Calisthenics November 1982

Transcription

1 Calisthenics November 1982 CALISTHENICS PRACTICE WHOLENESS ACTION-WISE ---A LIVANCE-WISE --- GOING TO THE SUN PERSONALITY TO SPIRIT U SHAPING SPIRIT-WISE --- ALL-ENCOMPASSING LOVE A + U --- PHYSICAL EXPRESSION DANCE REFLECTIN MIND --- ALL-ENCOMPASSING BEAUTY --M --- Today we are going to practice some calisthenics together. I'm afraid that the understanding of calisthenics has kind of petered out, and instead of being a whole group activity, it has come to small individualistic groups that are separate from each other, which is a return to ego-centeredness. As you train, you need, as much as possible, to have a sense of whole group or wholeness. And also, be careful to train, not just with one person, but, as much as possible, with an array of persons. Ideally, you ought to be as rounded as possible, until you realize that the real calisthenics is utterly different. This is what we are going to show you today. There is a chronic tendency, and not just with these groups, to practice in order to reach a higher goal that is, classically speaking, inside. Calisthenics are not for that. Calisthenics are an exercise in fitness, fitness so that you may express what has to be expressed. And, each of you, when fit, will be fit differently. This means you each have your own way, or your own qualities,to bring out. I use music. And I observe, in spite of everything I have always said, your tendency is to use music also-- "because-music-helps-to-bring-along-this-or-that". What you forget is that music is a language for me. I can do something with it. It is not just a tool accompanying an action; I use it directly, action-wise. What I am trying to tell you is: Find your own away, a way in which you can truly express. Find a tool you can use. Don't copy me. Don't copy others. But you need to practice calisthenics very seriously before you can come out genuinely. Right now, each of you, except for three, shows a personality centeredness, with an awareness that is mixed between emotional and mental. The awareness that you have of yourself is the one that the personality projects, it's an image of yourself, not your real self. As far as practicing calisthenics is concerned, there are a number of possibilities. you have the discipline involved in the hologram, i.e., learning to face that which you don't know without projecting anything, no value, no judgment, no appreciation, no awaring; respecting it, so that it can show according to itself and not according to restrictions you might impose by your emotions, mind, or sensory awareness. Learning to face the unknown that is always present in this room is a very serious exercise, and not too easy to perform. You do it again and again and again, and one day you really are able to face something new, according to that newness and not according to your brain. But it has to be done.

2 We are now going to play a piece of Paganini in four different ways. The first time you will just enjoy the music. We have worked with Paganini before so you might be tempted to do something with it, but don't do it. Just enjoy it as you would ordinary music, so that you may have the effect of the music and only that. Register how the group feels now, during, and especially after the music. Do the same for yourself as you live through the different changes going on. And it's not a matter of perceiving, it's a matter of living through and dwelling with it. Now here already you have a practice that is not too easy because you mind has a habit of abstracting points from the whole according to certain references. You recognize this, you recognize that. As much as possible, don't do it. it will pop up anyway, but don't care about it. Now, to live with the music. Recognize livance-wise, not item-wise. Okay, you see now what the music does to you. You can even observe that for some it brought your higher life down to more ordinary life, which is perfectly all right because you play the game of just appreciating according to usual awareness. Now we are going to play it again. This time I'll ask you to come out with an A (top of the head). You have practiced for a long time, we'll site what comes out. We have used Paganini before for this purpose so it should be fairly easy. I want you to register closely how you experience the A. I say this because tonight we are going to practice another A that will be a fully different story -- so the first A has to be very clear for you. So, register your impression, the way your life position is, the kind of A you register, register that you know that kind of A there's nothing wrong with it, it's simply that you are now going to face something else. Incidentally, except for two of you, whose A's are not solely a product of consciousness, you have consciousness deciding upon an A which is more or less effective. Centers of awareness are not of the usual personality. They are kind of open windows that allow "spirit" to take hold of the personality. They are not the product of the personality. Now, we have seen with the hologram that if you dwell in All-Encompassingness you might be said to be the Seer, but this is not the point. All-Encompassingness has a symbol, verticality, that applies to the A too, meaning All-Encompassingness gives birth to the A. But All- Encompassingness is not an A function. So, we will play Paganini again and we will dwell in All-Encompassingness. The Pilot dwells, and in the work that we do the Pilot definitely has the characteristic of what we call Christ -- so you could say Christ dwells in All-Encompassingness.

