Becoming
Free of these "laws of confusion and accidentalness"
is possible in a number of ways. This is observationally
established if one studies the extensive literature
that has emerged from the many religions and
philosophies. But, when one studies this body
of material, there are certain things that become
apparent only upon comparison, and Gurdjieff
enunciates these problems pretty clearly. He
describes them as the "Four Ways."
We
have talked about mind and illusion, and all
being "One". Yes, all is mind/consciousness...
but my point has been, throughout all this labor,
that we need to be "practical" here and deal
with things that are more accessible at our
particular level of development. We are at 3rd
density. That's a fact. Our present "consciousness
fragments" are focused here. So, trying
to jump from 3rd density to "Becoming One" in
Cosmic terms is like trying to put the cart
before the horse and jumping directly into 7th
density concepts. Yes, we can know about them
to a limited extent - we can entertain ourselves
with them - but for all practical purposes,
we have to learn what it is we have to learn
to go the next step - here and now. This seems
to be a sort of "law," and this is where we
fall into obfuscation. But, again, there is
a reason for that, as we will see.
Many
channeled sources talk about this idea of "Being
One" and the creation of the Illusion by the
Mind, and all of that is TRUE! The deception
enters in when they suggest that all we have
to do is sit under a Bo Tree, contemplate our
navel, and become Buddha like. Yes, in some
very rare instances it IS possible, and in some
other instances, acquiring of "powers" is also
possible, but it is when you begin to examine
the literature, the "Fruits Agenda," that you
find some funny little glitches in such a teaching.
Carla
Rueckert McCarty was recently quoted in an e-mail
forwarded to the egroups discussion list saying:
"To
me, there are basically two ways of working
spiritually in this density, the way of love
and the way of wisdom. In general, I would say
that Buddhism follows the way of wisdom, and
Christianity, the way of the heart. In a wisdom
structure, you are going for knowledge, peace,
detachment, aiming towards a feeling of emptiness
and nothing. It is very peaceful and calm, but
I find it the slow track compared to the way
of love. In the way of love, one is going for
compassion and purity of passion and the will
that is behind that, aiming towards a feeling
of fullness and unification of all. For myself,
I find that this density's work seems to be
the following of the love in the present moment,
of opening the heart to that present moment
and the love in it. This is usually not peaceful
or calm, but it feels right. I think it's a
matter of preference. Both ways of learning
are useful."
This
is a pretty standard "New Age" interpretation.
It is somewhat "broader" and more accepting
than the Fundamentalist Christian perspective,
but not much. It is, in effect, the Way of the
Monk or Saint.
Actually,
there are more than two ways; there are,
as mentioned above, Four. There is the "way
of the monk," the "way of the yogi," the "way
of the fakir," and, as Gurdjieff proposes, a
"fourth way," which is, apparently, derived
from his long contact with Sufi teachings, and
is certainly quite similar to what Don Juan
was advocating, (up to a point), as well as
what the Cassiopaeans have explicated.
The
way of the "monk" is much like what is described
by the above correspondent as her "chosen mode."
This is the "way of faith," the way of religious
feeling, the way of religious sacrifice. This
is the way for people with very strong religious
emotions and imagination. It is a long, hard
way, as the writer herself notes when saying:
"this is usually not peaceful or calm, but it
feels right." Such a way consists of years and
years of struggling with the self, on struggling
with the emotions - on feelings. The individual
subjects all of his/her emotions to one emotion,
and thereby develops unity in self. This person
is working on developing "emotional WILL." The
above correspondent states this quite clearly
by saying: "In the way of love, one is going
for compassion and purity of passion and
will that is behind that, aiming
towards a feeling of fullness and unification
of all."
But
Gurdjieff suggests that, in such a person, the
physical body and the mental body may remain
undeveloped and then, in order to make USE of
what the Monk/Saint has attained, attention
must be focused on developing the body and the
capacity to think. But, this can only be done
by another series of sacrifices. The monk has
to become a yogi and a fakir. Very few do this
because they die before they overcome the difficulties.
The
way of "wisdom," as Carla refers to it, or otherwise
known as the "way of the yogi," is the way of
knowledge, the way of the mind. This way consists
in developing the mind, but may result, as Carla
also notes quite accurately, in leaving the
body and the emotions undeveloped. She says:
"In a wisdom structure, you are going for knowledge,
peace, detachment, aiming towards a feeling
of emptiness and nothing. It is very peaceful
and calm." But, without development of the physical
and emotional bodies, the individual may be
unable to make use of his attainments without
going back to work on the body and the emotions.
