing chess and you got a kibitzer over your shoulder – he says, "Why don't you move that one over there," and, "Don't put it there!"  You want to pick up the board and shove it down his throat – you don’t like playin’ chess with him.

(What is the way to handle it – to behave in a situation like that?)

You go up on the other floor.  You see, they only live in the basement.  (laughter)  It's like you had a house – and you had your house and here's the basement.  That's where you keep your coal furnaces and all these things, you know?  And then there's a stairway up here.  And then there is a nice floor up here where you have a lovely living room and a nice kitchen and all that.  And then there's another one up here where you have a little love nest on the third floor – and the not-I's are pinned down here.  [indicating the basement]  They can't get outta here, they have to stay down there in the dark.  Now, the only way you can hear them and be involved with ‘em is to go down to their level – down in the basement.  And most people spend most of their time in the basement because they enjoy listenin’ to these things.  They think they're having elevated consciousness.  They're gettin' intuition and inspiration and all this good stuff.  And if you will just truckle up the stair to the next level – we have talked about it considerable this week as to how to have a different state of being was beginnin’ to act as though you already had the feeling you wanted.  We didn't say “act as if,” which cancels it out, but “act as though” you already had it.  Huh?  And if you started actin’ like you were a very enthusiastic lady and as soon as you acted that way, the act is goin’ up this little stairway here.  And as soon as you come up on the second floor you can never hear another not-I – so you have no difficulty in making a decision.  The agony of decision is gone as soon as you get to the second floor.  Now, if you get to the third floor, why it is even more fun, okay?  Everbody knows that – and there probably is several other stories up there.  We might talk about the stories of our house this afternoon if you would like to – I'll talk about the stories of the house. 

But you can at least get out of that basement.  You know, it’s dark and there's crawly things down there and cobwebs and dust on the floor.  And a gob of not-I's runnin' around in the dark down there whisperin’ nothin's in your ear.  But you believe every word of it as though it was divine voice from the heavens givin' you instructions – only you got two of 'em.  Now, one wants to go one way and one wants to go the other way, hmm?  One says, “You give 'em hell,” and the other one says, “You behave yourself and treat 'em nicely.”  But if you do go ahead and treat him nice, then you'll feel sorry for yourself because you don't ever get to do what you want to do – you just have to do what he wants to do all the time.  And if you do stick up for your rights and get it done your way, then after while the other one’ll jump up and make you feel guilty because you don't ever consider other people, you only think of yourself.  Did you ever listen to all that stuff in your head?  You see, I read people's minds all the time because all I do is – I’m well-acquainted with not-I's and they’re monotonously the same in all of us.  Every house has got the basement full of not-I's and these are all houses around here.  We do spend a considerable amount of time in the basement and I really don't see any reason for it.  You know any reason to stay in the basement, Joan?

(No, except it’s familiar.)

Well, the living room and music room and the dining room and the kitchen and it's chuck full of sunshine, it's all kind of decorated in yellow with little “check-ed” curtains and everything.  That's on the first floor – it's all right.  You know, you can do all that – got a lovely living room with beautiful music and furniture and soft carpets in it.  Basement’s got an old concrete floor.  It’s unfinished, dust and Grandma's old chairs that I can't throw away's all shoved over in the corner.  Aunt Susie left me a trunk and I can't throw it away so I got to keep it in the basement because how would she feel if I threw it away.  So you stay in the basement, you got nothin' but a bunch of not-I's pokin' you in the dark.  You ever been in the basement?

(Just a few times.)

Just a few times… (laughter)  There was a lot of weird little monsters runnin' around in the dark down there pokin' you, isn’t it?  Things go bump in the night.  That right, Jean?

(That's right.) 

And we want to make them go away.  And we think all the house we got is a friggin' basement.  And we've got a mansion up there but we don't ever bother to climb the stairway because Mama told me not to climb stairs ‘til she was pretty sure I wouldn't fall.  So I'm always afraid I'll fall if I start up the stairway.  You ever walk up the stairway?  It’s no bother.  We've been talkin' about the technique of walkin' up the stairway all this week, haven't we?  You can do that.  Now, when you get there, I will assure you, you will not have all this conflicting thought, which is the not-I's pokin' on you goin' on.  Have you ever tried it, Jean, just go up the stairway a little bit and it's all quiet and peaceful?  But, as Joan said, “Every once in a while it's familiar to go back down there and diddle around with the junk in the basement.”  So I run down there and then I get caught and they won't even let me see the stairway up anymore, you know?  They all sit on the stairway and say, "There's no way outta here – this is all there is – you have to stay here with it." 

(Lock the door.)

Yeah, they go sit on the stairway and every time you start up, they kick ya one, huh?

(Now, couldn’t you lock the door to the basement not to go down?)

What?  Do what, honey?

(Can you lock the basement door and not go down?)

Well, I don't see any reason to.  No, you can't lock the door necessarily but who wants to go back down there and fiddle around with those slimy things in the dark? 

(You have to rest your trivia down once in awhile – put it down there.)

Well, I always keep my trivia on the roof garden – then I’m still up higher playin' in my trivia box.  I used to keep it in the basement, but it was too monotonous to go down there with those slimy things, creepy things and things that bump in the dark.  And cobwebs catch you in the face just when you think you're about to get out.  So I put my trivia box on the roof.  It’s clear up on the ninth floor.  Hello, Robin.