3 As you can notice the whole atmosphere has changed. You might even notice that, in your own experience, you face something that you cannot explain -- it goes beyond consciousness. You can feel it in the air. And it's not just "your" experience it's a pervading condition. Also notice that your previous experience with the music did not lead to this condition. The condition contains it's own authority. You cannot make a relation and say "I felt this, so now if I do this I will reach here and then I will be there". You cannot say it. You cannot experience it that way. Now this time with the music we are going to let the A come out as, well, some speak of a condensation of this pervading condition. Condensation is an image and if you don' t take it too seriously it's okay, but it is not a condensation -- still it's intimately related. So, let the A come out according to this condition. If you allow yourself to live freely the condition you experience now, you will notice it is not a product of consciousness -- not in any way. Linked to that, you are not the same identity you had a moment before. Please register it. Let me remind you of an example I have often given: In guided fantasy work there is an experience I have called "going to the sun". This experience has several points that are absolutely typical: A person climbs a mountain, then soars away, higher and higher. He goes through different layers of atmosphere, higher and higher. In the process he loses his physical shape (remember this). He comes to a place that is utterly and completely dark, and there he loses the impulse that brought him higher and higher -- the impulse is just gone. There is nothing anywhere. The person doesn't know what to do, he does not know where to go -- there is a kind of disorientation because all impulses are gone. The drive is gone, if you want. At this point the psychologist has to step in and suggest that he look around to see if there is a point somewhere that might be attracting him. So the person turns around and looks and he discovers an attraction. Now this implies a huge change. The impulse to soar starts from a certain base, let us say, the valley floor. It takes you up the mountain (which belongs to the same landscape) and beyond, but always according to the base from which you started -- until this way of functioning doesn't work any longer and you are completely lost. Then you change over into another mode. That you are drawn toward this condition in the night' has many implications. One is a complete change in the way of acting, meaning dynamics, the impulse that makes you act -- it's the opposite of the previous one. Then, you have lost your body. Also,. with the change of modes

4 there is a change of polarity too. From here on, the sun is the center and not the earth. You change from personality to spirit. That night is what John of the Cross described as the the three nights before the dawn. The night of the senses, the night of the understanding, and the night of the soul. Whatever way you use, you go through a total night in which the senses don't work any longer, your understanding, which implies your awaring, no longer works, and your higher, deeper sense of soul doesn't work either. Then you look for something different, which is not the earth but the sun. Relate this to your experience with A. Symbolically speaking, we have the first A which is a product of the earth, the last one is a product of the sun. If there is still some remnant of what we just did in you, you will notice that the the second A, to your awareness, is a lot more refined, to the point that if you are not careful you just don't sense it as you sense the first one. And you have a hard time telling if it is on the top of the head or possibly somewhat higher. There is an A, the quality is here, if you know the function, you have the function, but it is enormously refined. We could say that the first A you experienced was a reflection, according to awareness, not a true function. We observe some points. I told you last time that you have to be careful with the hologram. There is a discipline that is very strict and you have to get used to it: When you face something new, that something is new. You have to respect it. This means that all the references you have or had are of no use. Here we find the symbolism of the night again. Actually, when you face that night or nothingness there is a branching. What happens most of the time is that you discover the other side of the known. In the past we have spoken of the mask and the comedian, I would call the comedian the other side of the known. (The Pilot is not the comedian.) For us the comedian is still personality, except that it is a much more extended personality. Or, if you want, you could say that you face something new that belongs to the socalled higher levels that you learn of in any mystical or occult teaching. This is the usual branching that happens. The other branch takes you into that night and there is nothing, just plain nothing, and you-give up all -- it really happens. Then there is the dawn. You feel the attraction, which proves to be the sun. The sun is the symbol of God. The sun is the symbol of the real you -- but be careful -- the sense of identity is gone. Now I tell you many things, and I expect that your minds will work on them very actively, and I hope that little by little you will really do it. I quote very often something from Patanjali that I find very beautiful: "Atman projects itself into chitta (mind substance) and the mind makes an image of Atman (feels being that); the one who knows and the knowledge is not in chitta". In chitta we have a function, like a computer if you want, with a definite substance to it.

