Phase 1: Roadmap

The visual representation below, our roadmap, sets out the main elements that we will be dealing with in Phase 1. We will be filling in more details as we move along, but the main outlines of the map should remain fairly stable. Logged in users can find a PDF of the theme talk on Like and Dislike here.  Anonymous visitors can see excerpts of that theme talk here.

A Brief Descriptions of these elements…

The Three Sources:

A study of J. G. Bennett’s four levels of selfhood

Material Self: Our level of organized selfhood for material and physical interactions with the physical world.
Reactional Self: The polar (dyadic) organization of selfhood that can generate energy through tension between the affirming and denying impulses in all of the centers.
Divided Self: Our “character”; potentially the reconciling (triadic) force for the reactional self, and ultimately the bridge to the inner world of essence and true being.
True Self: Once organized, it becomes the true “home” for our integrated will, our “I”.

Creating new perceptions and ways of seeing through Systematics:

The monad: Wholeness and the discipline of objective, dispassionate seeing
The dyad: Tension, and the generation of energies from that tension
The triad: Reconciliation and putting ourselves under higher laws
The tetrad: The activity of transformation

All and Everything: An Objectively Impartial Criticism of the Life of Man

 

Self Observation – The Inputs:

Selfhood: A New Framework: Understanding the different levels of selfhood, or how we organize and move between different perceptions of the world enables us to both see the prison in which we live and the means of escaping from it.

Systematics: Providing new tools and disciplines for self-observation.

Struggle: Creating the space and generating the energies needed to see ourselves.

 

The First Liberation: Freedom from Like and Dislike:
               This will be our primary focus for this phase. Stated in terms of an aim, we will:

1. Come to understand the “prison” of like and dislike, and our own slavery and imprisonment beyond any confusion or doubt.

2. Organize the resources and tools needed to move beyond Like and Dislike.

3. Undertake the struggles, methods and tasks needed to see and confront like and dislike in ourselves.

4. Come to a meaningful shift toward that freedom

 

Sources of Help:

The group: including our “partners”, the group sessions, shared understandings and energies

The website: as a means of communication, expression, and archiving of resources

Higher Help: confidence in receiving intelligent guidance for this process

 

The interim and ultimate aims:

Working toward freedom from like and dislike as a first step toward becoming a “Normal” human being.

 

 

 

Comments

Submitted by Florence Bray on Sun, 2014-01-12 07:07.

I think this website is going to be very helpful in our study. Thanks to John for all of this work.  Tim, thanks for your blogs and thanks to all who are working in this endeavor.

Submitted by JohnH on Sun, 2014-01-12 14:47.

Did the graphic image of the "Roadmap" help to clarify how all the pieces fit together?

Submitted by Florence Bray on Sun, 2014-01-12 15:19.

Yes, I did find the roadmap roadmap  helpful - graphics are a good tool for me.  As I have been reading the various materials and blogs I have been formulating the whole situation as: As I am I am unable to like what I dislike - yet with self observation I can see what I like/dislike and begin to separate (non-identify) which begins to allow me to see more about the event  (whatever it is) than what I simply like and dislike, If I can persist with that kind of thinking I can see, feel and appreciate the rewards of not reacting in my usual manner to every event that comes along.  I begin to value freedom from like/dislike and wish for that  freedom rather than approach non identification as a task. I feel I received a good bit of help all last week.

Submitted by JohnH on Sun, 2014-01-12 17:12.

Florence, in reading your post reply I was suddenly jolted into a realization that I, and probably many others, tend to focus on the painful and difficult struggle against domination by like and dislike instead of the joyous experience of freedom in the moment. Even better might be to focus on that feeling of freedom before and during the struggle, rather than  experiencing it later.  So thanks for the opening to that insight.