(Hello.)

How are you? 

(Fine.)

You like to play around in the basement quite a bit?

(Not particularly.)

And you know how to get out of it in case you do get down there.  You know, it suddenly occurs to you, “I just have to go down and see about Aunt Susie's trunk.”  And we go down there and get all cluttered up and then we forget that we can walk out any time we want to.  Because they sit on the stairway and kick at us.  Did you ever hear of “demons?”  You ever wonder what one looked like?  They're runnin' through your head all the time – in the basement part of it.  But you don't have to stay in the basement.  Nobody does.  You can leave at any minute you want to.  But it seems that most of us think, “Well, I'm not gonna give up.”  One little not-I says, "Well, if you leave the basement, you're just givin’ up."  (laughter)  So you want to stay down there and fight 'em into submission.  You'll never win.  You've had that one, haven't you?  You started to walk off and it said, "Well, you’re just a giver-upper – you're nothin'" – you know...

(You haven't settled this.)

You haven't settled this thing so you go back down and they start pokin’ you with their little pitch forks and their little baseball bats.  And one of 'em will grab you by the foot and jerk you down so you fall on your face and then...  If you finally think, “I can't stand this anymore, I'm gonna leave,” there's the stairway and one of 'em starts hollerin', "Quitter, quitter, quitter!"  (laughter)  Well, you've heard it, haven't you?  “Quitter – why don't you work this thing out?”  So you go back down there and look again.  You know, we all behave like we was little kids and somebody hollers, "Chicken!" 

(Is there a voice inside that is kind of self-preserving?)

For it or for you? 

(For you.)

No, purely destructive.  But they're very preserving – that they keep charge of the big mansion and don't let you enjoy it.  But there isn't one that takes care of you.  That's what you were given – a beautiful Intellect – to know to walk out of the basement.  And as long as you don't use it, what difference does it make?  You're given the greatest gift in all time and if you don't use it, don't hope there's some 'nother big gift come along and say, "Get outta here."  But you know you can tell you that and you still say, one of 'em say, "Yeah, you gonna listen to that or are you gonna stay here and settle this thing?"  While they clobber you one.  “You're a quitter!”  No, there is – you got everything you need, Judy.  You don't need any special big voices to tell you the way out.  Yes, honey?

(Well, then what is it just spontaneous action that –)

Do you walk out once in a while?

(Yes.)

Well, sometime we tried to point out – once in a while somebody comes along and entices you to come out and play with 'em a little bit.  But soon as you get back home, you run down in the basement again.

(You know it’s still coming back here, intuition, something – isn't there something inside of – nothing?)

You got an Intellect, which most people underrate and they say, “Well, intellectually, I can see that…” but the not-I says, “You can't do that out of damn intellect…[grumbles]”  So we don't use it, see?

(But we can.)

Oh yes you can – your Intellect you can use any day.  But you see it’s – the not-I's have a great publishin’ business – a publicity firm that underrates the Intellect.  They say, “Oh, you know…”  People after people say, “Well, I see that intellectually.”  Like, so what – it's worthless!  But if you see something intellectually, you can do something about it.  You see, if I turned all the lights and locked the door, it'll always be hung up in your subconscious buggin you all night long every night, right?

(No.) 

Then your whole statement you made a while ago is fallacy, is that right?

(That's right, you're right.)

Okay, you see the same thing with all your problems and her situation and everthing is just like my goose in the bottle.  I don't have either the goose or the bottle, so why think about it.

(What about the $35,000?) 

No, not the $35,000 or the $100,000 or any of those things, you don't have any of those.

(Back to her question about – wanting a companion but not wanting to be hurt.  Is that a goose in the bottle?)

Why sure it's a goose in the bottle.  She don't have either the companion and she's not hurt, right?  Sometime you want to get the goose out of the bottle is to have a companion and be assured you'll never get hurt.  That's a goose in the bottle, isn't it?  Sure, all people think about it – worry and fret about is gooses in bottles.  I walk up to the people I been around quite a bit – they heard the story of the goose in the bottle and I say, "Well, how much are you gonna give for gettin' the goose out of the bottle?” when they start on these.  And sometimes I get hit with big books and ash trays and a few times metal tools about that long.  But, you know, it's all right, they are reminded of it and it’s a good somethin’ to remind yourself with.  How am I gonna get this goose out of this bottle, hmm?  Okay, questions, comment?  ‘Cause all your problems are geeses and bottles and the not-I's are keeping you – telling you that you mustn't leave until you have it resolved.  Because if you don't, you've only repressed it.  Just like they tell you, “You gotta settle this, you’re gonna chicken and run off and go upstairs and feel good and leave all this mess down here that you are obligated to settle.”  Now, are you obligated to get that goose out of that bottle?

(No.)

Okay, good.  They won't harm you.  You don't think that havin' had that problem laid on you....
[End of CD 17]

Santa Ana School – CD 18 

No, because in childhood I had a set of anxieties back there and today I have my own.  And what happened in childhood didn't happen to me; it happened to an ancestor of mine that wasn't even named Robert – it lived back in the hills of Kentucky and I have nothin' back there at all.  And what he did and what he had on was worthless.  No, none of my problems are in childhood.  If I had one, they're right here now with the not-I's layin’ it on me how to get a goose out of a bottle – now.  Course the real goose in the bottle is to get the one out in childhood. 