Such a person "knows everything," but can DO
nothing. He/she then has to go back and work
on obtaining results by means of another series
of prolonged efforts of application of what
he knows. The main difference between the path
of knowledge and the ways of the fakir and monk
is that the yogi eventually has the advantage
of understanding his position, of knowing
what he lacks, what he must do, and in what
direction he must go. But again, very few fully
accomplish this because they die before achieving
it.
The
way of the fakir is the way of struggle with
the physical body. It is long and difficult.
The object is to attain "transcendence" by developing
physical will and power over the body. This
is attained by means of terrible sufferings,
by torturing the body. The whole thing consists
of various incredibly difficult physical sacrifices
such as standing motionless in the same position
for hours, days, months, or years... or whatever.
If he doesn't get sick and die before he reaches
his goal, he may achieve something. What does
he achieve? He has acquired physical will; but
has nothing to which he can apply it. He can't
make use of it for gaining knowledge or self-perfection
because, usually by this time, he is too old
and he dies.
In the way of the fakir, there is usually no
teacher. The practitioner may have witnessed
some incredible feat of will that so impresses
and obsesses him that he longs to emulate it
- to have such an accomplishment for his own.
In
the way of the monk, the main thing IS the teacher.
Part of the work of the way of the monk consists
in having absolute faith in the teacher and
in submitting to him, or his teachings, absolutely
in obedience. The main thing of this way is
faith in God, in the love of God, in constant
efforts to obey and serve God. Of course, as
the history of religion shows us, such a person's
understanding of the idea of God and of serving
God may be very subjective and contradictory.
Fortunately, nowadays, it is becoming more and
more accepted that this "way of the monk" can
operate in different contexts so that people
are less inclined to kill those who don't follow
their particular concept of God. But still,
those who follow this path generally cling to
the idea that it is the "best" or a "better"
path than others. Carla is not saying this.
She is saying that she considers the way of
the heart to be the "fast track,"
and for her and many others, it is - for a reason,
as we will discuss further on.
In
the way of the yogi, one starts with a teacher,
or many teachers, but ends up being one's own
teacher. One learns methods by study, and then
begins to apply them independently.
The
main thing about these three ways is that they
all require a significant retirement from ordinary
life. Much of the struggle must, of necessity,
take place in "retirement" or private meditation.
Each of these methods is opposed to everyday
life in some significant way, so the practitioners
generally have some difficulty adjusting in
the "real world". The FOURTH Way, according
to Gurdjieff, and that which the Cassiopaeans
and Sufis seem to be advocating, is one which
requires NO retirement from the real world.
It also has no "definite form", as do the ways
of the fakir, the monk and the yogi.
"Work"
in the Fourth way consists of utilizing life
as a person finds it in their own milieu to
work on all of their aspects simultaneously.
They work on the physical mastery, mental development,
and emotional integration and control. And this
is done through AWARENESS combined with KNOWLEDGE
and WILL. One must become master of his body,
his mind, and his emotions. The chief demand
of the Fourth way, according to both Sufi teachings
and the Cassiopaeans, IS UNDERSTANDING. We are
to become aware of as much as possible about
our reality and DO NOTHING that we do not understand
except as experiment to discover and understand
more. The more we understand WHAT we are doing
and WHY and HOW, the greater our consciousness.
Faith
is not required in this way. In fact, faith
is opposed. In this "Fourth Way," a person must
"satisfy himself of the truth of what he is
told" by research and investigation and experiment.
Until he is satisfied, he should not act "in
faith."
Of
the four ways, the way of the fakir is the crudest,
as Gurdjieff remarked. The fakir knows very
little and understands very little, but he has
INCREDIBLE mastery over his physical body.
The
"monk" knows little better. He is driven by
his religious "feeling" and by his chosen religious
"tradition," and by a desire for achievement
- that is, he WANTS SALVATION. He trusts his
belief system, which incorporates his chosen
teacher (Jesus, Buddha, whoever), and he believes
that all his efforts and sacrifices are "pleasing
to God."
