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No Ordinary Purpose

December 28, 2023 Joseph Dewey

No Ordinary Purpose

I’ve been hit with a criticism lately that I think calls for a response. It goes something like this.

One said that I am just dealing in theory and am leading no one to any practical levels of self-improvement whereas Tolle is a “real how-to guy” who is presenting concrete steps to living in the present moment.

First of all, the comparison is somewhat fallacious because what I am attempting to do and what Tolle is attempting are two entirely different things. Tolle is attempting what many have done before and best done so far on a practical level by Dale Carnegie in his book “How to stop Worrying and Start Living.”

I watched Oprah the other day where they spent an hour interviewing people who have been helped by Tolle and I could see the same results could have happened if they read Carnegie’s book.

I read all of Carnegie’s books over 40 years ago and liked them all. I started with “How to Win Friends and Influence People” when I was about 16 because I thought I needed help as an awkward teenager. Then I liked it so much I read everything I could find he had written.

I find it interesting that a lot of the old books I read when I was young are reincarnated in a new personality and making a big hit in this generation. “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill has reincarnated into “The Secret,” “The Aquarian Conspiracy” into “The Celestine Prophecy” and now “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” is reincarnated into Tolle’s works.

I guess if my main objective was to create a best seller, I could take a good idea from the past and revamp it into a more modern terminology.

Tolle’s core objective seems to be to get people to stop worrying and start living in the present. That has been covered many times before in diverse ways so I have seen no need to put much attention on a subject that seekers can readily find so much help on now. If a seeker has a troubled emotional body, then he should get help. Then after he gets help and becomes stabilized, he will have greater appreciation for the teachings I give out. If he is not stabilized then higher principles are pretty meaningless.

My purpose is not to give out in new form what is already readily available, but to take people higher in thought than they have been taken before. Anyone who does not believe in thinking should quit this group immediately for they will only be antagonized and have difficulty in controlling their emotional body. There are already many teachings, practices and meditations that are readily available to seekers. There is no need for me to repeat these in my own words. A true seeker can find what he needs in the world out there if it is available.

My teachings are given out through the presentation of principles which is unique unto itself for few in the world even understand what a principle is. In fact, the elucidation of principles itself is one of my core teachings. When a principle is seen then understanding is multiplied. If it is not seen then only a piece of data is seen.

As far as practicality goes there is nothing more practical than the understanding of a principle, especially if seen through the light of the soul on an intuitive level. This will often be accompanied by a flash of internal light that multiplies the understanding. Such an instantaneous flash can be worth a year’s worth of study. Actually, it is more valuable than that because the flash will reveal reliable truth whereas a year’s worth of study may fill the mind with many illusions.

Those who do not see or appreciate the principles I teach will be more drawn to information only that gives various step-by-step process to accomplish improvement of some kind. Each person should go where his needs are best met. One size does not fit all.

My teachings then bring additional light on principles from the past and present, and new ones that have never been expanded on.

And for what purpose?

[1] Am I seeking to help you enter the now and stop worrying about the non-essentials?

No. That may be a side benefit to some of my teachings, but if the seeker needs help in this area then he should find other help than myself.

[2] Do I just want to get famous, sell a lot of books and then get a large adoring base of fans?

Some think they see a huge ego in me wanting this, but it is not so. If this was all I accomplished I would consider my life a failure.

[3] Do I intend to help students become more successful in life, obtain peace of mind and find meaning for themselves?

No. It’s up to each seeker to take care of these personality needs. This is not my responsibility, but your own.

The only area of self-improvement that I seek to make available is through the stimulation of the intuition through the understanding of true principles. This will also stimulate soul contact.

Any self-improvement seekers have here is a side benefit. The main purpose here is not to improve various seekers, but to FIND them. I seek to find those who are already sensitive to the whisperings of the soul, and eventually gather them.

I seek to be an element in fulfilling this scripture:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” Isa 11:11-12

Look at The Archives at freeread and the millions of words there that lift the reader into the realm of intuitive principles and you will see a seed that will blossom into the ensign to the nations around which many lights will eventually gather.

It is true that right now we are only reaching a few but the time will come that we will reach the many. When the many are reached then power will be given to gather and build anew, cities that set a true ensign for the new age.

The end of my work is to create the next step in spiritual evolution through the Molecular Relationship which will involve gathering and building anew on the physical plane. Even though many inner teachings are presented the end goal lies in creating a heaven on earth, though all spiritual evolution leads to benefits in the hereafter.

Each must pick the directions impressed upon him through his soul and I do not fault anyone who is led in a different direction than presented here. Those who are to be on the same path as myself will feel this truth internally. They will sense the principle and the need for the gathering. They are willing to take as long as it takes to accomplish this even if it requires a series of lives.

I was asked to comment on Hierarchy and the place of the sun in the scheme of things.

One thing that goes against the grain of many new age teachers is the fact of hierarchy. Hierarchy naturally evolves among all living things. Since the sun, planets and even galaxies are living then we can expect to find hierarchy among them.

DK tells us that the sun is a part of a group of seven solar systems, each one representing one of the seven rays. Our sun is on Ray 2. These seven are then linked to a greater entity which is only known to the Hierarchy as “The One About Whom Naught Can Be Said.”

This great being is the highest he mentions. This does not mean it is the highest life in our galaxy, but it is the highest of which consciousness upon the earth is capable of perceiving. Even then, the name implies that any contact will not yield much understanding because His consciousness is so high.

The galaxy and the universe itself have great spiritual centers that are a source of energy to the creations within it.

Now even though our sun is linked to higher entities in a molecular relationship there is little or no advantage in seeking to go higher than the sun in our contacts. The reason is that the consciousness of the Solar Logos is so high in relation to our own that any higher contact would be meaningless. If a slug encounters an Einstein and a regular guy, is he likely to learn more from one than the other? Actually, he will understand neither.

