From: Walter Pullen
To: SOC Personal Growth Club
Subject: Security of the Day :-)
Date: Tuesday, September 06, 1994 2:05PM

If you're on the alias reading this, by definition you're probably
interested in spiritual or personal growth. What does that mean? One
way of looking at it is growing in consciousness to newer and
happier, more evolved levels. Even that concept isn't always well
defined, as the question then becomes what are these different levels
of being and how does one exist on them? I'd like to do a series of
Thoughts of the Day on various centers of awareness and present one
way among many of looking at and cataloging them.

The first area or center deals with security. This is a near instinct
way of looking at the world where you are concerned with your
personal safety and well being. One sees the world as formed of
external people and circumstances that either add to or remove from
their sense of security. The emotions of fear and worry (especially
about the future) come about when one's desire for security is being
threatened. This center isn't necessarily bad, as it can be life
saving if one is in real danger. It's just isolating and lonely when
this is the only place one is coming from, as others are only objects
that help or hinder. One also can never get enough security, and even
when one temporarily has it, they'll likely have a new addiction to
try to keep things that way. Relationships can be based on this
level, where say someone stays with another because they are poor or
wouldn't be able to live on their own. In the workplace one can be
here, if they are concerned about getting fired or not making ends
meet. Or if things are going well, their good feeling is that they
are safe and aren't in pain then. Let's look at our lives, and see
and understand those areas where we are seeking and being on a
security level of consciousness.

- Walter

From: Walter Pullen
To: SOC Personal Growth Club
Subject: Sensation of the Day :-)
Date: Wednesday, September 07, 1994 2:22PM

Concerning these states of consciousness of the day, I can say the
model is based on one as presented by Ken Keyes in his classic
"Handbook to Higher Consciousness". Remember the seven metaphysical
chakras that Marie-Do talked about a week or so back? There are seven
centers of consciousness in my model too, and one may notice each
center described is kind of related to its corresponding chakra. This
is almost a more psychological way of looking at the same concept,
especially if New Age woo-woo and you don't mix! ;-)

In the different centers of consciousness, once one either has
security or no longer is hung up about it all the time, they can move
up and start desiring the next logical step: sensation. On the
sensation level of consciousness one seeks and does action in a way
to give themselves nice sensations. A distinctly higher level than
security, it can give measures of happiness, such as pleasure.
Although it's impossible to ever have continuous pleasure or enough
sensation, so this center deals with the emotions of irritation or
boredom when one addicted to sensation can't get it. Watching
television, eating candy, playing games, and especially, sex, are
common examples of being on this center. However, different people
can do the same thing but be in different centers, e.g. sex on the
sensation level is when you judge it solely by how it felt; another
could be on the security level doing it to keep a relationship
stable. It's important to understand that it's usually ourselves and
not our circumstances that control what center we are on; for example
concerning security again, one person may feel happy and secure in
their day to day life with almost no money at all, while a
millionaire may be terrified of losing it. In what ways are our own
lives and those around us affecting by the desire of sensation?

- Walter

From: Walter Pullen
To: SOC Personal Growth Club
Subject: Power of the Day :-)
Date: Thursday, September 08, 1994 2:31PM

This is the third in our progression though the seven centers of
consciousness. Still another way to look at the ubiquitous seven
levels is as the seven colors of the rainbow. Security is red,
sensation is orange, today's center is yellow, and meditating on the
other colors may give one a clue as to the psychology associated with
them.

The next center of consciousness is power. Once one is not only
secure, but also is enjoying themself, or is no longer eternally
seeking on such levels, they will begin to want to expand their own
self image. The first desire for any type of progression happens
here, although the growth means to increase one's own ego in relation
to everything around them.

One on this level frequently clashes with others who desire power as
well. Others are seen as competitors who need to be outdone so you
can be the best. Manipulation, hostility, anger, and conflict
(obvious or not) come about from when emotion backed demands or
expectations of power aren't always being met. These include things
such as wanting to have better fashion, a faster computer, more
money, or whatever other status symbol than whoever. Again, this is
an individual psychological state, as a servant may feel very happy
inside helping others, while a king just can't boss others around
enough.

Being on this level is very common, and some of its manifestations
are subtle. Taking pity or giving can be done from a level that you
are better and helping others and are hence a better person. Guilt
trips are subtle power plays. Even "spritual growth" is sometimes
approached from a power level where one tries to gain occult powers
or be pure in order to feel better than ordinary people.

A good example of being almost fully on the power level is a
corporate executive: definitely not in danger of becoming financially
insecure, willing to work long hours without regard to idle pastimes,
but when it comes to doing and being the best and number one in the
market, anything short of illegality goes. I dare say there are many
good examples of near purely power consciousness here at MS! A
example of having power addictions not met that we should all be
familiar with is traffic: when a car cuts you off, is driving too
slow, or when that light turns red in front of you, any negative
feelings are likely power based. Suppose your manager comes in and
yells at you for not doing enough work? If you get angry at how dare
he treat you like that, a power desire is not being met. If you get
irritated that you have to stop playing Solitaire and do things you'd
rather not, a sensation desire isn't being met. If you're scared that
you might get fired, it's a security issue. It's good to be able to
see all the manifestations of a desire for personal power around us,
and especially within ourselves.

- Walter

From: Walter Pullen
To: SOC Personal Growth Club
Subject: Love of the Day :-)
Date: Friday, September 09, 1994 5:14PM

All centers of consciousness have value and play a role in one's
evolution. Within any center lies the seeds for the next step.
Yesterday was described the power center. Eventually when one is on
the power center for a long enough time, they may realize and learn
certain things. In seeking true power and ego advancement, one will
eventually stop concerning themselves with petty things because they
aren't productive.

For example, why get mad at the slow driver in front of you? You
can't do anything about it, and the time can be spent better plotting
your next corporate acquisition, which will do a lot more real good
for your self than any hollow ego victory. You'll realize the
unproductiveness of conflict and will seek friendlier solutions and
even be willing to compromise, because you calculate that will
advance you further in the long run. Eventually you may think it in
your best interest to directly help another.

Once you start considering others, and not from a standpoint of
direct personal gain, a leap has been made to the Love center of
consciousness. This is the first level of self-reflectivity, when you
aren't just desiring, but are looking at yourself desiring, and
considering if that's the best way to grow. This is the first center
that can include others in a true feeling of "love", hence its name.
On this level you realize your actions that are negative and
separating and seek to correct them.

There's a boundary between the Security, Sensation, and Power
centers, and the Love center on up. The Love center is the first
center that can provide you with the feeling of *enough*, where the
other three imply continually striving for more unhappily. The Love
center doesn't result in any negative feelings: you can go from happy
to neutral, but not below because there are no emotion backed demands
that can be triggered by external circumstances. This center doesn't
imply lack of desire, just that what you seek is a *preference* and
not an *addiction*. You may prefer your car not to run out of gas,
but if it does you realize (not repress) that being negative about it
is, just negative, won't help anything, won't help the matter at
hand, and will prevent you from seeing the beautiful wildflowers at
the side of the road or the other nice things life is offering.

The Love center is common among those interested in spiritual growth.
Although for most of us, life consists of moving from one to another.
For example, after a morning meditation we're on the Love center,
happy with the world. Then the cat barfs on the rug but we don't let
it bother us even though we'd prefer it not to. But then someone
plays a joke on us and we have a flash of anger and are on the power
center. Then we realize our negativity and try to work on the
addictive button that was pushed. Afterwards we can be on the Love
center again, and so on. Let's look at our lives today, and be aware
of what center we are on and how it changes.

From: Walter Pullen
To: SOC Personal Growth Club
Subject: Cornucopia of the Day :-)
Date: Monday, September 12, 1994 1:39PM

Last week we explored four centers of consciousness. These included
the first three which we called Security, Sensation, and Power,
characterized by desiring the given attributes, which can give one
flashes of pleasure when the world meets the expectations we want it
to have, but more often negative feelings when our emotion backed
addictions aren't met or are threatened. And then we entered the
first Love center where we seek genuine growth, work to correct our
deficiencies, and express genuine kindness toward others. 

The next level again grows out of the one before it, this new level
of which Ken Keyes calls the "Cornucopia" center. When growing on the
Love center, you realize that you are either expressing unconditional
love, or something has come up putting you in touch with what you
need to do, learn, and accept to express love. The next level comes
out of an additional level of self-reflectivity, where you aren't
just looking at the concept of growth and how to best go about it,
but have stepped back and are looking that the concept of *you*
growing.

You see that the times when you are expressing negativity have
purpose, in that they put you in touch with your addictions and allow
you to grow further. You see that the world is a beautiful,
organized, friendly place which provides you with exactly what you
need at all times, be it the wonderful experiences of just expressing
and experiencing unconditional love, or that which you need to do to
grow. Or rather, the point is and the leap is made when your sense of
love has been extended to include "that which isn't love", i.e. all
your "negative" experiences.

On this center you still have things you would prefer to do or have
happen, but you see the validity and potential in all things. This is
an extremely happy, joyous level, where it seems the world is always
offering you all kinds of wonderful things, hence the term
"Cornucopia". Your feeling index still runs from happy to zero (and
not below) on this level, but you're increasingly on the genuinely
happy end of the spectrum, because "negativity" is increasingly
non-existent. An important difference between this and the Love
center is that before, you were *seeking* spiritual growth for your
own sake, while here you are *enjoying* spiritual growth for its own
sake.

This level is more difficult to achieve, and for some even to
understand, than the Love center, although one on it radiates a
glowing sense of quiet inner peace. You can accept and see the
positive purpose in seemingly negative events, such as murders and
all other "atrocities". You do however feel compassion for all those
on the stage of life expressing any lower experiences, and moreover
you can see a bit of yourself in everyone, and everyone in yourself.
You realize that everyone does what they think is right, and you
would likely do the same thing in their circumstances. You accept,
and love it all.

- Walter

From: Walter Pullen
To: SOC Personal Growth Club
Subject: Conscious Awareness of the Day :-)
Date: Tuesday, September 13, 1994 3:13PM

All the centers of consciousness up until now have a sense of
polarity to them. You are either on it, or there is something you
should do to be on it. For the three lower centers you have things to
do: achieve Security, enjoy Sensations, or gain Power. The next two
centers also give you something to do: unconditionally Love
everything around you, or see how the world is a perfect place that
gives you everything you need in a Cornucopia of experiences.

All these centers have a sense of judgment to them, something you
desire to get to or stay on. Even the Cornucopia, where you are
seeing purpose to the lower centers of consciousness and not letting
them bother you, they are still a step and something to be evolved
beyond, or not acceptance in its truest sense even if you are full of
joy in relation to them. Once on the Cornucopia center enough, seeing
the beauty in everything, there will eventually be one final
self-reflective insight, and the concept will not just be applied to
external events, but to yourself. Once you see the beauty of yourself
as you are, without concern to even what level you are on, you go
beyond the previous five centers though another boundary to the
meta-center of Conscious Awareness.

The difference between this and the Cornucopia center is that before
you judge everything in the world as beautiful and purposeful, while
in the Conscious Awareness center you don't judge at all! Very subtle
to grasp but a world of difference. Here you watch your life from a
quiet place deep inside. You realize yourself as a player on the
stage of life, with your consciousness being in the audience seeing
the rest of you act. You see it all as a meaningful game. This is
very detached, but by no means isolated. Nothing has changed, just
that you see everything as it is, without any personal attachments to
it. You are no longer seeking spiritual growth, or enjoying spiritual
growth, but *watching* yourself seek or enjoy spiritual growth!