You will be so peaceful [said tongue-in-cheek] if you can remember that you had upsets when mama was tryin' to toilet train you.  (laughter)  Or that one time mother went off and left you and didn't get back for 30 minutes after you woke up from your nap and you were utterly terrified.  Hell, childhood was rough for all of us.  I hated bein’ a kid; 'cause I said that's why I don't want to bother with reincarnation – it implies I'd have to be a kid again and I don't want to go through that mess.  I'll try some other stunt, ok?  But that's a good way to make some loot 'cause we can dig through your childhood for the next 20 years and find goodies around; you were mistreated every day.  And if you don't find one you can sure imagine one and nobody can prove it wrong. 

(Bob, when you drew a picture of that house, you drew the basement, the first floor, second floor.  The first floor is by picking your inner mood and what's the second floor? Spontaneous...)

Well, that's just where you get higher up there, you know.  You get ecstatic in the third floor; you wouldn't want to stay up there all the time.  Ecstatic all the time, you can hardly earn a livin’, you see.  Any of you that’s ever been ecstatic know that it’s a poor way to earn a livin’.  Yes, dear?

(How would you define the second floor?)

Oh, I said that was the living room and the kitchen and that’s a desk...

(If it’s not the not-I's, wouldn’t you say that –)

Well, that's when you're beginnin’ to be a little objectively conscious of things and that you are in charge.  And you see things as they are, not compared to any standards down here for real living beings, ok?  And I would just say its lovely, it's home.  It’s home!  You know, what all that word may imply, ok? 

(Are these comparable to the Tone Scale that you started yesterday – these different moods? Different levels I should say.)

Well, let's say they're big broad jumps in the Tone Scale.  I'll give you some sub-levels in the basement.  I said I'd do that this afternoon.  You gonna be here this afternoon?

(Yes.)

Ok, I'll do it.  I'll talk about it.  That's a whole different subject by itself.  Yes?

(The problems of reality or seeing things as they are is really subjective because, uh...)

I can see it any way I want to.  You see, I could see you compared to an ideal and I could find all manner of fault with you, Judy; or I could see Judy as she is and I like her very, very much, ok?  And it's all entirely up to me as to how I see things.  I've got all this little apparatus and I choose how I'm gonna see it.  Now I won't change the way you would appear on a photograph or anything, but I certainly change how I see you.  Do I see you through a lens of distortion because of all my beliefs about ideals and etc.?  Or do I pull the lens off and see you plainly?  I see you wear cheaters and if somebody snuck a pair in tonight that made everthing look twice as far away from you as it really is, Judy, you'd be black and blue already at this point; and that's the way they do.  So we can choose how we will see things.

(But that's not necessarily… your reality isn't the same as mine.)

That's for sure and certain, dear – thank God – for small favors.  (laughter)

(But to see a situation the way it really is depends on the ability, my ability....)

....to see like I want to see and that's the way it really - is - to - me. 

(Only like I want…yeah.)

That's the way it is to me and that's the only person I can see it for, isn't that right?  'Cause the only person I can see it for is me, and that's the way it is to me.  And there's nothin' to fight with over that.  I can choose to see this is a very delightful world and me sittin' on the very top end of it. 

(What of freedom?)

Well, sure, you can see it any way you want to.  Yes, Jean?

(When someone comes to you and says, “Oh, I just can't make this decision,” and they're pulled both ways and they got the not-I's going, what are some techniques you can offer them to get out of that?)

Well, I do have a little vase about this high with a small goose in the bottom of it and I get 'em started on that instead of the one they're playin’ with and one’ll keep ‘em as occupied as the other is.  The technique is to give 'em somethin’ that looks so completely odd.  I have several, you know.   Let's see.  One I give 'em is about a man who left his family, his estate.  He had three sons, ok?  And he had a total estate and he left the oldest son (this was in the Orient) he left his oldest son half of the estate because the older son is obligated to take over the estate and kind of manage it.  He left the middle son one third of the horses and he left the youngest son one ninth.  And they had 17 horses left out there – [he makes 17 hash marks on the board] one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen – 17 beautiful Arabian horses – extremely valuable, the blood line of the country.  So the three boys went out to settle their estate.  They lined the horses up at the pole and the person said, "Well, I get half."  But when he went out here, he had eight and a half horses.  Well what do you do with a half of a horse, you know?  And the younger son had six horses.  So there was eight and a half horses and the young one here is three.  He had five and two thirds horses and the poor kid had one and eight ninths horses (the young one.)  And they would argue loud and long as to how they could settle this and each one was tryin’ to get the other one to give a little bit; and they couldn't hack it.  Now how would you divide it up?  Now one of the old man's old friends came by, the father of the deceased father's friend came up and he said, "Well boys I see you're troubled, so I'm gonna give you my big stallion so you start dividin’ them from that end.  So he left a beautiful Arabian stallion, and the first kid, then, had 18 horses to work on.  He got nine, more than he would have had, so he was very pleased.  The second one got one third, so he got six horses, and of course he was very pleased.  And the young kid got two and the old man got on his horse and rode away. 

(Oh wow!)  (laughter) 

So everybody had more than what they had before and he didn't lose his horse.  It settled the problem completely.  So lay that on somebody and have them solve that one out for you.  (laughter)  Naturally.

(Naturally.) 

We're always wonderin’ how people materialize things, you see. 

(That's great – just one left over, so he rides away on it.)

