Is there anybody there?

[BraveBear]

Hello Harry,

Thanks for posting the questions.
[
quote]
1) Is there a separate entity 'self', 'me', 'I', at all, anywhere, in any way, shape or form? Was there ever?[/quote]

No there is not a separate entity / self / me / I at all, anywhere to be found. There never has been.

2) Explain in detail what the illusion of separate self is, when it starts and how it works from your own experience. Describe it fully as you see it now.

The illusion of a seperate self is that there is a me here seperate from everyone / everything else there, with everything that follows on from that. It starts in early life based on experiences which seem to affirm it to be the case and persists unless or until it is seen that it is just an assumption / illusion.

3) How does it feel to see this? What is the difference from before you started this dialogue? Please report from the past few days.

Well, there have been glimpses prior to this dialogue. The dialogue has affirmed what had already been seen and further looking has confirmed there is no sneaky self to be found hiding somewhere in experience!

4) What was the last bit that pushed you over, made you look?

Harry, my guide, has persistently and patiently encouraged me to keep looking, which means there is more confidence in what had been seen previously, as there has not been anything different to be found in this dialogue. This is very much appreciated.

5) Describe decision, intention, free will, choice and control. What makes things happen? How does it work? What are you responsible for? Give examples from experience.

What makes things happen is mysterious, can't really say how it works. A sense of a separate self gives the impression that there is a 'someone' who makes decisions, has intention, makes choices, has free will. Without this sense, there is just what happens. Although it might seem that choices / decisions etc are being made, a chooser / decider etc can't be found. With regard to responsibility, there may be a strong feeling of this, but whether it has any influence on what actually happens can't really be said. For example, there is a sense of responsibility for looking after my dogs, and looking after them happens, but whether this is due to 'me' feeling responsible is not actually known - although it would previously be assumed to be the case, prior to seeing that there isn't a separate 'me' to be responsible.

Thankyou 🙏

[BraveBear]

Apologies, messed up quote function for first question.

Forget your perfect offering

As Leonard Cohen said 😆

[Harry]

Thanks for your answers, BraveBear!

I’ll pass these on to the other guides and will let you know if any additional questions come up.

You should be hearing more shortly!

Harry

[Harry]

Hi BraveBear,

3) How does it feel to see this? What is the difference from before you started this dialogue? Please report from the past few days.

Well, there have been glimpses prior to this dialogue. The dialogue has affirmed what had already been seen and further looking has confirmed there is no sneaky self to be found hiding somewhere in experience!

Another guide has asked if you can elaborate more on how the seeing feels. What does it feel like to see in this moment?

[BraveBear]

Hello Harry,

Another guide has asked if you can elaborate more on how the seeing feels. What does it feel like to see in this moment?

I'm not quite sure (again) what is meant by 'feel'? Does this mean emotion, or what is being experienced more generally?
In this moment there is what is seen visually, there are sounds, sensations in the body, not much happening with smell and taste. There are some thoughts floating about.......that's all.

Thankyou 🙏

[Harry]

I'm not quite sure (again) what is meant by 'feel'? Does this mean emotion, or what is being experienced more generally?
In this moment there is what is seen visually, there are sounds, sensations in the body, not much happening with smell and taste. There are some thoughts floating about.......that's all.

Is there any overall ‘quality’ or ‘ feeling tone’ to the experience?

Perhaps words like expansive/contracted, peaceful/agitated, dense/transparent may resonate? If not, that’s fine too! Let me know what comes up…

Does the seeing have any effect on the body?

[BraveBear]

Is there any overall ‘quality’ or ‘ feeling tone’ to the experience?

There is no longer a feeling of being separate, apart, distanced from. Not a feeling of ‘me’ here and everything / everyone else there. Tho life is still navigated appropriately in social terms and not bumping into things. This absence of separation has implications emotionally, there isn't such a feeling of loneliness and disconnect. Feelings of separateness and disconnect were very painful in life previously.

Perhaps words like expansive/contracted, peaceful/agitated, dense/transparent may resonate? If not, that’s fine too! Let me know what comes up…

Not so much a feeling of expansiveness explicitly, but not finding a boundary between a separate self and all else means experiences of contraction don't arise. There is just what is. A lot of more superficial emotional states connected to identifying with a separate sense of self arise much less, although things can still emerge from the depths as it were. (Tho these depths aren't believed to be, or to belong to, an entity of any sort). Even then, things move through more swiftly, seem much less ‘sticky’ than previously and are less identified with. So from that point of view, things are generally more peaceful and equanimous than they were before.

Does the seeing have any effect on the body?

