Tara, I “ran into” Gary and Seat of the Soul a few months ago, and have been endeavoring to practice the concepts seriously since then. I can tell that you have been a seeker for some time. I am looking for a spiritual partner to practice with by phone in a way that meets both our needs. Something about your comments leads me to feel that you may be willing to “say it like it is,” to the best of your ability, and to understand a great deal, lovingly. Would you be interested in this? If so, what do you say to my posting my email address here. We could then exchange phone numbers privately, or continue to explore whether it’s a fit or not by email. The first thing I’d want from you, is to be assured you won’t accept this suggestion unless it actually resonates with you – no explanation needed! In any event, all blessings to you, welcome to the community, and thanks for your post.

Karel

• This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by karel.

Becky and Barbara L – please forgive me, I forgot to add your names on the previous message!

Karel

Roslyn and Sundar –

This will be very scattered. First, thanks to both of you for including me in your thoughts and comments. Second, have not been checking my messages for a few days, but am so pleased to hear from you. You are both very dear.

The easiest question to respond to for me is that I live in Washington state, and Perth (according to my phone) is 15 hours ahead. So for me it’s Monday morning at 10:26 A.M., Pacific Time, and for Perth it’s Tuesday morning in the wee hours – 1:27 A.M. You are 15 hours ahead.

Being unwell is never fun, is it? It sounds as if it comes at a time, though, when you are able to handle it as an opportunity to think quietly. Your attitude towards the situation sounds grateful and positive.

I was interested in your reaction to the questions at the end of the chapters in Seat of the Soul. I also am challenged by the questions, but for a different reason. I have a kind of “I already got your point” attitude. One of my less pleasing personality characteristics. But I am requiring myself to answer every single one, which has been a huge blessing. First, it opens my heart and mind to a requisite humility, just to make the effort to literally write answers to each. I read from a Kindle edition, so I can just click on a word, and type in an answer, which I like to date. Can add to the answers later. Or see if they’ve changed. Second, I almost always find that the effort to write thoughtfully takes me to new levels of understanding, so I’ve been very grateful for the questions. Like you, I’m so grateful for the wonderful variety of tools Gary and Linda offer.

By the way, I’m no computer geek at all. I taught myself, with the aid of a very introductory class, in my mid-50s, and have just learned little by little as situations required. I really should take a class or two at this point, to become more efficient and creative in using this amazing tool. I’ll tell you what I did find challenging age-wise last week was reading the manual for the new used car I needed to buy last week. The number of different ways to use just the key fob made me feel ancient! It’s very odd finding myself “old” and at the same time knowing how mental a concept that is – including the bodily evidence of a lifetime of inactivity, which has to be tackled and my food addiction mastered.

Your comment that most caught my attention was your astute observation about the language that Sundar and I are using. You’re right, of course – Gary and Linda have developed specialized meanings for everyday words, which works like a shorthand for students, and I’m very appreciative of it. BUT (!) – or rather, AND (!) – having been a student of a specific teaching about Christianity for 40 years, I am very familiar with such specialized meanings, which can differ hugely from what’s generally meant by a word. It works very well for communicating within the particular teaching. At the same time, I see two dangers in it: (1) students of that teaching begin to sound alike, which can mean we aren’t really thinking any more, and not really examining the depths of meaning in the teaching; (2) when a student’s thought becomes overly imbued with the technical language of the teaching, it’s so easy for the students (me, for instance) to neglect to develop their own ways of expressing themselves, and they begin to be uncomfortable and “strangled” in sharing with “outsiders.” The very word outsiders conveys the sense of separation implicit. This tendency goes on to (3) destroy the very individuality of thought/feeling/action it was intended to foster.

So, again, I find your observation very astute. I had already been uncomfortable noticing how quickly I have picked up the “preferred style” and adapted to it. As I say, I love the “shorthand” quality of it, but I am still suffering the consequences of my previous experience. Do I blame that teaching, or the church developed from it? No: as we say in THIS teaching, the unconscious and frightened parts of my personality were/are there to be snagged, and snagged they were. Now I’m committed to dissolving my inner obstacles to genuine consciousness and love of life.

