What is the most important thing to do by newbie, in context of work?

[Alada]

As in subject:
"What is the most important thing to do by newbie, in context of work?"

Change nothing! (well, almost nothing*)

You might remember from reading ISOTM, many times it is mentioned there that at first, one should do nothing, just spend time observing yourself as you are, but don't try to change anything.

It seems we need a certain amount of time to gather some initial data, to watch, notice ourselves more, spend some time trying to observe some of the factors that are described in the book so as to better understand them, but without trying to alter our behaviour in any way.

One reason for this, it spoils the data, another being that we tend to try and tackle things in the wrong order or at least in ways that tend not to produce anything very helpful. We need to understand at least the nature of a problem before we try to work on it I think, as the desire to work has to come from within us, not from simply being told what to do. Seeing for ourselves can kindle this desire. Though it may seem like a slow way to begin, it can save a LOT of time later in trying to undo what has been done in error.

Another important aspect to hold in mind from the outset, again mentioned in ISOTM, is to keep silent*. Stay away from the temptation to try and talk to others about anything connected with the work, or the more 'esoteric' ideas shared and discussed here on forum. Not for any reason of secrecy but more from the point of view of Strategic Enclosure. There are more than a few folk here that have gotten them selves into difficult positions with those around them by trying to share what hasn't been asked for. In fact it happens so often one might assume there is some kind of law which makes it enevitably so, if we are careless in that regard. It takes time and can be difficult to learn when people are really asking, and it can be seen as a work task in itself to resist the temptation of opening our mouths at every opportunity. For that alone, your question is a very good one I think.

As others have suggested, reading the Wave would be very helpful in terms of understanding many of the ideas being discussed here. I would put that before reading any more G or O.

 

[Alada]

Motile bags of molecules, on the surface of a rock ,hurtling through space, that foolishly believe anything they do makes a difference.
Ha ha, been on the way for 35 years, forget about the complicated stuff.
The exercise: "watch" yourself from above and behind, try as hard as you can for as long as you can, try not to let it affect your day. Just watch your plain old self.
Oops, I forgot to watch, like for a few days!!! Hey, what was going on when I wasn't watching!!!!
Keep at it and don't get caught up in the "emotional rapture".
Count by 2's and 3's to 100 and back to strengthen your ability to "divide your attention"
Keep at it

The context of the question is that of a newbie. It is useless to try and begin like this.

 

[Deleted member 11729]

Another important aspect to hold in mind from the outset, again mentioned in ISOTM, is to keep silent*. Stay away from the temptation to try and talk to others about anything connected with the work, or the more 'esoteric' ideas shared and discussed here on forum. Not for any reason of secrecy but more from the point of view of Strategic Enclosure.

Thank you Alada, yep that is exactly what I feel as good thing to do, to be silent ... more I get into it, I am more silent about many other things .... and I see even when people aske me about certain things, if I don't feel that as a real question, but more as a kind of their opinion on things, I rather not get involved further to share my experiences and understanding ...

As others have suggested, reading the Wave would be very helpful in terms of understanding many of the ideas being discussed here. I would put that before reading any more G or O.

:) thx for suggestion ... reading The Wave is just so good, but I can't resist to listen to audio books of G. and O. simultaneously, but definitely G and O stuff needs to be re read again and again ....

 

[liam1310]

This thread my be helpful. http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,30858.0.html

It lead to this book http://www.amazon.com/Life-Religion-Daily-Exercises-Mind-ebook/dp/B00ED1QDYO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405104083&sr=8-1&keywords=life+is+religion.

I purchased it last week and carry it with me now. It keeps me on track. I was getting flustered with not knowing exactly what "the work" entails. I was searching for a list last week hoping I could find something that broke down more detailed, low and behold... They made a book! Yay!

Thanks for posting wasn't aware of the this book :)

 

[Phill4]

I think like anything else, theory is the first thing, and then the rest will present itself as life moves forward, share your experiences, and a quick reminder, there is an inner world and an outer world.

i think the important thing for a newbie that probably won't stop being important is to ask the questions and look for the answers.