How
this works is revealed in several clues in the
above correspondence. Carla states that the
"way of wisdom aims for...emptiness" and the
"way of the heart aims toward... a feeling of
fullness." This brings us back to Don Juan's
remark about the Predator:
In
order to keep us obedient, meek, and weak, the
predators ... "gave us their mind! ...
The predators' mind is baroque, contradictory,
morose, filled with the fear of being discovered
any minute now".
"I
know that even though you have never suffered
hunger... you have food anxiety, which is none
other than the anxiety of the predator who fears
that any moment now its maneuver is going to
be uncovered and food is going to be denied.
Through the mind, which, after all, is their
mind, the predators inject into the lives of
human beings whatever is convenient for them.
And they ensure, in this manner, a degree of
security to act as a buffer against their fear."
People
who choose the "way of the heart" are very much
aware of feeling these very sensations within...
contradiction, guilt (fear of being discovered
any minute now) and HUNGER. They constantly
seek to manifest love in the face of these negative
emotions in order to fill the void within.
Carla tells us about her struggles when she
says: "This is usually not peaceful or calm,
but it feels right."
The
usual condition of such a path is: "I find myself
in all kinds of painful and miserable situations.
I find myself feeling things about people and
situations that are negative or the situations
themselves that manifest in my life are negative
and painful. But I am choosing to overcome this
by the manifestation - via will - of LOVE of
everything and everybody in all of these miserable
situations. By doing this, I am "going for compassion
and purity of passion and will that is behind
that, aiming towards a feeling of fullness and
unification of all."
In
other words, I can be tortured inside and outside
and all around, but I am gonna GIVE LOVE and
FEEL LOVE and concentrate on amassing this FULL
feeling of LOVE inside no matter what!
Thus,
she is overcoming the "predator's mind" by refusing
to accept the contradictions, the moroseness,
the guilt, and the hunger. And, indeed, this
is a way to overcome the laws... a way to generate
the "struggle between yes and no." And it certainly
will have results as the literature shows.
Speaking
in relative terms, the monk can attain in a
week of fasting and prayer and concentration
on manifesting of love, what the fakir accomplishes
in a month of torture. He thus becomes free
of the Predator's mind.
The
yogi knows considerably more. He gains knowledge
of the existence of the Predator's mind, and
he knows that he wants to be free of it. He
knows why he wants it, so he studies to gain
knowledge of how it can be done. What he learns,
eventually, if he is doing his "homework," is
that to be free of the "laws" he must produce
a certain "substance" in himself. He learns
that a certain kind of mental exercise or concentration
of consciousness can produce this substance
in one day. Of course, it may have taken him
a lifetime to learn this - the very same lifetime
that the Monk has been spending on Love. But
generally, it is much less because the yogi
begins with a teacher who has already achieved
a certain level and much of this knowledge can
be communicated in practical ways that save
time.
Thus,
the result is that the relative relationships
show us that a yogi can produce in one day what
the monk produces in a week and the fakir in
a month.
But,
that is taking all things as equal. We can't
leave out of the equation that any given person
may have already "done the work" along
one line in a given "former life,"
and be ready to do the work in another line
in this lifetime. For Carla, the way of the
heart is the "fast track." And for
others it can also be the fast track. We might
conjecture that such persons who find it to
be the way that "feels right" and
moves them along more rapidly, have certainly
already done the way of the yogi and the way
of the fakir in a previous/simultaneous lifetime.
For some, the way of the heart is the final
piece of the puzzle of self-integration. And
for such, it is precisely right.
For
others, the "way of the heart" has
already been done, and they then focus on the
way of the fakir or the yogi. And in still others,
all three ways have been done, and they cycle
very rapidly through the various ways in a single
life, consolidating their various "crystallizations."
It is really impossible for any one person to
judge one way as "right" and another
as "wrong." Every individual and every
situation is different.
The
reader who finds the material on these pages
to be "resonant" or "in sync"
with what is felt and/or known deep inside,
has probably already done most of this work
in the ways of the fakir, monk and yogi, and
is now looking for synthesis and practical application
in order to merge this awareness.
In
the fourth way, according to Gurdjieff, and
with related Sufi texts supporting (though they
are "obscure" and deliberately so), the seeker
knows about the other ways, knows that there
are definite substances that must be produced
in the body - knows that they can be produced
by a month of torture, a week of prayer and
fasting, or a day of mental exercises. He also
knows that these substances can be produced
in another way. The Fourth Way, though I do
not necessarily mean the Fourth Way as explicated
by Gurdjieff and Ouspensky.