When I look at the sun, I visualize receiving from the great life that is in it, for the majesty of what is there for us is beyond our comprehension. On the other hand, when you receive from the sun you are receiving from this entity as it is linked up to many other greater lives. It is the job of the Solar Logos to commune with those greater lives. Our responsibility only extends as high as our consciousness can reach and few can comprehend much about the Christ, or the Planetary Logos. About all the seekers of the world can grasp of the Solar Logos is a sense of appreciation.

“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” — Helen Keller (1880 – 1968)

April 12, 2008

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Sungazing 101

December 27, 2023 Joseph Dewey

Sungazing 101

About six months ago I received an ad for a couple e-books on sungazing. I had heard of this practice before but never read anything about it so I ordered the books.

I was amazed at the claims that were made. Perhaps the most famous proponent of the art is an Indian man named Hira Ratan Manek. He claims to have gone as long as seven years without eating — that he gets all his nourishment from gazing at the sun. In addition to this sungazing is supposed to cure all disease and lead to vital health and energy.

Here is what he says to do.

[1] Only gaze at the sun within one hour of sunrise or sunset. During these hours you have extra protection from harmful UV rays.

[2] Start out gazing for ten seconds and increase your gazing for ten additional seconds each time you gaze until you reach 45 minutes. After you reach the 45 minutes you will be charged up for life.

[3] When gazing stand on bare earth in your bare feet. This facilitates a correct circulation of energy.

[4] Energize water by placing it in clear glass jars and placing them in the sun for 6+ hours. This has been scientifically proven to kill germs, but according to sungazing doctrine the water is also energized with extra prana.

This sounded interesting so I thought I would try it out.

There were two problems in achieving success. First it was difficult to schedule in the sungazing at the right time of day. The second was that cloudy weather often prohibited sungazing, especially during winter months. Also an hour before sunrise and sunset is more likely to be cloudy than the middle of the day.

Anyway, I continued and got up to 4-5 minutes. I didn’t notice anything miraculous but did get a greater sense of well-being and kind of balancing of my energies.

Then I noticed I started getting a little discomfort and slight headache.

In checked with my inner self and here was the answer I received.

One size does not fit all. Because of my age (63 at the time of this writing) my body is not as flexible as when I was younger and I need to proceed with caution. I must develop a sense of how much sun is of the greatest benefit to me and how fast to proceed with increases.

After this I joined a Sungazing group and found the owner to be an interesting character. He also had the philosophy that one had to proceed as directed by one’s inner self. Amazingly he started out by sungazing for 20 minutes in the heat of the day. He’s been sungazing for quite a few years with no ill effects. He’s so into it that I figure he must have been a sungazer in a past life.

He’s dispelled some myths around the subject. For instance, he doesn’t believe Hira Ratan Manek went seven years without food. He’s been told by people who put him up overnight that they caught him raiding the refrigerator in the middle of the night and others have spotted him at a buffet.

Right now, I stare at the sunset for about five minutes about every other day. I may increase this amount if I feel so impressed.

If I feel I am getting more sun than I need I will alternate and look at the sun for about 10 seconds with my eyes closed and then about 20 seconds with them open.

One of the follies of my youth was to plunge into things like the wild hare, but as I get older, I am more satisfied proceeding slow and steady like the tortoise who won the fabled race.

Overall, I believe sungazing is a beneficial practice though not as magical as adherents would have you believe. I plan on moving ahead with the practice, experimenting as I go. We also place all our drinking water in the sun before using it.

NOTE from 2023: I continued sungazing for a while and noticed some benefits, but didn’t figure the benefits were worth the time invested. For those who do not sungaze regularly I think it is beneficial to look at the sun at midday for a second or two several times. I think that this stimulates the circulation of prana in the body. Do not overdue it or you could damage your eyes. A very small amount of direct sun is good, but a lot is dangerous unless you are an experienced sungazer. Of course, the setting or rising sun is much easier on the eyes than the one at midday.

I placed our drinking water in the sun for a couple years and came to a similar conclusion. I couldn’t register enough benefit to continue the practice.

At present we use distilled water with some ionic and colloidal minerals, sea salt and a little lemon juice added.

“I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light.” — Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727)

April 10, 2008

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Power of the Presence

December 26, 2023 Joseph Dewey

Power of the Presence

I told readers that I would give Eckhart Tolle a fair examination. In addition to the two books I have read I ordered the “Power of the Presence” on 6 audio CD’s. I thought I was ordering an audio book, but what it turned out to be was a live recording of a seminar he gave, or “retreat” as he called it.

I just finished listening to it a few minutes ago.

I’m kind of glad I got this selection as he reveals his personality in a personal presentation whereas he is fairly dry when he just reads his books.

He’s got kind of a cute, cuddly innocent personality. Instead of being the type of guy you’d like to have a beer with Tolle is more the type you’d like to play checkers with or maybe a game of gin rummy. Anything too heavy on the thinking or heartiness of the moment would seem out of place.

Most of the time he talks in a low fairly hypnotic cadence. I had to turn the volume to its maximum to hear him on my iPod. I don’t think he has any sinister motive to influence his audience through hypnosis — it’s just his style. Even so, his speaking style does have some hypnotic effect as you can feel the attention of the audience being carried along with it.

Then after focusing the audience’s attention on his cadence for a few moments he will say something mildly funny. The audience responds and laughs more than one might expect. I think this happens because he usually sounds quite serious and the humor is unexpected from such a serious, low voice.

He laughs along with the audience in kind of a cute chuckle and sometimes he chuckles to himself when nothing funny is being said as if he is having a personal moment of humor to himself.

