Workbook
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Beyond Letting Go
The publisher and author of this material make no medical claims for its use. This material is not intended to treat, diagnose, advise about, or cure any illness. If you need medical attention, please consult with your medical practitioner. The Sedona Method® is a trademarked process. Copyright © 2009 by Hale Dwoskin. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Sedona Press 60 Tortilla Dr. Sedona, AZ 86336 Phone (928) 282-3522 Fax (928) 203-0602 e-mail:
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Beyond Letting Go
Table Of Contents You already are what you are seeking..............................................................4 Lester Levenson called the main process we will be exploring The 5th Way....4 The first four ways of letting go........................................................................4 Explanation of the “I” Diagram.........................................................................7 A direct looking through the illusion of separation with The 5th Way...........12 Remember, it is not about the words.............................................................12 You are already awareness.............................................................................13 The false reference point of me.....................................................................13 What is actually here now?............................................................................15 Are you?.........................................................................................................15 Integrating the basic Method.........................................................................17 Working with the wants.................................................................................17 Truth is that which never changes..................................................................18 You are already beyond all the spinning........................................................19 Challenging false identities.............................................................................20 Action as the functioning of the One.............................................................20 There are no boundaries................................................................................21 Is that attached to anything or anyone?........................................................21 Rest.................................................................................................................21 Partner Work..................................................................................................23 Enough...................................................................................................................23 Believe it’s personal...............................................................................................24 Pretending to be the doer......................................................................................24 Enlightenment belief..............................................................................................24 Maintaining suffering.............................................................................................25 Exist in time............................................................................................................25 Body-mind belief....................................................................................................25 Seeking/striving.....................................................................................................26 Always been...........................................................................................................26
World Peace Begins Within............................................................................29 Share this Message with People Who Are Open to It...................................32
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Beyond Letting Go You already are what you are seeking Remember, right here, right now, there is already happiness, peace and joy—not as some future attainment, experience or event, but right here, right now. What you are is this perfect presence that is already seeing through those eyes, hearing through those ears, feeling through that body, all being translated and interpreted through the inner sounds you hear—called thoughts—that appear or arise in “your” head. All of this is happening here and now…without “your” help. In fact, all attempts to help or hinder this natural and effortless happening are merely more sounds or thoughts. Our wanting to change what is prevents us from experiencing what is actually already here now. You already are Enlightenment. You can and will not get what you are from this or any other course.
“You are already whole complete and perfect as you are.” - Lester Levenson
Lester Levenson called the main process we will be exploring The 5th Way Lester Levenson believed that the end of the search was the answering of the question “What am I?” The 5th Way of releasing is dedicated to helping you discover that you already are the answer to that question. Long after we coined the term The 5th Way for the exploration that this course is about, Annrika James pointed out to me that Lester Levenson had been referring to this work as the fifth way. She found evidence of this on the very last page of the book called The Verities by Lester Levenson. He had been using this term since at least the 1960s, before there even was a Sedona Method. He used it to describe what he felt was the highest path of the yogas of the East. This fifth way he was referring to in his book is called Jnana Yoga or Wisdom Yoga. Before we get into exploring The 5th Way let’s explore the other four ways of letting go.
The first four ways of letting go • Deciding to drop it • Welcoming or allowing the emotion • Diving into the core of the emotion • Holistic releasing There are the four basic ways besides The 5th Way to approach the process of releasing and all lead to the same result: liberating your natural ability to let go of any unwanted emotion on the spot and allowing some of the suppressed energy in your subconscious to dissipate. All these ways of letting go when
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Beyond Letting Go taken to completion reveal that which we already are right now. The first way is by choosing to let go of the unwanted feeling. The second way is to welcome the feeling—to allow the emotion just to be. The third way is to dive into the core of the emotion. The fourth way is by holistically embracing both sides of any issue or belief. The 5th Way of releasing will be described later in this manual. Letting go is natural. Babies do it and so do you. It is happening all the time without our even realizing it. Where are all the thoughts and feelings you had yesterday? Unless you call them back into consciousness now, they are gone. Deciding to Drop It Let me explain by asking you to participate in a simple release. Pick up a pen, a pencil, or some small object that you would be willing to drop without giving it a second thought. Now, hold the object in front of you and really grip it tightly. Pretend this is one of your limiting feelings and that your hand represents your gut or your consciousness. If you held the object long enough, this would start to feel uncomfortable yet familiar. Now, open your hand and roll the object around in it. Notice that you are the one holding on to it; it is not attached to your hand. The same is true with your feelings. Your feelings are as attached to you as this object is attached to your hand. We hold on to our feelings and forget that we are holding on to them. It’s even in our language. When we feel angry or sad, we don’t usually say, “I feel angry,” or “I feel sad.” We say, “I am angry,” or “I am sad.” Without realizing it, we are misidentifying that we are the feeling. Often, we believe a feeling is holding on to us. This is not true… we are always able to let go and just don’t know it. Now, let the object go. What happened? You let go of the object, and it dropped to the floor. Was that hard? Of course not. That’s what we mean when we say, “Let go” or “release.’” You can do the same thing with any emotion: choose to let it go. Welcoming or Allowing the Emotion Sticking with this same analogy: If you walked around with your hand open, wouldn’t it be very difficult to hold on to the pen or other object you’re holding? Likewise, when you allow or welcome a feeling, you are opening your consciousness, and this enables the feeling to drop away all by itself like clouds passing in the sky or smoke passing up an open chimney flue. It is as though you are removing the lid from a pressure cooker. Diving into the Core of the Emotion Now, if you took the same object—a pencil, pen, or pebble—and magnified it large enough, it would appear more and more like empty space. You would be looking into the gaps between the molecules and atoms. When you dive into the very core of a feeling, you will observe a comparable phenomenon: Nothing is really there. As you master the process of releasing, you will discover that even your deepest feelings are just on the surface. At the core you are empty, silent, and at peace, not in the pain and darkness that most of us would assume. In fact, even our most extreme feelings have only as much substance as a soap bubble. And you know what happens when you poke your finger into a soap bubble. It pops. That’s exactly what happens when you dive into the core of a feeling.
