Oakland

33 people were present. The meeting began with a discussion of business. _____ is having difficulty filing incorporation papers, as a name for the group is needed first. The name [deleted] was suggested, motion made, seconded and passed. We also discussed dues, officer’s roles, board of directors, etc.

_____ asked for the Overleaves of a friend, ______. She felt he had been the Rabbi she had been married to in a previous lifetime, and there was some type of tie between them: Mature Sage, Caution, Stubbornness?

THIS IS A SIXTH LEVEL MATURE SAGE IN ACCEPTANCE, YES, STUBBORN, AND IN THE CAUTION MODE, A SPIRITUALIST IN THE EMOTIONAL PART OF MOVING CENTER. YES, THIS FRAGMENT HAS BEEN A PART OF YOUR SEQUENCES BEFORE, MANY TIMES. HE IS A FRAGMENT OF YOUR ORIGINAL ENTITY, AND YES, YOU WERE MARRIED TO HIM WHEN HE WAS A RABBI. THERE ARE NO RIBBONS BETWEEN YOU. THIS MAN IS MOSTLY LUNAR, SOME JOVIAL.

_____ described an experience she had had during the past week with Soleal in the trance state.

_____ asked if fear is a part of the Caution Mode.

ALL OF YOUR EXPERIENCES WILL VARY TREMENDOUSLY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS, MUCH ACCORDING TO THE MODE OF APPROACH BY WHICH YOU LIVE. NATURALLY, THOSE IN CAUTION OR REPRESSION, AND OF COURSE THOSE IN OBSERVATION, WILL CONTINUE ‘TO PUT A DISTANCE BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND THE EXPERIENCE. THOSE IN PASSION WILL PERHAPS EXPERIENCE MORE, SOONER THAN THE OTHERS, BUT SOONER OR LATER STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH THE BARRIERS. AT THIS MOMENT IT IS A TEMPTATION FOR SOME STUDENTS TO DISCREDIT THE EXPERIENCES OF THOSE STUDENTS, WITHOUT TAKING THE DIFFERENCE IN OVERLEAVES INTO CONSIDERATION. THIS IS GREATLY IN ERROR, FOR NO ONE STUDENT IN THIS CADRE IS NOW GUILTY OF COMPLETELY MANUFACTURING AN EXPERIENCE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE OTHER STUDENTS. IT IS SIMPLY THAT THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE EMOTIONALLY CENTERED OR IN THE PASSION MODE WILL TEND TO HAVE A FAR MORE “INTENSE” EXPERIENCE. SEVERAL OF THE OTHER STUDENTS HAVE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES WHICH WERE OBSERVED MATTER OF FACTLY AND NOT SHARED, BUT NEVERTHELESS, WERE EXPERIENCES. CAUTION COULD, OF COURSE, BE INTERPRETED AS FEAR, YES, BUT IT IS SO MUCH SIMPLY THE FEAR OF RISK-TAKING RATHER THAN WHAT MOST THINK OF AS FEAR, THAT IT IS DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT. MOST SOULS IN CAUTION ARE NOT TRULY FRIGHTENED BY MUCH.

______ commented that he would like to contact Don Juan through A’s ring. Some people believe he (Don Juan) is made up — fiction.

______ asked about using John Lilly’s and Robert Monroe’s techniques together to have an out-of-body experience. Some in the group have had “accidental” out-of-body experiences and are interested in trying to use techniques in controlling the experiences by an act of will.

THE MOST VALUABLE TECHNIQUE WE KNOW OF IS TO CONSCIOUSLY TURN THE “ACCIDENT” INTO A DIRECTED VOYAGE. AS SOON AS YOU REALIZE THAT YOU HAVE LEFT THE PHYSICAL PLANE, BEGIN TO VISUALIZE WHERE YOU WISH TO GO, AND PUT YOUR POWERS OF CONCENTRATION INTO PLAY. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO MONITOR THESE TRIPS WITH A RECORD MADE IMMEDIATELY UPON RETURN. BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR IMAGERY. VISUALIZE THE INTENDED TARGET CAREFULLY. DEVELOP AN EYE FOR DETAIL. THIS SPELLS SUCCESS.

THE TECHNIQUE OF HOLDING UP YOUR HAND IS A GOOD ONE FOR GETTING YOUR BEARINGS AND DETERMINING THE QUALITATIVE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ASTRAL TRAVEL AND ORDINARY DREAMING. THIS TECHNIQUE WAS SUGGESTED BY DON JUAN, BUT OTHERS HAVE USED IT SUCCESSFULLY. MONROE’S TECHNIQUES ARE EXCELLENT FOR DIRECTING YOUR SELF OUT OF THE BODY. THE MAN JOHN (Lilly) HAS TECHNIQUES FOR DIRECTING THE VOYAGE THAT ARE SOMETIMES SUCCESSFUL, BUT TRY THE SIMPLE TECHNIQUE FIRST UNTIL YOU ARE ACCUSTOMED TO THIS EXPERIENCE.