What
are we speaking about here?
In
studying the literature of religious, paranormal
and psi phenomena, one begins to note some odd
connections. There are fakirs and yogis who
can control their bodily functions to a degree
that passes ordinary understanding. They can
slow their metabolism, control their heartbeat,
produce extreme heat or cold, levitate, run
for days on end without stopping, bi-locate,
and apparently manifest material objects with
their minds. I have even heard that there have
been some who have gone into meditation and
then, in the view of their students or brothers,
have just gone POOF - disappeared instantly
in a blinding flash of light, never to be seen
again! Obviously, they have removed themselves
from some of the "laws" of 3rd density to a
greater or lesser extent. At the same time,
one can read about Christian saints who have
done the same things. There are shamans who
give evidence of the same accomplishments, and
practitioners of various paths of "magic" or
rituals So, we can see by these "road signs"
that there IS a certain correlation as described
by Gurdjieff.
Then,
there are the "anomalous miracles" that just
seem to occur spontaneously. In such cases,
a certain reference seems to recur over and
over again, and that is a reference to psi and
genetics -DNA. Time and time again a person
who had "strange powers" would remark that "Oh,
I inherited the sight from my aunt, or grandmother,
or mother, or uncle or whatever." And, it is
not always "the sight." There are
many "powers" that manifest with this
comment.
Then,
there is the peculiar connection of the endocrine
system to psi phenomena. Many serious studies
of "poltergeist" type phenomena note that it
is most often, if not always, manifested in
the presence of either a pubescent child or
a sexually "fluctuating" woman, including those
who are in one or another stage of menopause.
Hormones produced by the endocrine system play
a part in turning DNA on and off.
One
thing is clear to me after all of these years
of study: psi phenomena, whether it is healing
or manifestation of matter or bi-location or
whatever has almost NO relation whatsoever
to one's state of spirituality. In my work,
I encountered a family line that could "stop
the flow of blood" with the touch of a hand,
yet nearly every member was alcoholic, promiscuous,
abusive to partners and children, and generally
what one would consider to be ethically deficient.
Yet, certain members of this line had this interesting
"power" and were often called upon by neighbors
and friends to save lives - even if they had
to be hauled out of a bar dead drunk to do it!
Another
curious thing is the many notations of psi phenomena
onset after a severe trauma to the head, or
a strong electrical shock. Electrical current
can alter DNA by affecting the permeability
of the neural membranes or by altering the balance
or composition of neurotransmitters, thus "turning
on or off" DNA. (At some point I will get into
this in technical detail so that the reader
can really apply it to their lives in individual
situations.)
It
seems that the thing that "stands between" the
physical and ethereal worlds, or between 3rd
and 4th densities, and which is reflected in
our awareness, is our DNA. It seems to be the
"interface" or "operating system"
that determines how much, how well, how completely
our souls can manifest via the instrument of
our bodies, in 3rd density reality. Certain,
shall we call them "ecstatic" practices, which
include the three ways discussed above, have
been shown to have effects on both the electric
current in the body as well as the chemicals,
including hormones and neurotransmitters.
It
has often been noted that only 2 % of our DNA
is involved in coding the proteins that make
up our bodies; the rest is referred to as "junk".
There are theories about why this is so, including
the "Selfish Gene" theory where it is postulated
that human beings are merely constructs created
by DNA for the purpose of propagating DNA!
Another
thing noted is that we seem to utilize only
5 % to 10% of our brains - and there are many
theories about why this is so as well. I would
like to suggest that there is a connection.
So,
we have a curious series of factors to contend
with that all seem to point in the direction
of DNA being far more interesting and mysterious
than we might have supposed.
On
the one hand we have such naturally transmitted
"powers," and on the other hand we have folks
who can engage in some activity that either
temporarily or permanently changes something
in their physiology - and the apparent result
is becoming free of the laws of 3rd density.
The only problem is, as noted above, if the
change is not "across the board," so to speak.
It merely becomes a "blip" on the screen; an
aberration; a signpost that something is happening,
but is of no practical value without knowledge
of application in the "four bodies," as it were.
The following excerpt from the Cassiopaean transcripts
will become important as we go on with the story
here. The discussion was about the "Symbols
of Reality" as they manifest in the body as
physical pain related to some pathological disorder.
