How to get started ...

[nicklebleu]

Hi everybody!

I am fairly new to this forum and only recently discovered the Cassiopaean Experiment. I have described elsewhere how that came to be. In the last few weeks I have been reading most of my spare time (The Wave series) and have surfed the net to corroborate the information therein given. It has been a revelation to me, as I feel that I have been handed a methodology, a tool, to look at this world in a different, yet more satisfying way.


I have come up with two questions, where I need some guidance.


The first question is probably an easy one for you "old-timers": In what sequence should I read all that material...
Currently I am reading through The Wave Series. Then I plan to read "The Secret History of the World". In parallel I am reading the "Adventure Series" online.

And after that ...? Bringers of the Dawn? The Ra Material? Gurdjieff? Ouspensky? Sufism? Eventually I would like to read them all of course, but where to start - and what order would you suggest?


The second question is a bit more tricky, I suppose. In the last few weeks I have mostly spent my time reading - and have thus neglected some other things. I just was devouring all that material and couldn't wait until I could plunge back into by books. I have come to the realization, that this may actually not be that "healthy". On one hand I crave to understand what's happening around me - and it has been an eye opener, for sure!

But on the other hand I also feel, that at the moment I may be "driving too fast". The C's often have told Laura too meditate over some particular point. What does that mean? For me, meditation means (and I am not practicing this, however I am doing self-hypnosis for relaxation and to go off to sleep) to empty your mind completely - so how can you meditate "on something" when your mind is empty? Is the trick to cease that interminable internal dialog, so that your right hemisphere can do some talking too? Clearly I don't understand the point here.

I also feel that I am "bouncing down the road" and not assimilating what I read clearly enough. But then there are so many cross-references, that I wish to pursue, that I buy that particular book, which then sits there and waits for me ... I know, patience is not my major strength, however at least I am persistent within my impatience ...

Then also I would like best just to sit at home and read. My friends have already complained, and I have to strike a balance with my wife, who thankfully also reads a lot (but other stuff). So how best to juggle the two sides of the coin?


I would greatly appreciate to know how you have accessed all this information and what you think about question 2.

Thanks you very much for your thoughts!

 

[go2]

Hi nicklebleu, I am new to posting here, however I started reading the Forums, Wave, Adventures, and recommended books two years ago. I have a tendency to read through material very fast, and if there is
resonance or questions I read and reread the topic. I found experimenting with the concepts, especially self
observation within the theoretical framework of the reading material, the beginning of understanding that the reading is a map to study self. Then gradually I came to have questions and crave feedback as I quickly discovered I don't know myself. It is concealed by lies(buffers). The taste of this work has become the center of my life, I see it is above all a practical program of spiritual growth, while there is time. The map is studied here from many points, theoretical and practical. It took me a while to correlate the concepts discussed in different languages. Jesus, Castenada, Gurdjieff, Mouravieff and modern psychology. All have a different language to present the same journey of spiritual awakening. These teachings appear to be from another realm, the same conscious source. I don't understand much even after two years, but I notice that attention, persistence, and patience has been rewarded. I found the four books Trapped in the Mirror, Myth of Sanity, Unholy Hungers, and The Narcisstic Family to be most revealing personally. I suddenly saw, reading Unholy Hungers, myself. As Carlos Castenada said, "The predator gave us its mind:" That was a big shock and not just knowledge, but a taste of real understanding of the nature of reality and this work. The work here is on the innerman and understanding the context of third density jungle or so I understand today.

"That he may grant you from his glorious riches to be strengthened with power through his Spirit unto the progress of the inner man;and to have Christ dwelling through faith in your hearts: so that, being rooted and grounded in love, you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know Christ's love which surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God."

 

[vinny]

'The Wave', then 'Adventures' series are a great place to start.
'In Search of the Miraculous' by Ouspensky is a useful entry into Gurdjieff's teachings.
The four narcissism/psychology books mentioned by go2 are excellent.

Then, perhaps investigate some more Gurdjieff, 'Secret History', definitely read 'Political Ponerology' ... and whatever else seems important.

a handful of other standout titles for me personally:
Cosmic Winter - Victor Clube and Bill Napier
Controversy of Zion - Douglas Reed
'The Lost Gospel - The Book of Q and Christian Origins' - Burton L Mack
'The Shock Doctrine' - Naomi Klein

If you read these whilst also scouring the internet (including SOTT and Cass articles) keeping your eyes open my guess is you'll encounter lots of further links and recommendations at the appropriate point, will join a few dots between disciplines, and start finding the things that seem worthwhile to pursue. At this point it is worth looking at the 'recommended reading' thread which is around here somewhere, which has recommended titles on a range of subjects.

