School Talk 18 - The 9 Step Journey
Ok, today we’re going to talk about a journey. Many things you’ve read talks about a journey and frequently you’ve heard the expression, “the Way”, or you might have heard of taking a trip. So basically what we’re going to talk about is all the steps that goes on in a human existence from the time we’re born until possibly we can achieve something rather creative in Life that is supposed to be the “reason for living” maybe.
The first, of course, is the world. We all get an even start, we’re born in a world full of conditioning where everybody is trying to be non-disturbed in their own ways and usually blaming other people for not being non-disturbed. So we all got an even beginning from the starting gates, so nobody got an extra advantage there.
The second thing is a challenge from life. Now somewhere’s along, we’ve all met” to some degree at least” a very decided challenge. It could be a topsy turmoil; it could be that we lost everything we put together. It could be we’ve become very ill. It could be that all of our friends have turned their backs on us and 101 other things could happen that we would call as a challenge from life. We may refer to it sometimes as second force, but we’re not talking about the ordinary every day little affairs of second force like when the traffic light turned red just as you got to it or there’s no parking place near the door of the store you want to go to so you have to walk across the parking lot in 110 degree temperature. There are a few jillion other things. You go to the store to get something and they happen to be fresh out of it today.
All those are minor little irritations of second force. But we’re talking about something rather major in the person’s life that really sets off a questioning, a challenge; and it’s a challenge that leads to seeking and asking for “what’s going on here?” What is happening? It’s not what’s to blame or what can I do about it. Those are very inadequate responses to the challenge from life and while a person may have many challenges, they usually fluff it because they look for something to blame, or they try to find out what would help, or they decide if they had a million dollars everything would be all right. They never check into seeing what’s going on within me. Now if they do begin to question, they have then opened the door to being what’s called a school or having a teacher because if you’re asking what’s going on here, a teacher always shows up.
There’s an old statement that says when the student is ready, the teacher appears and vice versa--when a teacher is ready the student appears. You don’t have to go out and advertise or start knocking on doors or anything of the sort--it happens. But when the person is ready and is really asking, a source of information always appears that can get them into motion again.
So the first thing that comes in school teaching is self knowing—self knowing, of course, is to become acquainted with all the conditioning. We have tried to make it as easy as possible by creating the picture of man which makes it rather easy to see if one is really interested in seeing and wants to look because the answers are there--it is pretty obvious. We’ve read lots of material where it takes pages and pages and pages to say the simplest thing when the picture of man would answer it in a matter of seconds all the way through.
The second step in teaching is self remembering. Self remembering is beginning to see what am I, where am I, what’s going on here and most especially what can I do?—based upon one’s understanding of the first three questions.
Then every now and then an initiation is put on and initiation is more or less a formal school usually in which a person wonders what’s going on or we haven’t done anything or we haven’t started yet because the initiation is a practical application wherein the school is set up so that one can recognize self knowing and self remembering without very much effort. It is continually brought before a person in absolute action and, of course, one of the things that goes on in initiation is a gathering of a group of people that fits the proper categories.
Now we have to have people who are students and then there are those that are potential students. We have to have people who are simply clients that want to find out certain things—or study those because they aid the students in their endeavor, whatever it may be in such as getting along with people, for getting along in their business or what-have-you They also have to have detractors—detractors are people who are always trying to get your attention off on to blaming, complaining, sticking up for your rights and all those little things, and they have to be around in order to make up a school. When the person lives through this for a while--and we do, finally, get around to describing what has gone on in the school, the student can then see what is to be accomplished. If they take what they’ve learned in initiation and self knowing and self remembering and use it, we call that being dedicated—that’s really putting all your stuff………….well, it’s another word for making it first value.
Now the fact of having gone through a school doesn’t necessarily do a thing in the world for you unless you use it. It’s not just something to talk about and nobody can send you to anyplace--you have to go yourself. So no matter how many people would hypnotize you or make you have nice feelings, it is nothing, but here’s where you can really live it. So let’s say that you were really living self remembering. Let’s just say we made it that our absolute first value was self-remembering. I really lived it and I kept it constantly in mind to a great degree—what can I do--which is a very simple thing. What can I do? Maybe all I can do is contribute to a pleasant harmonious mood wherever I may be. If you did that and that alone, you would begin to find that you were really accomplishing something; and we say that that leads to actualization—now the actualization is being capable of having higher states of consciousness.