I didn’t really find anything new in this program that wasn’t already covered in the previous two books I read. He put a lot of emphasis again on getting rid of the ego and living in the now. When this happens, we experience the power of the presence of God which is basically our own presence.

He did say this time that even though we are not the ego and we are not form — we are something. He just doesn’t know what that something is outside of calling it consciousness.

He talked a lot about the consciousness of animals and how they are in the present much more than humans. He thinks we need to take a lesson from them, drop our self-consciousness and just blend in with The One as they do.

I think he does not realize that humans individualized for an important reason, and that the reason behind it is far from being fulfilled. One can keep individual identity yet still tune into the Now and the Oneness behind all things.

A reader asked a question that goes something like this:

We are told we should not covet so wouldn’t it be wrong to want to make the future different than the now?

That which is happening now is the result of past causes and there is no changing it so we might as well accept it. In other words, If I have bought a Ford and a Ford is sitting in my driveway it does little good to wish I presently had a Toyota in the driveway. Wishing this at the present moment does not make the Ford turn into a Toyota.

It’s not avarice, or a sin, to wish for the Ford to turn into a Toyota, but it is silly and I think most people realize this principle and already accept it, except in painful matters like the death of a loved one. In this case many spend much wasted time wishing for the present to be different than it is.

Now the future is another matter. You can look in the future and decide that a Toyota will replace the Ford and bring that into your present within a certain period of time.

This is pretty basic stuff that most people do not need explained to them.

When the Bible commands against coveting it commands us to not covet that which legitimately belongs to another, such as “another man’s wife.” But if you do not have a mate now and want one and seek to make your tomorrow’s present more fulfilling than today, this is not coveting any way you look at it.

After all, Jesus told us over and over to “seek and ye shall find.” Jesus was certainly not leading us into covetousness by telling us to seek that which we do not yet possess because he was telling us to seek that which we have a right to have that doesn’t infringe upon the rights of another.

“Measure not the work until the day’s out and the labor done.” — Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 – 1861)

April 8, 2008

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The Highest Bliss

December 23, 2023 Joseph Dewey

The Highest Bliss

A reader quotes me as follows:

“Removing oneself from identification with form and focusing on the center of peace within is a basic step that must be taken by disciples.”

Then he says: “I don’t recollect you either discussing or teaching this before. Did I miss it?

Actually, I have taught it before but using different words and a different approach.

For the sake of simplicity, we can group all the planes and worlds into the Trinity of Matter-Soul-Spirit.

Matter is comprised of the three lower planes of the physical-etheric, the astral-emotional and the mind. Spirit, from our point of view, is the formless worlds. Some lump all the realms of spirit together in one descriptive word such as the Void, the Unmanifest, the Center of Peace, or just Spirit.

Now the worlds of Spirit interplay with the worlds of form for all form came from Spirit. Thus, within each of the worlds of form is a center of peace of which the average person is completely unaware.

This center of peace can be accessed by the seeker through the soul.

When this is accomplished on the physical level the seeker realizes that creation is composed of more than physical reality. He takes a taste of spiritual energy and thus begins his quest to find where this unseen world will lead him. This is the first initiation.

Next the seeker discovers the emotions are getting in the way of his discovery of Spirit so he places attention on mastering and detaching himself from them. When he realizes he is not his emotions then a door is open to access the peace of the Spirit through the emotional body.

This is the second initiation of baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.

He frees himself from guilt (an emotional problem) through symbolic baptism and accesses the Holy Spirit through the soul.

The third obstacle is the reasoning mind. It has been very useful up to this point but now he seems to encounter many paradoxes. He is trying to use his mind as the highest tool to solve his problems and answer his questions and it just doesn’t do the job for him. Often, he will become an atheist for a time because his mind cannot tell him why God allows suffering in the world or why he does not come down an interfere more for the good of mankind.

Here he reaches a dead end. When he finally realizes he can only know so much on his own he will finally seek higher answers through an exercise of faith. Here he will encounter his Dweller and Angel of the Presence. After this experience he will never doubt the existence of higher realms again.

Now keep in mind that these three occurrences happen (for the first time) over a series of lifetimes.

Now to get to the question. Did I access this center of peace, or the Spirit through some type of meditation technique, or some other way?

It rarely happens to me though regular meditation. The best I get from that is a quieting down of the noise of the lower bodies. That can seem peaceful, but it is not the peace of the Spirit.

Two things I find to be of great assistance:

[1] Contemplation — I have often said the highest form of meditation is contemplation. This takes a seed thought and expands it like a growing tree of knowledge.

[2] Realization — It is important to realize as a fact that you are not your lower bodies. When this is realized then hurt feelings, grievances and illusions will not get in the way of accessing Spirit.

I have never tried to force spiritual contact but have taken what has been offered as I seem to be ready. I have not been disappointed.

Now I realize that many want a simple formula for soul contact, but in the end the best way to obtain it is to go forward in the service of your fellow men and women. Get your main joy from service and it will follow as the night the day that the feelings of the Spirit will manifest — as long as you are willing to “endure to the end.”

All this talk of bliss brings up an interesting question which is this:

What is the ultimate source of happiness and joy?

Would it be enough for you to merge with “the ALL,” and just feel peaceful or blissful for eternity; or do you need more than this to obtain a fullness?

I find Tolle’s words interesting:

“For the next five months, I lived in a state of uninterrupted deep peace and bliss. After that, it diminished somewhat in intensity, or perhaps it just seemed to because it became my natural state. I could still function in the world, although I realized that nothing I ever did could possibly add anything to what I already had.”

Tolle guesses that the bliss was diminished because after a while it became his natural state. This is a true principle. No matter how high we go in our feelings it is only a mater of time before we adjust and it becomes our natural state. Does this mean the high state of bliss will never be obtained again?