:)

 

[Michael B-C]

The only thing I would add to the very helpful posts above is that one of the best ways to start off is to read SOTT.net on a daily basis and to listen regularly to weekly SOTT radio shows which are fantastic trainings in joining up the dots thanks to the superb work done by all the teams involved.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sottradionetwork.

It is easy to forget when attempting the Work that an essential beginning is to start to train the mind to attend to patterns that reflect in our reality the greater 'esoteric' over belly that has us in the condition we are in i.e. a world projected and shaped by hyper dimensional realities and run by psychopaths. Observing objective reality, both left and right, is the essence of the work. The world reflects back to us on a daily basis all the information we need to see it for what it is, not what we would wish or like it to be; thus if we look hard enough and practise hard enough, we will begin a process of discernment that will prepare you well for later more obscured paths. SOTT is an esoteric training in an exoteric environment. If you are as busy as you say you are, take 30-40 minutes of an evening to read through the latest news in all the categories to see what way your world is reflecting itself back to you TODAY. Observe how you react to what you read, observe how others react through the comments after. You will learn much. It is as good a Way as any to start.

And yes. Do read SHOTW and the Wave series (not forgetting '9-11, the Ultimate Truth' - one of the most covert esoteric books you could wish to find!)

Good luck! :)

 

[lainey]

Motile bags of molecules, on the surface of a rock ,hurtling through space, that foolishly believe anything they do makes a difference.
Ha ha, been on the way for 35 years, forget about the complicated stuff.
The exercise: "watch" yourself from above and behind, try as hard as you can for as long as you can, try not to let it affect your day. Just watch your plain old self.
Oops, I forgot to watch, like for a few days!!! Hey, what was going on when I wasn't watching!!!!
Keep at it and don't get caught up in the "emotional rapture".
Count by 2's and 3's to 100 and back to strengthen your ability to "divide your attention"
Keep at it

The context of the question is that of a newbie. It is useless to try and begin like this.

Even as a semi newbie this has left me confused. It's always helpful to read over our posts and ask ourselves, can anyone participating in the forum understand the concepts to which I am referring? Am I clear and concise? Is my advice helpful and informative?

 

[Hitsu]

@all
Thanks for the answers ! :)
They are very helpful, this forums feels soo STO :D

In my opinion the most important thing newbie should do is to read:
Strategic Enclosure

and maybe:
External vs. internal considering


Reading Strategic enclosure and understading it, can protect you from destroying your reputation in various social-circles (which can be harmful) e.g.

A basic and important part of what one needs to know and apply to ward off attack is strategic silence. Many have learned of its importance the hard way: when the person(s) they speak with hear something they consider "crazy", loathsome, or otherwise concerning or offensive, the reaction can be quite detrimental. In any case, the word may also spread, with negative consequences. Suddenly, it has become "known" that you've become a "crazy conspiracy theorist"; or that you must have suffered a "breakdown"; or, when you eliminate gluten and carbs from your diet, that you have an "eating disorder"; or perhaps, if you mention being part of an online community in connection with something controversial, that you've "joined a cult".

and protect from many 'attacks'

And if one would try to force them, then they would react defensively or even offensively in order to preserve their worldview.

I hurted my reputation in one social-circle and I don't know If I am able to 'revert it'.

It also teaches you to recognice the influences that guides you into objectivity/growth:

The inner aspect of strategic enclosure entails several ideas and practices. These essentially concern gaining an objective view of reality, and self-mastery. One must discern between the influences of illusion and the influences that lead to understanding of reality. (See A, B, and C influences.) The part of the self which is aligned with the latter must remain in charge, regardless of any and all 'A' influences (influences of illusion) which exert pressure, be they inner and/or outer.

I read ISOTM in 2011 and after that I forget almost totally about the work...

Influences A are much stronger that others.
I spotted some times "B" read a couple of it, and the forget again.
This also happened to me multiple times....

so you can forget about the work, but Strategic enclosure article somehow protects you from that, by telling you that A influences are stronger than B/C.