We have put out a little piece of paper called the tone scale (See Tone Scale on web site under Illustrations) which goes up in a certain direction and the rest of it we will tell you about at some future date.
But let’s say you got to the place where you were enthusiastic all the time instead of complaining, worrying, fretting, stewing, feeling sorry for yourself, being pathetic, feeling sorry for every unfortunate person you met which is the lower state of consciousness. But now when one is enthusiastic, one could find one could go to any state of consciousness one chooses; and in some of the higher states of consciousness whatever you state as being a fact is actualized very quickly.
If you said the same thing in the lower state of consciousness like worry or anger or boredom or apathy or resentment or some of these other states down there, it would no more have any affect on affairs in the world then if you had "throwed" a piece of chalk across the floor or spit out a window or threw salt over your left shoulder—it wouldn’t make any difference, it has no affect whatsoever, but if you’re in a certain state of consciousness and you make a statement, that statement is actualized in rather a short order. It’s not always today, it’s not always tomorrow, but in a relative short time that it is actualized; and this, of course, is what people refer to as miracles--as healing--as unusual events or occurrences and different other things that people do—they’re libel to accuse you of being a sorcerer or a witch or something like that.
Very frequently something is done by a person that doesn’t wear the proper garb and they say, we’ll that must be from the devil. Now if you had worn the proper coat and cap and all the other stuff and said that’s of God, they’d say that was ok—but we’re not saying where it is, it’s of a higher state of consciousness and whatever you state in that higher consciousness is actualized—there isn’t maybe, or what if, and maybe so maybe it wont—it will be, it really is actualized if you are in the appropriate state of consciousness. Now that leads to service.
There’s million ways of giving service. One, of course, as a teacher, one would be operating schools, one would be healing, but that’s totally unnecessary and that’s just one way of doing it and not necessarily the best way. At least one way we could all be of service is that we can contribute to a pleasant harmonious mood wherever we may be; and if you consider that for a bit, you might see that that’s one of the higher states of consciousness you can possibly come up with. It’s one of the nicest services you could do to all the people around you-- strangers, friends, family, relatives; but if you can maintain a pleasant harmonious mood around you and contribute to other people’s having it, you haven’t done too shabby today. That’s for sure and certain.
It doesn’t mean you’re going to solve all the problems of the world because nobody’s going to do that—each INDIVIDUAL CREATES THEIR OWN PROBLEMS BY THEIR PLACE IN THE WORLD AND HOW THEY RESPOND TO THE CHALLENGES THAT LIFE GIVES THEM AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO WAKE UP.
As I said, a while ago we basically flub that because we start looking for what to blame, what we need, so we always come up with we needed a few extra million dollars or thinking if we had new situations around us or thinking if all these jerky, stupid bastards in the world would get out of my way and out of my circuit why then everything would be all right. But it doesn’t seem as though it works that way. So the person still has the same old condition year in and year out and seldom seems to learn to ask the proper question.
There’s a story told that the great King Solomon was asked when he was a very young man what he would like to have, you know, like the blue fairy comes down and says, “What would you like to have.” So he considered it long and carefully and finally said he would like to have wisdom and understanding. So it seems that so delighted the “Gods that be”, that they gave him wisdom and understanding, but loaded him down with riches and prestige and power and then they blew it all up by giving him 300 wives and 700 concubines. If you’ve ever even tried to keep two in line, you know what that would lead into.
So he got in trouble in no uncertain terms in a while, but nevertheless they had to put a kicker with it while he was doing it up. So at least he asked the proper question that is stated in many writings and especially in some of the scripture and I think in the little book of James, it says you ask and you do not receive because you ask amiss. You ask that you may spend it on your passions.
Asking doesn’t mean you would sit here and ask out of the ceiling and hope that potatoes or whatever you want comes falling through. It means that you ask the proper question so that you would be open to teachings, schoolwork, whatever it is--that you could possibly use and then if you ask the teacher improperly, it probably wouldn’t get you very far either. We have had questions put to us as asking—things like a new yellow corvette and an affair with Warner Erhardt and then later get married to a very rich man—all on one little sheet of paper. That is asking amiss.
