The Gate

Explore ‘Sense of Self’

Let’s say that you have lost your keys and you swear that you left them in your coat. You go to look and check all the pockets - the keys are not there. You swear they must be as that was the last place you remember them. You have a vivid memory of putting them there after you left the house. But when you check they are not there. At this point you can keep believing that the keys are in your pocket, or you can admit you were mistaken.

This is just like that. You may see clearly that the self is an illusion but still feel a sense of self - just like the keys. But feeling something to be true and seeing that it is or is not is different. This is why we may find ourselves coming back to your expectations at the start and at the end.

Now, I’d like to ask you to explore this SENSE of self very-very thoroughly. Not by thinking about it, but by FEELING it. Keep the focus of attention on the sense of self and inquire:

Does the sense of self have a location?

Does the sense of self have a shape or a size?

Does the sense of self say or communicate anything?

If the answer is yes, how does the sense do this exactly?

Does the sense of self have any characteristics or attributes?

What is the sense of self ‘made of’? An image? Sound? Taste? Smell? Sensation? Thought?

What is found?

LOOK. What do they point to? [/color]

Loving,

Does the sense of self have a location?

Does the sense of self have a shape or a size?

Does the sense of self say or communicate anything?

If the answer is yes, how does the sense do this exactly?

Does the sense of self have any characteristics or attributes?

What is the sense of self ‘made of’? An image? Sound? Taste? Smell? Sensation? Thought?

What is found?

Didn’t find any location that can be felt experienced.
This sense of being a "me" doesn’t seem to have neither shape nor size of any kind
Doesn’t say or communicate anything
I Don’t see any characteristic of it
Don’t know what is made of, there is a guess and could be like an idea and if this is true, then could be then made of imagination and ultimately not real

Stacy, I go back to your metaphor about the key beleived to be lost, this metaphor is very effective, so it feels exactly like being in front of a fact that there seem to be no key and I'm keep looking like it should be somewhere. I see the possiblity that could be also that there is no key and still seem. to be stornger that it should be somewhere and I have to see it. AND if there is no key I have to see, I have to realise it.

Please quote one question at a time with the answer underneath each one.

I'm reading this on my phone

Does the sense of self have a location?

Didn’t find any location that can be felt experienced.

Does the sense of self have a shape or a size?

This sense of being a "me" doesn’t seem to have neither shape nor size of any kind

Does the sense of self say or communicate anything?

Doesn’t say anything nor communicate anything

Does the sense of self have any characteristics or attributes?

I Don’t see any characteristic of it

What is the sense of self ‘made of’? An image? Sound? Taste? Smell? Sensation? Thought?

it could be like an idea and if this is true, then is made up of imagination and ultimately not real

What is found?

Stacy, I go back to your metaphor about the key that is not found, this metaphor is very effective. So it feels exactly like being in front of: seems to be no key and yet I'm keep looking like it can't be, it should be the key somewhere.

so at the moment I'm puzzled with this.

Yes, exactly.

Sit there & LOOK seeing nothing. No self.

How does it FEEL? [/owing,

Loving,

Still there?

Yes Stacy

I'm still here

. . . and I'm still with that question you wrote me:
can you say 100% that there is no seer separated from the seen?

believe it or not yesterday late in the evening for the first time I could say after seeing the cellphone on the table and asking myself if there is a seer separated from the seen, it was clear for the first time, that there is no ownership for seeing, no seer...
and if I ask myself how does it feel?
well yesterday was a sense of calmness and sweet feeling and then I went to sleep

Today I feel there is kind of keep feeling this strange new kind of adjustment in seeing things, knowing that there is no seer

Don't know if this is a mental tricky activity or not,
still it is clear like I said above, that for the first I can say that there is no one as controller, as ownership of sensations

so I'm keep looking at things veryfing if there is someone as looker

Any suggestion or feedback from you on this Stacy?

Great. No. It's not a trick.

I suggest just relaxing into it noticing that this is an expansive truth feeling.

When you're ready, I can offer you "final" questions. Other guides will look at those & may have questions.

You might go to a teleconference to chat with others both seeking & seeing.

We have a couple of support groups that are meeting via teleconference and I'll give you the information on that.

There are 3 meetings.

Vince Shubert runs one on the weekends. Write to vinceschubert@gmail.com for the link & schedule.