Re the meditation thing. My understanding is that the aim is to temporarily put your conscious mind to sleep, in order for your subconscious to have a chance to exercise itself without interference from all those conscious (but actually entirely mechanical so not REALLY conscious) programs and habitual thought patterns that would otherwise 'shout down' your subconscious. I think the terminology is a bit confusing here, actually. maybe instead of 'subconscious' I should say 'intuitition' or 'inspiration', and instead of 'conscious mind' I should say 'intellectual center'?

 

[kenlee]

Hi everybody!

The C's often have told Laura too meditate over some particular point. What does that mean? For me, meditation means (and I am not practicing this, however I am doing self-hypnosis for relaxation and to go off to sleep) to empty your mind completely - so how can you meditate "on something" when your mind is empty? Is the trick to cease that interminable internal dialog, so that your right hemisphere can do some talking too? Clearly I don't understand the point here.

In my view the best way to look at "meditating over some particular point" is in terms of what Gurdjieff calls "active Being Mentation" where one "thinks with the whole of oneself." Any other meditation practices (such as relaxation) should, imo, be utilized as a means to become "more present" so that one is more able to think with the whole of oneself. The mind should be in a potential state of "active thought," the eyes alive and aware, and the thinking as sharp as a needle. In short, imo, meditation is about putting oneself in an "able" active mental state, a state of potential, so one may be more able to think like a hammer (see below) and actively mentate on ideas and personal observations about the world both inwardly and outwardly. Bottom line is that it's all about thinking with common sense that is, thinking with a sense that is common to thought, feeling, and organic instinct.

http://glossary.cassiopaea.com/glossary.php?id=764

This term was first introduced in Mark Hedsel's Zelator:

'The alchemists insisted that one should heat the retort many times before making the final distillation. This is an emblem of true thought: one must pass one's thinking through the furnace many times, to be sure. One should think with a hammer, rather than with a brain, as one shapes our thought from dross matter.' As though imitating the hammer blows of Vulcan, he tapped his stick on top of the balustrade. 'Iron, you see. Cast iron. Yet it looks like stone. That is the true Philosopher's Stone, which never appears to be what it is.'

We note that Fulcanelli literally means Little Vulcan, the smith of the gods.

In QFS usage, the term thinking with a hammer means approaching the object of thought from all angles. The hammer also implies hammering against one's beliefs and prejudices, creating internal friction by being critical of the thought process itself. Thinking with a hammer is in a sense the opposite of habitual thinking. Thinking with a hammer means forging new paths and connections as opposed to forcing things to fit within the grooves of existing categories. It is expanding one's mind to be at the measure of the questions instead of shrinking the questions to fit the mind's habits. Thinking with a hammer cannot take place in a state of sleep. It needs an application of will and going against one's internal resistance.

See Being Mentation, Zelator, Thinking, Formatory

And this (emphasis mine):

“To possess the right to the name of ‘man’, one must be one. And to be such, one must first of all, with an indefatigable persistence and an unquenchable impulse of desire, issuing from all the separate independent parts constituting one’s entire common presence, that is to say, with a desire issuing simultaneously from thought, feeling, and organic instinct, work on an all-round knowledge of oneself—at the same time struggling unceasingly with one’s subjective weaknesses—and then afterwards, taking one’s stand upon the results thus obtained by one’s consciousness alone, concerning the defects in one’s established subjectivity as well as the elucidated means for the possibility of combatting them, strive for their eradication without mercy towards oneself.”

G. I. Gurdjieff
Beelzebub’s Tales, p. 1209

 

[T.C.]

Hi Nicklebleu.

I think you've raised an important point here about how one reacts to new information.

Someone once told me that "too much light will make you blind".

It's very difficult to not start changing the way you see the world after you find something you think is really important. You mention that your friends have complained, etc. THEY WILL do, as will everyone else.

This isn't a good thing at all. No one will understand what you're going through. So I think you should try to think about what you have found and what you are learning as "just another possibility". It will make it easier to keep it to yourself, which is important.

It takes a long long time to understand and utilise the information we have been blessed with. You ask about meditating on subjects and assimilation. Unfortunately, it takes ages and ages, until one day, one single aspect of what you're learning just 'clicks', and you think to yourself, "How come I couldn't see it that way before?" That has been my experience anyway, it just takes time.

Work your way through the recommended books one at a time. Try to keep up with current events via the signs page. And try to come to an understanding that there are alot of things you don't know and don't understand, rather than the opposite.