He loaned it to 'em to settle the estate and he still had his horse so it was a good way, huh?  Question, comment?  Give people a goose in a bottle when they bring in one of these unsolvable problems.  You give 'em a goose in a bottle – you could make up a goose in a bottle anyway.

(In fact it's fun sometimes just to do that.)

Right.  I have a very perverted sense of humor (unclear).  I give people gooses in the bottles quite frequently – quite a slew of 'em. 

(Do you have some others?)

Oh, that's enough.

(Aw, it's fun!)

There's another one about… I'll have to think about it.  I haven't used it in quite a while about a guy that went to get five dollars change, got over-charged five dollars.  For his room?  Hmm?  Well let's see if I can recall it.  I haven't used it in a while.  So three guys came in and registered in this hotel out here one night and the clerk charged the three of ‘em $30 for the room.  So they paid their 30 bucks and went on.  Well, he got to feelin' a little guilty about that in a while inasmuch as the heat didn't work and the elevator was slow and several things, so he decided that he would refund five dollars of it.  So he sent, called the bellboy and he said, “You take those guys up there in that room, those three guys, five bucks and tell ‘em it's a refund on the room.” 

Well, the bellman got to thinkin', “If I take 'em the whole five dollars, this five dollar bill, there won't be nothin' for a tip.”  So he run around the corner to the restaurant and got five ones; and he decided they probably won't give him much tip anyway so I'll just give 'em a buck apiece back.  So each one of 'em had paid $10 on their room, right?  That was [he writes their names on the board] Charlie, Robert and Harry.  And so the clerk give 'em back five dollars so that was back $25 off the room, but the bellboy went and give 'em all a dollar apiece back so he'd be sure and have his tip, huh?  So that made it cost $9 apiece for the room.  And the bellboy kept $2 tip, right?  And that adds up to $29… looks to me like $29, [he adds it up under his breath] 27, 28, 29, huh?  Now that accounts for all the money.  They paid their $10, got their dollar back, so they got $9 and the bellboy kept the $2 for a tip.  That adds up to $29.  What in the hell happened to the other dollar?  (lots of laughter) 

(That's funny!) 

What happened to that other buck?  Well, each one of 'em got their dollar back – right here.  [He points to his math on the board.]  The bellboy took their dollar apiece.  They paid their ten and got a dollar refund to pay and the bellboy took it up.  That makes [he writes $9 under each name] nine, nine, nine and the bellboy kept two dollars for a tip and that makes $29, but they was out $30 here just a minute ago.  What happened to the other buck?  

(You kept it.) 

If I'm gonna get it, it'd be more than a buck.   Ok, any other questions, comments? 

(Yeah, I want to know the answer to that.)  (laughter)

I just gave it to you.  Now you told me to give you a goose in the bottle and I gave you one and then you want to know the answer to it.  [he laughs]  There's $50,000 for gettin' that goose out of that bottle.  Get the goose out of the bottle… So you give people these little gooses in the bottle and they finally tell you that their bottles are gooses in the bottles, huh? 

(The answer is available, given...)

The bellboy got two bucks; he didn't get but two.  The guys were out nine dollars apiece for the room and the bellboy got two and that adds up $29.  But just a few minutes ago, they laid out $30 bucks, and so somewheres the dollar vaporized when you go through all this.  (everybody talks)

( (unclear) when I was in the sixth grade and I refused to do anything then, and I refuse to do anything about it now.)

And that's the way it is. 

(That's just the way it is.) 

A little girl, she comes down to our place one night and said, "We're movin’ to El Paso."   I said, "What are you doin' that for, Chrissy?"  She said, "Well that's just the way it is." 

(That's the way it is.)

That's just the way it is and you're not gonna bother with it, are you? 

(I didn't bother with it then and I’m not gonna bother with it –)

We'll that's why I don't bother with unanswerable questions you see, and that's an unanswerable question – what happened to that other buck.  It’s an unanswerable question.

(You added the wrong set of numbers.)

Huh? 

(You added the wrong set of numbers, a different set of numbers.)

No I didn't.  I just took the one dollar back and each guy was out nine dollars and they give the bellboy two dollars tip and that's $29 and a few minutes ago they were out $30 and after they went through all this screwin' around, there's a dollar gone somewheres.  I don't know where it goes; I’m not that good... 

(You give the dollar to the bellboy instead of ...)

No, he just got two, they got the three back 'cause he only had a five dollar bill and went over to change it for five ones so he'd be sure he got a tip.

(Well if you added the three in instead of the two, you'd have the $30.)

Well, if you added three, but you didn't add the three, you only added two 'cause the bellboy got the two.  (laughter)  Don't give me no static… sure if I do it some other way well naturally it'll work out.  But that's a goose in the bottle, ok?  The horse is a goose in the bottle, ok?  The goose in the bottle is a goose in the bottle, ok?  Yes, honey?

(And when you give them a story like that and they say, "Yeah, that's ok, but what should I do about my life?")

Well, I'd say I would destroy it.  (laughter)   If you want to stay in the basement…  You see I never work for results, I only lay out the material.  The theme is that a man goes out to sow.  And when he sows, some of the seed fall on rocks and the birds eat it up; some fall on shallow soil, lives two or three days and dies.  Some falls amongst the brambles and gets choked out with astrology, numerology, whatever.  And some falls on good soil so I just go plant and I'm not workin' for results.  If I did, I'd be doin' somethin' else.

