Teachings - Thinking
It is important for all students to recognize that the belief system did not originate in this lifetime; indeed, all are composites, all have lived many, many lifetimes. All have experienced many, many things. All have learned many lessons. All have failed many others. That which continues to distress the self, that which continues to result in lesson failure in this lifetime, are those lessons that have yet to be learned. The belief system is the source of all energies that result in failure for the student – failure to embrace that it is the self’s thinking that waters, that nurtures the belief system states that the student has yet to experience adequately in order to reveal that which is faulty that lies within. The Teacher will continue to draw forth lesson after lesson after lesson in an attempt to show the student that which is believed by the self, that which is known to be faulty by the inner Teacher, that which has yet to be discovered as such by the self.
To recognize when the ego is at top is to identify the feeling – the self feels abused, the self feels used, the self feels embarrassed, humiliated – the taste in the mouth is foul and unwelcome; this is the calling card of the ego, for unless the self is weakened, the self will not allow the ego to reign. It is important for each to recognize that the voice that speaks to the self - the voice that changes the loving words of another, the voice that diminishes all things of value to the self - never belongs to the Teacher; it belongs solely to the ego - that portion of the self that is damaged. I seek for each to ponder this, to attempt to understand how a portion of the self can control the self when the self is so desirous of the elimination of this way of being. The ego is indeed the self – it is a portion of the self; it is the thinking that has been created by the self, not only in this lifetime, but in all previous lifetimes. It is for the current self to recognize the thinking, to see it as foreign to the self and to demand its banishment, for if the thinking is permitted, if the thinking is ignored, if the thinking is simply cast aside without regard – the thinking remains; this thinking intensifies each time the self refuses to provide it with the self’s full attention.
It is important for the self to recognize the arrival of negativity for it is during this time period that the self can easily abort the automatic selection of negative response as provided by the lesson plan. Once the negative response has been provided it is far more difficult for the student to abort. Oftentimes, the student feels that the situation is surreal - that self is being watched by the self – yet, the self can not stop. The energies of the lesson plan are in control and the self must be extremely desirous of aborting that which has unfolded in order to do so, stating, “I just don’t care anymore,” informing the ego that the self will embarrass, will humiliate the self in order to stop the antics, sends message that the self is indeed desirous of knowing and of healing the self.
Sol: Does the ego actually have a consciousness or is it just automatically operating out of programmed responses?
As stated a few moments earlier my brother, it is merely energies, negative energies that are desirous of growth. It is the focus upon the negative. It is once the thinking has turned to the negative the focus remains upon the negative, fueling the likelihood that the state of unawareness remains until the energies have run their course. You understand the state of unawareness, my brother - that which is focused only upon the negative - yes? It is to be aware that the ego is a portion of the self - a portion created by the self’s own thinking.
It is for you to read my words, to understand the difference between thinking and believing and to utilize the words appropriately in future. “I think I can”. ”I believe I can.” With thinking the presence of fear does not interfere; with believing the presence of fear destroys all possibility of true belief.
To recognize the self is difficult when the self has forbidden particular thoughts from fully entering the mind; it is the periphery that contains the majority of the student’s difficult past lesson failures. Snatches, or glimpses, impressions, feelings are brought forth by the Teacher, gradually introducing the student to the experience of the past – that which was determined to be profound, difficult, painful. Lesson is presented of similar nature in order to garner the student’s full attention and once the memory has been brought forth, front and center so to say, it is then that the student is capable of seeing how the self failed, as well as subsequent failures that came, each time the Teacher attempted to resolve that which remained unresolved for the self. It is the thinking that indicates to the Teacher that which need be addressed, remembering a friend who was dismissed from the life experience when a particular song is heard, when a particular activity is enjoyed; the voice of a family member being heard in the mind – that which comes forth unbidden, unwelcome. The student closes the mind, closes the eyes to the window that the Teacher has attempted to provide – the window to the past, reminding the student that this must be remedied in order to move forward.
All current lifetime issues must be resolved prior to addressing previous lifetime issues. It is previous lifetime issues that fuel the composite self, that continuously draw forth negative behaviors that are unwanted by the current self – that which we shall refer to this day as the true self. It is the true self that was burdened by the age of two with all previous selves behaviors, characteristics and energies of all previous lifetime lesson failures. The true self was burdened indeed, as the characters began to come forth, displaying myriad talents, shocking many with negative behaviors, each attempting to set the course for the current lifetime.
It is to watch, to observe the mind - to spend 20 or 30 minutes every day sitting with a pad and pencil, closing the eyes and observing the mind, notating each experience – closing the eyes once again, waiting for the mind to interfere with the quiet that has been suggested by the inner Teacher. It is this quiet – once the self is able to truly quiet the mind – that the inner Teacher thrives within; for it is now that the inner Teacher can be heard. Prior to the self’s ability to quiet the mind, it is the mind indeed that speaks to the self. Those students with lesson plans focused upon the intellect have the greatest degree of difficulty in quieting the mind, for the mind is always thinking, thinking, thinking - observing, solving, fixing. It is the self that must be firm, that must find that which is regarded as ‘magic’ for the self, to quiet the mind and to recognize that it could take months, potentially years of use, prior to the self experiencing true quieting of the mind.
