Bio - doctrine - strategy

Lo long ago in a college town I first met Work teaching. I totally rejected it, but I did meet it. (Later I realized I first knew of Ouspensky's name from a self-help book earlier than that. Also, much more previous to that I have a childhood memory of seeing a diagram from an Ouspensky book, the book being from a collection from an older sibling, perhaps, or something more mysterious...) Then, in another town, four years later, I connected with the Work in a big way. That was the point where I'd reached the summit of everything that goes into developing magnetic center.

Then for seven years I learned it and did it. I was in my old life at the time, but not in terms of knowing the Work, just in terms of what I was doing in life. Old life, yet fully in the cosmos of school. (A totally different person than I'm known as from print on the internet.)

Then, housebound from injury, I got on the internet. For seven years I wrote on the internet and consolidated understanding of the Work by explaining it to others.

Now, I'm in the first year after that phase (such sections of life, by the way, seven years here, seven years there...but they'd have gone by no matter what I was doing...and they go by for everybody...)

Reading my Vos anthology I'm reminded of how much the Work mirrors biblical doctrine. "Faith is the great spiritualizing principle, for faith is the state of mind that keeps us in touch with the higher world."

Self-remembering and non-identifying and higher centers and conscious shocks in general are such big, central things, they have a part in all the big, central things you learn of from the language of the Bible. Faith being one.

The eschatological angle on doctrine and redemption, which can only be experienced in the moment, now, via entering the eternal, practically by getting into the 3rd state of consciousness, moving inward via the first conscious shock of self-remembering, and moving upward via the second conscious shock of non-identifying, this is what Vos is discoursing on, which is what makes his theology so strange; it is respected because it is orthodox, but it is strange because of this eschatological angle which he sees as central to it all. And the Work teaches this, in knowledge and in practical effort. The Work gives a practical language describing it and guiding one in doing it. Actually moving in time beyond linear, birth to dead, time. Vertical movement.

In this first year of a new seven year stage (I can also call them six-year stages and say I'm in the second of a new one) methinks I have to get the wheel rolling in the direction of common, basic, ditch-digging Work efforts once again. Because that road leads to truly new experiences, and it's the only road that practically does anything of worth -- increasing level of being. Provoking limits, extending limits.

One enemy I can see that is new is this: when younger I had a more romantic and innocent view of the world and life. But as you get older you see the jaws of cold necessity and age and how everything is really sort of unpleasant. The world doesn't give up trying to defeat you. You have to redouble your efforts not to be defeated or to slip unconsciously into it's power. One can see how truly holy men and women ended up with a robe and sandals and a very simple existence. I think one can possibly undo alot of what one attained in younger years by vegetating in the long run of years from your highpoint until old age death. A continual battle. Most likely you have to just accept that you will have to repeat past efforts to stay strong and up-to-speed... (This may sound self-centered, because helping others is an option, but you have to stay strong and awake and developing yourself to be able to help others...)