The Original Premise of the Enlightenment Intensive
When this technique began in the late 1960’s, it was given on a stand-alone basis. People from many different backgrounds attended this 3-day event and simply went home when it was over. Some people stayed in touch of course, but for most, the person had whatever experience they had and had to continue their work alone in whatever way they could. There was no way to process the issues that might have come up during or after the Intensive and, for many, there was nowhere to go now.
One of the reasons why I began to give these Intensives is because, from the beginning, I wanted to also create programs for those who wanted to continue their inner work after the Intensive ended. Also, I felt it was necessary as many people suffered as they re-entered the world after an Intensive and didn’t know what to do with or how to apply the experiences they had during the 3 days.
As a result of what happened above, in order to enter these classes, one must be enrolled in the Meditation/Contemplation courses. This prerequisite may seem excessive and I have thought about it for a long time, but my experience is that it is necessary. There are many reasons for this, but there is one that made it clear to me and forced me make this requirement.
The Discovery of ‘Beingness’
The term ‘beingness’ has many meanings. This suggests that one person’s notion of it may be very different from another person. So, let’s be as clear as possible. The best way to describe what I mean is that the Enlightenment Intensive often results in two very important discoveries.
1. That we are not just physical bodies whose existence is over when we die. Some use the term ‘Soul’ to describe this. It doesn’t matter what term we use. What seems to matter most is that before we can be willing to begin real, difficult work on ourselves, we must know what is at stake. Theory and belief are valid starting points, but they are not enough to become willing to give the great effort needed to move towards a real paradigm shift.
2. That the first process for us is this. We must discover what exactly we are up against in our work of spiritual transformation. The E.I. often creates the necessary conditions for this to be realized.
G.I. Gurdjieff wrote something important. I have covered this in my articles on the planetary body called Chiron. Chiron is the archetype for a very important transition stage in our progress, our Soul’s progress. Gurdjieff stated that before we can BEGIN real Work on oneself, a person must go through a journey of its own. He felt that human beings couldn’t just start doing Work, because they didn’t know how to do it yet. This initial journey informs us experientially what we must deal with and how to do so.
The E.I. is one way to get to where we need to go. It isn’t the only way, but in my personal experience it is the best way I know of since, despite the simplicity of the technique, it is an extremely potent one. It provides the tools we need as well as the training that will help us continue on whatever path we choose.
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