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Beyond Letting Go Holistic Releasing Lastly, as you focus on the object in your hand you will notice that it is defined by opposites. In other words the reason you can perceive the object is because of the space around it. Without space there can be no contents. When it comes to emotionally-based problems and feelings, they are defined or held together by opposites as well. We have good and bad, right and wrong, happy and sad, and love and hate to just name a few. When you welcome both sides of any of these pairs, as opposed to clinging to one and resisting the other, you find that they both dissolve leaving you with the empty space that allows for all experiencing. We call this fourth way of releasing Holistic Releasing. Please keep these four analogies in mind as we go through the releasing process together.
Notes
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Beyond Letting Go
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Beyond Letting Go Explanation of the “I” Diagram Our entire sense of limitation stems from identification with the thought “I” or “me.” When we were born, we came in with certain tendencies. However, these tendencies did not lock in and bear the sting of personal suffering until we believed we were the “me” or “I” to which everyone we knew kept referring. In truth, we start out and never leave the stateless state of perfection that contains unlimited potential, that is beyond all imagined limitations, that’s in the background even right now. Any suffering we appear to go through and all the limitations we appear to be bound by, are only an appearance in, or on that which we are. With the Method, we uncover the intuitive knowingness or space, like awareness that is just behind our mind, which is just behind our feelings, which is just behind our troubles in life. You’ve probably already noticed there is an increasing awareness of this unlimited potential as you explore the truth of who or what you are. The other thing to notice about the “I” Diagram is something quite obvious that most people miss. If you look at the page it is printed on you’ll see that, although there’s some writing on the page, too, it’s mostly white space. Another way to look at our unlimited potential is how we look at the white space of this page: most of it is already shining through, uncovered. That’s also true in our lives. The unlimited potential that you are is always shining in plain view. As you use the Method, this will become more obvious. An analogy for what we’re doing with the Method is taking an eraser to the remaining limitation that’s still on the page (thoughts, feelings, wants) and gradually eroding it or taking it away. That’s letting go. Now, notice the letter “I” at the top of the page. It represents our limited sense of who we are: “I,” Hale or “I,” your name. If we didn’t believe it was real, and therefore believe in the programs that appear to be attached to it, it would dissolve right back into the unlimited potential. In fact, limitation often does dissolve throughout the day. But it would not keep coming back and hooking us without our belief in our programmed thoughts, feelings, and wants. Let us move down the chart now, item by item, to see where each fits in. As you can see, the deepest want is the desire to be separate. Wanting to be separate comes from the sense of being an individual apart from the presence of awareness. Remember, you can directly release on this want anytime you choose. The other three wants, which are right below wanting separation on the diagram, are wanting to survive as a body (a.k.a. wanting security), wanting approval, and wanting to control. Wanting security is based on the assumption that we are the limited bodies we appear to inhabit. Even if you don’t have any metaphysical inclinations, I am sure you at least have a sense that there’s more to life than the obvious. That’s probably part of what attracted you to this course in the beginning. As Lester Levenson used to say “The body is the least of us, not the most of us.” As you release, you’ll discover that maybe, just maybe, the body isn’t all you are. By letting go of your sense of wanting security or survival, you’ll begin to feel safer. The second deepest program is the sense of wanting survival. Underneath that on the chart is the sense of wanting approval. We believe that if everyone loves us, likes us, and cares about us, we’ll be safe and able to survive. We believe that somehow we need to get love and approval from outside of ourselves. This is not true; and you have probably already discovered this for yourself. You will notice that in letting go of wanting love or approval, you feel more loving, approved of, and approving. You will discover that you already are the love that you had been seeking outside of yourself.