Or does it mean that bliss is not the ultimate? Does it mean that we need more than bliss for fulfillment — that perhaps we are even willing to leave bliss behind for periods of time to obtain it?

What then is the source of eternal joy and how do we obtain it?

Just as there is night and day in our world even so is there night and day in creation. The worlds are created and perform their function of becoming with all their inhabitants and then they unfold and life goes back to its source. There we experience pralaya, a blissful sleep to the worlds of form where we can recharge ourselves and get ready for the next adventure.

It is true that sometimes sleep feels so good it seems you could stay in bed forever, but give it a little time and you feel you’ve had enough sleep, no matter how blissful it is. Eventually you are ready for a new day and new challenges.

Now during the day you can take short sweet naps that bring great refreshment and correspondingly one can be still and drink deep from the waters of Spirit to give the pilgrim the refreshment he needs to continue on until his purpose is completed.

But think. What brings you the greatest joy, the nap or what you do after the nap is completed?

The scriptures say over and over that we will be judged by our works. The reason it says this is our works and our service is the greatest source of joy for us in the world and out of the world.

“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” (Rev 14:13)

Their works will follow them where?

The answer, everywhere including the afterlife and even the great pralaya. The new state of bliss we will have during the great rest of Being will be greater than the last one because of our works which will be as a sweet savor to those who were faithful to the highest they knew.

A reader commented that he has enjoyed the baptism of fire through the Holy Spirit, but still cannot be at peace when watching the pain that his loved ones go through.

Three days is the normal time period to experience the fire of the spirit. Much more than this and the normal seeker would be adversely affected in his three bodies.

In addition to this baptism of fire there is a center of peace within us all that is available at all times if the seeker follows the correct principles in accessing it. He must detach himself from the world of form and see himself as the observer. You watch the picture show of your life without the real you being in it, but just observing.

You can watch someone being tortured in a movie and because you are detached you will not be adversely affected, neither will the movie interfere with your peace.

Accomplishing this in real life is easier said than done, but when it is incorporated one simply becomes the observer and accepts that which he cannot change as a temporary thing you are observing which shall soon pass away.

Even after the disciple develops this ability, he may want to plunge into the feeling world from time to time else those close to him may feel he doesn’t understand or care.

Another step of extreme importance is to free himself from the Beast of unjust, unearned authority and replace it with the voice of the soul. It is impossible to have consistent peace if one gives his power to a representative of the Beast.

“History doesn’t repeat itself but it does rhyme” – Mark Twain

April 3, 2008

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The Two Worlds

December 22, 2023December 22, 2023 Joseph Dewey

The Two Worlds

A reader objected to my view that we have to do some projection into the future to function in this world. For instance, if you are crossing the street and see a truck headed your way it is wise to project into the future a few seconds, see the danger and then get out of the way.

The objection was that the truck coming at you is what is in the now, so you’d better get out of the way.

But I say that what is, is that the truck is coming. Getting out of the way is a planned future event that has not yet occurred. If you are living only in the Now the truck is no problem.

Tolle says: “Always say ‘yes’ to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to something that already is? What could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is.”

JJ: The truck actually hitting you is a mind projection that produces anxiety. The only way to avoid the train is to project yourself into the future (contrary to Tolle’s advice) and then move out of the way to change the future.

The reader says he is just trying to show Tolle’s wisdom that being in the Now does not negate the use of common sense.

The problem with this is that a Now consciousness does not solve the problem of the approaching truck or other problems. They can only be solved by looking beyond the now to the probable future and then getting out of the way to safety.

In such cases the solution is in the future, but in the present you are not being harmed. The solution is not being in the Now, but projecting yourself in the future and then acting to change the projected future.

Tolle puts great emphasis on accepting the Now, but then backtracks and adds something to the effect that we still have to deal with the real (unreal) world. But the problem is that many students may not see the backtracks and get themselves so centered in the Now that they live a life of inaction or too much non resistance.

Remember the story Tolle told of the guru who was falsely accused of impregnating the neighbor girl? Even though it ruined his reputation he did not defend himself. Now if he applied Tolle’s teachings as to the oncoming truck he would have not resisted and gotten run over.

To understand the problem of Tolle’s presentation of the NOW we have to realize that there are two worlds. The first is the one we see ourselves in now which is the world of form, time and space. In this world everything has a beginning and end, a past and a future.

The second world is the formless where communication is with ideas, all things are eternal and the only aspect of time is the present. There is not a past or future as we know it, but there is an awareness of everything happening in the now so no past or future is necessary there. What we may call the past or future is seen and known as now.

A Course in Miracles from which Tolle seems to get a lot of his thoughts tells us this

“It is impossible to see two worlds which have no overlap of any kind. Seek for the one; the other disappears. But one remains.” W-pI.130.5

In this world we are not governed by the now, but by all three aspects of time, the past, present and future. If you see this world, you will not see the eternal world of NOW. You can be aware of it here, but you cannot function only in the present if a truck is coming at you.

In meditation or contemplation, you can take your attention off this world and embrace the eternal now, but during this time you will not function in this world for you cannot see the two worlds at one time. Your attention has to be in one or the other.

Tolle makes it sound like we can be in the present at all times, but even he has to deal with the past and future when he is seeing this world and functioning in it.

I think what caused such a defensive reaction to some of my comments is that the term Nothingness Philosophy sounds negative.

The nothingness experience itself is not negative but positive and indeed it did save Tolle from suicide as he describes:

“I could feel myself being sucked into a void. It felt as if the void was inside myself rather than outside. Suddenly, there was no more fear, and I let myself fall into that void. I have no recollection of what happened after that.

Entering this void of nothingness which he later calls The Unmanifest, The Stillness, the Now, etc., was a good thing for him. It delivered him from the grave mistake of suicide and brought him to a center of peace within himself. This was a good thing as it gave him a reason to live.

