WHAT’S GOING ON?       

#137 DECEMBER 2005

ALONG THE WAY 

It is not what has happened to us nor what has been done to us, but what we decided about those things.  And for those decisions, we are responsible.

THIS MONTH’S THOUGHT

The ability to make up the mind singly is called FAITH.

MAKING UP THE MIND    School Talk #25

We’re going to talk today about making up the mind. Considering that the ability to make up the mind singly is probably the most valuable asset that any of us could have.  Most of the time we are in a state of conflict—I want to, I don’t want to, I want to, but, –so we don’t usually make up our mind, except about the simplest things.  Now we all make up our mind many times a day, so it’s nothing esoteric or complicated.  You made up your mind to be here this morning.  You make up your mind to stand up.  And you stand up.  And you make up your mind to get a drink of water and you get a drink of water.

Now, we don’t know how to do anything.  I’ve made up my mind to be saying certain words, but I don’t know how to move all these little vocal cords, and the lips and the tongue.  If I had to figure that out I’d be a mute, because I couldn’t figure out how to do it. So, I’m aware of what I want to say and it happens.  So when you’re sure of what you want to do singly, you have made up the mind, period.

Now as long as we go in many different directions of “I want to do this, but,” we haven’t made up our mind.  If you said I want to stand up but I want to continue to remain seated, you’re not going to do much of anything.  I talked with a man on the weekend who said he just had to have an appointment with me.  He told me he wanted to go in business for himself and quit his job, which pays him very well.  But he didn’t want to get tied down. I’ve found out that anytime you have a business, you’re pretty well tied to it unless you want it to go broke right quick.  But, he prefers to have unemployment and a good business at the same time.  He probably won’t get very far with it. That’s conflict.  The “but” is a canceller.

Now, we’re all acquainted with the picture of man which shows that we want to be non-disturbed, and the way to get it is to complain, stick up for our right, blame, etc.  When you’re doing those, those are obviously disturbances.  They are not making up the mind very quietly or singly in any direction.

So, we’re going to talk about making up the mind about the things we don’t do every day. It has been said when two or more people agree about anything, in other words, two of us make up our mind at the same time about some thing, that it always happens. Having had a number of years of experience of working with that, it is factual, to the best of everything I have seen.  One of the ways I’ve seen it work the best is that you sit down and write out a piece of paper, like you were writing a contract, very specific, very precise, this is what we’re going to do or this is what I’m having to happen.  Two or more people sign that piece of paper after carefully reading it, in as much as you would sign a contract.  Then put the piece of paper away and you’ll find that it does happen.

Now when you make up your mind you don’t have to go over and over and over.  You don’t have to keep in mind.  You just make up your mind once and that’s it.  Now all healing and all unusual events that people attribute to having happened around the world is because somebody makes up their mind.  Now I’m called on to do that very frequently and I do it and try to do it when I’m all alone and very quiet. Not when I’m busy and being distracted.

Now seemingly we all know about the Picture of Man– X, awareness, physical body and function.  So the awareness decides “what.”  X takes care of the “how.” Now a lot of times we think we are going to make up our mind, but we say, “I don’t see how that could ever happen,” implying that I, awareness, with its little education can’t see how something’s going to happen, obviously Life, Spirit, whatever word we want to use, couldn’t do it.  Frequently we want to know the “how.”  We say, “I don’t know how, but if I could learn how, then I could do it.”  More than likely you’re never learn how.

So how it works is there’s “what” and  “how” involved in about everything.  If you could have a partner that you went out and got an order and you had a partner who would always fill it without any effort on your part, you’d have a pretty good working arrangement, would you not?  There is only one X, or one Life, and it has thousands and millions and billions of forms that awareness comes in.  Life knows exactly how to run everything.

But we have decided we know how or that we can’t know how.  So if you would like a little experiment in knowing how, why not start in to see what’s the first muscle, second muscle, third muscle, fourth muscle, fifth muscle you use to stand up with.  You’d be surprised. You’ll never figure it out.  You don’t have to go through all that.  All you got to do is make up your mind you’re going to stand up. And that’s it.

Now all the events in the world, one is no more complicated than the other one.  Now most of the things you would want in this world that you would say ‘what’ about is far less complicated than standing up.  If you ever looked at a human body’s anatomy, it’s got all kinds of little bending places all the way up through it, hundreds of them.  And there is no way you could prop it up to stand up.  Surprisingly, it is suspended from the head down, just far enough to reach the ground, is the way X does it.  But we never did notice that. The head goes up first.  The first muscle you tighten up if you’re going to stand up is in the back of your neck. See if you can stand up with your neck relaxed.  Try it.  (To be continued next month)

A STORY

Many years ago, unaware at that time of what I was doing, I experienced ‘making up the mind’.

I was about 8 years old and hadn’t seen Frank, an old friend of the family, for a long time.  When he walked into the kitchen, I looked up at him and started to say, “Hi, Frank.”  At that moment, he looked down at me and said “Hi, midget.”

As I remember it, this was the first time I had come face to face with the fact that I was different.  A huge lump arose in my throat and I felt tears start to sting my eyes.  I quickly ran out the back door and climbed to the second branch of my favorite tree. I sat there a long time, comforted by its protective branches.  “People think I’m different, but I’m not”, I sobbed.  Then with intense feeling, I cried, “Nobody is ever going to hurt my feelings again.”

I didn’t know the mechanics of this powerful decision until later.  But the decision was solid and has saved me much pain and heartache.

I now know that whatever anyone thinks of me is only their perception, which comes from their conditioning and has nothing to do with me.  I also know that we each have a valuing system and we all have different values.  If you don’t invite me to your party, you just have different values than I have.  It is not my job to criticize your valuing system.

Dr. Bob is correct.  Making up the mind is probably one of our greatest assets.  Generating enough intensity and single-mindedness to make the decision stick takes some effort and attention.

Maybe ‘hunger’ has something to do with it.  In the early 1970’s, I had a ‘hunger’ to become a pilot.  I can remember distinctly the exact explosive moment when the mindset changed from, “Wouldn’t it be nice “, to “I know I can do it.”  Just because I made the decision to learn to fly didn’t guarantee that it would all be smooth sailing, or rather, smooth flying.  I had greater depths of despair and higher peaks of joy in that learning situation than I had ever had before.

So, perhaps making a clear, concise single-minded decision has something to do with mindset.  And who is responsible for my mindset?  No one but me!  I can change my perception.  That may be the only thing I can change.  Somehow this all relates back to “Purpose of Living.”  A consciously chosen purpose (not the one to be non-disturbed which was unconscious) opens the way to new insights, information and perceptions.

Maybe it’s time for me to start over…one more time.

INTUITION (7/90) Dr. Bob Gibson

The most important thing any of us can have is a delightful inner feeling.  When you feel peace and joy, you have intuition.  Intuition is something that is naturally there. But when we’re anxious, we don’t hear it.  Intuition tells you exactly what to do.  You don’t have to think about it.

We make things important because we have an idea we know what ought to be and we try to arrange everything like we think it ought to be.  I may not like it, but I can stand a few things I don’t like.  But I’m not going to make it important.

Intuition is an internal teaching.  You suddenly know what to do when you’re serene and quiet.  You can’t force it.  To force it is to make it important.  You let it go. When I am making something important, I am always anxious.  Intuition works when you are NOT anxious.  It never works when you’re anxious. If you can get quiet you will know exactly what to do.  You can’t get quiet when you’re making things important.  Just keep quiet.

When you’re serene, your intuition works.  Get your mind quiet my making nothing important.   When you are serene and peaceful you find out about intuition.  It’s not something you learn, it’s something that happens.  And unless you’re quiet and peaceful you’ll never know what intuition is.

Question:  Is the intuition a little bit of wisdom?

Answer:  That’s the wisdom (intuition.) It will tell you really what needs to be done.  You get quiet and let it work and you will find yourself doing to without sitting and thinking about it.

Question:  Is that in every situation, Bob?

Answer:  Anything that you put value on you would do this.