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Beyond Letting Go Right underneath wanting approval on the chart is the sense of wanting to control. Sometimes people don’t approve of us in exactly the right way. They don’t give us the right gift, the right compliment, or they’re not being nice enough to us. You get the picture. Then, we want to control them to get their approval in the way that we’d prefer. Sometimes we give up on getting approval from a particular person, or in a particular situation, or we sense an apparent threat that has nothing to do with others or with love. In cases such as these, we want to control directly—instead of for the sake of approval—in order to be safe or survive as a body. That’s what the arrow connecting wanting to control with wanting to survive as a body represents. All four wants culminate in the nine emotional states discussed in our basic program: apathy, grief, fear, lust, anger, pride, and the limited parts of courageousness, acceptance, and peace. That’s why AGFLAP-CAP appears underneath wanting to control on the diagram. The feelings are what we use to try to get approval, control, security, and oneness. Our feelings also motivate our thoughts. In The Sedona Method, we’ve been focusing more on what we feel, than on what we think. We do this because it is nearly impossible to make changes in your life solely by thinking positive thoughts. If you’ve ever tried, you know it can be very difficult unless you deal with any apathy, grief, fear, lust, anger, and pride you may be feeling, and the underlying wants. What you’ve probably already noticed, however, is that your thinking naturally changes to the positive as you start to release on any topic, feeling, or want. You don’t have to try to think positively. It just happens of its own accord. You don’t have to effort at it. You don’t have to try to do something. It is plain to see that, to a degree, your thinking does color your perception of the world; and, if you’re willing to stretch a little bit, you might even see that it colors what actually happens in your life. Here is a concrete example from sales. If you’re a salesperson and have a positive attitude—you feel good about yourself and good about your product—it’s easier to sell your product. Whereas if you’ve had a bad day, experienced a series of rejections, or it’s been a long time since you made a sale, it is difficult to make sales, because you feel progressively less positive. That is the time to release. As a result, your thinking will be increasingly positive—and so will your world. Have you noticed that the emphasis in this program, unlike the emphasis of most self improvement programs, has nothing to do with getting you to modify your behavior? That’s because people naturally move in a positive direction through releasing. Lasting change, positive change, real change comes from the inside out, not from trying to impose changes from the outside. Look to your past experiences to verify this point. For instance, before you had the tools of the Method, you may have been able to quit smoking temporarily, only to have the habit reassert itself. Or perhaps you replaced smoking with overeating. Thus, in suppressing your urge, you possibly gained weight. The reason this happens is that when you push down a tendency in one spot, it usually pops up somewhere else. That is what most people and organizations do when they try to change from the outside in. It is different when you fully release a tendency. When you change from the inside out, the changes are lasting and they’re positive. Every change you make using the Method uncovers more of the unlimited potential of who you are. We encourage you to ponder the “I” Diagram. Work with it. Take it for checking. Don’t believe it: prove it for yourself. Please note: The 5th Way may contradict the last few paragraphs of this explanation. You may discover throughout this course that you are not your thoughts or feelings and that they are merely appearing in or on the presence of awareness that you are. In fact you may even discover that what we call our world is merely an appearance in or on this knowing presence and has no independent nature, nor is there anyone directing the show.
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Beyond Letting Go
Notes
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Beyond Letting Go
Notes
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Beyond Letting Go A direct looking through the illusion of separation with The 5th Way The 5th Way of releasing is not really a way at all. It is an open, spontaneous inquiry into what is naturally present here and now. It is also a seeing through of what appears to be here. And that which appears to be here, for most of us, is merely an interpretation, label or story based on what was. This story includes the assumption that there is actually a “me” and a “you” that are somehow independent and separate from each other. The bottom line of what you are is what is actually here and now; as you recognize this, two things become obvious:
• First, that the separate “me” with its story of suffering is not true, and • What is here is simply here. And it is simply the truth of what you are. Allow yourself to explore this without forcing, and do this from your direct experience in this moment, as opposed to from memory, or what you think should be experienced. Also, know that what you are exploring is really not a technique, but a direct looking through the illusion of separation to the simple presence that is what you are and is what your client is as well.
Remember, it is not about the words What you are is beyond all words. Words are just symbols pointing to objects. Most of us live in a mental world believing that this world and these thoughts are actually a real reflection of what is. What you are is aware of, yet unaffected by, all words and all thoughts. Another way of saying this is, the word is never the thing. And no thing has any independent nature apart from the presence of awareness that you are. So, what we think we are is not us because all words, all thoughts, are simply what we call the mind. What we are contains the mind, but can never be contained by it. The thoughts “I” and “me” are not who we are. When that is recognized, it has a profound influence on the way life is experienced. It is very hard to take our supposed problems seriously or to cling to them when we realize that they are not—and, in fact, nothing is—actually personal. At the same time, we need to use language to communicate, so there is no advantage in any attempt to not use words or to modify your language in any way. When we modify our language we are only looking at the surface and can miss what is always shinning in plain view before, during and after every word. Even though we will be using words in this course, it has nothing to do with the words. At the same time, this manual has lots of words you can use as pointers. Treat them as jumping off points only, not the gospel of what is right or wrong in supporting yourself in your inquiry. Don’t take my word for anything in this course. Use your own intuitive knowingness as your guide.
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Beyond Letting Go You are already awareness As you work with yourself please remember that you are already presence awareness. Because of this, it does not have to take a long time for someone to recognize the truth of who they are. It can happen with just one question. This is not to say that everyone will find it this easy to be self-obvious to themselves; however, be open to this possibility. As you do this work remember nothing needs to change for you to be what you already are. This means thoughts including the “I” thought, and feelings including all emotions may continue and this does not mean you did not get it.
“The only difference between someone who knows who they are and someone who does not is that the person who does know, knows there is no difference.” – Sailor Bob Adamson Emotions may continue to arise, with the difference being that attachment and aversion to whatever arises begins to drop away: and know that none of that is about you.
The false reference point of me When you are looking to discover who you are—or you appear to be lost in “your” story, the false reference point of “me”—there are many questions that you can be asked to help you rediscover or recognize that which is beyond the story and any thought including the thought of “me.” One of the simplest and most direct is: “In this moment, if you do not go into memory, can you actually find this ‘me’ that ____?” Whatever your mind has just presented as who you are, or what you are thinking, feeling, or experiencing can be added to the composition of the question. I have yet to have anyone find a “me” in this moment. For most people, this brings their minds to a complete stop, and they are then resting as the presence that they have always been. Many people, rather than allow themselves to remain at rest, re-identify with the false reference point of “me” after some time of enjoying this rest. Most also find that the sense of ease and rest never fully leaves, even when it appears that presence is being obstructed by the re-emergence of this false reference point of “me.” Remember, this is OK. Since we are not doing any of this, when presence is ready, this back and forth between what is false and what is real will simply drop away by itself. In the words of Nisargadatta Maharaj, “There can be progress only in the preparation. Realization is sudden. The fruit ripens slowly, but falls suddenly and without return.” Either way, when you examine the truth of who you are, or support others in doing the same,
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Beyond Letting Go know that what you and what they are never comes or goes. What does come and go cannot be who you are by its very nature because it comes and goes. What you are is that which is aware and unmoving with all coming and going. Nisaragadatta Maharaj put it this way: You are the Beingness in being, the awareness in consciousness and the interest in every experience… If the false reference point does reappear, this does not mean that you have done something wrong; it only means the habit has not completely dropped away. Simply continue to remind yourself of what is actually here now or use any of the other tools that are outlined in this manual, as well as any of the other tools that make up The Sedona Method. In my experience, the presence that you are is always here and now, and has always been. This presence is the background on or in which all experiencing appears, including any of the apparent help “you” are giving to “others.” Presence can also be called knowingness because it is the “cognizing” emptiness that allows for all experiencing. This knowingness that we are, is closely associated with thinking. Thinking, when colored by the belief in the false reference point of “me,” is limited, but as that dissolves, what is revealed is the direct knowingness that is always here and now. Thinking also gets quieter and more aligned with our natural knowingness, which then shines through the mind as clear reason and intuitive knowing, and infuses the body with a sense of energy and aliveness. It is also helpful to add, “If there is no ‘me’ in this moment, is it possible that there has never been one?” And, “What is actually here now?” Please note this question will be explored in greater detail later on in this manual. Here is how you can explore this in relationship to your feelings and problems: When you appear to be lost in a feeling or a story from the past, or you simply would like to support yourself in seeing through the illusion of “me,” ask yourself, “Whose feeling or story is this?” If you are identified with the false center, the answer will be “mine.” If you are not identified with the false sense of “me,” which may happen at any time, there may be an experience of no one and no thing taking delivery or claiming ownership of what is being experienced. If this happens, just allow yourself to rest as that and know that further questioning is not required. If the answer is “mine,” then ask yourself, “In this moment, if you do not go into memory, can you actually find this “me?” You can also ask: “Does this feeling or story actually belong to anyone?” This question will often cut through any illusion of the personal and allow you to notice that what you are is not bound by, or even in relationship with any thought, feeling or story no matter how compelling. When there is not identification, you can also follow it up with, “If there is no me in this moment, is it possible that there has never been one?” “Could you allow yourself to rest as that?”
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Beyond Letting Go What is actually here now? “What is actually here now?” This simple question is designed to point you away from memory and away from labels to what is actually here and now. Most of the time we are more interested in what was and what might be, and our stories about who we believe we are, and our supposed problems, than what is actually here now. As you explore what is here now, you will discover wonderful qualities about what is. What is, actually is, as opposed to what we imagine, which can only be past and future. It’s like eating a meal compared to gnawing on the menu. Because it simply is, it requires nothing from us at all. What also can happen as you explore this question is that the mind or thinking may provide all sorts of answers based on concepts, beliefs, memories and labels—which, by their very nature, cannot be here now except as memory. As this happens, simply ask yourself to welcome whatever arises and then ask the question again, “What is actually here now?” or “If you look through that what is actually here now?” Stay with this line of questioning until the mind no longer has any answers. This can happen very rapidly even from one or two questions. Once you feel complete, check to see if it is possible that the Beingness or presence that is more obvious in this moment has always been here. In my experience, what we are is always present, but almost always ignored. What you will notice when the mind ceases to answer is the universal presence of awareness that you are that needs no description to be. You will also notice an absence of the sense of a separate individual in the experiencing that is happening now. “Is that actually here now?” This question is similar to the question: What is actually here now? It can be used alternatively with that question, except that it is designed to be used in response to the mind when it asserts a belief or problem that you are struggling to let go of, or dis-identify with. If you appear to be telling yourself a story about what you are, simply ask this question and notice what happens. In most cases, this helps us discover that our stories are about what was, not what is. When we recognize this, it becomes much easier to let go of what was and rest as what is.
Are you? A great starting or ending place for any releasing session when you are wanting to explore the truth of who or what you are is this simple question: Simply ask, “Are you?” and give yourself a moment to rest as the answer to that simple question. Then ask, “Could you allow that to be enough?” Keep asking these questions until you find that the mind no longer feels the need to answer and you are aware of the rest that you are. Once the mind is done, you can also add: “What is aware that you are?” or “Could you allow yourself to rest as that which is aware that you are?” This can open you even further to true selfrecognition, even though, of course, there is no where to go. Allow this to happen naturally without forcing, and do this from your direct experience as op-
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Beyond Letting Go posed to from memory, or what you think should be experienced. You can also use the classic self-inquiry question, “What are you?” Lester Levenson always preferred the question of “what” to “who.” He knew that what we are is not personal and when we ask “who” it appears to direct us towards a person. This question is designed to do the same thing as all other 5th Way questions: point to the absence of separation and the presence that you are now. By asking that question, sometimes the mind will simply stop and rest and you will become more self-obvious to yourself or the mind will provide an answer. If the mind provides an answer, continue with the question: “If you are not that, what are you?” or “If you are beyond that what are you?” or “If you are more than that what are you?”
Here are some other questions that can be used for this type of inquiry: • “What is here before, during and after thinking?” • “What is that which never changes?” • “What is that which is beyond both everything and nothing?” • “What is that which needs nothing to be?” • “What is that which is always effortlessly present?” • “What is that which was never born nor will ever die?” • “What is that which is aware of everything, yet is unaffected by anything?” • “What is that which needs no words to be?” • “What is that which needs no form to be?” • “What is that which needs no place to be?” • “What is that which is beyond the need for help?” • “What is that which has never done anything?” • “What is that which is the same everywhere?” • “What is beyond all concepts?” • “What is beyond both being and non-being?” • “What is beyond both everything and nothing?” • “What is beyond both here and there?” • “What is that which needs no concepts to be?” • “What is that which has no beginning, middle or end?” • “What is that which is beyond all time and space?” 16 ©2010 by Sedona Training Associates
Beyond Letting Go Integrating the basic Method Remember that you can always switch to the basics of the Method if you are getting a little stuck. You can also use the following alternatives.
If you are wanting to change anything you can ask: • “Are you wanting to change that?” • “Could you let go of wanting to change that?” • “Can you find the one who wants to change that?” • “Does that need to change for you to be who or what you are?” All three lines of questioning point to the presence that you are which is acceptance itself.
Working with the wants If you are wanting to control, you can ask: • “Could you let go of wanting to control?” • “Can you find the one who wants to control?” • “If all is well and unfolding as it should, what need is there for wanting control?” • “Is there actually anyone in control or any actual controlling person here?” • “Does the thought ‘me’ actually have any control?” • “If everything is unfolding as it should, what need is there for wanting control?”
If you are wanting approval, you can ask: • “Could you let go of wanting approval?” • “Can you find the one who wants approval?” • “Is there actually anyone here separate from the love that you are?” • “Can the thought ‘me’ actually gain or lose approval?”
If you are wanting survival, you can ask: • “Could you let go of wanting survival?” • “Can you find the one who wants survival?” • “Is there actually anyone here who can live or die?”
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Beyond Letting Go • “Can the thought ‘me’ actually live or die?”
If you are wanting separation, you can ask: • “Could you let go of wanting to be separate?” • “Can you find the one who wants to be separate?” • “Is there actually anyone here who can be separate?” • “Can the thought ‘me’ actually be separate from the presence of awareness that you are?”
If you are wanting to be one, you can ask: • “Could you let go of wanting to be one?” • “Can you find the one who wants to be one?” • “Is there actually anyone here who can be one?” • “Can the thought ‘me’ actually be one with the presence of awareness that you are?”
Truth is that which never changes “Truth is that which never changes.” –Lester Levenson This statement is a great clue to use when working with yourself with The 5th Way. Our stories, ideas, thoughts, feelings, experiences, even our body and persona are always changing; therefore, they can not be true. You can gently remind yourself of this by asking “Is that something that has never changed?” or “Has that ever changed?” or “Are you that changing _____or are you that which never changes?” Often you will see right away that if that has changed, you cannot be that, but are instead the changeless background or that which is aware, yet unaffected by all that changes, including that particular thing. If the answer is yes, it has always been that way, then look more deeply at this until you can see that it has changed. Simply seeing that it has changed is often a breakthrough. Seeing that it has not always been this way will help lessen your suffering, even if you are not aware in this moment of that which never changes.
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Beyond Letting Go You are already beyond all the spinning Often, even after you have clearly seen through the illusion of a separate, independent entity or self-center called “me,” and you are feeling the relief that comes with the knowingness of what you are, there may still be a momentum behind the old habit patterns. These habit patterns manifest as apparently conflicting sounds, sensations and pictures in awareness based on what was—and appear to be fighting with each other—fighting to influence, control or somehow affect the space in which they appear, the space that makes their very existence possible. This process looks a little like the old cartoons where the dog and the cat are having a wild fight, but all you can see is fur, smoke and paws whirling around each other. This whirl of energy appears to influence behavior, appears to make decisions, appears to influence how “we” experience the livingness that is now. It also gives the illusion of some remaining self-center that can be affected. Does space need the protection or influence of whirling energies; can space be affected? This, of course, can simply be seen through and often is seen through: now, now, and now. What also can be “done”—or may simply happen spontaneously—is that these habit patterns or vortexes of energy from the past can be welcomed fully as one vortex of energy spinning in or on the presence of awareness that you are. This naturally causes them to dissolve, which may look, sound, and feel something like this: A particular habit pattern is noticed in consciousness and appears to demand “your” attention. There is then a welcoming of the pictures, sensations and sounds that arise in or as this pattern, which can be encouraged using the question: “Can you welcome all the pictures, sounds and sensations that are attached or arising with that?” There is also a welcoming of the labels, stories, judgments, conclusions—concepts that arise with or as this spin of energy. You can use this question to encourage that: “Could you welcome all the labels, stories, judgments, conclusions, concepts that arise with or as that?” It is also helpful to include welcoming of any desire to do anything with this spin, including wanting get rid of it, change it, understand it, wanting to hold onto it or make it real. You can use this question: “Could you allow yourself to welcome any desire to do anything with this spin, including wanting get rid of it, change it, understand it, wanting to hold onto it or make it real?” Even (or especially) the wanting to do something with it can be recognized as more of the same spin. Since ultimately all spins could not be maintained without the belief in the “me” and the “other,” it is also helpful to welcome any feeling or sense that this whole belief, memory or problem is about me or who I am – all identification. You can ask yourself “Could you welcome any feeling that this is about you or who you are?” Then, the welcoming itself is welcomed, and the whole spin is simply allowed to have its own momentum. As this happens, the spin stops being fed by the individual and it dissolves of its own accord. And, at any moment, there can be a noticing that this whole spin has no center or is about no one. This recognition can be encouraged with the question: “Could you welcome any remaining sense of believing this is about a ‘you’?” You can also ask “Can you find a center to this whole thing or is it empty?” or “Is this whole thing actually about anyone?” If you look through this whole spine what is actually here now?”