10-10-98
A: When one receives message of pain ... could
it be symbolic of potential advancement of neo-physicality?
Q: I have known a lot of people who had pain
who are just unhappy people.
A: But why unhappy? Think, my dear... and remember,
your consciousness operates on four levels,
not just one! Physical body, consciousness,
genetic body and spirit-etheric body.
Q: Are those the four composites of the human
manifestation in 3rd density?
A: 3rd and 4th. One leads oneself,
through physical actions, as well as psychic
ones, to develop these "problems" when one is
preparing to "bump it up" a notch.
Remember
what Ouspensky said:
The
four Ways are ways of liberation from unnecessary
laws. You can be shown the Way... but you must
work yourself. Most of the laws we have to obey
are the result of our sleep and our unconsciousness.
Every step we make in becoming more conscious
sets us more free. Suppose a man is satisfied
with mechanical life; then he cuts himself off
from higher influences [that could teach him
how to awaken] and receives only influences
[from lower levels, including his own inclinations].
Certainly he is then in a worse position than
a man who receives influences from higher worlds.
Many influences can be received mechanically,
but many others need effort... [Ouspensky,
emphases, mine.]
So,
the whole thing seems to center around being
in contact with "higher influences." We have
already talked about the prolific amount of
channeling that is going on all over the planet,
increasing in volume and variety daily. And
we have been talking about the fact that some,
if not most, of this is effectively "influences"
from lower levels. What I mean by that is what
I would colloquially call the difference between
dead dude communications and truly higher DENSITY
sources.
Why
do I make such a distinction? Isn't a "dead
dude" a "fifth density" soul"? Aren't communications
from "dead dudes" effectively communications
from 5th density? Doesn't that make them "higher"?
What about communications from 4th density beings?
Clearly, they are "higher". Well, this is part
of the problem of becoming aware and "choosing"
which influence you wish to be under, and it
is NOT as easy as one might think!
As
already noted, as far as I know, until the coming
of Ra via Elkins, Rueckert and
McCarty, the concept of 4th density was poorly
defined. Yes, Gurdjieff was obviously talking
about it, and it is thought that his knowledge
was derived from ancient secret mystery schools
in Central Asia. But it also seems that his
extrapolations about it may have given it a
certain "twist". My own thoughts about it, after
discussing with my husband Ark, the various
differences in what Gurdjieff was saying and
doing, examining his writings and talks about
his experiences, are that it is very likely
that Gurdjieff was actually "experimenting"
with ways to open ordinary people of Western
culture to higher understanding in ways they
could accommodate to their lifestyles. It may
even have been that he had a mandate to do this,
or it may simply have been his own idea.
Nevertheless,
prior to the ideas about densities, there really
wasn't much of an option about existence: it
was physical or astral; dead or alive; in the
body or out of the body; earth or heaven/hell.
Those were the choices. When you died here on
earth, you only had the option of being "ethereal"
or "astral," or something similar. You were
"in the spirit" or "in the body."
Of
course, it wasn't exactly that simple. Just
as there are economic and class distinctions
here on earth, a whole plethora of sources devised
intricate and elaborate systems of "levels and
stages" of advancement through the astral realms.
Helena Blavatsky, Rudolf Steiner, Alice Bailey,
and others down to the present-day weekly channel
o'choice have added endless permutations to
these planes, sub-planes and hierarchical systems.
These explanations seem to have been created
in response to the growing awareness that something
was fishy in the "other world"! While everyone
liked to think that, when you die, you are suddenly
either taken up into heaven to sit with God
or Buddha or whoever; or you descend to hell
with no possibility of cooling your heels, it
was increasingly apparent that this might NOT
be the case. The many voices being heard from
the "spirit world" made it abundantly clear
that there was VERY complicated activity going
on out of the range of human perception and
understanding. And, some of it was distinctly
unpleasant.
So
planes and sub-planes, and causal planes and
mid-causal planes were delivered to humanity
as the solution to this problem. The key now
became to determine what LEVEL of entity one
was in communication with in order to determine
the validity or usefulness of the information.
Naturally,
once such a hierarchy has been defined, the
knowing spirit inevitably claims membership
in the highest levels!
At
a certain point in the confusion, there was
a big step in the history of channeling: Seth.