Removing oneself from identification with form and focusing on the center of peace within is a basic step that must be taken by disciples.

Of course, taking this step is a good and necessary thing to do.

The fact that anyone takes this step has nothing to do with the problem created by the Nothingness People of the past a s far as this group is concerned. My problem with many of them is what they do after they take this step.

DK tells us that each step forward releases latent energies from the various centers. He tells us that a problem often created is the seeker has more released than he can handle and it causes extreme behavior and sometimes even mental or emotional instability.

The seeker faces this danger when he discovers the stillness within and sometimes such an energy is released that the bliss feels so good that it seems to be the ultimate “end-all and be-all” of the purpose of all life.

They thus approach others with a missionary zeal to find this ultimate and if prospects do not get as excited as themselves, they often display odd behavior.

Not counting any present conversation, in the past we have had many difficulties with these people because when they have joined the group this is all they wanted to talk about and if the group became impatient, or we moved on, then they quit. If they couldn’t proselytize, they didn’t want to stay.

Now I’m not lumping any reader’s behavior with the Nothingness People of the past who have created problems. So far, they have only presented material to the group that we are willing to entertain and respond to. This is well and good as dialog is needed with such old friends.

There is nothing wrong with discussing a subject that I, as the teacher, make the topic of the class. Hopefully, when we move on, we can all move on and just put on the shelf the areas where we disagree. This may take some detachment that Tolle teaches we need to have.

Tolle definitely teaches the Nothingness Philosophy, but the problem is he places such emphasis on it that students are likely to go overboard in embracing it as the “end all and be all” of our purpose and become an annoying distraction to those who want to focus on other things.

“It is just as difficult and dangerous to try to free a people that wants to remain servile as it is to enslave a people that wants to remain free.” -Machiavelli

March 30, 2008

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The Void and Conflict

December 21, 2023 Joseph Dewey

The Void and Conflict

I’ve been thinking about the situation that has occurred since the teachings of Eckhart Tolle has surfaced here. The most surprising development was that four longtime friends and members have reacted very negatively toward me because I do not completely agree with Tolle.

The comments I have made on the Tolle writings are similar to those I have made before on similar teachings of the past, but for some reason this time I have pressed a button or two.

Anyone who finds themselves more comfortable with the vibration there than here is welcome to move on.

The puzzling thing is that Tolle indicates the results of his teachings are peace, love, acceptance and detachment yet these four seem to be in emotional turmoil over the fact that I do not see Tolle in the same light as themselves. This state of mind seems to be miles away from the peace acceptance and detachment that is supposed to be happening in the Now.

What is it about the Tolle teachings that causes such a zeal to convert in the minds of followers?

As I reflect over the years to similar situations the common denominator seems to be “The Great Void.”

As you may recall the centerpiece of Tolle’s philosophy is the entering of “The Void.”

Here is Tolle’s description of the first time he entered it:

“I heard the words ‘resist nothing,’ as if spoken inside my chest. I could feel myself being sucked into a void. It felt as if the void was inside myself rather than outside. Suddenly, there was no more fear, and I let myself fall into that void. I have no recollection of what happened after that.”

Then he tells us he entered the void fully conscious many other times and this is the NOW. This is where we want to be. This is bliss and joy beyond description.

Now those who teach of the void as if it is the end of our evolution (or non-evolution) and insist we believe in it I have called the “Nothingness People.” Now several insist that Tolle’s teachings do not fit in the category of the “Nothingness Philosophy,” but the core of his teachings is about entering the NOW state in The Void and this is the “Nothingness Philosophy” as I have encountered it many times in this forum.

If readers will reflect back they will recall many encounters I have had with the people of “The Void” or what I call the “Nothingness Philosophy.”

With each encounter they have approached us with a missionary zeal to convert us to believing and accepting the Void. This approach seems very odd because they always preach to us about the importance of detachment, especially that we should not be attached to an outcome. But then they seem extremely attached to the outcome that we accept the Void and jump into it with them.

Then they preach to us about love and in the next breath accuse me and other members of lacking or having none of it.

The worst offense though is that they will not move on with the class. For believing in detachment, they are the most attached bunch I have ever seen. When the class wants to move away from talking about “The Void” and on to other things they still talk about “The Void” to the point I am forced to moderate their posts. Then when they find they can’t post about the “Nothingness Philosophy” they generally quit.

I am coming to the conclusion that there has to be something about entering this Void that alters personality and causes people to see themselves as opposed to me sometimes to the point of seeing me as an enemy, losing light, or in league with the devil.

Could it be that this opposition to me is caused because one side identifies with a void or nothing whereas I teach identification with the soul which is something?

Whatever the case, the idea of the Void bringing peace, love, acceptance and joy does not seem to be playing out in real life.

Most members disagree with me in some areas but find my teachings valuable enough to put the differences on the shelf and take advantage of where we are in harmony.

For some reason this rarely happens with a Void believer. If the Void experience is not endorsed then total rejection is the norm. Nothing I say is to be trusted — no checking with the soul is necessary.

To my friends who are endorsing Tolle I have this to say. Some of you are seeing me in a new light. Some fear I am losing light or may have deceived them from the beginning. What has changed? I have not, but you have. My light is has not diminished but I am in a constant state of Becoming.

To be or not to be – to enter life or the nothingness – that is the question. If one is truly entering into life then his love for me and his brethren will not be conditioned on the acceptance of the Void or the Nothingness Philosophy.

Yes, there are many states one can enter through meditation and if good judgement is used one may benefit, but that is not why we are here. We are here to experience, enhance our livingness and quality of life and love for one another.

Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict. —Anonymous

March 29, 2008

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Relative Bliss

December 18, 2023 Joseph Dewey

Relative Bliss

Since Eckhart Tolle has been a point of heated discussion I thought I would pose a question directed at the heart of his teachings.

The core teaching that he puts forward and that seems to excite people is centered around the great peace and bliss one will feel if they take his advice and cease identifying with the false self or ego.

Now in the beginning of his book, “The Power of Now,” he tells of how he discovered the ego, put it aside and entered into such a strong bliss that he was so caught up he could do not much else than live in a park for a couple years.

I was curious whether his teachings had led others to this state so I read numerous reviews of his books on Amazon. I found a lot of positive comments but could not find anyone who said his writings had led them to a similar experience.

My question is this.

Have you or anyone you know had any such experience which is directly related to studying Tolle’s writings? I of one reader had a similar experience, but it was before he read Tolle’s materials. For him I would ask if studying Tolle enabled you to enter back into that state?

I thought I would analyze Tolle’s spiritual experience since this seems to be the carrot that attracts so many to his teachings.

Before he had his epiphany he was going through a great personal depression. He said he woke —

“With a feeling of absolute dread. I had woken up with such a feeling many times before, but this time it was more intense than it had ever been. The silence of the night, the vague outlines of the furniture in the dark room, the distant noise of a passing train – everything felt so alien, so hostile, and so utterly meaningless that it created in me a deep loathing of the world. The most loathsome thing of all, however, was my own existence. What was the point in continuing to live with this burden of misery? Why carry on with this continuous struggle? I could feel that a deep longing for annihilation, for nonexistence, was now becoming much stronger than the instinctive desire to continue to live.”

The first thing that concerns me about his experience is this extremely unnatural depression seemingly for no given reason. Was he going through a divorce? Did his mother die or did someone run over his dog? It would be interesting to know if there was some reason for this unnatural depression or did it just come upon him? Whatever the case it sounds like he could have had a chemical imbalance of some kind.

Then he reached such a low that he came to the realization that the false self of ego was causing his problems and he removed himself from identification with it. He was sucked into a void that brought him a great bliss so after the experience everything he saw was a source of wonder and joy.

He felt such great bliss that he wasn’t motivated to do anything for himself. He says:

“I was left with nothing on the physical plane. I had no relationships, no job, no home, no socially defined identity. I spent almost two years sitting on park benches in a state of the most intense joy.”

Now the first thing that makes his bliss difficult to evaluate is that it followed a depression so great that he did not even want to continue to exist.

If one is in great pain, then feeling normal is bliss. I know I have been in such great physical pain several times that when relief came, normal was bliss.

The question arises then as to whether Tolle just moved up to normal or a little above normal consciousness and, because it followed a deep depression, that it felt like a great bliss.

Perhaps it would be helpful to compare this to my own highest experience.

My highest bliss was something beyond what I can put in words. If I had to describe it I would say it was something like basking in the spiritual essence and power of a thousand suns. But the interesting thing in my case was that it did not follow any feeling of depression. My circumstances at the time may have depressed many but I was quite at peace with myself and quite happy with my life and enjoyed living it. From this consciousness of enjoying peace, soul contact and fulfillment I was taken to a bliss a thousand times greater than the minor bliss I had.

Even though I have been through many painful experiences I can only remember one time I was depressed and that was a time I was penniless and without food and starving. That depression lasted about five minutes and then my mind got a hold of me, slapped me around and told me to get a hold of myself and quit being a baby. I thus gathered myself together and moved forward and survived the experience and was the wiser for it.

This was not my most painful experience by far, or my most stressful, but it was the one with the greatest temptation to enter into the depressed state. I did not enter into the depressed state because I DECIDED not to. Our power of decision has the power to accept or reject any state of mind that is presented to us.

From my observations, here is the positive and negative that can result from a point of tension derived from a negative or depressed state.

The positive is that the person can change his direction toward a more productive life. For instance, an alcoholic or other addict usually has to hit rock bottom before he will change. Then after hitting rock bottom there seems to be nowhere to go but up and the person will often make a decision to change his life for the better.

The negative is this. During the negative state or during the shift to a more positive one the person often does not think that clearly and is subject to illusion. He will sometimes come away from the point of tension with a mindset that he has the solution to everyone else’s problems when he has not yet solved his own.

On the other hand, if one goes from a positive state to an even more positive state the seeker can maintain the presence of mind to put everything in its right proportion and perspective and illusion is much less likely.

“Labour therefore, is the real measure of the exchangeable value of all commodities. The real price of every thing, what every thing really costs to the man who wants to acquire it, is the toil and trouble of acquiring it.” Adam Smith, “The Wealth of Nations,” Book I, Chapter 5

March 26, 2008

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Identification, Fusion and Integration

December 17, 2023 Joseph Dewey

Identification, Fusion and Integration

Perhaps the core teaching that runs through Eckhart Tolle’s writings is that we should release ourselves from identification with the pain body. It takes a little digging to get a full picture of what he means by the pain body but “the three worlds of form” would basically cover it. The three worlds of form are the physical/etheric, the emotional and the mental.

I agree with him that it is indeed an important step to detach ourselves from the worlds of form. For the average person it seems that he is the form and he indeed needs to come to the realization that he is not his body, feelings or lower mind. He can then come a step closer to his true self and see all that transpires in our reality from the viewpoint of the observer.

Now seeing yourself as the observer does not instantly connect one with the higher worlds through the soul, but it is an important step. What it does is remove much of the interference that produces static and thus higher consciousness and contact becomes possible.

Temporary identification with the lower worlds in the whole scheme of things is a positive thing for it gives us a chance to gain experience and evolve into higher states of consciousness.

Fusion with the lower worlds is not a good thing for such intense merging with the unreal makes it seem more real than true reality. The entity thus gets stuck there unable to evolve to the higher until the lower is destroyed.