T.C.

 

[nicklebleu]

Hi kenlee and Thomas C, thanks for your contribution. I will have to meditate further on meditation ...

As to Thomas C: You say:

This isn't a good thing at all. No one will understand what you're going through. So I think you should try to think about what you have found and what you are learning as "just another possibility". It will make it easier to keep it to yourself, which is important.

Can you please elaborate further on this particular point? What exactly "isn't a good thing" and why? And by saying "it makes it easier to keep it to yourself, which is important" do you imply that I should keep my "venture" unknown to my friends? And if yes, what about my wife?

I really think there is an important point here that I don't get!

Thanks for your comment!

 

[anart]

Hi nickleblue, it seems that you need to search the forum for the term 'strategic enclosure' and 'General Law' and 'external consideration'.

Awakening is not a game and if you do not learn to be silent and protect yourself from the General Law, then you will be kept in place by it - it is that simple and there are no exceptions.

So, please - search and read - these threads might also help, http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=4907 and http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=5732

There are many threads on strategic enclosures and the necessity of silence while awakening - external consideration is key - it has much less to do with 'keeping anything from your wife' or your friends than it does with acting strategically and being aware, vigilant and externally considerate - putting their needs before your own. From your post it sounds like you really need to understand exactly what you are dealing with in this regard.

 

[Azur]

[
And this (emphasis mine):

“To possess the right to the name of ‘man’, one must be one. And to be such, one must first of all, with an indefatigable persistence and an unquenchable impulse of desire, issuing from all the separate independent parts constituting one’s entire common presence, that is to say, with a desire issuing simultaneously from thought, feeling, and organic instinct, work on an all-round knowledge of oneself—at the same time struggling unceasingly with one’s subjective weaknesses—and then afterwards, taking one’s stand upon the results thus obtained by one’s consciousness alone, concerning the defects in one’s established subjectivity as well as the elucidated means for the possibility of combatting them, strive for their eradication without mercy towards oneself.”

G. I. Gurdjieff
Beelzebub’s Tales, p. 1209

And to this I would add that you are then clear to see, free of self-calming opiates and illusions, to choose, at every bifurcation of paths set before you, however painful. And there is pain in every choice, but you understand it's meaning (and not covering it over), and thus you GROW.

Expend all you've got to understand why it hurts and knowledge/understanding will fill in that void. Expend energy to fool yourself, to make it seem/feel better, and you are only borrowing from the future, delaying what must be met.

This is not a theoretical. Most people die with regret on their lips.

Nicklebleu: Do you understand all the external AND internal effects of your decisions? And the ramifications resulting from (possible) lack of understanding of the depths of your decision-making process?

 

[nicklebleu]

Thanks anart and Azur!

anart:
I have started going throught the material you suggested, quite voluminous - and also quite complex (for me anyway...). Awakening is certainly not a game, that's probably the first thing I have realized - because I have suddenly been yanked out of an ordinary sleeping existance into something I can't control (yet). The stakes seem to be high, the time seems to be pressing etc. Yes, it seems to me "that I really need to understand what I am dealing with here" - and this is certainly not the case. I will follow this thread of thought ...


Azur:

Nicklebleu: Do you understand all the external AND internal effects of your decisions? And the ramifications resulting from (possible) lack of understanding of the depths of your decision-making process?

Obviously not - so then how to obtain that understanding? I feel like I am in free-fall here, just stumbled over a cliff that I didn't see and I am frantically looking for the cord to pull to open the parachute - well IS there a parachute?

I know that I am being impatient, one of my weaknesses. So how do I "make the small steps" necessary to see the external and internal effects and the resulting remifiactions?

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[vinny]

I feel like I am in free-fall here, just stumbled over a cliff that I didn't see and I am frantically looking for the cord to pull to open the parachute - well IS there a parachute?

is there a parachute? no not really. maybe there are wings?

You'll find, as you read the forum, that many here share similar experiences and lessons. If you can learn from others' mistakes without falling into some of the common errors, then great. that is what the forum is about.

Anart has provided some essential pointers. I guess all I would say is, if you genuinely seek knowledge then keep on keeping on, stay alert, and don't try to run before you can walk. Humility is essential.

it's not like the 'matrix' movie where you can simply inject an instant-learning program into the back of your skull.

 

[henry]

Then also I would like best just to sit at home and read. My friends have already complained, and I have to strike a balance with my wife, who thankfully also reads a lot (but other stuff). So how best to juggle the two sides of the coin?