Oh, Ros, I meant to mention that it’s quite possible that your finding some of the material hard to understand is a plus for you. I’m on my second complete reading of Seat of the Soul (and several times for some parts) and still hit sentences and concepts I’m quite sure Gary added to the book between my readings! They sure weren’t there the first time! I like that aspect of the book and of the teachings. WYSIWYG – What You SEE Is What You Get. I’m grateful for teachings that expand in richness the closer in I get and the deeper I look. For me, that’s a measure of the truth reflected. Possibly you go more deeply the first time around.

With love,
Karel

Jacob,

I, too, am a grandparent, and parent. My challenges differ in many ways from yours, but I do know what it’s like to be extraordinarily slow to acknowledge sadness and other feelings in the “fear family.” Thanks for sharing a glimpse of the great difficulties you’re going through. Maybe it helps you a tiny bit to know that your sharing helps me. Yes, they are heavy issues. Death of a child, remorse, sadness. My brother-in-law suffered from manic-depression. A lifelong challenge for him and for my sister. I’ve found the Seat of the Soul only recently, and feel grateful to be here, and grateful for your being led this way, too.

Barbara

Sundar,

Your warm reply, along with Shelley’s, came at a helpful moment for me, as I’m navigating a tough spot these days. I was particularly grateful for your tuning in to how it feels to be 80 and just putting things like this together. These Life School teachings clarify the “But HOW?” that I thought I had understood in previous teachings, but really had not. So the overall concepts here, though in different language, are not new to me, though many specifics are new. I feel so grateful to have some sense now of specific steps to take in examining my sensing, feeling, and thinking. I’ve spent too much time in the land of “can’t go this way, and can’t go that way.” Being able to better notice and understand my feelings, and make choices about them, is gradually coming to mean the world to me. I’ve been blessed to have an incredible friend along the way, whose steadfast and enlightened help knocked out most of my denial of destructive patterns, but these teachings somehow bypass the slipperiness I’ve allowed all my life, and offer secure, practical handholds that make sense to me. I have growing hope of – and commitment to – achieving a few years of living in conscious, loving connection with all, rather than forever being among the living dead, having unawarely distanced myself from life and love.

In response to your question, no I wasn’t the first caller in last month’s call. I did get to be in on it, though – my first time – and truly enjoyed it. I missed this morning’s, to my disappointment. Thanks for making this connection with me today.

Thanks, too, for your “With love and trust,” – it feels sincere, and is very welcome. The same to you –

Karel

Hi Robin – I’m pretty new to Gary and Linda’s books, but what I hear you saying is that you DO have resentment. I really get how that feels! So, if it were me (and actually it is, but different circumstances), I would tell myself to check out what’s lurking in the resentment. For starters, I’m having an unpleasant emotion triggered by a very frightened part of my personality (which you’ve read about in Seat of the Soul?). When I notice the emotion, I also get the opportunity to explore it and find out what in my personality needs healing: like, if I feel I need something my friend cannot give me, and then choose, say, to blame him or her instead of claiming my own inner wholeness, then I am saying I choose to be a victim until I get sick of it. OR, I could choose to open my eyes and heart to him even though I’m scared, and begin a more honest dialogue, knowing ahead of time that it may or may not work out according to my druthers, but it will leave us both better humans, more capable of real intimacy, and closer to being able to find fulfilling partnership, rather than living in fantasy land. Maybe the “victim” scenario is not you, but there will be something for you to learn about yourself, and I’m finding Gary is right – these unpleasant emotions are the best friend I could have right now. And they ARE unpleasant, painful. But little successes make it feel so worth doing. So much richer than the way I was living. BTW, as a woman who will be 80 in October, I can passionately say I WISH I had understood these things decades ago. You’ve got such a beautiful opportunity at this site!

Hi Judith – wonderful how we can be brought together in this Soul-interest when Sweden is so far geographically from Washington State. I’m happy about this connection with you.