(Wonderful.)

If I was workin' for results, I'd be makin' widgets and then I'd know that I'm a widget maker.  That's things you sell to people.

(Uh-huh.)

The stores are full of widgets this Christmas.  You know they call ‘em Ronco Cookie Maker and they call ‘em Ronco Potato Peelers, They call 'em Ronco this and things that people give other people for Christmas and then throw ‘em away.  Those are widgets.  They're made by the widget company for sale for the widgets, huh?

(The best widgets this year are the Star Wars dolls that won't come out until July of 1978.)

And that you pay for it now.

(Now.  And all you get is you have to send the box back in.)

You get the empty box and then they'll fill it for you later.  And if they decide in the meantime that they took in enough money to go to a lovely little south sea island and retire, you'll never see your doll.   

(What about Cuba?  Is that gonna be “in”?)

What's gonna be “in”?

(To go to Cuba.)

Yeah, it’s “in”– it’s already gettin’ there.  They're buildin’ new hotels and settin' up the gamblin' casinos.  Las Vegas is “out.”  (everybody talks.)  Judy?

(When people are indecisive and are in this situation, if we could (unclear) talking?)

They'll wanna do the right thing and “A” tells 'em one thing and one [“B”] the other.  If you don't wanna do the right thing, they have nothin' to talk about.  So one of the best ways to get along is never to be concerned about doin’ the right thing.  But you see mother told me if I would always do the right thing, everthing would work out well.  And so I tried for 30 years to find the right thing.  I finally give up and said, "To hell with it.  I'll do what I wanna do,” and I haven't heard from the not-I's anymore, see.  When you want to do the right thing, you got two sets of advisors – “A” and “B”.  “A” tells you to give 'em hell and stick up for your rights and to complain a lot and, “Sue 'em!”  And “B” says, "Turn the other cheek.”  Which one are you gonna do?  Which one's the right thing to do?

(Neither one, just....)

Do whatever you want to.  I don't know what the right thing is, but that's what gets “A” and “B” in business.  You wanna do the right thing.  You know, I wanna do the right thing – I wanna have a friend, but I don't wanna be hurt.  So I gotta do the right thing, hmm?  That leaves me a worry-wart, hmm?  I want the goose, but I don't wanna break the bottle.  I want the bottle, but I don't wanna hurt the goose.  Ok?  

(So if “A” and “B” are battling, how do you walk upstairs to conclude the argument?)

Well, I leave them with it.  I don't know whether they'll ever conclude it or not – to the best of my knowledge, they never will.  But I'm not interested in somebody else's hassle.  You see, one time I went to help a poor lady that she and her husband was havin' one of these little episodes – a scene where they were flingin' rocks at each other.  And she was gettin' all bruised up and she was a poor little thing about the size of… who's our tiniest one… maybe little Gaye; and so I went to assist and she like to kill me.  ‘Cause I pushed her husband into a tree over there, she really clobbered me for hurtin' him.

(Right.)

So if “A” and “B” wants to fight, it's their problem, honey.  I'm not interested.  They probably are still fightin' while I'm on the first floor, but I don't hear nothin' about it because I can only hear their fight when I'm down in the basement with 'em.  They probably fight.  I hope they kill each other.  Yes?

(Bob I had this similar experience about a week ago.  An ex-movie actress that's in a yoga class where I am, she came to me and said, "Oh I just had it out with my husband and I’ve just got to have your advise – you've just got to tell me what to do!"  And so I said, "Darlene, have you ever seen a chicken come out of a shell?"  And she says,  "No.”  “They just have to peck and peck a long time.”  And I said, “You know what happens if you help 'em?”  And she says, "No."  I said, "Well, they die.")

Right! 

(So she started blinkin' her eyes and I haven't seen her since.)

She's probably still blinkin' her eyes.  (laughter)  Probably got her contact lenses all slipped over the side and everything by now. 

(That's beautiful.)

(Is it true?)

Yes, honey?

(Is the intellect using our mind?)

Is there what?

(The intellect is made with the mind?) 

Well the mind is made up of a conglomeration of stuff and I don't know what it means because so many people use it.  I talk about Awareness; I never use the term ‘mind’.

(Oh you don't use that term.)

‘Cause that belongs to somebody else.  They have a prior rights, definition on it.  They got it so proprietary property.  I don't own it – they had it before I got here and I wouldn't know one if I saw it comin' down the street, would you?  I've heard about the inner minds, outer minds, higher minds, lower minds and I wouldn't know any of 'em if I met 'em comin' down the street.  In fact I don't think anybody else would.  So if somebody left you to ‘mind’ the baby, what do you do?  (laughter)  Who leaves you to ‘mind’ the store, hmm?  You ever been left to mind the store?  I don't know what it means – just a word people kick around and it gives 'em gobs of ground, they can talk very learned and you don't know what they're talkin’ about.  So it's like one of those things with the goose in the bottle, you know.  But if I talk very learnedly about widgets and you don't know what a widget is… but you know, you get along fine, you know?  Yes, Judy?

(This afternoon would you talk about the gift of making up the mind?)

(The mind?)  (giggle)

Well we’ll get us some mud and make one, Judy.  You bring the mud and I'll bring the pot and the spoon and we'll make a mind, ok?  Yes, I will talk about it.

(How can you talk about it if it doesn't exist?)