Michael Topper writes about Seth:
What
made the Seth material so noticeable,
and what allows it to stand up well today, has
much to do with the channeler Jane
Roberts herself who—along with the channeled
text—narrated a continuous chronicle of her
own internal struggle with the whole
phenomenon of channeling, as well as the content
of the material. The uniform quality, consistency
and integrity of the Seth teachings, which spanned
many years (compared to various one-shot
sources today) was largely due to the strangeness
and unfamiliarity of such a mode visited upon
any consciousness at that "early" time,
meeting head on a rational and intelligent—if
critical and initially quite skeptical—personality.
As
Roberts herself states from the perspective
of experience, it was indeed the initial deep
reservations accompanying her reluctant participation
in so extreme a phenomenon that kept the keel
even, and helped therefore to keep the communication
steadily aligned between the potential shoals
of egoism on the one hand, and reductive rationalization
on the other. There is, as anyone should be
able to tell, a universe of difference between
these carefully monitored, combed and curried
sessions and the modern immoderate opus cavalierly
compiled in the interval of time since the Summons
of Seth, wherein the chief feature of the recent
books seems to be the channeler Herself, lavishly
displayed on the pages of the photo insert,
coyly captioned "from childhood to the mature
adult present" (in which, having donned a pyramidal
duncecap in a moment of pure caprice the subject
became so suddenly Serendipitous Host to some
materializing entity, quite helpfully clarifying
things at the outset by announcing Its Enlightenment!)
In
considering the Seth material as a whole, we
can recommend it on the great virtue alone (taken
for granted by now, but quite unique for its
time), that it introduced the important key
of probability to the field of psychological
reality. Prior to this, the idea was exclusively
an abstruse phenomenon of physics occurring
only at the Heisenberg-indeterminacy level,
describing "position and velocity of electrons".
This concept, introduced by Seth, enabled humanity
to strip the material mind from its fixation
upon rigid causal conditioning and deterministic
hypotheses of action. The Seth
discussion of multidimensionality
and the branching probable paths of conscious
navigation through the wake-and-dream-state,
served to shift the fulcrum of power to the
psychic present, thereby helping at once to
loosen the mental clamps of a dominant behavioristic
psychology and to perform a long-overdue correction
to the religio-spiritual emphasis on karma or
the irresistible pressure of past actions, mnemonic
conditioning etc.
In
this respect then the Seth material
served its purpose admirably; and that purpose
was to help consciousness take the next
great step, the necessary step
into a whole new Stage of spiritual
progress and development. [Topper]
(I really laughed at Michael Topper's veiled
allusion to Ramtha above when
he said, (obviously referring to J.Z. Knight)
"...having donned a pyramidal duncecap in a
moment of pure caprice the subject became so
suddenly Serendipitous Host to some materializing
entity, quite helpfully clarifying things
at the outset by announcing Its Enlightenment!"
Having
spent a lot of time dealing with spirit attachment,
spirit possession, obsession, and related maladies,
I can assure you that entities on the other
side can and DO lie. William Baldwin, Ph. D.,
writes:
Spirit
attachment does not require the permission of
the host. This seems to be a violation of free
will. It also appears to refute the popular
notion that each person is totally responsible
for creating his or her reality and that there
are no victims. The apparent conflict here stems
from the definitions of permission and free
will choice. Ignorance and denial of the possibility
of spirit interference is no defense against
spirit attachment. Belief or lack of belief
regarding the existence of intrusive entities
has no bearing on the reality of these beings
and their behavior.
In
denial and ignorance, most people do not refuse
permission to these non-physical intruders.
Individual sovereign beings have the right to
deny any violation or intrusion by another being.
With limited, if any, knowledge and distorted
perceptions of the nature of the spirit world,
the non-physical reality, many people leave
themselves open and create their own vulnerability
as part of creating their own reality. It is
fashionable today among many "new Age" enthusiasts
to attempt to channel some higher power, a spirit
teacher or master who will use the voice mechanism
of any willing person to speak "words of wisdom".
Some use the terminology "for my highest good"
when calling for a spirit to channel through.
This activity constitutes permission and welcome
for a discarnate spirit. The identifiers such
as "master" and "teacher" and qualifiers such
as "for my highest good", will be claimed by
the entities as personally valid identifications,
qualities or attributes.
...The
host is usually unaware of the presence of attached
spirits. The thoughts, desires and behaviors
of an attached entity are experienced as the
person's own thoughts, desires and behaviors.