_____ asked if it were necessary to have someone with us on the physical plane when an attempt of this sort was made.

IT IS NOT NECESSARY UNLESS YOU ARE IN AN UNPROTECTED ENVIRONMENT WHERE THERE MIGHT BE PHYSICAL DANGER.

_____ told us he is taking a course from Transcendental Meditation, and would like a comment from Michael about anything he could do prior to the experience that would help him.

PRIOR TO THIS, FASTING WOULD HELP, YES, FOR AT LEAST TWELVE HOURS. ALSO, A BRISK WALK AND OPENNESS. THIS IS A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL FORM OF MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS AND WORKS MOST OF THE TIME.

_____ asked about Centering, and what force makes one achieve balance.

THE ACHIEVEMENT OF BALANCE IS AN ACT OF WILL. THE FORCE BEHIND IT IS THE COMBINED ENERGIES OF THE TRUE “CENTER OF GRAVITY” [a Gurdjieff term] WITHIN YOU. YOU ALWAYS HAVE THIS ENERGY, BUT NORMALLY YOU ALLOW IT TO DISSIPATE UNUSED. WHEN YOU WORK TOWARD BALANCE, YOU LEARN TO CONSERVE THIS ENERGY AND DIVERT IT INTO THE WORK. THIS ENERGY DOES NOT RUN OUT, BY THE WAY. IT IS PART OF THE NEUTRAL UNIVERSAL FLOW AND IS INFINITE. YOU MUST LEARN TO TAP IT, HOWEVER. YOUR CENTERS OF GRAVITY ARE NOW TOP HEAVY, OR OFF TRUE CENTER. WHEN YOU GO TO BALANCE IT IS CENTERED — ERGO, BALANCED; NOT VERY MYSTICAL, BUT FAR MORE PRACTICAL. THERE IS NO LEAKAGE OF ENERGY IN BALANCED MAN, AND ALL OF THIS ENERGY CAN BE DIVERTED INTO THE [spiritual] WORK — WHETHER THIS BE MEDITATION, CONCENTRATION OR STUDY. THE TRAP INTO WHICH MOST FALL IS SIMPLY A CONTINUATION OF HABIT PATTERNS PICKED UP EARLY IN LIFE. THIS HAPPENS IN PART BECAUSE OF THE MODELS THAT AN ADOLESCENT OBSERVES. THERE IS BENEATH THAT A CHOSEN DIRECTION OF FLOW, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THIS CAN BE OVERRIDDEN EASILY BY THE INFLUENCES; FOR INSTANCE: A HYSTERICAL PARENT, A PARENT WITH SERIOUS DISSEMBLANCE, A PARENT WHO IS UNDULY STERN. THE DIRECTION THEN TAKES A REACTIVE TURN AND THE TRAP IS EXCHANGED FOR ANOTHER. WITH STUDENTS THEN, THERE IS ANOTHER PITFALL. THEY BEGIN TO GO TOWARD BALANCE, FIND NEW EXPERIENCES, AND MAKE A SUBLIMINAL CHOICE TO STAY THERE BECAUSE IT IS A RICHER EXPERIENCE. THIS IS AS IN THE CASE OF JOHANNE (Bach).

_____ shared her experience about her separation from her husband _____. She asked if _____ was heading toward the teaching for the first time. She shared some material that had been received on Sunday, and asked if _____ had gone past what Michael had said Sunday.

WE SPOKE BEFORE OF THE DICHOTOMY IN THIS MAN’S PSYCHE. THIS IS PERHAPS THE MOST STARTLING EXAMPLE OF HIS AMBIVALENCE. THIS OF COURSE COMES FROM THAT WHICH WOULD SEEK IN THIS MAN. THE MID CYCLE MATURE SOUL IS “RIPE” FOR THE TEACHING, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IN TOO MANY THERE IS THE CONSTANT CONFLICT OF INTERESTS BROUGHT ON BY THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THE WORLD. THE CONFLICTS HE IS NOW EXPERIENCING ARE NOT UNUSUAL. IT IS STILL POSSIBLE THAT HE WILL RESOLVE WITHIN HIMSELF AND THEN SEEK. THIS ALSO MEANS THAT HE MUST NOT BURN THE BRIDGES BETWEEN HIS OPTIONS; LEAVING THE DOOR OPEN IS THE BEST SOLUTION FOR HIM, AND AT MANY LEVELS HE KNOWS THIS.

______ asked if _____’s Essence Twin was ______.

THIS MAN IS NOT THE ESSENCE TWIN OF THE MAN _____. THE ESSENCE TWIN OF THE MAN _____ IS A FOURTH LEVEL MATURE SCHOLAR.

______ asked about his affinity to animals — if it has anything to do with past lives, and his intense dislike of birds. He described a bad experience with crows when he was young.