I said you make one.

(Oh.) 

If it don't exist, you can go make one.  That right?  This hotel didn't exist until somebody built it and now it's here, isn't it?

(Uh-huh.)

Ok.  So you make one; but you don't already have one, so you can make one.  So that's what Judy wants to do is make one.  So we're gonna make her one, ok?  She can wear it on a string around her neck.

(I'll give you all my geese.)  (giggle)

You let me have the geese… you let me have half of the offspring of that goose in the bottle.  That's what I figured.  Ok?

(I was just thinking about doing what you want versus doing what all this thinking what needs...)

We're gonna play the game accordin’ to the rules and I can do whatever I want, ok?  But play the game according to the rules.  I don't want to do something that's not playin’ the game accordin’ to the rules.

(It seems you're always working with the game rules when you're doing what you want, though.)  (she’s chuckling as she says this)

That's about right.  Well, that's just somebody like you, you know, you wanna break all the rules; but you can just choose which games you want to play.  Now what rules could you possibly want to break? 

(What would I want to…?  Oh.  Um.  I was just thinking about relationships with people.)

Ok.  What rules would you break?  They only have rules of the game.  What are the rules of the game of dealin’ with other people?  Practice simple good manners, isn't it?  You get put in jail if you go around kickin’ old ladies’ crutches out from under 'em or pushin’ ‘em around, so you treat 'em with simple good manners.  And that's the rules of the game of inter and intra-personal relationships – is simple good manners.  That's why we all have been taught a little bit about saying thank you and please instead of “get your - - - out’a here,” and so forth.  We say, “Would you please move over?” [he chuckles] huh?  That's simple enough.  I don't see any reason or desire to wanna break the rules of the game ‘cause all it says is simple good manners, isn't it?  Dealin’ with other people?  Is that what it is? 

(Right.)

If you're always treated with good manners (and which includes consideration for how you feel and what your likes and dislikes are) wouldn't you be pretty delighted with all your companions?

(Yes.)

That's what I figured.  If I see that you like your coffee with two ounces of brandy in it and I always bring you your coffee with two ounces of brandy in it, you'd think I was a pretty nice guy, wouldn't you? 

(But you didn't cook; you didn't make the dinner.)  [referring to last night]

I always make the dinner when I get there first.  Sure, Judy – I like to show off and so I like to cook – and show off.  Why else would you cook? 

(That's why I don't cook; I'm not a show off!)  (lots of laughter) 

You just found other ways to show off.

(You just gave me another way.)

You've been showed other ways to show off.   Ok, it's 12 o'clock and I'm sure everybody's desperate for lunch so we'll take off.  We'll see you about three-ish, ok?

(lots of “Aw…”)

2:30 ish?

(Aw…)

One-ish?  Two?  What?

(Everyone calls out different times and they settle on 1:30.)

[Continuing after lunch]

We said we'd talk a little bit about the various levels of tones that people live in – none of us, of course; but a lot of folks do.  So we will start with the bottom one which is about the absence of tone – we'll put a zero on it.  That would be Death.  And as far as function on this plane, that's through with it. 

The next one that would be like one tenth (1/10, that's about it) would be Coma.  And above that would be Apathy.  We'll put a 1 on that so that we can... [he writes each part of the Tone Scale on the blackboard]

Now the person with the tone of Apathy just doesn't see any reason of doing anything.  You might say there's total hopelessness.  Nothin' I could do would work out well.  Sometimes that's called intense depression.  But most frequently we prefer to call it Apathy because there is just, it doesn't seem any reason for doin’ anything 'cause it wouldn't work out all right anyway.  So the person in Apathy, the body tone is almost absent.  If you raise your arm up the tissue will go hangin’ way down here.  If they stand up, why the flesh in the legs will run down over the top of the shoes, and I'm not exaggeratin' – it really does that.  And their skin hangs around here and falls down and the side of the face hangs down.  So you might say the most physical expression of it is ‘down’. 

You see X doesn't build any energy unless you can see a reason to use something.  So if you feel that there is absolutely no reason for doin’ anything because it'd be worthless anyway, X generates no energy to do anything with.  If you don't have any energy, obviously you look like you're fallin’ apart.  And if you tried to talk to 'em about their physical conditions, they’ve got everthing.

Now the next one above that one is Fear.  Now fear is a state of where the person is in a constant state of what if all these terrible things happen to them.  What if I get a terrible disease?  What if I get cancer?  What if my kids get in jail?  What if, what if, what if, what if?  And so they frighten themselves into a pretty severe state. 

Now most people that are fearful, X does the appropriate thing and stores up everthing that they eat and drink because if you were in a state of real emergency (there was gonna be no food brought into southern California for the next several weeks) you'd probably gather up a few things the best you could get 'em and store 'em in the house, right?  Hmm?  So consequently, it has a tendency for this person to gain considerable weight even though, as they say, they eat like a bird.  Course I checked up on the birds and they usually eat about 18 times their body weight ever day.  But even if the person was goin’ on diets and all sorts of other things, they tend to gain considerable weight.  Now I'm not talkin’ about the person who just looks healthy and doesn't fit the modern day idea of fashion.  I'm talkin’ about the one who when they walk, the concrete floors kind of shake and they go, "Huff, huff.”  Now most of the people I see that's talkin' about losin' weight simply don't meet today's fashion trend.  So are you fat?

(By whose standards?)

