Altering Consciousness, Again

THURS., JUNE 13, 1996, 6:40 AM
FARM, STUDY

You are preparing for your next concentrated class, and you realize how much slower you’re functioning. In the earlier class you were frustrated several times by an inability to do all that you planned. By this time in your long career you should be quite accurate in predicting how long any activity would be… but this is complicated by your increasing slowness. AND… the other factor, that I’ve mentioned in previous Teachings: “build in time” for you to just talk about experiences you’ve had, directly or vicariously. In this last year let the idealist philosophy reign.

This is a course focusing on substances that modify mood and behavior, and that still remains a good concept, after these more than 30 years. Let that also be joined to the concept of altering consciousness… the need to feel and act differently from what is the usual, responsible, productive, rational state of being and behaving. I urge you to give this more attention than you usually do. This could be the next-to-last time you ever “do” this course, remember. I respect your premise that there are some facts that are important, but these are not as crucial as the development of spirit in a class, and this you have an opportunity to do, yet again.

Learning is one way of altering consciousness, but the difficult task of learning facts that don’t seem particularly relevant… rote memory… is a form of consciousness that often needs altering. See the class as a potential “work of art”, one you have the privilege of creating. You have this capacity. Don’t waste it with too much boring learning.

You may want to introduce that idea of the right and left brain (remembering that you usually get these mixed up), but be sure and “top” this with the importance of spirit, and how it interacts with the intellectual and the emotional… even the social. You see, your holistic model is a better base than right and left brain, so continually reemphasize it. It fits so well with the motivations idea. This also should be reinforced.

If the class is a “good one” you may decide to tell them something about these Teachings… this special way in which your consciousness is altered. You are conscious, certainly, but you are not generating these words and thoughts that you write. It is mystical, so it can’t be completely explained in words, but it is a form of “spiritual hearing”. And yet I combine it with the intellectual… your learned capacity to spell, punctuate, and create proper syntax… so the meditation results in a written, understandable Teaching. (Yes, do invite Mike to give your group a taste of his “specialty” on that first Friday, here at the Farm.) You’ll have to decide to what extent you want to “come out of the mystic closet”. You realize that you should have done so with your first class. This may be another opportunity.

As much as possible I want these last classes that you create to be much more experiences with the spirit than with the intellect. You have held yourself back from “overdoing” this emphasis over these teaching years. Now is the time to shift the balance. As you plan classes let this be your foremost criterion: how can this “activity” affect the spirits of these learners… those you’re privileged to have and those privileged to have you as their teacher.