Next thing is this article is pretty short compared to other stuff, books have more that houndreds of A4 pages, here I think I have about ~3 A4 pages.

So #1 for me is Strategic enclosure.

_______________________________

After that I would just look at
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Religion-Daily-Exercises-Mind-ebook/dp/B00ED1QDYO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405104083&sr=8-1&keywords=life+is+religion
since it is only 90 pages (Wave is MUCH, MUCH more).



I have read about 10% of this book and it feels like reading abstract from publications.
I won't get all data, but you will something like 'tl;dr' which is kinda important to me.
If I spot some techniques there - I will use them :)

so #2 for me is Life-Religion-Daily-Excercises

_______________________________

After that I vote for Wave series.
OR The Law of One (The Ra Material).

Question:
Can I read old Wave series book?
Does the new one contains some additions / corrections?
Or maybe I could read old wave chapters from polish site?
http://quantumfuture.net/pl/falaindeks.htm


PS I don't know if my opinion makes sense.

 

[Il Matto]

As a fellow newbie, I'd like to offer a thought or two based on my own experience so far.

I won't presume to tell you what you should do in the context of beginning the Work, instead, here are some things that I warmly recommend you DON'T do (as I myself have done)!:

Become overwhelmed by the shear volume of information now available to you and panic about how 'far behind' you must be

Feel that you must have read everything on the 'recommended reading list' before you can make a worthwhile attempt at 'Working'

Deceive yourself as to how 'developed' you already are


I have no doubt that we each face a plethora of different obstacles when we begin to Work on ourselves, the above have and continue to be just a few of mine.

 

[lainey]

As a fellow newbie, I'd like to offer a thought or two based on my own experience so far.

I won't presume to tell you what you should do in the context of beginning the Work, instead, here are some things that I warmly recommend you DON'T do (as I myself have done)!:

Become overwhelmed by the shear volume of information now available to you and panic about how 'far behind' you must be

Feel that you must have read everything on the 'recommended reading list' before you can make a worthwhile attempt at 'Working'

Deceive yourself as to how 'developed' you already are


I have no doubt that we each face a plethora of different obstacles when we begin to Work on ourselves, the above have and continue to be just a few of mine.

Some good advice there Il Matto, the recommended reading list is so huge I've barely scratched the surface. I just take one at a time and choose the titles that feel relevant to where I am right now. If I try and rush through anything I don't absorb the information and just waste my time instead of gaining valuable insights. I'm a note taker and the books I have read are filled with little post its marking the pages I found struck a chord with me and I have a little notebook full of quotes from Laura's books that I read over to remind myself of the principals that mean the most to me. I know of some members who even have databases of information. I guess it would make it more efficient when trying to recall a quote when sharing on the forum.
I have faith that if I continue to learn at a steady pace and don't fall into complacency that I will be exactly where I need to be with exactly the knowledge that I need "when the time comes" to be able to make informed choices about what to DO for the best for myself and for those around me.
That doesn't mean I think I will be all knowing or fully developed but simply at the right place on my path to be able to learn the lessons I need to learn in order to advance.
Good luck everyone.

 

[shellycheval]

Hitsu

In my opinion the most important thing newbie should do is to read:
Strategic Enclosure

and maybe:
External vs. internal considering

Agree, and in addition I recommend begin with In Search of the Miraculous and the Wave Series.

Keep up with reading the Forum and SOTT news.

AFTER you have read ISOTM, a helpful book that functions as an abstract of most of the concrete concepts and is a useful primer for doing the Work is Gil Friedman's Gurdjieff, A Beginner's Guide: How Changing The Way We React To Misplacing Our Keys Can Transform Our Lives

Enjoy the process of learning new knowledge and be patience, but persevere. Many of us have spent years and thousands of hours reading Laura's work and related material and continue to find new and deeper understanding as we read and reread.
Good luck on your journey.

 

[lainey]

AFTER you have read ISOTM, a helpful book that functions as an abstract of most of the concrete concepts and is a useful primer for doing the Work is Gil Friedman's Gurdjieff, A Beginner's Guide: How Changing The Way We React To Misplacing Our Keys Can Transform Our Lives

I hadn't heard of this one, thanks for the share! I just bought it for my kindle.