Once in this center, it's impossible to fall from it to a previous
center, because there is no attachment to anything that can make you
express any negativity. There's not even a subtle desire to stay on
the Conscious Awareness center and to continue to not judge! You have
to do something along the lines of falling asleep to return to a
concrete level. Conversely, you can't enter this center by normal
means as the desire to be on it will prevent it from becoming so. The
feeling of the Conscious Awareness center is ecstatic, and full of a
sense of clear love beyond description. Just being and doing nothing
or anything is the most wonderful experience. You and the world are
holy because there is nothing that can ever stain it, or rather the
concept of "stain" no longer exists in your reality, or rather it
does but "stain" no longer bothers you, or rather it bothers you but
"bother" no longer bothers you, if that makes sense.

Your sense of *you* is a spark of Conscious Awareness, a watcher of
the rest of you. You don't have any illusions or images of what you
are, e.g. "I'm a person growing spiritually", or associations or
attachments to your body, memories, or mind. You don't even think
anymore, but rather are aware of yourself thinking, and doing
everything else. You still do things just like everyone, and even
have intents or preferences to focus your will upon, and can in a
sense even watch yourself express on a lower center of consciousness,
but it's not *you* doing it. For the first time, you are aware of
yourself and know who you are.

- Walter

From: Walter Pullen
To: SOC Personal Growth Club
Subject: Cosmic Consciousness of the Day :-)
Date: Wednesday, September 14, 1994 2:32PM

Yesterday was discussed the Conscious Awareness center, which is a
quiet place deep inside where you just watch yourself on the stage of
life without judgment. There's one more step in consciousness you can
take, one more center which is called the center of Cosmic
Consciousness. One day while watching yourself you realize it's not
just you on the stage of life, but that others are there with you.
You realize you can extend your point of view to not just watching
your own self on the stage, but the other actors or the stage as a
whole. You can observe not just the stage but the theater you are in,
and you can leave the theater altogether and start walking around
outside!

All the centers of consciousness up to now involve some sense of
self-awareness. There's you and your experience, and a boundary
between you and the rest of the universe that's being experienced.
There's still a self, an individual identity, a tiny sense of pride
that it's you that's doing the experiencing, you that's nearly
enlightened. Even on the Conscious Awareness center, where everything
is accepted and loved, there's still a sense of the lover and that
which is being loved; you, and the rest of the universe. What makes
you *you*, and not someone else? What is this boundary, and who
created it or can examine it?

Once you grasp the stage as a whole, or rather stop grasping any
particular part of it, you become pure awareness, instead of just
self-awareness. You let go of the personal boundary, and your drop of
consciousness falls into the ocean of unity and bliss. This center of
consciousness is very hard to get to ("you" can't ever be on it) or
even to remotely understand ("who" can ever understand it). A
description Ken Keyes attempts is that of sex: Up until climax, you
are experiencing the having of sex, but at the moment of orgasm, you
*are* the experience and are one with your partner. Even preferences
need to be done away with in order to exist in this manner, because a
preference implies there's an individual having the preference.

This is a center of all encompassing love, where there's no more "I"
love "you", but love everywhere. This is a center of true compassion
and non-selfishness by definition, because there is no self and no
others. You can see how one concept of "ascending" that people refer
to can come about. The things in the human kingdom aren't denounced
or denied, but rather one just fully understands all aspects of it,
and can do things in addition to a game of life in the theater
building, just like how adults lose interest in playing tic-tac-toe
and can go on to other things as well...

This concludes our journey through the seven centers of
consciousness, for this particular model of looking at it. There are
still more levels before and after this one. Instinct is a type of
near-unconscious animal behavior even before Security, while "one" in
Cosmic Consciousness unity still has ways more exalted ways to change
"their" state of existence. These are however, beyond the scope of
our current plane of existence. The universe is infinite, or rather
you are infinite, or rather there's no difference between the two.
Until then! :-)

- Walter