The Gate

Holy ****, Becca!

I did what you asked and the first thing I noticed was my mind immediately reaching for a distraction. I could sense it saying ‘This is boring, let’s look around for something more interesting.’ But last night, for the first time in a few weeks, I picked up my copy of Liberation Unleashed and, believe it or not, the page I opened was where Ilona addresses distractions and how they can present themselves when we are close to seeing. So with that in the back of my mind I persevered and by the third time of repeating the sentence you gave me I felt a huge physical softening around my eyes and the back of my head! An undeniable sensation. My response was ‘No, you’ve just willed that to happen or something, it can’t be from just saying some words.’. Then I noticed my mind drifting again, seeking-out some other distraction. I brought my attention back to the words as I repeated them once again and the softening continued. This time I noticed it in my belly too, like that had also been clenched and was releasing. This was all accompanied by a resistance, I must add; the controller/manager saying, ‘No! This can’t be so easy and immediate. Your problems need to be ‘figured out’ that’s MY job!’

I leaped up from the chair to write this to you. I have a friend staying with me for a couple of nights now but will dive back into this on Sunday.

Thank you,
Liam

:D

The body knows that that statement is true.

The contraction is the lie of ‘I’ that the body has been protesting all along.

Enjoy your friend’s visit.

Hi Becca,

I hope you're well.

I'm ready for my next pointer :)

I've been spending time with the thought 'there never was a separate self' for a few days now and feel I've stagnated a bit. I sensed energy building around it last week but in the last couple of days I've found myself resisting again. It comes mainly in the form of seeking distractions.

Thanks you,
Liam

Hello Liam!

Where is the resistance? How is it known (in direct experience, not interpretation)? Describe it.

And here’s an exercise that I would like you to try as many times throughout the day as you can. Label daily activities simply color/image, sound, smell, taste, sensation, thought.

So for example, when having breakfast, become aware of:
Seeing a cup, simply= image/color
Smelling coffee, simply = smell
Feeling the warmth of the coffee cup, simply = sensation
Tasting the coffee, simply = taste
Hearing the spoon stirring the coffee, simply = sound
Thought about drinking the coffee, simply = thought

Just break down daily activities into these categories (which are all actual, or direct experience) and report back how you go!

Becca

Hi Becca,

Where is the resistance? How is it known (in direct experience, not interpretation)? Describe it.

The resistance is simply jumping on a particular thought and interacting with it through more thoughts until I realise what's happened. I usually then feel some frustration at how much it keeps happening.

And here’s an exercise that I would like you to try as many times throughout the day as you can. Label daily activities simply color/image, sound, smell, taste, sensation, thought.

I found this really helpful/interesting. It took me a few days to get into it but it gave me a sense of detachment. I was really able to notice my tendency to jump on thoughts and let them cary me away. And it gave me a sense of space around all of it. I would say after doing it for a few days there was definitely more calmness. It feels like this particular exercise has a lot more to tell me.

Liam