The thoughts, feelings, habits and desires do
not seem foreign if they have been present for
a long time, even from childhood. This is a
major factor in the widespread denial of the
concept and lack of acceptance of the phenomena
of discarnate interference and spirit attachment,
obsession or possession.
In
most cases, a person can only experience and
acknowledge the reality of the condition after
an attached entity has been released. The realization
may come some months after a releasement session
as the person suddenly notices the absence of
a familiar attitude, desire, addiction or behavior.
The
symptoms of spirit attachment can be very subtle.
An attached spirit may be present without producing
any noticeable symptoms.
...A
living person can have dozens, even hundreds
of attached spirits as they occupy no physical
space. They can attach to the aura or float
within the aura outside the body. If any part
of the body of the host has a physical weakness
the earthbound can attach to that area because
of a corresponding weakness or injury to the
physical body of the spirit prior to death.
A spirit can lodge in any of the chakras of
the host, drawn by the particular energy of
the chakra or by the physical structures of
that level of the body.
...The
mental, emotional and physical influence of
an attached entity can alter the original path
of karmic options and opportunities of the host.
It can disrupt the planned lifeline by hastening
death or prolonging life, thus interfering with
any specific checkout point. An entity of the
opposite gender can influence the sexual preference
and gender orientation. An attached entity can
influence the choice of marriage partners and
the choice of a partner for an extra-marital
affair. [Baldwin, 1992]
There
sure seems to be a lot of this sort of thing
going on out there. Baldwin suggests that the
number of people suffering one or more "attachments"
at any given time is about 100%!!! I was pretty
shocked when I read that figure. In fact, when
I was learning the techniques of the therapeutic
modality, I had a LOT of misgivings about it.
It just seemed too far-fetched and wild even
for my open-minded approach to reality.
So,
as a sort of experiment, I began to use the
"differential diagnosis" technique with subjects
who had agreed to participate in an "experimental
therapy," but were not told any details whatsoever
as to what this would entail. I think they were
more or less expecting something dramatic rather
than a small series of questions artfully designed
to reveal the presence of attached entities.
And, at the point I shifted into the questions
designed to identify spirit attachment, I made
sure to do it in a subtle way, "burying" the
questions in a series of other innocuous questions.
I certainly didn't want to "contaminate" my
experiment, so I was being VERY tricky! If this
idea was a hokey theory, I was determined to
expose it!
Well,
the results were nothing short of astounding.
In case after case, there WERE attachments;
usually more than one. The most startling thing
about it was that the release therapy WORKED
in amazing ways! Problems that had persisted
with standard hypnotic therapies utilizing repeated
suggestions and/or post-hypnotic suggestions,
(which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't)
would virtually disappear almost instantly with
the release of the attaching entity. In a couple
of cases, individuals who were in marriages
that were highly unsatisfactory and even miserable,
but had been unable to extricate themselves
because they would "weaken at the thought,"
or would "argue with themselves" over the rightness
of leaving, were suddenly freed of these fears,
co-dependencies, and so forth. It was established
in a couple of these sessions that the subject
had been invaded at an opportune moment by an
entity that wanted to be with the marriage partner
and that the attaching entity had influenced
the subject to marry that person in the first
place! Whenever the "core" person, or host,
would try to leave the relationship, a full
bore inner struggle would take place, preventing
the wishes of the host from prevailing. This
was always perceived as the subject's own
doubts and misgivings about leaving.
Physical
ailments, fears and phobias, addictions, and
"personality irregularities" of many kinds were
dissolved almost by magic! I was completely
stunned! Not only that, but all of my ideas
about children being "protected in their innocence"
from such infestation had to be tossed aside
as it became more and more evident that many
attachments took place during very ordinary
childhood traumas!
But
the point is - this may be part of the true
condition of mankind's prison! As Dr. Baldwin
notes above:
In
denial and ignorance, most people do not refuse
permission to these non-physical intruders.
...many people leave themselves open and create
their own vulnerability as part of creating
their own reality.
"In
DENIAL and IGNORANCE ...they create their own
vulnerability as part of creating their own
reality." What a concept!
I
hate to have to admit it, but this sentence
applied to me for a very long time. In fact,
it applies to all of us, to one extent or another
and that is why I am going to tell you some
stories about my "becoming aware." These were
complex interactions with many people, and at
many points, the various players involved all
had the same opportunities to become aware and
make choices as a result of this awareness.