Luchana & Lubo run one on Thursdays. Write to Luchana at luchanauzunova@gmail.com

Ilona holds a monthly meeting. Write admin@ilonaciunaite.com for that link & schedule

Loving ,

Thanks Stacy

.... let me be with this ..... for awhile and I'll be back to you

Yes. good idea!

You can try this, too. And there's one for Memory.


Time Exercise

There is a general assumption that there is linear time that started (if started at all) somewhere very far in the past and advances to the distant future. The present moment (now) is considered to be a very small fragment of time, or an event that is moving forward on a linear line, coming from the past and advancing to the future.

But is there an experience of the ’now’ moving along the line of time?

Any experience of one ‘moment’ giving way to the next?

Is there any actual or direct experience of one event following another?

How fast is the ‘present moment’ actually moving?

Just look at 'this moment', can you find a point where it began?

How long does the ‘now’ last?

Where does the ‘now’ start, and where does it end?

When does the ‘now’ exactly become the 'past'?

What is the ‘past’ in actual experience?

So is there actual experience of ‘time’ or thoughts about ‘time’?


Loving,

Thanks dear Stacy

But is there an experience of the ’now’ moving along the line of time?

I don’t feel any movement of the now and this “now” itself seem to be a word, a concept. What seem to be present is sensations

Any experience of one ‘moment’ giving way to the next?

There is no "next"

Is there any actual or direct experience of one event following another?

It doesn’t feel like there is an actual moment that follow

How fast is the ‘present moment’ actually moving?

I don’t feel any movement in theirs of progression and rather it feels an immediacy

Just look at 'this moment', can you find a point where it began?

Can’t find a moment in which began

How long does the ‘now’ last?

It feels like is for ever, can be eternal, timeless, causeless, endless

Where does the ‘now’ start, and where does it end?

Doesn’t have a start and an end, it seem to be out of these categories

When does the ‘now’ exactly become the 'past'?

Never

What is the ‘past’ in actual experience?

There is no past in actual experience

So is there actual experience of ‘time’ or thoughts about ‘time’?

Seem that time is a concept, a thought, a word which means that doesn’t have any link to the direct sensory actual experience

Yes, exactly.


Memory Exercise

Almost everybody believes that a memory thought is referring to something that has happened. That a memory thought is a different thought than a non-memory thought.

Please don’t go to thought explanations, but just let a memory be there, and look at it.

Look at what is actually going on and not what thoughts say - but what actually is.

What is memory exactly?

What is the memory ‘made of’?

WHEN does the memory appear?

What is the exact difference between a ‘general’ thought and a ‘memory’ thought?

How is it known EXACTLY that a ‘memory’ thought refers to something that has happened?

Then, look at a thought about the future.

What is the future thought ‘made of’?

WHEN does the future thought appear?

What is the exact difference between a ‘general’ thought and a ‘future’ thought?

How is it known EXACTLY that a ‘future’ thought refers to something that will happen?

Then let’s compare a thought about past and a thought about the future.

What is the EXACT difference between the thoughts about past and future?

If there is difference and how is that difference is known exactly?



Same here.

Loving,

Hi Pasquale

How is it going?

Much love

How is it going?

Hi dear Stacy,
sorry for a late reply, yesterday was my twins birthday and so the whole day out.

there are some turbolence, unfolding, ( metaphorically speaking
like money issue and a separation between me and my wife occurring, so as you can imagine many different experiences.

What is getting clear, is that what's occurring right now is never wrong.

Even though I saw the mistification in place of this "me" and yet there is a strong sense of being me, with my life and the need to do something about.
like I said even though it doesn't make sense anymore to defend this "me" and yet it is still in place and is operating, like a mecchanical structure that goes by itself.

so at the moment I see the importance to stay with what arises as an experience and pay attention to what is that knows this experience, is there an entity, a real entity that receives the experience?
what is that knows, that witness the experience?

Stacy any suggestion from you would be highly appreciated
much love
Pasquale

Yes that IS a lot and you're right - what is happening is never wrong. We talked about that in Ilona's meeting yesterday.

Let me know if/when you are 100% sure there is no separate self.

We have some "final" questions when you are ready. Other guides will read them and may have questions.

I suggest you go to the teleconferences every chance you get.

Also, this seeing does come and go. Did I send these:

watch these, please:

https://youtu.be/vJQcD588g2w

and

https://youtu.be/PUDzrCLlrj4

Loving