Practicing

Practicing

Ed,

I noticed that when I go to level that I have a deep confidence in myself, for lack of better words to describe it. Maybe being centered and with the still calm within. I know that I cannot stay at center all the time, but it would be nice. Usually the felling lingers after I have come up from level and seems to last longer when I do the Long Relaxation, so needless to say, I do that once a day. I know that Jose said not to misuse this, and I was just checking to see if it is alright if I go to level 5 or 6 times a day...I have been making at least 3 15 minute alpha levels and then when stress hits, I make a few 5 minute ones. Might not be the way that I should do them, but I have been handling the understaffing better.

I have been picking up on some ESP type things, at least I am giving credit to them. I recently went to a small town I had never been to before, and immediately drove to where I needed to go. I know that most small towns in Mississippi are set up the same way, so I don't know if this was ESP or just having a good guess on where it may be. May be a combination.

Would appreciate any feedback that you could give me on this.

Thanks

Calvin

Hi Calvin,

You are doing great! I only have one suggestion: Keep doing what you are doing!

Trial and error is nice. When things work well, do more of them. When things don't work so well, try something different. I used to try suggesting things for people to try, but I found out that my suggestions were mostly useless... at best. The only way to find out what works is to try it and see what the results are.

There is an old Zen story that I love, about a young initiate who is spending several months alone on a small island so he can (presumably) develop his spirituality, and be closer to God. Once a week, a couple of monks row out to the island to bring him supplies, and to take care of anything he might need.

So one day they get to the island, and before they leave they ask him if he has any questions or anything.

"Yes," he says, "would you tell me if I am doing this chant correctly." With that he assumes his position and does the chant.

When he is done, they adivse him that he is, in fact, doing it incorrectly, and they proceed to show him the correct way to do it. Then they get in their boat and row away.

Before they had gone too far, they heard some noise behind them, coming from the direction of the island. When they turn to look, they see the young student running across the water calling to them, "Please wait, Brothers, and tell me again how I am supposed to do that chant."

Their mouths dropped as they watched him standing there on the water. Then one of the Monks said, "Just keep doing it exactly the way you were doing it, my son."

Now, here are a couple of thoughts from Jose, things I probably haven't mentioned yet:

He said that 15 minutes is long enough to remain at level. Of course, many of us stay longer, much longer.

Every time you enter your level, you will go deeper (to a deeper level of mind... not necessarily a lower brain frequency) than you've ever been before. So if you can devote a total of 30 minutes a day, you will gain more depth with three 10 minutes sessions than you with one 30 minute session.

When dealing with health: For small problems, 15 minutes once a day; for more serious problems, 15 minutes twice a day; for very serious problems, 15 minutes three times a day. (Come to think of it, that's in the Long Relax.)

When you have a success (the intuitive thing, for instance; or handling the challenges at the office is another example), then you get a certain feeling, and the only way to get that feeling is to have a success. No other way. When you accumulate enough feelings of success using this one "talent," this will allow you to uncover a second "talent." (from the Biblical story about the talents... those who buried their talents didn't gain anything, and in fact lost their talents; the one who had only one talent but used it, gained more.) When you go to your level and recall the special feeling that you had when you had the success, this is almost like having another success. So you can accumulate many feelings of success... even when you have had just one success... by entering your level and recalling that feeling of success, and exactly what you did to achieve it.

Use your level to program anything you wish. If you want that special feeling to stay with you all day, set up a little program at your level, along these lines:

(When you are at level and have that blissful feeling of confidence, peace, safety, security, love, a sense that all is right with the world, that we have help from an "invisible means of support," as Mr. Silva used to say, then tell yourself):

"I feel confident, and I want to continue to feel confident throughout the day. In a moment I am going to count from 1 to 5 and open my eyes. Thereafter if the feeling of confidence begins to fade, all I need to do is to defocus my vision (like daydreaming - not focused on anything directly), take a deep breath, and as I exhale, recall this feeling of confidence that I have right now and I will feel just as confident, and even more confident, even ten times more confident than I do right now."

Then count slowly from 1 to 2, then to 3, and at the count of 3, remind yourself that at the count of 5 "I will open my eyes. Thereafter if the feeling of confidence begins to fade, all I need to do is to defocus my vision, take a deep breath, and as I exhale, recall this feeling of confidence that I have right now and I will feel just as confident, and even more confident, even ten times more confident than I do right now."

Then, whenever you desire to regain that feeling of confidence, defocus your vision, take a deep breath, and "daydream" about being at your center, and how confident and relaxed and secure you feel. And expect it to happen... pretend you actually feel that way, and more importantly... ACT as if you feel confident. When you do this, you WILL feel confident, just like when you were at your level.

You know... you'd make a great instructor Calvin.

Let me know how you do with this. If you have any questions, ask 'em.

Better and better

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