We will see how those choices were presented
and how they operated in the Symbols of Reality,
and we will see what the Fruits of the various
choices were. When we are done with these stories,
it is hoped that there will be a very clear
understanding of how to "read the signs" and,
possibly, what the results can be, though each
person will have their own idea of how to respond
to the "lessons" and what a "desirable
outcome is."
As
I have recounted to some extent in Amazing
Grace on this site, discovering the
"Truth and Meaning" of our existence - or even
just MY existence since, for all I know, everything
else is an illusion - has been the driving force
behind my whole lifetime of internal and external
process. At any given time when I participated
in any activity whatsoever, it was always with
the idea that I might learn something about
God from it. Even when I was at the stage of
complete materialist atheism, it was an "experiment."
In my early years I studied Wicca and various
forms of shamanism, ritual magic and so forth.
I was cautious about material experimentation
with such things, preferring to study further
and compare, so I think I saved myself a lot
of grief that I have since observed in other
people who did not have the same reservations
about "practice."
Weaving
in and out of all this study was, of course,
my family religious background which had been
inculcated at a very early age - coming from
a long line of preachers and religious scholars.
This influence was very strong, so my programmed
inclination whenever I reached the end of a
particular study that had shown itself to be,
in effect, only a "fragment of the answer,"
was to revert to this familiar religious path
until some other study beckoned. What this means
is that my many years of study and dedication
to knowledge were punctuated by periods of The
Way of the Monk. As a teenager, I even dreamed
of being a nun "when I grew up." I
seemed to experience a cyclical fluctuation
between cold cerebral analysis and passionate
pursuit of an "intimate emotional relationship
with God." The curious thing was that I could
enter into either state with equal ardor and
dedication. What's more, when I was in one of
these "modes," it was as if I had completely
laid aside the other; for all practical purposes,
it did not exist in an "active" way. I know
well the agonizing struggle of "going for compassion
and purity of passion and will ...aiming towards
a feeling of fullness and unification of all."
I viscerally understand "following of the love
in the present moment, of opening the heart
to that present moment and the love in it."
And I also experienced the fact that "This is
usually not peaceful or calm." And I also know
what it is like to achieve it to greater or
lesser extent and what it costs the mind and
body. I have great fondness for this way. But,
again, as I have said, I am a practical person,
and finding a balanced merge of cerebration
and emotion has been my particular struggle.
I have to really control my urge to "give
my body up to be burned," to "give
all I own to the poor," and to sacrifice
myself in any number of ways as a martyr. For
me, that is far more difficult than subjecting
all of my emotions to one emotion to develop
emotional will.
So,
as I have noted in Amazing
Grace, at a certain point in my
life I decided that this "way of the heart"
was, indeed, the path for me. And I embraced
it whole-heartedly. I was 30 years old and pretty
worn out from seeking God in knowledge; or at
least I wasn't getting anywhere with it that
felt satisfying, so the urgings of my (ex) husband
to "get back with God" in the old-fashioned,
fundamental way were like an anchor beckoning
me to "come and rest." So, to put it bluntly,
I plunged headfirst into the "faith trip."
Not
being one to do anything halfway, I put all
thinking aside, all knowledge aside, and essentially
submitted myself willingly and by choice to
believe that "faith would take me home." To
make the point of how effectively this was accomplished,
I will share a funny event. In the early days
of this "plunge," I was sitting in
church with my (ex) husband and children. I
was observing the order of the service, the
standing up, sitting down, turning to page so-and-so
to sing a hymn, the kneeling and praying and
so forth. I realized suddenly, from my training
as a hypnotherapist, that this whole process
was a form of hypnosis. In studying mass or
group hypnosis, we had been taught about what
is called the "Yes set." The yes set
is designed to put people into a mild trance
state, to entrain their brain function, and
to make them receptive the the deepening of
the trance and suggestions to follow. It is
accomplished by getting a group of people to
either respond "yes" to a series of
questions, or to get them to comply with a series
of innocuous requests. In so doing, they "give
their will" to the person making the request.
One way this works for "charismatic"
public speakers is for them to deliberately
pose several questions in a row (at least three)
that they are certain everyone, or most everyone,
will agree with. For example: a politician might
begin his campaign speech with these three questions:
