December 2020 Bardo Buzz (02-12)

The Joy of Sacrifice

Secrets of the Sufi Way E. J. Gold

THE SACRIFICE OF DESIRE
Life of Humility
How is it possible to sacrifice one's desires without having first sacrificed one's comfort? Only after having done so, this second sacrifice becomes possible.

In the Sacrifice of Desires, we become last in all things, making continual efforts to perform tasks without resentment, inner agitation, and particularly without pride in being of service. Pride of service is without doubt the most insidious potential trap on this level, and one who does not watch for it with fierce attention is doomed to continue to make this sacrifice for a long time.

One may perform menial tasks such as maintaining the fire -- an important job -- which is kept continually during periods of sacrifice. One may also clean and maintain the unpleasing parts of the household, such as the kitchen and toilet and dining room. These areas may occasionally be scrubbed down from top to bottom every hour or two.

One shows humility in all things, and has the least importance in the household or in the work. One must outwardly, at least, be respectful to all other members of the community on whatever level they may be.

One must accept all corrections of one's attitudes, behavior or actions, whether true or not in one's own opinion, and one is polite to the extreme -- without being groveling or obsequious. One shows courtesy to others by recognizing the essence within them. That is to say, one always bows deeply whenever addressed by another member of the community of work. One does not speak unless spoken to, and one never comments or complains. At this all-important stage, one seeks help rather than offering it.

Here one functions as a caretaker for the personal needs of others, but not for oneself. One is more concerned that the other members of the community may do their work without having to worry over daily necessities, and tries to make their lives easier by eliminating ordinary obstacles for them by doing for them all manner of unpleasant or menial things.

One serves the Obligatory Sacred Observances by cleaning and caring of the area where the said observances are held. If one studies this function closely, one can see that it literally requires one to work with profound attention.

In the kitchen, one serves as a helper but not as cook -- eating whatever has been left over after the meal. But in this case, one must not put aside food for oneself. Usually one's diet will consist of cold and unwanted food or nothing at all.

to be continued...

SOUL ONE

by E.J. Gold
ICW Sept. 16, 2012
-- excerpt by T. Jones

How can coins help you? Coins are a kind of strapping mechanism. They occur across the board. The coins, the copper coins especially, you'll find strapped across a number of different Orbs, or Worlds. So, you actually have a better chance of maintaining your balance, your equilibrium, as you go shunting back and forth during the day. At any given day, you're going to go 20, 30, 40, 50 times, drop from one universe to another universe, bam, bam, bam, like this, without knowing it. It's totally seamless to you.

Now, if you speeded up your consciousness sufficiently, you would actually note the rip, you'd notice it. It would sort of go like this (he is talking in extreme slow motion): and then whoa, and then wow, and then hey, oh, no, whoa, yeah, and then you rebalance and now you're into the new reality. No problem. The mind clips out, it kind of edits that little spurt of distortion that happens when you're trying to meld or transfer. What happens is your mind translates the previous reality into the present reality and it does it really fast. Your brain is attuned typically to where it is. It doesn't have any other reality. The mind does, the essential self even more so. The mind is certainly junior to the seniorness of the essential self, spirit, soul, essential self. Soul One it's usually called.

So Soul One is the superior. If it can be taught anything, it can certainly be taught to make those transitions more smoothly, and that is, in fact, generally what Soul One is looking for within yourself, that's what you're looking for is a little bit easier way to make the transitions. At the same time, you want to align yourself and keep yourself aligned to the Work -- it provides you with energy, provides you with sources of all kinds of assets, whatever you need. When you are doing your work, the Work looks after you.

So, one way of fooling the Work into thinking that you're in the Work -- and actually it does eventually lead that way that you end up there -- is to run an Orb for someone else. Not just one, but run Orbs for others, and that will get you into the Work sooner or later. The amount of Baraka that you chalk up from that will eventually land you into the Work.

REAL CHANGE

Excerpt from Spiritual Gaming
by E.J. Gold

Submitted by Barbara Haynes

I've recently been reading Spiritual Gaming. Among the great tips and observations about gaming in Diablo II (D2) there are gems like the one below. E.J. has told us over the years that real change happens from repetition. I was happy to read this reminder. I hope you will be as well.

"Only in repetition is there real change.

Real penetration requires repetition, and that's where change occurs, that's when you begin to understand, to penetrate. Until then, all you're doing is making different moves, covering the fact that you don't understand something, disguising it in differentials. It's only when you begin to delve deeply into something through repetition that you begin to see the occult, unseen subtleties.