Mine. 

(I don't know, am I?)

Naw.  You just look kind of girl-like – you're a little round here and there.  But fat people are the ones where they're way out here, you know and they go [he mimics a fat person walking].  And I see very few of those except one or two fearful ones now and then.  And they're full of fear.  Their constant attitude, their question is, "What if?"  Now you know ‘what if’ is a good question because you can get yourself real scared with it in a little bit, hmm?  So actually ‘what if’ is nothing but the minute you get an answer to what if, you assume that it's really gonna happen, is that right?  Did you ever ‘what if’ yourself, honey?

(Yeah.)

You did?  What's some of your best ‘what if's’?  You know, your more favorite ones.

(If I don't get out of this state of being in the basement, being in the cellar, what's gonna happen?)

Stay in the cellar, that’s easy enough.  I'm not gonna get out of here, I'm gonna stay here.

(What if I stay there?  I’ll die there.)

You'll live there for a long time.

(Oh.)

You've been livin' there for years.  Why do you always have to put the rough end on things?  “I'll die there.”  Sure I guess I’ll die somewheres, I don't know – “translate” or whatever it is that people do.  You can call it any number of names you know.  If you wanted to, you could say, “I'll never die, I'll just translate after awhile.”  (chuckle)  What is it some of 'em said?  They “crossed over.”  Whatever that may mean.  Do it any way you want to.  But at any rate this person is usually extremely fat – not what the fashion world says is overweight, but fat.  And they have about ever conceivable disorder you can dream up.  You name it, they've had it at least once if not twice, ok?  And they continually keep doctors in good income.

The third one is Held Resentment.  And a person in a state of Held Resentment is very nice on the outside.  They got a nice little grin and they're holdin' in tremendous number of resentments about everthing under the sun as to them needs to be straightened out, redone.  But they don't have to do it, you see – they just resent the other people.  They see everbody as bein' bad or wrong or somethin' like that.  And this person is usually dried up.  Now I'm not talkin’ about people who are slender like Gary or Neal or anybody.  I'm talkin’ about somebody all dried up.  Their skin is dried, it's wrinkled, everything about 'em looks dry, dry, dry, dry; and they're tight like a rope, a steel rope down under tension.  You thump 'em and they feel like they're gonna break.  Now these people have all kinds of disorders along with the person down here; but they're a different variety and they're all somewhat of a sense of dryness.

Now the next one is Anger.  And the Anger person is just plain openly angry and is tellin’ you where to get off.  And doesn't even have to… he'll also tell you why you should get off there, ok?  And this person is usually just got a big pot [belly].  Now that's not an absolute certainty either, but a tendency to run that way and they also have a tendency to have heart conditions and high blood pressure and all those good little items and that has nothin’ to do with that either, but they do have this. 
Now a person that is angry is a decided advance over Apathy.  And sometimes you can insult an apathetic person or a fearful person enough to get 'em angry; and obviously their symptoms they had in Apathy and Fear will be gone and if you can get 'em out of that fast enough they won't develop the ones that goes with anger; but at least you got 'em in motion.  Now I don't recommend you do that unless you be sure you know who you're working with 'cause you're liable to get clobbered.  Some of these are pretty strong when they come up a little bit.  But it is a decided increase.  Now most of us don't like angry people and we would a whole lot rather they would be in Resentment or Fear because they're easier to handle, hmm?  But I'm talkin’ about strictly from the standpoint of survival of the individual.  He's better off to be angry than he is in Apathy or Fear or Held Resentment; but he's not as easy to get along with, ok? 

Now the fifth one is Boredom.  Now a boredom is not like apathy in that he doesn't see any use of doing anything.  “It'd be wonderful if I could just find something worthwhile doin’,” and so he has enough energy to function but he just doesn't use very much of it because accordin’ to him there is nothing that's really going to turn him on – or her.  They’re bored.  They've tried everthing and this is, “It wasn't good enough for me.”  In other words they compare it to a decided ideal of being entertained, of havin’ occupations and everthing and the world is not quite provided those epitome of entertainment and occupations; and so the boredom.  Now the bored person is about the usual sizes and shapes of human beings and their usual ailment is  that cuts and scratches don't heal very good and so forth, but they're not very sick as a general rule.  They wear out before long, but it's not that.

The sixth one is Contentment.  The person is fairly well contented with the situation as it is.   Now you might say this is on a line that kind of divides the destructive end of the tones from those which would possibly have intense more survival value.  Now anybody can go anywheres you want to on here or you can come down this way simply by beginning to act the part of that particular, shall we say, mood, tone or attitude.  You can call 'em anything you want.  More likely you might say it is an attitude.

Now above Contentment comes Vital Interest.  Now there's nothin’ to keep any of us from bein’ in a state of Vital Interest if we want to.  Now in Vital Interest you're really beginning to get to the state of being wherein a human being can function at its more optimum level.  Vital Interest means I'm just interested in it like it is.  I don't have to change anything; it's delightful like it is.  In other words it don't have to quit rainin’, it don't have to start rainin’, you don't have to do differently, I don't have to have more money, I don't have to have less people around me, I don't have to have different people around me, I don't have to find any ideal situation.  You might say that the person in Vital Interest has seen the joke in ideals and doesn't have any.  So everthing's pretty wonderful then 'cause I don't have anything to compare you to – you're pretty all right.  [he gestures at someone different]  I don't have anything to compare you to – you're pretty all right.  And the situation today is wonderful because I don't have anything to compare some mythical ideal to compare it to.  So it's just wonderful today, right?  How about that, Jean? 

