[from Marsha: Having been using this work since 1975, it took me a long time to see the value in experimenting. To just read or hear the material does not anchor it – it becomes as fleeting as all the other thoughts that go through our heads moment by moment. By running an experiment for a week or as long as we can remember it, the idea is then available to us along with what we have discovered from the week experiment.
My friend John B. perused the website and found different aspects about experimenting and has given me permission to share his exploration with you.]
The teaching is not an authoritative system. It is based on scientific principles that one takes an aspect of the teaching as a “hypothesis only” and then “experiments with it”, and possibly the best way to experiment with it is to try to “disprove it”, not “prove it”. Experiment with it in any way that one can see to experiment with it, and find out for “self” if the teaching is a light. And, in this one, becomes a student of living; a student of man, and he begins to have a true knowledge–a true knowing. He has experimented for himself.
FOUR PROPER USES OF THE MIND
1. Seeing WHAT IS at this particular moment.
2. Recording for memory what takes place.
3. Making up the mind as to what experiment to run.
4. Seeing probable sequence of events.
WHIM
Doing as an experiment to see what happens, usually based on an AIM or interest, but not a commitment to achieve a goal.
REASONING
Goes step-by-step as an experiment, using the information gathered from the previous steps to see possible or probable sequence of events. It starts with a description and ends with a possibility.
EXPERIMENTING
Doing something just to see what happens.
SCIENTIFIC
Based on observation and experiment without regard to judgment.
AWARENESS
Interest in following an AIM to conduct an experiment to see what happens, placing value on WHAT IS, called “joy.”