Te' Auna grows tired of waiting…impatient; it is difficult to clear the mind and to leave it -abandon thinking, to remain still, focused without thought or concern for time passage. It is the goal of the Teacher to teach the student how to free the mind, to allow it to exist separately from the self, for once the self is capable of separating the self from the mind all things become possible. “What is possible when the self is unable to think?” – replies the student. What existence is available to one who is unable to think? In response I say to you each that the student that is capable of separating the self from the mind, from the thinking, is one that is truly free to create, to be; for it is the mind that is rigid, that draws lines of constraint that forbids the experience of anything that is not explainable utilizing logic. It is the experience of the self who has freed the self of the constraints of the logical mind that teaches that logic is not the underpinning of all experience – it is in fact that which prohibits the majority of spiritual experiences.
It is the mind that determines the focus. It is the mind that thinks. It is the mind that directs action. It is the mind that receives data, analyzes it and then draws conclusion, thereby informing the self of the action required. The mind that has become damaged due to faulty thinking is one that receives data and analyzes it based on this faulty direction; when the self accepts the thinking without question it is the self who fails the lessons presented.
It is the mind that determines the direction to be taken by the self as long as the self remains unaware; if the self does not choose to change the direction of the mind - even though it is known that the mind is misleading the self – it is this that informs the Teacher that the student has yet to learn.
It is to ask the self – “Who am I becoming? Is my mind connected to the heart or is my mind leading me down the path that results in failure?” The self who states that the self is desirous of being different need change this course, need engage the heart, need state, “I am desirous of understanding this lesson, not to be informed of how this lesson has been failed many, many times previously.” It is indeed the mind that re-minds the self again and again of the outcome of previous experience, regardless of its relevancy. The self who fails to question - who fails to examine, to determine if it is indeed relevant or if it is merely a ploy of the mind - is one who continues to fail.
The mind as interpreter is complex, for the mind is indeed programmed to approach an issue from either the logical or the abstract point of view; those who think abstractly are also able to think logically - those who think logically must work very diligently to think abstractly. Abstract thinking simply means that the self is able to approach a situation without knowledge within the knowledge bank that is accessed by the mind to draw forth comparison, to weigh the data to determine the course of action to be taken by the self. An abstract thinker is never in need of previous experience; rather, the self can look at the situation and clearly determine what need be accessed in order to arrive at conclusion.
It is important for the student with the logical mind - of which there are three present - to understand that the self is restricting the self when previous experience is accessed exclusively, in order to determine the course of action to be taken by the self; it is to recognize that there are other courses of action to be taken. Often the student who walks the path to healing looks at the conclusions, the decisions made in the past and decides “Ah! I should have done the direct opposite”- without understanding that the opposite is also erroneous. Failure of course is experienced and then the self is truly at odds, “How should I have responded, I have tried both ways.” It is the abstract thinker that realizes there is more than two choices, there is something in the middle, between the two.
To think abstractly one need question others - to seek solution from others, to purposefully seek solution that the self has not experienced for the self previously. The individual that thinks logically is one that automatically discards solution offered by another that has never been experienced by the self, for the mind states, “that will never work for me.” The mind is unwilling to try new things, new courses of action, for the mind is programmed to respond in a particular fashion; that fashion, of course, has been experienced previously by the mind. All other courses of action are quickly and readily discarded. If the self is not vigilant to the machinations of the mind, other choices are quickly removed from the self’s field so that consideration - rightful consideration - is never afforded the solution that has yet to be experienced by the self.
When addressing the mind, it is important for the self to recognize that the self uses the mind in order to understand the mind; the mind may or may not desire to be understood. So, as the individual begins to review the data, it is important to recognize that the singular stance – to view all things from a logical perspective - is inappropriate; for the mind contains areas of thinking known as abstract –that which does not require prior experience, that which does not require prior knowledge in order to embrace, in order to accept, in order to access in future – to enable the self to synthesize data from many different sources – all unproven – to begin to build the logical picture needed by the mind.
All judgments formulated within the mind must be spoken aloud, for it is in this way that the other is informed, that the other can battle you, that the other can set you straight. It is important for you to recognize that those things that are unspoken are just as powerful as those things that are spoken; however, you are not penalized for the silent thinking in the moment, whereas the other is.
The power that resides within each is unfathomable when the thinking is focused negatively upon another, when the self sends forth the thinking - that another is “the spawn of Satan”, that another “is an idiot”, that another “is absurd” – damage is done to the outer bodies belonging to the one that the thinking is focused upon. The good mood turns sour rapidly, the self feels weakened – there is no indication provided to the self of why the mood or the strength has been altered so rapidly; it is this that can be accountable to another’s thinking negatively about the self. It is to recognize the thoughts that are formulated, that are built within the mind, due to competition, jealousy, envy of the self for what another has garnered.
Te' Auna has asked the question – in response to my admonishment not to think while I am teaching – the question was, “Why not?” She stated that she finds it impossible not to think about my words; this is the problem for most students - the mind is primary, all focus placed upon logic. It is the rare student that invites the heart in, placing it prior to the mind. How does the student think with the heart? By asking the heart to become primary, by focusing upon the heart at all times, to feel the response of the self when teaching is provided.
It is important for each student to recognize that the ego is merely the thinking - that which has been created by the self and all previous selves to maintain the sphere of protection, the castle of defense, that prohibits all others entry for fear that the self may be damaged. Love does not fear; love welcomes all. Love is open and embraces all things; love needs no protection or defense. When the student determines that the self’s desire is to be love, the first line of attack is to uncover, to identify the thinking that prohibits the self from being love.