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Beyond Letting Go Challenging false identities One of the questions that is designed to help you break up the hypnosis of identity is: “Are you that____?” This can be expressed as: are you that thought, that feeling, that experience, that concept, that belief, or that identity. Basically, you fill in the blank. When you ask yourself that question, it naturally points you back to the direct seeing of what actually is now. Each time we discover that what we are is not any of these objects, we naturally notice that we are already at rest as the ultimate subject and beyond. This can be especially helpful if you appear to be lost in a story. You can simply ask: “Are you that story?” Or, if they are lost in a feeling, you can ask them, “Are you that feeling?” If the answer to any of these questions is no, then disengagement from that identity happens all by itself. If the answer is yes, then you can simply ask yourself to check if this is actually true. If you still feel like it’s true, then you can pursue various alternative lines of questioning, depending on how you are intuitively guided. You can always redirect your attention back to the basics of releasing by asking yourself, “Are you wanting to change that in this moment you feel identified with that?” and “Could you let go of wanting to change that?” You can also simply switch your approach to any of the other alternate lines of questioning, including the most simple: “Can you find the one in this moment who believes they are that_______?”
Some other questions along this line are: • “Are you that, or are you that which is aware yet unaffected by that?” • “Are you a memory or are you that which is aware yet unaffected by memory?”
Action as the functioning of the One One of the apparent causes of suffering or of believing in the reality of the separate me is the belief in the individual doer. In addition to simply encouraging yourself to check to see if you can actually find a doer in this moment, there are several other ways to explore this belief.
You can use these questions: • “Did I just do that or did it merely happen?” • “Did I just think that or did a thought merely arise in awareness?” • “Did I just choose that or did an apparent choice merely happen?” • “Did you try to have that experience or thought or did it merely happen?” As you explore this, you can discover that all action is spontaneous or simply part of the functioning of the One.
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Beyond Letting Go There are no boundaries One of the places where we get stuck in the illusion of the separate person is in believing this person is apart from or separate from others. When this is examined based on what is actually being experienced now, this illusion can be seen through quite naturally. One way of exploring this is to invite yourself to see if you can find these imaginary boundaries. Questions that can be helpful for this are: “Can you find a place where awareness ends and that begins? Can you find a place where that ends and awareness begins?” “That” can refer to any physical, mental or emotional object. If you are open to this you can discover that the body, of course, has boundaries, but what you are does not. All objects have no independent nature apart from the presence of awareness that is here now.
Is that attached to anything or anyone? Part of what keeps the illusion of the separate individual alive and well is our belief or habit of thinking that our thoughts, feelings and experiences are actually attached to or referring to someone. Explore whether or not this is true. You can use the simple questions of either: “Is that attached to anything or anyone?” or “Is that actually referring to anything or anyone?” You can also use the question, of course, “Can you find the one that feeling, thought or experience appears to be referring to?”
Rest What you are is naturally unmoving or always at rest. You can end your releasing sessions or individual series of inquiries or releases by giving yourself time to rest as that which you are. You can use this simple question of: “Can you allow yourself to rest as that?” or simply be what you are in silence. All of the questions in this manual are just jumping off points to get the ball rolling as you work with The 5th Way. Follow your heart or your intuitive knowingness, and know that all is well.
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Beyond Letting Go Partner Work We may or may not do all the exercises in this section. However, they are all included here to support you in continuing the exploration that we have begun together.
Instructions for Partner Work Be there with, and for, your partners as best you can. Grant your partners their Beingness by allowing them to have their own explorations. As you facilitate your partners in releasing, also do your best to let go and be as open and present as you can. You will find that this happens naturally if you are open to it. Refrain from leading your partners, judging their responses, or giving them advice. Also refrain from discussing the explorations until you have both completed them, and you have spent a few minutes in silence. Be sure to validate your partner’s points of view, even if these do not agree with your own. Please refrain from playing the role of counselor or therapist, even if you are a trained counselor or therapist. If your partner brings up a medical condition that would ordinarily require the care of a trained medical professional, recommend that he or she get whatever professional support is needed in this area. If you are not sure whether or not your partner truly needs medical support, you can recommend that he or she seek professional medical attention, just to be sure.
Enough • How has _________ appeared to either not have enough or not be enough? • Could you welcome whatever that brings up inside of you? • Could you welcome any and all wanting associated with that including any wanting to fix, change, hold onto or control that? • Could you also welcome any sense that that is personal, who you are, or about you? • Could you let go of wanting to believe you either do not have enough or are not enough again? • Could you rest as that which is now and has always been whole, complete and enough exactly as it is?
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Beyond Letting Go Believe it’s personal • What did ______ believe was personal? • Could you welcome that? • Could you welcome any and all wanting associated with that including any wanting to fix, change, hold onto or control that? • Could you welcome any sense that this is about you or who you are? • Could you let go of wanting to make that personal? • Could you be open to the possibility that nothing is personal? • Could you rest as that which is beyond the personal and the impersonal?
Pretending to be the doer • How has _____ appeared to be the doer? • Could you allow yourself to welcome that? • Could you welcome any wanting to do anything with that? • Could you welcome any sense that that is personal, about you or who you are? • Could you let go of wanting to pretend that you are the doer again? • Could “you” be open to the possibility that “you” have never done anything? • Could you rest as that which is beyond both doing and non-doing – that simply is?
Enlightenment belief • What did _______ believe was freedom, enlightenment or awakening? • Could you welcome that concept, experience or memory? • Could you welcome any wanting to do anything with that? • Could you welcome any sense that that is personal, about you or who you are? • Could you let go of wanting to believe that again? • Could you let go of waiting for that to appear in order for you to be what you already are? • Could you rest as that which needs no memory, concept or belief to Be?
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Beyond Letting Go Maintaining suffering • What was _______ ‘s favorite routine for maintaining suffering and separation? • Could you welcome that memory or story? • Could you welcome any resistance or wanting to change that routine? • Could you also welcome any sense that this routine is about you or makes “you” special? • Could you let go of wanting to maintain suffering or separation in that way again? • Are you that which needs no maintenance to Be? • Could you rest as that which needs no maintenance to Be?
Exist in time • How has ______ appeared to exist in time? • Could you welcome that? • Could you let go of wanting to identify with what was or what might be? • Could you be open to the possibility that you are only NOW? • Are you that which is only NOW, beyond time? • Could you rest at that which is only NOW, beyond time?
Body-mind belief • How has ______ bought into the belief ‘I am the body/mind’?” • Could you welcome that? • Could you welcome any wanting to do anything with that? • Could you welcome any sense that that is personal, about you or who you are? • Could you let go of wanting to buy into that belief again? • Could you be open to the possibility that you are not now and have never been the body/mind? • Are you that which needs no body/mind to Be? • Could you rest as that which needs no body/mind to Be? • Could you allow yourself to look through the body/mind and notice what is actually here now?
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Beyond Letting Go Seeking/striving • How has ______ been seeking what he/she already is? • Could you welcome all seeking or striving? • Could you welcome any wanting to stop or hold onto the seeking or striving? • Could you welcome any sense that seeking or striving is personal, about you or who you are? • Could you let go of all seeking or striving in this moment? • Do you actually need to seek or strive in order to be what you already are? • Could you allow yourself to look through all seeking and striving and allow yourself to notice what is already and always here now?
Always been • What is the advantage/disadvantage in accepting and knowing that you have always been, and are now that which you were seeking? • Could you welcome whatever comes up in response to this question—along with all wanting? • Could you allow yourself to simply let go? • Could you allow yourself to look through all seeking or striving and to the HOME that is right here right now? • Could you allow yourself to welcome yourself back to the HOME you have never left?
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Beyond Letting Go World Peace Begins Within At our core, every human being contains the seed for world peace within them. This seed for world peace is our own presence of awareness or intuitive knowingness. In most of us, our awareness appears to be covered over by many layers of contrary beliefs, attitudes, thinking and feeling. We often treat these coverings as though they are who we are and as though they are the truth, thereby forgetting that we can simply let them go. This article explores a few of the key perspectives and processes that you can use to dissolve, see through, or let go of these obstructive beliefs, thoughts and feelings. These inner actions, when done in combination with positive external action, can make a huge difference in the outcome of our efforts to save this beautiful planet.
Be For the Solution and Let Go of the Problem Since our world is a reflection of what we think and feel, what we resist or oppose grows stronger. We create our reality based on what the mind can picture. If you’re anti-war, for instance, what you are picturing is war, not peace. So, the best way to support any cause is to be for the solution, rather than being opposed to the problem. As you take action toward supporting world peace, hold in mind what you would like to achieve. If you find your mind fighting the problem, do your best to let go of the fight and refocus on your desired outcome. Using world peace as an example, you can use these questions taken from The Sedona Method: Am I fighting or resisting war in this moment? Could I welcome whatever feeling this brings up within me? Could I let go of this feeling of fight or resistance? Would I let it go? When?
Dissolve Your Hate To the degree we hate anyone, we hate everyone. If we feel darkness in our hearts, we tend to project and attract that into our world. We then feel like we have to fight with our world in order to accomplish positive change. The more we feel like we have to wage war for peace, the more we create the opposite in our experience. It is critically important that we work on our own inner landscape in addition to working on the outer landscape to create lasting peace on earth. The best way to do this is to let go of fear, frustration, hate, doubt, or whatever inner obstacles you may be facing personally as you strive to do good. As you let go, you will naturally uncover the peace that is at your core, and you’ll find that the outer opposition melts away as well. You can use these Holistic Releasing questions to assist you. Ask the following two questions in succession several times and allow these two opposing energies to dissolve into each other. Could I allow myself to feel as hateful as I do? Could I allow myself to feel as loving as I do? Continue to ask these two questions one after the other until you feel your inner peace and love shinning through.