One little lady was continually asking that a million dollars be put in her bank account tomorrow and one day there was an article in the paper that somebody had inadvertently found he had an extra million in his bank account which he had not deposited, so he quickly wrote some checks and got it out. But the bank found out where the error of posting was and it wound up he got sentenced to 22 years in prison for having taken the money. so I mentioned that to her one night when she was in, and she didn’t like that worth anything at all. But you see, when we ask we must see what it is we somewhat would need.
If we just ask for what we want, meeting up with teachers, schools, wouldn’t do any good and saying it to the ceiling every night before you go to bed won’t do much good either, I don’t think. But if you ask properly, you’ll find there is always something forthcoming, somebody is there to give you the proper material and put it is such a way that you can find a use and a way to use it.
So this is the one that we would consider, that we begin to see how to ask the question—to question what we’re asking for. That we are asking for wisdom, understanding to quote great Solomon or we could say that we want to know what’s going on here which is in today’s terminology would probably be about the best question any of us could ask is “I would like to know what’s going on here.” When all the things in our affairs seem to be going topsy-turvey. Sometimes—that no mater what—we’re wanting two different things at the same time that are mutually exclusive.
Like a very dear friend of mine said one time—he’d like to have a very profitable business, but (that cancelled the first item.) he didn’t want to be tied down. But I’ve found that if I ever managed to have a profitable business, I was very much tied to it. I couldn’t very well go spend some time fishing in Alaska and traveling on safari in Africa and taking trips around the world without ever stopping off to do a little work. It seems they kind of go together. If you own a profitable business, you’re going to have to work at it. Is that about right Mark? You have to stick around and if you don’t stick around, what happens to the business.
(It doesn’t do very well.)
So even in the simple mundane affairs, we have to have a bit of dedication or it’s not going to work. And then after we’ve learned things like self knowing and self remembering, quoting them, telling everybody else about them is not going to do a thing in the world for us. It’s when we start living it, then we become transformed or changed individuals and our whole existence becomes different, but it is due to application and not having heard about it or being able to repeat it.
I could rattle off words all day long, but if I don’t live it, how many of you would believe it. If I tell you all sorts of nice things that I think the world of you, I’m right here to be of service to you any number of other things, but then if you had a little difficulty and I said don’t bug me man, I’m long gone. I don’t want to be bothered with you, would you accept that I thought very much of you. It wouldn’t work that way.
So a little demonstration goes a long way sometimes. So now we’ll stop for a few minutes and see if we have time for a few questions and who’s got the first one here?
We’re all on this road somewhere whether we like it or not, we’re there. We may be at point one; we may be at point two and still there. We may be at 3, 4, 5, 6, but we’re all on the road and there’s not much way we can escape that.
(Bob, it still appears that I don’t know what to ask for?)
Well, I suppose you ask “What’s going on here”. You don’t know what to ask for, but just ask what’s going on here and you’ll find out pretty soon, ok? Would that be all right? Only ask the question what’s going on here—don’t ask for anything. I’ll give you a starter for that in a few days. Ok?
(What about initiating, what were you saving after self remembering?)
After self remembering you are exposed to initiation. You probably wouldn’t know what was going on until after it was over and it was explained to you ok? It’s more or less undercover operation ok? And then after you have had it explained to you, then you want to see if you can really work at living it. (I believe he was talking about what goes on in a esoteric school when he had one.)
What initiation is about is seeing how much and emphatically bringing to mind by actual events about self knowing and self remembering. You see it then, you’ve experienced it then and now do you use it or do you think that’s nice and go ditty-boppin’ down the way and never use it—it’s of very little value to you You can really make it of first value and use it every day, even if nothing more than I am going to contribute to a pleasant harmonious mood and not just now and then when I happen to think of it. Dedication means to be really making it you’re very first value and then you don’t have to think about it very much—you just do it.
(So you’re saying that first there’s self knowing and remembering and then initiation comes when someone explains it to you?)
Well, initiation is not when it’s explained to you. It’s when you are run through certain things that happen that you do emphatically see what self knowing and self remembering is and then it’s explained to you while those series of events went on—OK? They don’t tell you ahead of time usually what the series of events are gonna be, because you’d be all prepared and you wouldn’t get much shock value out of it.
Initiation basically usually gives a little shock value here and there.
(Then dedication would be remembering.)
Remembering and making a first value that you’re going to do it. Saying that you would be living self remembering—you would be practicing self remembering practically all the time and it would be forcing yourself to be awake—OK? Paulette?
(And at first it would be easy.)
No, I wouldn’t say any of it is easy honey, but it’s very simple, but the longer you practice it, the more it becomes a way of life rather than something you’re working at—that’s true.
(When you say what’s going on here, then you remember that there’s a challenge from life.)
Well, you’d probably remember that challenge from life, but you certainly would remember what can I do? In this situation and always it’s about the same thing that you can really do in a situation ok? You’re remembering where you are, remember what you are, you remember what’s going on here and you remember what can you do? And you can start doing it. No matter where you are and what the circumstances are; and if you learn to do that one, pretty soon you can choose any state of consciousness you choose to have and in different states of consciousness you do different things.
Now obviously if we’re going out to do a certain mundane piece of work like cook dinner, I’d rather do that in a state of consciousness that keeps my feet on the ground—there are other states of consciousness that mundane everyday affairs is not very worthwhile, it is not a suitable place to do them in. So we can choose for whatever activity we’re going to do to choose what state of consciousness we choose to be in at that time and some of them are rather high and you could call them ecstatic, you could call them bliss, you could call them a number of other things, but I’m not interested in putting words on them, I’m only saying these states of consciousness do exist and different kinds of work is accomplished in the different levels of consciousness—you don’t go out and plow a field with bliss. You probably wouldn’t even bother with it. You’d throw the plow down and sit down and have a joy out of it, ;you’d be thinking, so what.
(And actualization is?)
The actualizing is the ability to have any state of consciousness, you want at any given moment, but that actualization is in an awakened individual or an enlightened one. They’ve "throwed" down all the weights—you can call it being enlightened, you can call it being liberated, you can call it many other things, but actualization is that the person is capable of choosing any state of consciousness they want when they want to. That would be the easiest way to say it.
(When you start realizing that the four dual basic urges are of no value?)
That’s self knowing, self knowing you realize that the four dual basic urges are nice, but of minor importance. They’re like water to drink and food to eat and clothes to wear and so forth, but they’re not the source, they’re not the needs that you have. Somebody says seek ye first the kingdom of actualization or being able to choose any state of consciousness and all this other stuff will be added unto you. But remember it said all of it—it didn’t say just all the good things.
(That’s right.)
Be aware of it. All these other things will be added unto you. Well, that includes pains in your neck and pains in your feet, belly aches and…….
(…….the business going down…..)
…….and the business going down and so all things will be added unto you—so remember that it won’t be only the goodies, and you won’t have any big disappointments.
(Thank you.)
You see all things will be added unto you, not just the goodies, but just the yellow Corvette and dates with Warner Erhardt, but all things—so all of them will come along and so they will be added unto you, but you will be quite capable of handling them. Some people miss that all things will be added unto you. They think about all the goodies, but they don’t think about all that other stuff, but it comes too.
(So when it refers to you can’t put new wine in old bottles, you can’t function from the four dual basic urges.)
You can’t come down here and think that you’ve learned something and then you’re going to put that in the old bottle of non-disturbance. You’re not going to try to use what you have found out to achieve non-disturbance. It doesn’t work; it’s on the chart called transformation out here towards the end of it.
(When you ask what’s going on here, it’s usually a mass of confusion.)
The confusion is In yourself, because if it’s not there, you can usually straighten out about anything, ok? So that’s what’s going on. Now what can you do? I can be unconfused—I can take charge of my own inner state, and I can contribute to a pleasant harmonious mood which stops most of the chaos around.
*Audience participation in parenthesis
Our Friend, Christine Thompson, clearly and eloquently listed the steps for the “Nine Step Journey”, which can be found at Harmony Workshop online.