WE HAVE TOLD THIS GROUP ONCE THAT MOST OLDER SOULS DO FIND COMFORT AND DO HAVE AFFINITIES FOR OTHER CREATURES. MOST OLDER SOULS INSPIRE CONFIDENCE IN THE ANIMALS, AND THE ANIMALS RESPOND QUITE NATURALLY TO THIS. SOME OLDER SOULS EVEN FIND THIS AFFINITY EXTENDS TO WILD AND FEARFUL ANIMALS. SEVERAL IN THIS GROUP HAVE DEMONSTRATED THIS. ANY BAD EXPERIENCE WITH ANIMALS AT AN EARLY AGE WILL CAUSE SOME ABHORRENCE. THIS IS CLEARLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE. THE OLDER SOUL DOES NOT GENERALLY EXTEND BEYOND THE OFFENDING SPECIES, NOR DOES IT REACH THE PHOBIC STAGE, AS IN THE CASE OF PRIMARY EXPERIENCES DATING BACK TO PREVIOUS LIVES.

_____ asked if other Overleaves, aside from Goals, contain the poles (positive and negative) found in Goals.

WE HAVE TOLD YOU THAT THERE IS YIN AND YANG IN EVERYTHING — POLARITY IF YOU WILL. THEREFORE, YES.

_____ asked Michael about other Agreements he made on the astral plane, besides the two mentioned before.

YOU MAKE ALL SEQUENTIAL AGREEMENTS DURING THE ASTRAL INTERVAL. THIS PERTAINS TO ALL OF THE PHYSICAL LIVES. NO, THOSE TWO ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES THAT YOU MADE. YOU COMPLETED THREE SEQUENCES BEFORE COMING TO THIS COUNTRY. YOU HAVE MET WITH TWO SEQUENTIAL PARTNERS HERE IN THIS COUNTRY AND WILL MEET WITH ANOTHER.

MOST SEQUENCES HAVE TO DO WITH THE COMPLETION OF MONADS AND ARE AGREED UPON TO FACILITATE THIS COMPLETION IN BASICALLY SHORT PERIODS OF TIME. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME SEQUENCES THAT INVOLVE THE ENTIRE DURATION OF THE PHYSICAL LIFE AND REQUIRE THAT THE SEQUENTIAL PARTNERS STAY WITH EACH OTHER OR IN CONTACT THROUGHOUT. USUALLY THESE LATTER AGREEMENTS INVOLVE BEING CLOSE RELATIVES SUCH AS BROTHERS OR SISTERS, PARENTS AND CHILDREN, ET CETERA.

_____ asked if the two Sequences he had already experienced had been in the time period between 1957 and 1958, and in 1968.

THE LATTER PERIOD, YES. THAT SEQUENCE IS NOT ENTIRELY RESOLVED. THE FORMER DEFINITELY WAS SEQUENTIAL.

_____ asked about his work recently in trying to get into the moving center by using hobbies. He is trapped in the Intellectual Center, and by using the hobbies is trying to balance this.

YES, THIS IS A GOOD ATTEMPT ON YOUR PART AND COULD BE SUCCESSFUL IF PURSUED.

_____ told us of an experience he had had during meditation, where he saw a clear picture of the back of a man, close up, then far away. He asked if this had been Don Juan.

THIS IMAGERY CONCERNS A FRAGMENT OF YOUR ENTITY. THERE ARE ONLY SEVEN FRAGMENTS OF THIS ENTITY STILL ON THE PHYSICAL PLANE, AND THERE IS A TREMENDOUS DRIVE ON THE PART OF THE REMAINING FRAGMENTS TO REUNITE. THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN, AND SOON THE IMAGE WILL BECOME CLEARER AND LAST LONGER. THEN YOU WILL HAVE SOME RECOGNITION. THIS FRAGMENT WILL ALSO BE KNOWN TO _____. IT IS NOT DON JUAN.

A new student (didn’t write down his name, sorry!) in the group asked a question about imagery he had during meditation. He saw a little blue man inside a little flower, inside a pond, which was in the center of a temple made of stone columns. Who or what was this? He told him to go away.

THIS TYPE OF IMAGERY IS QUITE COMMON IN MEDITATION. IT IS USUALLY THE PERSONALITY’S ATTEMPT TO DISTRACT FROM THE MEDITATION BY PROVIDING AN INTERESTING DIVERSION. MOST EASTERN MEDITATIVE PATHS SUCH AS ZEN WARN AGAINST THIS TYPE OF DISTRACTION, SAYING TO THEIR STUDENTS TO IGNORE ALL INTERFERENCES, EVEN IF ALL OF THE BODDHISATVAS CAST COME AND DANCE UPON THE PALM OF THEIR HAND. WE WOULD NOT BE THAT STRONG. WE COULD ONLY SAY THAT THIS IS A DISTRACTION, AND APPRECIATE IT AS SUCH.