I would like to add to what the others have said about this point.

When one comes across this material, and it clicks, many things about the world begin to make sense that never made sense before. Things that were obscure are now 'obvious'. Being so obvious to the newbie, one has a very strong urge to share this new way of seeing the world with others. "Look what I have found!"

The trouble is, if it is obvious to you now, it is because you have previously gone along a path that brought you to that point. It is VERY doubtful that any of the other people around you have arrived at that point. Best to err on the side of caution. Therefore, it is very important to keep this new information, this new way of seeing the world, to yourself.

It is not easy.

On the other hand, if one begins spending all of one's time reading, if one's behaviour changes, then there will be questions about these changes from those close to you. A partner might think that you are withdrawing because there is someone else in your life or you are losing interest in her/him. It is very important, therefore, to be even more present to those people. If you are doing the Work, then you should become a better person, and the changes in yourself should be seen and noticed as positive by those around you.

Believe me, this is not easy, and there are very few people who actually walk that mine field without a few of them exploding in their faces. Unfortunately, we seem to learn more from our own mistakes than from the mistakes of others.

One of the key points to grasp is that of "external considering", that is, putting people's interests before your own.

There is an brief introduction to the concept here.

Yes, there is a lot of excitement that unleashes a lot of energy when one comes across this material. But that energy can be misspent through too much talk and 'sharing' with people who have no interest in it. Learning to control this need to talk is an important first step and will save much hassle later. Learning to know when people are really asking or when they are simply being polite is an important lesson.

What you have the possibility of learning is more valuable than gold, but there is much work involved. Most people have no interest in something if it 'costs' too much. It will mean a complete re-evaluation of all of your values, all of your ideas, your preconceptions, your ideas about yourself and who you really are. Very few people are really willing to look at these questions and pay that price. If you can understand this at the beginning, you sill save yourself much grief, as I am certain others can testify.

Henry

 

[Joe]

One of the key points to grasp is that of "external considering", that is, putting people's interests before your own.

And to "put other people's interests before your own" you have to really look and see and know other people and what makes them tick. But to really know other people and what motivates them, we have to first know ourselves because, after all, we are also "other people".

Anyone can learn these concepts by reading about them and repeat them to others and appear as if they really understand what they mean. But when we learn their truth the hard way, through direct experience, we tend to not be so free and easy with presenting ourselves as really knowing much about esoteric work. What we learn is that we know so little. Even so, a little consciousness in a world of sleeping people has got to be worth something. But sleep can overcome us again all too easy.

So in attempting to answer your question, I will simply paraphrase what the teaching says: you should strive at all times to be conscious of yourself and your actions. The most common way of doing this is to first try to spot how unconscious you are most of the time.

Joe

 

[Bernhard]

When one comes across this material, and it clicks, many things about the world begin to make sense that never made sense before. Things that were obscure are now 'obvious'. Being so obvious to the newbie, one has a very strong urge to share this new way of seeing the world with others. "Look what I have found!"

Thanks, Henry for this great post and important point. I can relate to it very much and the issue of wanting to show everyone what I discovered has got me into trouble with friends and family at the beginning. At first I was mad at them for being so ignorant and they thought I was a lunatic. A lot of misunderstanding came up and it was hard for me because I had no one who I could really share this with.

This was also before I got into SOTT and the C's. I was introduced to RA, the Pleiadians (Marciniak's work) and your typical conspiracy stuff a la David Icke about 10 years ago. Back then I also gathered a lot of disinformation I thought to be true. So, not only was I trying to push my new found "knowledge" on people close to me, I also was actually spreading Disinformation unknowingly. Only later when I got into the material produced on the sites of the SOTT network, I became aware of the necessity of deep self-work, understanding the "I" and building the right foundation for gathering knowledge to begin with and discerning lies from truth in myself and the world, all very well put in the 4th way teachings.

Further study into the true meaning of STO and STS also showed me that I was acting in STS fashion at times, determining what is good for another, disrespecting free will. Even if someone chooses ignorance, it is his/her free will to do so and I have no business forcing it any other way.
I also realized that I had and still have a times an issue of self-importance with a touch of arrogance, wanting to "show off" my knowledge.
Not much anymore these days, thanks to this forum and people on here who made me aware of this in the past and I got a better "grip" of that predator mind. There is a fine line between making people aware and spreading seeds of awareness in a subtle way and pushing information on someone without being asked.