(It's right.)

If you don't have anything to compare it to, this is all right, isn't it?  But if I'm comparin’ it to some ideal, this is a mess no matter how.  So the person in Vital Interest has essentially come to the point where they see the fallacy in ideals.  And this is about a state where you don't have any sicknesses, illnesses, etc.  You could get clobbered; but if you did, you'd heal up pretty quick.  And you're a great disappointment to all people in the healing arts ‘cause you're not [he points to the lower tones on the board] there, ok?  How long has it been since you've been sick, honey?

(A while.)

That's what I thought.  Now beyond Vital Interest there is some other things and I'm gonna put one, and I'm not gonna put the others.  And I have my reasons for doin' that and they're valid.

The next one is Enthusiasm or Exhilaration.  Now those are very delightful states to be in, but not necessarily one to stay in all the time because you get so you don't do very much.  You feel so durn good you don't bother to work and we do need to work a little bit now and then to keep the world turnin’.  I have a friend who has never worked much in his life, but he prides himself on how well everbody takes care of him.  Somebody's always providing him a place to live.  Somebody picks up the meal checks when you go out to a restaurant.  Somebody sends him a little money now and then and he gets some clothes.  And he picks up your cigarettes when he's in the house and takes three or four packages so he don't need those and he always out-fumbles everybody at the bar and gets his drinks for free and he tells me about all these things, and I said, "Yeah, but it’s wonderful as some of us come down out of the clouds and go to work or there wouldn't be nobody to provide you with all this stuff." 

So maybe he's off up there somewheres, but most of us require to make a little contribution and Vital Interest is an awful good place to do it and Enthusiasm is a good place to get things started.  But if you stayed up there all the time, you probably wouldn't do very much creative work.  You'd just have such a good time, why bother with it?  And we recommend it highly.  Now we call it Enthusiasm, Exhilaration, and the next step above that one has got another name on it and I will tell you what you feel like and it is called Ecstasy.  And you sure can't do anything.  While you're in it you're like being intoxicated and havin' a ball, only it don't leave a hangover.  And you sure wouldn't do much work in it and in fact – none.  When you're in Ecstasy you don't go around lookin' for things to do – you've already got it, you know.  And so you've had that one. 

So I'll give you what happens in it and why I say that I have a very valid reason for not layin’ the others out.  From time to time, one at a time, I will point out the next one above that when I think you got that one down.  But you see, the reason, my valid reason for not puttin' 'em there, a not-I will make an ideal out of it and be beatin' you over the head because you didn't get there.  So I'm not gonna give a not-I any ammunition I don't have to, ‘cause they sit around and listen to everthing I say and try to use it for ammunition anyway. 

(Would that enthusiasm be enthusiasm as I might use enthusiasm normally?  Or would that be...?)

It's a little higher than that one.  Vital Interest is what we usually call enthusiasm, the usual, ever day mind-runnin’ variety of it, yeah.

(Is it like inspiration – enthusiasm?)

Inspiration is ....  [he takes deep breaths in]  (laughter)

(No, I mean the state that you're in when you're creating something.)

We just talked about those.  I wouldn't call that inspiration.  Inspiration means to draw in, does it not?

(Yes.)

Ok.  So all these states of Vital Interest, Enthusiasm, Ecstasy will draw people toward you, draw all sorts of things towards you.  [End of CD 18]

Santa Ana School – CD 19 

It’s what creation's all about's work, isn’t it.  So let's just let it go at that.  I might work once more if I was vitally interested, therefore I would create more.  And other people, in order to try to explain it, will say I had an inspiration.  [He breathes in deeply.]  I’m in.  I have a breath in.  Isn't that inspiration when you draw your breath in? 

(And expiration.)

In-spi-ra-tion and the next one is ex-pir-a-tion when you push it out. 

(And respiration is doing it over and over.)

Right.  Repeatin’ it over and over.  And that's very creative and life sustaining, is that right?  Good.  So then you work with a person, and they're here. [He points to the Tone Scale on the blackboard.]  Now there is no set way, but if you just begin to work and talk with a person and you have at least up to here or here, [Pointing further up the Tone Scale as he goes through this paragraph.] this person will go a step at a time through these.  They don't jump.  I've worked with people that came in in this state and next they were very frightened of me, very suspicious, lookin' for a way to get out of there.  Next you could see that they hated me very much for a few minutes.  Then they were openly angry, got flushed in the face, told me off, called me dirty names, what-have-you.  Then they yawned and yawned and yawned.  And then they got where it seemed like a pretty nice state and they was all right to be there and was pleased enough.  And then they get to vital interest; and this is one of the things that people have referred to as “sudden healing.”

(Oh.)

Because a person can have all the symptoms that goes with apathy and when you get 'em here, they don't have 'em.  And any way that you might find to do this…I do it by shootin' the breeze with people so they don't get all frustrated about it and try to make in some magic out of it.  You just talk with 'em and get 'em up here; but you can see them go through each one of these states.  And when they get to here they'll yawn and yawn and yawn.  And then they go on to where they're very contented to be there, and then they get up here and they have absolutely none of the symptoms that they had when they came in.  And they had the most [unclear].  Yes, sir?

Continued............

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