5 You hear me, you take it as information and it might make sense for your mind or it might not, but it is required that you realize that your mind is not the one who knows. You are not the image that is in the mind. Atman is not that. The image is produced by an act of Atman but is not Atman. Now suppose you challenge your sense of identity, every day, you will-find something else -- according to the two ways I just described. The most obvious branching is usually a kind of higher form of self, and this includes Atman. Or, you go through the night and then you are the sun -- not Atman. This might be a little too much for your mind. The implications are very serious because of the position of what you are that you have to assume. Okay, let's go to the second exercise. We will do the same with a piece of Chopin. First, enjoy the music and see how your life shapes, what prevails in the room, what you can see around everyone. So you have a first expression. We are going to play it again and this time you come out with U (middle of forehead). You have previous experience and you might be tempted to play that U in a higher range. well, if you are tempted just do it. Do whatever you-can. As you can see it's quite different from the A you came out with, so you have a different atmosphere. Pick out something that has some interest. Right now I tell you many things in the hope that one day you will be able to do the same yourself. There are things you can read, symbolism that applies. For instance, previously we had two who came out with an A more spirit-wise, this time it wasn't that good -- the presence of spirit wasn't that strong. The A center is the one that has the least influence frolm nature? - meaning spirit is the freest. But with the U spirit begins to shape (shaping is a U function). And, as you experience with yourself, living spirit is kind of fine, and when you start shaping you don't exactly know how to do it. You have interference from thoughts, concepts etc. When you live spirit, the shaping goes according to that spirit. This means that as practice goes you have to start working on shaping spirit-wise, and you have to be able to make the difference between shaping spirit-wise and shaping according to the person. There is something further I wanted o tell you. It seems that some of you take seriously the need to express the professional side of spirituality -- not spirituality as it is seen by the consciousness, but as it is. Okay, so you came out with a U, if you really want to help you have to have the ability to sound the U throughout so that everyone responds. Professional work does not ask what you understand, it asks what you can do. You sound a U and U shows. Bear this in mind when you train. You work until it works. As I have said many times, you can create all the illusions you want, but when you face, let us say, this group and you sound a note it has to show.

6 What do we have up to now? You have a kind of average working here, but none of this is effective. You live U, yes, but for yourself. You put your attention on U and you start feeling something -- it's not the point. This is how you have started, but don't stop there. You know the intention you put in your movement is very important. If your intention is just to be aware of the U that is one proposition, but for those who are a bit more serious, the intention has to be that the U work. Everything in the room has to respond to the U. You see us doing it all the time. Why don't you have the same goal? We do not expect that you can achieve it right away because of all of the veils the consciousness puts over reality, but you can at least have the strong intent that goes in that direction and nothing less. This you can put into motion. Your intention has the freedom to set the direction but the shaping is, as I said, somewhat difficult. But at least when you start, start with a high goal: You want that to work. And you have to deal with facts, not according to your appreciations inside which can always be distorted by your own desires. So let's play All-Encompassing Love. When the Pilot dwells in All-Encompassing Love He is said to be the Knower. Now be careful. The symbol of All-Encompassing Love in the hologram is verticality and a kind of horizontality -- both together --so you don't have the birth of a U without an A in it. But then we deal with orders of life That are different. There is no Condition and there is no Love because these words belong to the ordinary consciousness. And You will notice that if you, the person, decides that you will radiate tremendous Love, All- Encompassing, it won't work. Don't make this mistake with the mind and.start radiating. The Pilot dwells. Forget about the doingness that you have in your personality. Allow yourself to dwell in that unknown called All-Encompassing Love and see what happens. It's unknown, it's another order of life, but when that order of life is active, something happens even in the known order. I observe that a few of you respond soul-wise, which is typical with that kind of dwelling in which soul becomes a greater reality than usual. For those who respond, watch what happens when the U sounds in the same surrounding. Okay, let's go with the second. As you look around, you can see that the U shows on the forehead of everyone. A lot more consistently than it did before, but a lot lighter too, which is the case with everything called "spirit". Chris and Wayland, you will notice that you didn't lose your position, on the contrary you're more evidently based. The shaping didn't take away the verticality as it did the first time to some extent. Right now it's the contrary, you're more rounded. So it's for you to learn to make the difference between the two propositions. Now, I want to interject something because of a letter I received from-one of you, asking about the appropriateness of some training to express physically with dance. It's a cluttered room so we cannot dance, but I would like you to experience something because the issue is serious.