Well, actual experience of the senses, which are located in the body (nowhere else for them to be) is much more clearly seen as just that, with much less adding on by way of narrative etc happening, especially around combinations of thoughts and physical sensations which previously lead to strong emotionality. Not saying this never happens now, but it's not so quickly and easily bought into. There is trauma history tho, so there is the need to attend and care for in a certain way, without using seeing as a way of bypassing. But being less caught up somehow makes this easier to respond to when it happens and there is less residue, especially as lots of identifying with a ‘self’ was experienced energetically in the area of the head. Without that, the heart / heart energy is much more accessible. This is a very positive development.

Hope that helps to clarify,

Thankyou 🙏

[Harry]

Thanks for that added info BB, I’ll pass it on to the other guides.

Here’s an exercise just to recap about looking at experience vs interpreting it or thinking about it…


Actual/Direct Experience - Apple

Have a look at an apple. If you have a ‘real’ apple, you can use it for this exercise.

http://www.maryshomestead.com/sitebuild ... /fruit.gif

When looking at an apple, there's colour; a thought saying ‘apple’; and maybe a thought saying, "I'm looking at an apple."

What is known for sure? Colour is known and thoughts are known.

What about the content of thoughts, what they describe?
Actual experience does not refer to thoughts ABOUT something...because that is only just more thought. Actual experience is sound, thought, colour, smell, taste, sensation.

Is there really an ‘apple’ here, or only colour and a thought ABOUT ‘apple’? Can ‘apple’ be found in actual experience?

While these thoughts are known, what they talk ABOUT can't be found in actual experience.

This is what is meant by ‘looking in actual experience’.
What you know for sure, and, is always here.

Taste labelled ‘apple’ is known
Colour labelled ‘apple’ is known
Sensation labelled ‘apple’ is known (when apple is touched) Smell labelled ‘apple’ is known
Thought about/of an ‘apple’ is known
However, is an apple actually known?

[BraveBear]

Hello Harry,

However, is an apple actually known?

Did this exercise with some chocolate as no apple to hand.
Apple / chocolate is just a label/ identification given to DE / actual experience of sight, touch, smell, taste. Could say sound as well, from chewing, as chocolate had nuts in.

Thankyou 🙏

[Harry]

Hi BB,

You got this looking exercise exactly right. Thanks for your other answers too!

But being less caught up somehow makes this easier to respond to when it happens and there is less residue, especially as lots of identifying with a ‘self’ was experienced energetically in the area of the head. Without that, the heart / heart energy is much more accessible.

Are you talking here about a sense of being localised in the body?


some more questions…

How would you explain to someone else: what does it take to see through the illusion of a separate ‘me’?

Are there any further differences you’ve noticed that you’d like to share between now and when we began our dialogue?

Also, what differences did you notice since before and after your first ‘glimpse’, whenever that was?

How did life change?

Is there any doubt now about there being no separate self?

Are there any areas which you feel require further attention?


https://youtu.be/vJQcD588g2w?feature=shared

Have a look at this clip.

How does it relate to your experience? Do you have any comments or questions in response to it?

[BraveBear]

Hello Harry,

Are you talking here about a sense of being localised in the body?

No I'm not really talking about being localised in the body, which is just a cloud of sensations / sense experiences labelled body and essentially there is no findable boundary to be localised within. Still, areas identifiable as head or heart can be experienced and it was the case in earlier times that much of life was lived identifying with thought / narrative and energetically this meant focusing attention predominantly in the area of the head, to the exclusion of 'the body' as a whole.

How would you explain to someone else: what does it take to see through the illusion of a separate ‘me’?

It takes really looking at what is happening in experience right now and seeing if anything can be found beyond the experiences of the senses. Can a separate experiencer be found or just experience itsself?

Are there any further differences you’ve noticed that you’d like to share between now and when we began our dialogue?

Nothing more to add.

Also, what differences did you notice since before and after your first ‘glimpse’, whenever that was?

I said something about this when answering the previous questions and don't have any more to say.

How did life change

?
See above.

Is there any doubt now about there being no separate self?

No

Are there any areas which you feel require further attention?

As we talked about earlier in our dialogue, there is the lifetime's work of needing to more and more fully live from this truth, now it has been seen. It can be helpful to reconfirm the seeing which is why I wanted to do this dialogue. Not that there was / is any doubt really, but each time it is reseen, it supports the living more fully etc

Have a look at this clip.

How does it relate to your experience? Do you have any comments or questions in response to it?

Yes, 'simply being' resonates very much. Often life / experience feels like this, there is a fluidity and flow, which feels radically different to times gone by.

Thankyou 🙏

[Harry]

Hi there BB,

Thanks for your patience.

I’m just waiting on a confirmation from one more guide and when that comes through we’ll send you some further information.

Also, feel free to keep in touch if you’d like; I’ll send my email to you as a direct message.

All the best,

Harry

[BraveBear]

Hello Harry,

Thanks for your patience.

Standing by!

Thankyou for everything,

BB🙏