Those who do so fuse are called the Dark Brotherhood and take the dark light of matter as a substitute for the bright light of the soul.

Now that we find ourselves descended into matter, we can go by this rule of thumb. Identification and/or fusion with that which is lower than our current consciousness is negative and can pull us backwards in evolution.

Identification and/or fusion with that which is higher is a positive occurrence and moves us forward in evolution.

Here then is our current situation. We have identified with the lower worlds and thus our focus of attention has drawn us here. Now the temptation is to fuse here. This temptation we must resist and seek to move higher by shifting our identification from the world before us to the kingdom of the soul.

How do we do this?

Before we can shift our identification, we must make a conscious shift of attention.

This is done in three stages.

[1] First the seeker theoretically learns that there are unseen worlds and is presented with teachings about the kingdom of God and the soul. This draws from him a portion of his attention, whether he believes or not.

[2] The seeker contemplates higher teachings and, after a time, he develops a hope that they are true. The soul then draws a larger portion of attention, but not enough to produce identification.

[3] The seeker has experiences that prove to him the reality of the soul and when the reality of the soul becomes certain knowledge, he then has a shift of most of his attention to that realm. It is at this time that identification begins to take hold.

After a period of identification, the power of focused attention then does its job and the seeker then fuses with his soul. This soul infused personality then works on his next step and focuses on his Monad. He then repeats this procedure until “he and his father are one.”

On a lower level we can use the principles of identification and fusion to our advantage.

Here are real world examples of where they could be used:

Jack is socially awkward and admires Jim for his smooth approach with people. He wishes he could be more like him.

Louise didn’t do well in school and never finished high school. A lot of people seem to think she is not very intelligent. She is fed up with this image and now wants to change and be seen as intelligent by others.

Tony has never had much money and is fed up and wants to change his financial situation to one of abundance.

How can these three use identification and fusion to accomplish their goals?

To understand how these two principles can apply to these examples and ourselves on a practical basis perhaps it would be a good idea to go back to a book I read many years ago.

It was called “Psycho-Cybernetics” and was written by a plastic surgeon named Maxwell Maltz.

After practicing plastic surgery for a number of years, he noticed an interesting effect on many of his patients. An improvement made on their looks was followed by a positive change in their personality. A more pleasant face made then a more pleasant and outgoing person.

He then came to the conclusion that they real key to positive change was not so much physical change, but a change in the way we see ourselves. He thus wrote a very popular book on the idea that by changing the way we see ourselves we can change the way we interact with others and achieve much greater success in life.

He did not use the words identification and fusion, yet he taught the principles behind them.

In other words, many who have undesirable looks identify their inner self with the ugly outer and because of this identification they are afflicted with a negative personality.

When surgery is performed on these people and their looks improved then they re-identify with the new image and their personality followed becoming more pleasant. After a while they fuse with the new image and are permanently changed.

If you want a more pleasant personality like Jack, be seen as smarter like Louise or more prosperity like Tony, then one of the keys to accomplishing this is to meditate a couple times a day and identify yourself with that which you desire to be. If a person will do this then both an inward and outer change will follow. To insure success the person must keep this identification in his consciousness throughout the day. If he does, he will soon fuse with the new image and no more effort will be required. It will then seem as if he was always this new person.

When we see how these principles apply to standard living, we can gain a clearer view of how we can apply them to higher spiritual aspiration. The seeker must obtain an image of his future spiritual self and then identify with it in the present. This will fuse the present with the future and speed the course of evolution.

As with most principles, a Trinity is at play here. In addition to identification and fusion, the third principle is “integration.”

We know that fusion follows identification, but where does integration fit in? Is it first second or third place in the Triangle?

Explain how integration applies to us as we seek to take higher steps in personal and group evolution.

On a higher turn of the spiral, the application of these principles is far beyond what we have imagined. Even so, it is best to stretch our minds and imaginations as much as possible. We develop our spiritual vision through exercise just as we do our physical muscles. This is why it is so advantageous for the group to grasp meaning by contemplation and investigation rather than merely being told a version of the truth.

Those who merely rely on being told without thinking things out for themselves are like those who sit around all day and never get any exercise. We must get into some active motion to strengthen ourselves in any endeavor we approach.

Most of the group placed integration as second in the series as follows: identification – integration – fusion. But then a few of you placed it last: identification – fusion – integration.

So, which is correct?

First let us take a look at the meaning of the word “integrate.” The common meaning is: “To make into a whole by bringing all parts together; unify. To make part of a larger unit.”

The metaphysical meaning goes beyond this somewhat and implies more than merely bring parts together. Parts are indeed brought together to produce integration, as we are speaking of here, but from a spiritual angle the extra ingredient involves consciousness. The seeker not only brings together the higher and lower, but relates them together in his consciousness so they are fully accepted as belonging together. “Conscious acceptance” is the extra key to spiritual integration.

First comes identification. The disciple identifies the higher and sees himself from this higher vantage point. Eventually he realizes the higher is not separate from himself and the identification becomes more of a reality than he had previously imagined. As the reality of the oneness of the higher and the lower become realized, he finds he must adapt to the new reality and integrate his consciousness to accept his “new birth” or new self. When this conscious acceptance is complete, the higher and lower become fused. They are no longer two or more parts but one greater life.

But what about those who said that integration follows fusion? Is there anything to this thought?

Perhaps. To understand let us look at the next step beyond fusion. What happens next is that the fusion is discovered to not be the end of the journey, but a step in the journey and a still higher vision of life is seen. Again, he uses the principle of integration and accepts the fact that his spiritual journey is not at an end, but a new beginning. When he integrates this into his consciousness he lays the groundwork for identifying with a still higher plane and aspect of the One Great Life. Thus the process goes something like this: identification – integration – fusion – integration – higher identification, etc.