I find the internet a great tool for this work, also connecting with like minded folks. Not only this forum here, but there are ways to express yourself on your own, like having a blog site, on myspace, tribe, etc.....or other networks which can attract like minded folks without pushing it on anyone. Yes, at times it is hard. I rather talk than write at times, especially since I'm not the fastest typer with my three finger system...lol!
Right now I have a couple of friends who got into this material as well and I we can talk about it one on one, but I stopped completely trying to talk about this to my family.
Funny thing is, ever since I became more aware of "me" and my actions, STO/STS issues and 4th way teachings, my relationhsip with my parents improved dramatically to the point that my Dad starts asking me questions about it without expecting it (He's reading Richard Dolan's book right now and loves it). In overall my relationships actually improved over the years since consciously starting the Work.
Whatever the information that is presented here, Henry said it right, doing the Work should result in becoming a better person.

A good quote to keep in mind is also Morpheus from "The Matrix"

You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged.
And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.

Believe me, this is not easy, and there are very few people who actually walk that mine field without a few of them exploding in their faces. Unfortunately, we seem to learn more from our own mistakes than from the mistakes of others.

Yes, and the learning never stops. The predator mind can be cunning and deceiving in many ways.
We're all works in progress here.

Anyone can learn these concepts by reading about them and repeat them to others and appear as if they really understand what they mean. But when we learn their truth the hard way, through direct experience, we tend to not be so free and easy with presenting ourselves as really knowing much about esoteric work. What we learn is that we know so little.

Yes, very true indeed. I first read the C's material 6 years ago or so and got into some of the 4th way teachings. It made intellectually sense to me and I was excited to have found this source, but it took another couple of years before I actually truly understood what was being said and I could see it in myself and they way I am objectively and what "The Work" truly means. Time has its purpose here on 3rd density and learning doesn't happen over night. Sure, the learning curve may be different for each, however humbleness in this world is key, with others and yourself.

Still much work ahead. I'm enjoying it though. Learning is fun!....

Thanks everyone for your insights in this thread. I needed to hear that.

 

[nicklebleu]

Hi all!

Thanks a lot for all your comments. I have put the Wave Series aside at the moment and try to bring myself up to speed with the "General Law" and "Strategic Enclosure" - I had no idea ...

I think that I have a slightly better idea on how one progresses down the path. I'm sure this is still a very crude picture, but it's a beginning. I have already started to experience these bouts of uncertainty like "do I really want to do that?" or "I just want to go back to sleep" ... but I know now that this is just the resistance that is imposed to my progress, so that's okay.

I am glad to have your guidance and I hope to be able to learn from other's mistakes - so I'll be back with further questions, if you'll bear with me...

Sincere thanks to all a you!

 

[nicklebleu]

Funny! My wife read me from a book - After Dark from Haruki Murakami. He tells the following story, which is kind of a funny coincidence:

Three brothers went out fishing and got caught in a storm. They drifted on the ocean for a long time until they washed up on the shore of an uninhabited island. It was a beautiful island with coconuts growing there and tons of fruit on the trees, and a big, high mountain in the middle.

The night they got there, a god appeared in their dreams and said, 'A little farther down the shore, you will find three big, round boulders. I want each of you to push his boulder as far as he likes. The place you stop pushing your boulder is where you will live. The higher you go, the more of the world you will be able to see from your home. It's entirely up to you how far you want to push your boulder.

So the three brothers found three boulders on the shore just as the god had said they would. And they started pushing them along as the god told them to. Now these were huge, heavy boulders, so rolling them was hard, and pushing them up an incline took an enormous effort.

The youngest brother quit first. He said, 'Brothers, this place is good enough for me. It's close to the shore, and I can catch fish. It has everything I need to go on living. I don't mind if I can't see that much of the world from here.' His two elder brothers pressed on, but when they were midway up the mountain, the second brother quit. He said, 'Brother, this place is good enough for me. There is plenty of fruit here. It has everything I need to go on living. I don't mind if I can't see that much of the world from here.'

The eldest brother continued walking up the mountain. The trail grew increasingly narrow and steep, but he did not quit. He had great powers of perseverance, and he wanted to see as much of the world as he possibly could, so he kept rolling the boulder with all his might. He went on for months, hardly eating or drinking, until he had rolled the boulder to the very peak of the high mountain. There he stopped and surveyed the world. Now he could see more of the world than anyone. This was the place he would live-where no grass grew, where no birds flew. For water, he could only lick the ice and frost. For food, he could only gnaw on moss. But he had no regrets, because now he could look out over the whole world. And so, even today, his great, round boulder is perched on the peak of that mountain on an island in Hawaii. That's how the story goes.