Become Transparent As you move to help others, you may experience opposition as the world appears to push back. This can take the form of others resisting or doubting your efforts, acting threatened by you, or your
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Beyond Letting Go own difficulty in following through on positive actions. In order not to collapse under this intense pressure, it is important to learn to become as transparent as you can to these turbulent energies as they appear to come at you. Our reflex when challenged in this way is to contract, shut down, protect ourselves or simply push harder. When we protect ourselves in this manner, we are merely holding in the pain and suffering. Even though it is counter intuitive, the safest and most effective thing you can do when being challenged is to let go of whatever feelings this brings up within you. Open inside and become as transparent as possible. Transparency is what’s here naturally when you don’t erect artificial walls around you. As you become transparent, you will discover that you actually feel safer and have more energy to support positive change. This allows you to act from what you know is best in each situation, rather than getting caught in defensive reacting. If you find yourself shutting down or burning out, simply ask yourself: Could I welcome whatever is being experienced in this moment? Could I also welcome any wanting to do anything with this experience? By welcoming what you are experiencing, you naturally open, let go, and allow these energies to pass through your awareness.
Lasting Peace Is Beyond Belief Recognize that the solution is beyond our beliefs. Most of us find that we get lost in or identify with our beliefs, both positive and negative. When we come across a belief in the world that we feel is destructive to the planet or ourselves, we tend to oppose the belief by trying to construct a positive belief in its stead. However, if you allow yourself to explore this, you will see that these opposing beliefs spar with each other, feeding each other and keeping conflict alive. The best solution is to go beyond belief. This supports yourself and others in trusting their own direct knowingness rather than any belief. This helps us to allow everyone to believe what they choose and creates the opening to move beyond belief to our inner intuitive knowingness and trust in our positive thoughts and deeds. This knowingness that we are is a very powerful place from which to create positive change. If you find yourself slipping into defending or attacking a belief, first remember that your beliefs are not who you are, nor are the beliefs of others who they are. Then, as best you can, let go of the desire to defend your beliefs and attack the beliefs of others. If you find yourself getting stuck in defending a belief, you can ask yourself: Could I allow myself to welcome this belief? Could I let go of wanting to defend, justify, explain or prove it to myself or others? Could I let go of wanting to believe that again? If you find yourself feeling compelled to challenge others’ beliefs, you can ask yourself: Could I allow myself to let to of wanting to attack, discredit, argue with or disprove this belief? Could I grant this person or group the right to believe as they do?
Break Free of the Ego As you have been discovering in this seminar, true peace is beyond the individual. As long as we believe that we are separate from others, we feel unsafe and need to fight for our own survival in a hostile world. This prevents us from supporting an inner and outer environment of peace. The best way to go beyond this artificial sense of separation is to examine our basic assumptions about ourselves.
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Beyond Letting Go In this moment, see if you can actually find the “me” if you do not go into memory. If you are open to it, you will discover that in this moment there is no separate me at all. You can also ponder simple questions like: Am I the body or am I that which is aware of the body? Am I the thoughts I think, or am I that which is aware of thinking? Am I this body or is the body an appearance in or on the awareness that I am? As you ponder these questions, examine your basic assumptions, and are open, you may just discover that what you are is not a separate person, but rather the presence of awareness in or on which the thought of “me” appears. As you discover that you are not actually separate, you feel safe and at peace within, which translates naturally into positive outward action that supports the whole. You become the living embodiment of peace. I highly encourage you to explore these simple shifts in consciousness in order to bring the peace that is at your core into your moment by moment experience. The more energy you put into exploring these positive inner actions, the more you will find that your outward actions bear more fruit, and you will also find that your own experience of living will change dramatically for the better. As we practice loving kindness and compassion in the world in order to give inner peace a chance, remember it is also important to let go of whatever is inside of us that is obscuring the peace that is already within. By letting go, we allow the flower of peace to bloom in our hearts and take root in the world.
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Beyond Letting Go Share this Message with People Who Are Open to It I hope you agree that the message and processes in this seminar can truly help the world. Imagine a world where people are letting go of the past and living and loving in the present moment. Imagine a world where conflicts are resolved through discussion and releasing, as opposed to violence and aggression. Imagine a world where everyone lets go of their non-love feelings and uncovers their true loving nature. Imagine a world that supports people in being themselves. This is the world I envision as an increasing number of people learn to release and love what is. If you support this vision, I encourage you to share this work with anyone you think can benefit from the message it contains. In a sudden rush of enthusiasm, however, please don’t be like the youths in the following story. In a Boy Scout meeting, two teenage friends are reporting their good deeds for the week to their scoutmaster. First one gets up and reports that he’s helped an old lady across the street. Then the next gets up and reports that he’s helped the same old lady across the street. The scoutmaster looks puzzled and asks them, “Why did it take both of you to help the same old lady across the street? In unison they reply, “That’s because she didn’t want to go.” When many of us feel enthusiastic about a particular concept, we can become a little overzealous about sharing it. Please do not cram this down anyone’s throat. Allow yourself to share releasing and the truth you have discovered for yourself only with those people who are open and interested. On the other hand, people may be more interested than you might credit them with being at first. Anyone who has a sincere desire to change or improve his or her life, and has even a little willingness to do something about it, can benefit from The Sedona Method. We invite you to join us in sharing a message of possibility and freedom with the world.
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Beyond Letting Go
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Beyond Letting Go
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