 

[AutomatedMan]

I am curious on how to begin the Work as well. I'm with Il Matto and likely some of the other newbies out there, in feeling a little overwhelmed to the point of trying to learn as much as I can through books. The Wave series was helpful for getting back into the Cassiopaea Material. I feel like I keep encountering different things in my daily life that remind me of things that were discussed in the books! I have been reading SOTT on a daily basis but I've been falling behind on Eiru Eolas, which is probably the most important thing I should be doing to cleanse my mind and process all the emotions flowing through me. Additionally, I was doing really well with my diet and even was able to eliminate nuts and cheese for a few months. I then regressed back, with nuts, cheeses and diet sodas. I have to address the diet follies and get back to the keto diet I set out on.

To chime in on the suggestions for diving into the work listed above, The Life is Religion book is a great primer IMHO. I didn't finish the glossary and parables section, but the chapters helped to hone in some key things you can do in daily life. It's a great high-level overview for beginners and can be a summary to the various sources on the Work material for us newbies that are just scratching the surface. I'm starting to see where I need to work on certain things with my diet, daily EE meditation and self-observation work. I'm a bit afraid of what I may truly begin to SEE in myself and I how mechanical I really am. I have to push through it, or else fear will get the best of me :(

 

[riclapaz]

I am curious on how to begin the Work as well. I'm with Il Matto and likely some of the other newbies out there, in feeling a little overwhelmed to the point of trying to learn as much as I can through books. The Wave series was helpful for getting back into the Cassiopaea Material. I feel like I keep encountering different things in my daily life that remind me of things that were discussed in the books! I have been reading SOTT on a daily basis but I've been falling behind on Eiru Eolas, which is probably the most important thing I should be doing to cleanse my mind and process all the emotions flowing through me. Additionally, I was doing really well with my diet and even was able to eliminate nuts and cheese for a few months. I then regressed back, with nuts, cheeses and diet sodas. I have to address the diet follies and get back to the keto diet I set out on.

To chime in on the suggestions for diving into the work listed above, The Life is Religion book is a great primer IMHO. I didn't finish the glossary and parables section, but the chapters helped to hone in some key things you can do in daily life. It's a great high-level overview for beginners and can be a summary to the various sources on the Work material for us newbies that are just scratching the surface. I'm starting to see where I need to work on certain things with my diet, daily EE meditation and self-observation work. I'm a bit afraid of what I may truly begin to SEE in myself and I how mechanical I really am. I have to push through it, or else fear will get the best of me :(

Hi, AutomatedMan,yes, it's quite shocking to realize that we acted like a machine, but once you start this process of removing the greatest number of lies, we had to invent ourselves to live in this reality, starts a process of awakening , understand that you can control this machine, you can start with small steps, you can meet, and so have the urge to take the next step, many have gone through what you mentioned, we have had "fallen", the best advice I can give you, is to go ahead with this process, be disciplined, you can organize your day, so allow time to reflect on what he did in the day, and can move some parts, in order that the next day You can control and act in a less mechanical way, it is also the option to use alarm clock that serves as an alarm clock, every few minutes, etc.

This was said by the Cs, I think it is excellent advice when we are afraid of:

https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,34702.0.html

Session Date: May 10th 2014

Laura and Andromeda at the board
Pierre, Perceval, Chu, PoB, Kniall, Data, Mr. Scott, Alana
Q: (L) Okay, so the next question is: We have numerous activities that are creative for people to be able to release some of their pent up emotions about all of the things that are happening in the world that make everybody unhappy. They can get on SOTT, they can write commentary, they can work on the forum, they can write things on the forum, they can have exchanges, they can have meetings with other people. There are many things that people could be doing, but it's like the excuse always comes down to, "Oh, the frequency fence. I can't do anything because I'm depressed, or I'm this, or I'm that or the other thing." You're saying that they've won half the battle, but it seems to me that it's harder than that. There is something else. How to get over that initial resistance?