Do you change the rules of chess every time you play? Do you change the rules? Every time you begin a new work of art, do you tend to change the rules of the game? Real change comes only through repetition, through extreme effort over a long period of time. You want real change? That's how you accomplish real change, through endless repetition.

Changing activities does nothing more than muddy-up the water. You're just stirring it with a stick. But -- do the same thing day after day after day after day, live the same day over and over again, and you'll begin to divide that day up into subtleties. You'll start to see the small things that make up that day. Don't go looking constantly, restlessly for a new game. Play the "same old same old," day after day. Make it a routine, and that effort is going to require of you discipline to keep it the same so that real change can take place. Through long serious applied repetition comes real change.

If you don't do your practice, whether it's art, or dance, or theater or video gaming every day, it won't do you any good. You have to do it every day, even it it's only a few minutes a day, or it doesn't work." Spiritual Gaming -- E.J. Gold

MUSINGS OF A LABYRINTH READER

Sci-Fi Radio Theater Upscales

Marvette Kort

Sci-Fi Radio Theater, working under the guidance of E.J. Gold, first came together over 7 years ago in the Prosperity Path Virtual Ashram to read sci-fi stories. We meet weekly and have fun.

The group is transitioning to the next level -- on Zoom recording sci-fi stories and creating podcasts. But it's not just all the cooperation and collaborative effort that goes into delivering a podcast for the public. By the way, you can see each episode on our YouTube channel, Sci-Fi Radio. In addition, there's the underlying foundation of work on self "to get one there" -- contributing to the creative force of this alive working group.

How did we make the change from casually meeting once a week to coalescing to function on a higher level? It started with commitment -- making a decision to be disciplined. It becomes apparent when the individuals of the group collect their attention and have it focused on a larger common aim -- bringing a story to life. The inner becomes active -- one is making intentional efforts working to be of service to the manifestation of the larger body. These voluntary efforts are not tied to an individual reading or not reading a part in the story. One's inner becomes active with unremitting attention and presence, which one brings to offer at the altar.

The altar space is where the group gathers and applies the work principles. The performance space generally draws forth the greatest necessity to activate. It can also be influenced by the open receptivity of those present and who are responsive to the invocation. Ideally, everyone present will allow themselves to resonate with the finer vibrations as the group climbs up the ladder. Sensing can play a key role in this process.

However, for this whole process to work, Sci-Fi Radio Theater needs to be a functioning group. So, sitting in the director's chair, I have the necessity to increase my capacity for holding and implementing the vision of a group apprenticing to the art of invocation. Therefore, I am striving to recognize and respond instinctively to the dynamic interplay of the voices and hearts of our group participants, as we work out all of what goes into a presentation that brings a story and the performance space to life.

The bottom line is, If we appear on Zoom present and alive, vibrating with the creative force as it flows through and deliver "the communication" of the story, our audience will more likely respond with a higher quality of attention. The elevator of consciousness embodied in the space can begin the ascent.

We invite you to attend, on Zoom, further episodes of Norton Street, a play by E.J. Gold. Mark your calendars for the Sunday evenings of Dec. 6th, Dec. 20th and Jan. 3rd in 2021 at 7:00 p.m. PST. The Zoom codes will be available in the chat of the Sci-Fi Radio Theater event that simultaneously broadcasts on livestream/gorebaggtv.

AGING AND SPIRITUAL WORK

Jewel McInroy

Years ago E.J. said, "Do your Work now because when you get older you won't have the energy" and as I age, I see the wisdom of his words.

Feeling an obligation to continue my Work here, it's my wish to be encumbered as little as possible by the machine's unnecessary limitations and ensuing states. A turning point came last week when walking on the incline from the house to the barn. It was painful -- legs ached, back felt the strain. This is a slight incline, not a Mount Everest we're talking about here! The reality of aging had made itself plainly visible. I was initially panic-struck. I could see myself unable to do things I took for granted before. It was upsetting and I didn't want to go there, so I began to walk. Walking has always been my "go-to" for physical issues and to clear my head. As I walked, it became clear to me that the body's agenda, as it nears the end of its life (as mine is), with its weaker physical condition, is to gradually settle into a quieter, more sedentary and comfortable existence.

My agenda, however, is not the same. I have Work to do! I began to wonder how I would be able to do it in this body, which now more than ever, seemed to want to go in an entirely different direction. I began to feel helpless.