7 It happens every once in a while to practically everyone that, depending on what happens to your soul, you feel like dancing, or flying like a butterfly, something like that. This is a form of expression of soul joy. We will play a Chopin waltz and I will play with you as, let's call it a soul dance, but no physical expression whatsoever -- the spirit of dance is lived, soul-wise. Now, feel in yourself, in the room and so on, the quality of life, the kind of delicacy there is, the kind of transparency. Now we are going to play it again, but this time feel yourself physically dancing. Really feel yourself moving. okay let's do it. Participant: The first time through I could follow the action and I felt like physically moving. The second time through there was no response. I had no sense of joy, no sense of physical action at all. This seems very strange. Martin: It could mean that you depend on the joy I give you to trigger the action instead of generating it in yourself. We have the same piece of music. Participant: I thought it was the same joy included in both cases, maybe that was not true. Martin: First, let us observe a few points. Translated psychologically, what just happened was that you took something that you have lived, let us say, super consciously (positive polarity) into subconscious activity or impulsiveness. I hope you follow. The first movement was more super conscious, the second subconscious. Follow closely, because this is precisely what happens in the world today, i.e., the translation of super conscious material into subconscious impulsiveness and then it's gone -- you have lost the finer qualities. It's obvious, you can see it, you have all reduced your "higher" vibration, the higher condition is gone. The subconscious is that part of nature that spirit does not master. Spirit is you. You have lost control. You might think that maybe I don't understand dance. Well, you might be wrong. Not long ago I was a dancer. I can even smell the dust of the stage. I know what dance is, and in a way I dance a lot,,you simply don't look in the right place. I know what the feeling of dance is and I know about the impulse that makes you want to express it in movement, but if you do it that way you change the polarity of what is playing. The joy is a spirit joy and you translate it into a nature aspect without the dominance of spirit. I don't say that you cannot dance physically what you live, but it requires a great mastery. The M zone has to be awakened if you want to express physically. I haven't seen one person who is able to work positively in the M zone in the practice with the centers that we have seen tonight. of course when we play the other version of the centers it's another story, but you have no grip on that other condition with your consciousness.

8 As an example, If I ask you to give out an A, or a U you know beforehand that you cannot. This is what you are going to tell me every time. And I am going to tell you that you are a liar because you just did it. you just did it and in the next sentence you are able, without blushing, to come out and tell me that you cannot do it. This just to give you a measure of your handling of your consciousness. And you really believe in what consciousness tell you. To give you a hint, I spoke earlier about being able to sound an A, U or M and having it appear all around, in the atmosphere etc. Well, psychologically, if you work on the M zone, it's going to show as a change in that part of consciousness that is close to sub consciousness, or completely subconscious. There are two states which belong to that: the dream state which is classified as subconscious and that state, kind of half awake in which you have some control, but your imagination wanders and there's a lot of imagery going on. When you work on the M zone positively this stage changes quite a bit and the control in the dream as well. If there is no change in these two aspects it means you are not doing it. It all boils down to being pragmatic and not being happy with half measures. Let's play that dance again. You will notice with that kind of music that the sensing is a lot more subtle, a lot more refined. If you try to express it physically that subtlety and fineness will be gone. You have to be aware that when you experience, than it is not your mind experiencing. You whole body experiences as well. Sensory awareness reaches a lot further you are used to. Participant: Would what you expressed about dance apply to all forms of movement? Playing music or painting? Martin: Well I guess if you would play your feeling with a musical instrument, and you were good with it, it might work better,more easily than dance. if you play a violin or guitar, especially the stringed instruments that allow you to give a lot of shades, it might be easier than dance. But as far as dance as a mode of expression,impulsive dancing is not fit. I'm not offering you a theory. We just made a demonstration of what it does. We face evidences, not theory. You have to learn to face life as it is and not as you abstract it with your consciousness. You know sometimes I tell you that the mind is always reflecting, unless you train it, and you say "yes" and "amen". This is not the proper answer. The proper answer is to start noticing it and finding the points where you have proof of it. And you cannot do it with the mind. If you act from a reflection the result will still be a reflection. So there must be something else -- and there is something else, right within consciousness. The habit is to look elsewhere, but the elsewhere is right here.

9 You experienced, for instance, the A that you produced tonight and then we introduced another quality, something more realistic, and you experienced that as well. flow did you do it? It's not done with your mind, but you still came out with it. I wonder if you ever Ponder on that and mature with that a little. There must be a condition that is real that from time to time shows. Learn to face it. It has to be done every day. You have heard the Eastern people saying that everything is maya. Maya is supposed to be the great illusion.. The procedures you decide to create in-order-to is maya. Every time we work together you come out differently without using these procedures. You want to start from the existing functions called consciousness in order to reach something that is utterly different. You cannot. Something different is different. By insisting on using,what is known you don't bring along something different. You might refine what is known, but if you want to face a different reality, or, let us say, reality itself instead of its reflection, then you have to go through the night. You have to face what you live without any of the references you have, just plain none of them -- conscious., subconscious or super conscious. Now we are going to play Mozart, but this piece being long, we will play it only once. I will play it with you according to what we did with the two previous ones. When the Pilot dwells in All-Encompassing Beauty... contains the first and second movements as well -- all three together.