A: Taking the bull by the horns is always fearful in the imagination, but when you approach the beast, he usually lays down and submits.

Q: (L) That doesn't answer my question. Okay, what constitutes "approaching the beast"? Since that seems to be where everybody gets stuck...

A: As Yoda said, no try, just do, if only a little. That will break the logjam. Butterfly wings and all that.

 

[lainey]

I am curious on how to begin the Work as well. I'm with Il Matto and likely some of the other newbies out there, in feeling a little overwhelmed to the point of trying to learn as much as I can through books. The Wave series was helpful for getting back into the Cassiopaea Material. I feel like I keep encountering different things in my daily life that remind me of things that were discussed in the books! I have been reading SOTT on a daily basis but I've been falling behind on Eiru Eolas, which is probably the most important thing I should be doing to cleanse my mind and process all the emotions flowing through me. Additionally, I was doing really well with my diet and even was able to eliminate nuts and cheese for a few months. I then regressed back, with nuts, cheeses and diet sodas. I have to address the diet follies and get back to the keto diet I set out on.

To chime in on the suggestions for diving into the work listed above, The Life is Religion book is a great primer IMHO. I didn't finish the glossary and parables section, but the chapters helped to hone in some key things you can do in daily life. It's a great high-level overview for beginners and can be a summary to the various sources on the Work material for us newbies that are just scratching the surface. I'm starting to see where I need to work on certain things with my diet, daily EE meditation and self-observation work. I'm a bit afraid of what I may truly begin to SEE in myself and I how mechanical I really am. I have to push through it, or else fear will get the best of me :(

Hi, AutomatedMan,yes, it's quite shocking to realize that we acted like a machine, but once you start this process of removing the greatest number of lies, we had to invent ourselves to live in this reality, starts a process of awakening , understand that you can control this machine, you can start with small steps, you can meet, and so have the urge to take the next step, many have gone through what you mentioned, we have had "fallen", the best advice I can give you, is to go ahead with this process, be disciplined, you can organize your day, so allow time to reflect on what he did in the day, and can move some parts, in order that the next day You can control and act in a less mechanical way, it is also the option to use alarm clock that serves as an alarm clock, every few minutes, etc.

This was said by the Cs, I think it is excellent advice when we are afraid of:

https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,34702.0.html

Session Date: May 10th 2014

Laura and Andromeda at the board
Pierre, Perceval, Chu, PoB, Kniall, Data, Mr. Scott, Alana
Q: (L) Okay, so the next question is: We have numerous activities that are creative for people to be able to release some of their pent up emotions about all of the things that are happening in the world that make everybody unhappy. They can get on SOTT, they can write commentary, they can work on the forum, they can write things on the forum, they can have exchanges, they can have meetings with other people. There are many things that people could be doing, but it's like the excuse always comes down to, "Oh, the frequency fence. I can't do anything because I'm depressed, or I'm this, or I'm that or the other thing." You're saying that they've won half the battle, but it seems to me that it's harder than that. There is something else. How to get over that initial resistance?

A: Taking the bull by the horns is always fearful in the imagination, but when you approach the beast, he usually lays down and submits.

Q: (L) That doesn't answer my question. Okay, what constitutes "approaching the beast"? Since that seems to be where everybody gets stuck...

A: As Yoda said, no try, just do, if only a little. That will break the logjam. Butterfly wings and all that.

This reminded me of a video posted on SOTT of the 5 stages of awakening:
http://www.sott.net/article/297126-VIDEO-The-five-stages-of-the-awakening

AutomatedMan, the more I read about it the more I am optimistic that if you make positive changes in your diet everything else will become a lot more easy because if your system is clean and working optimally your mind will become more healthy and strong and the things you are afraid of now will become challenges to overcome. Take things one step at a time. I have found the SOTT Talk Radio health and wellness shows most enlightening. You could download them and listen on your way to work or while doing chores. Perhaps the episode on toxic additives from the 11th of May will help you to think twice about those diet sodas!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sottradionetwork/2015/05/11/the-health-and-wellness-show--11-may-2015--toxic-additives
Good luck!!

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