I remembered Dr. Don, a respected local chiropractor and healer who had worked on many cloister and community members here saying, "Emotions are stored in the muscles". As I walked, I began to feel clearer, better and the truth of keeping the machine vibrant, with blood moving throughout the body, releasing toxins in the muscles became apparent. As I moved, oxygen was going to the brain - headbrain chatter subsided and I regained a clarity and an inner confidence.

As we age, energizing the total organism through movement can leave us in a stronger position to engage in our Work wishes and activities. The body feels better and, as a result, we are given more energy with which to Work. I continue to walk and have added floor exercises to my regime. As a result, I feel more connected to my life, more in charge and better able to fulfill my wish to be of service.

I will be grateful if this is of value to fellow voyagers who may find themselves in a similar situation.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Christiane Wolters

There is a story about that pink blanket, but I might just have to tell it another time...suffice it to say, mission accomplished, they are now using both (heated) cat beds again.

"We will find in our voyaging that we can't go where the Absolute is not or even someplace where the Absolute is more present than another place; in the same way, we can't find a refuge which offers the absence of love, because the presence of the Absolute and the living force of "love" are one and the same."

E.J. Gold, Life in the Labyrinth - Page 75

"TO BE IN THE WORLD
BUT NOT OF IT"

Michele Marie

To be free to work within the primate is to be "in the world and not of it". To be 'in the world and not of it' is to be in the lifeform of a primate and yet not to think, behave, feel, or obey nature's call as a primate.

In other words, to have the form of a primate, to look like a primate, to sound like a primate, to smell like a primate, but not to identify with the primate.

The concept of identification does not mean to not identify with the body, it means to not identify with the life of the machine. It's so simple. You don't identify with the primate's behavioral characteristics and patterning, the primate's fixations, or the levels of primate consciousness.

One can work within the structure of the primate and can exist within a primate form -- in the world -- and yet function and behave and know and understand quite differently from a primate.

To be in the world and not of it is a question of levels of functioning, not of dissociation and alienation. We should be concentrating more on our inner, essential natures, and the electrical nature of the being, not what we think about or how we feel or how we behave".

Extract from Talk of the Month #60 Asleep On The Wheel E.J. Gold

LEARNING TO RESPOND WITH PRESENCE EVEN WHEN SURROUNDED BY DISTRACTIONS?

-Nishit Gajjar

"At the end, we will feel remorse if we had wasted our Life on phenomenal fixations." -- The Invocation of Presence by E.J. Gold.

It seems the cycle of life tends to follow a seesaw, especially when it comes to utilizing Attention and Invoking one's Presence amidst all the distractions. The dictionary defines seesaw as a long, narrow board supported by a single pivot point, most commonly located at the midpoint between both ends; as one end goes up, the other goes down.

Let us try to understand this phenomenon in regards to Attention. So, the one end goes up, which means we can activate and pour (active) Attention on anything that exists in front, i.e. daily life. But somehow, due to lack of energy, lack of authentic intention, and habitual unconscious and non-attentive attitude to life makes us go down (i.e. traditional non-attentive mode of existence). But we raise ourselves through chance, accident or conscious efforts after some time, somehow persisting in this attitude (maybe intention) to regain (active) Attention and invoke the Presence as and when we can! Again, this reminds me of what hunters used to say, "Some days you get the bear, and some days the bear gets you."

Experiencing this cycle in the form of seesaw made me realize the implications of what "remorse" could or might mean in a broader context. Personally, the end of this machine and its physical body is not yet known. So, feeling "remorse" at the end of life is like a blackhole for me. Yes, we learn about blackholes after reading about it somewhere or say, some physicists are talking about it, but we do not have personal experience of seeing a blackhole. But we do sense with a feeble inner perception that something like a "blackhole" might exist out there in space.

In the same way, after following this seesaw cycle of the game between Attention and inattention, a feeble and subtle yet authentic glimpse of remorse has a great ability to provide the necessary momentum in one's life.

Mr. Gold further adds in the book The Invocation of Presence, He must learn to respond with his Presence even when surrounded by distractions. His machine can fall asleep, but never can his Presence be asleep"¦ we cannot feel real Being-satisfaction if we fail to use our lives for voluntary evolution. We are strangers in this world and are forced to bow to its imaginary hungers until we can uninterruptedly invoke the Presence of our Presence into the present.