The Mood of Freedom
A mood is such a subtle and elusive element that
it's practically impossible and pointless to attempt to describe it. Any description will
fall short or confuse the matter. If you misunderstand the description this might send you
down the wrong path for years. If you understand it but purely on an intellectual level,
this might form a strong barrier against this very mood, a custom designed barrier at
that. And yet having a clear grasp of this mood is crucial to working with this
material. What to do?
If we were able to set you free (spiritually,
mentally, physically, etc.) instantaneously, even for a few seconds, for that brief
instant you would experience freedom and then from then on you may have the memory of what
that mood felt like, and that would allow you to recognize it when it comes again. Of
course we are unable to do this. So how can you have this brief experience of freedom
without a sudden magical act. We propose that you may have glimpses of this freedom
through very tiny easy acts of freedom. Some of these may appear pointless... THAT IS THE
POINT! Don't try to reason with them, make them into something more than they are, or try
to build them up into special esoteric mysterious acts. Just go through with these tiny
activities. If you feel a certain mood, a mood that is vaguely recognizable, coming over
you, take note of it. Be on the look for this. By these small steps, you will learn to
recognize this mood in yourself and in the environment around you.
Experiment 1: Step outside the route
1- Sit down and take note of your usual routes
of movement through your town or city. Maybe you have a map and can trace these on your
map. This would be ideal. If you don't have a map and can't get one, simply make a hand
drawn map of your area.
2- Once you have your common routes and places
established, take note of the unknown areas. Simply notice that there are areas where you
never or hardly ever go.
3- Over the course of several days or weeks, go
to these areas. Walk around. Stand in places where you have never stood. Look at all the
details of these areas.
4- Write down any cognitions, feelings,
sensations or moods that occur during or after these experiences.
Experiment 2: 7 simple actions
1- Take the same map and randomly pick 7
intersections. Mark them with pencil or pen. Number them from 1 to 7.
2- In a separate piece of paper, write down the
numbers 1 to 7 and write down 7 different small actions. These should be very simple (like
slide my fingers through my hair or walk from one edge of the sidewalk to the other).
3- Go to each intersection and perform the
corresponding action.
4- After you are finished, write down your
impressions, thoughts, emotions.
Experiment 3: The Opposite and the Other
1- Go to the downtown of the city where you live
(or the closest big city).
2- Stand on a busy central corner. Set your
timer to an hour.
3- Now look around and feel where you
"want" to go (which way you want to walk, what store you want to go into, etc.)
4- Hold that thought, and feel what would be the
opposite of that (you may even feel a strong dark impulse to do the exact opposite)
5- Now hold the two opposites in mind... and do
something else.
6- Arrive at a new decision point and keep on
following the same process until the hour is over.
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