In addition, the principle of synthesis is used continuously along the way.

Question: What is the difference between synthesis and integration?

Integration comes before synthesis in the creation of higher life. First there is a desire for the higher, then after some comprehension is grasped the seeker identifies. As the period of identification begins differences between the higher and the lower are noted. For the identification to continue the seeker must therefore integrate his consciousness with the higher by disregarding the differences. This is done by an act of the will.

It is at this step that many fail in group work. The seeker may identify with the group and believe in its goals, but to integrate he must deal with the belief system of his past as it relates to the group work and purpose. Some things must be added and some either given up or put on the shelf. If he is too attached to the past he may not possess the will to integrate. Now, it is understandable that some groups are so far off the mark that integration would be undesirable. We are not talking about this situation, however. We are talking about a group with desirable goals. It matters not how perfect the group, this process of integration and adaptation will be necessary.

After the seeker then accepts his next step and integrates, he then begins to synthesize and become a part of the higher life in a molecular order. He next fuses with the higher life until this seems to be the natural place to dwell in consciousness. As this fusion takes place so does additional synthesis. The unifying elements from the lower blend with the higher, leaving that which is not necessary behind. In the end you have a new creation which is synthesis of all workable parts collected along the path.

Integration in two parts of the universe will often produce two different results, but when complete and fusion/synthesis takes place the final creations are the same.

For instance, the various hydrogen atoms integrate and produce different results. But when they combine as two atoms molecularly, the results are the same.

Later they fuse and the result is always helium. It doesn’t matter when or where it happens whether it is in this galaxy or one far away.

Even so with us. As we evolve into higher consciousness, we achieve the same end results that other lives in other systems achieve. What we end up achieving is new to us, but this newness will be the same, in the end, as that achievement accomplished in other sections of the universe.

“He who praises you for what you lack wishes to take from you what you have.” — Don Juan Manuel (1282 – 1349)

March 24, 2008

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The Mind and What Is

December 14, 2023 Joseph Dewey

The Mind and What Is

Concerning Eckhart Tolle, a reader says he never says to not think, he says that the mind has to be subservient to the higher intelligence so that thinking is in alignment with soul.

That may be true but Tolle also says that life on earth was not created “through thinking.” This makes no sense to me. Can even a computer be created without someone doing some thinking? I don’t think so.

According to Tolle the mind is the major part of the ego and in many cases the power of thought can find the solution to emotional pain. Of course, if you go higher than mind to the intuition this is even better but mind is higher than emotion and can figure out how to satisfy the emotional body.

Then the reader says I am misrepresenting Tolle’s teaching on accepting what is.

So are you saying that when Tolle says to not resist what is, but to say yes to it, he is really saying to go ahead and change what is? But when we are attempting to change what is we are not really accepting what is are we? This complexity makes understanding DK look like kindergarten.

Yes, he may later tell us to accept what we cannot change, but the above statement was all-inclusive and tells us to accept all that is which would include that which we can and cannot change.

In the New Earth he tells the story of Hakuin, the Zen Master who yielded to unreasonable accusations and demands of his neighbors. He was not accepting what could not be changed, but what could and should be changed for the life of a child was at stake.

To this Tolle says:

“Only if you resist what happens are you at the mercy of what happens, and the world will determine your happiness and unhappiness.”

Now let us go back to the Hitler example. Hitler and Nazism happened upon the world. According to the “what is” philosophy those then that resisted him would have been “at the mercy of what happens.”

According to Tolle teachings then people should have not resisted what Hitler did (just as Hakuin did not resist injustice) because this gives Hitler power to make them happy or unhappy. Just accept whatever he does and if Hitler gasses your kid or takes away your freedom and you just accept it then neither the world or Hitler will have power to make you unhappy.

This is an incorrect teaching. You will recall that DK told us that the Christ and the Hierarchy did not accept “what is” and yield to injustice during World War II but threw their weight on the side of the Allies.

In Tolle’s example the Zen Master was falsely accused of impregnating a neighbor girl and he did not defend himself. As a consequence his reputation was ruined.

Instead of accepting the false accusations he should have defended himself and then after all he had done all he could do to reveal the truth it would have THEN been right to accept whatever happens. Not accepting what cannot be changed is where people really get in trouble and suffer grievances. But if our judgement tells us that change is necessary then it is not a virtue to just accept what is and not resist.

The famous truism correctly says: “Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.” If all good men just accept what is then good men will do nothing corrective and evil will triumph.

Some think I should emphasize similarities with Tolle rather than differences, but I am taking the same approach that I have always taken from the beginning of this forum and that is to call truth as I see it. I was just going to make a simple comment on Tolle and then move on, but was asked to elaborate on what I thought were illusions in his teachings and since then it has taken a life of its own. I was then asked to refrain from more comments until I had studied his books. Well I have read both books and parts of them more than once. I believe I am ready to make as intelligent comments on Tolle’s writings as I was Benjamin Crème, The Urantia Book, “A Course in Miracles” and others.

I have been stating where I agree and disagree. The problem is that when I agree with what he says about all I have to say is “I agree.” When I disagree I must give an explanation or the disagreement will not make sense.

It seems the whole world is following after this guy and in awe of his wisdom. I think it is important for followers to get exposed to a different point of view on some of the more controversial teachings.

Yes, I could ignore our differences and whitewash my words and perhaps an opportunity would come to attract the Tolle believers. But to do this I would have to speak half-truths when commenting on his materials. I would rather speak the highest truth I can perceive and accept what is and have a smaller audience that isn’t afraid to look at alternative views.

Any success through not following the highest I know will be temporary. Only the purest possible truth can withstand the test of the ages.

March 23, 2008

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