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jamenta
- "If it isn't fun - stop doing it!"
Mary,
This is my first posting on this
Suite101 site (whoo hoo!).
Since I have been following the New Age
movement and psychical research and
psychology now for many years, and (don't
tell anybody) find these topics more interesting
than politics and people's revolutions (sigh);
here I am, and I guess as Luther once said,
"Can I do no other?" Or something along
those lines ... actually, now that I am
recalling his quote, he said something like,
"Here I stand. God help me! I can do no
other." That too isn't accurate, but a
little closer.
I also was once a good friend to Steve
Kangas, apparently a one time editor
here at Suite101, and quite an outspoken
liberal (much as I do remember him).
Steve was someone whom I think would have
been as surprised as I have been these
last few days (having just learned of his
death but two days ago - YES, some people
do live under big rocks) - at the enormous
notoriety and publicity of his death. But
as you and I suspect - his death most likely
was just a physical death, and his spirit
passed over to another reality - albeit,
not exactly like the physical reality we
find ourselves in now, but most likely
another reality with different sets of
rules, and one (as far as all my readings
on the subject so far suggest) where Steve
was able to review his life, meet with
those that also passed over, whom he was
close too, and where he could find some
repose and reflection from the passion
(and I suspect anger) which drove him to
so strange and likely unhappy physical exit.
(And here's to you Steve, and your hoped
for "soul" growth ...given each life
contains profound meaning... if you are aware
of me writing this today.)
Now. Onto your provocative article
that you posted Mary, which I am responding
too, on "Working to Awaken". Two things
first; upon reading your article, I was first
reminded of an old comic strip I once
(oh about 15 years ago) cut out from a
newspaper. It was Hagar the Horrible.
The strip went something like this: In
the first cut, Hagar is asking a local monk
who he could ask for advice in regards to
"The secret of a happy life." The monk
replies "You will find a very wise old
man at the very top of Mt. Himalaya" (Or
something like that.) The next few cuts of
the comic strip, show Hagar assiduously
climbing up this very steep mountain, which
obviously is hard going for Hagar because Hagar
is not exactly in the best of shape, and there
is a blizzard raging outside. Hagar finally
reaches an old bearded man, covered with snow,
sitting in a lotus position on a shelf near
the top of this mountain. Hagar does not
hesitate to present to the old man his
question, "What is the secret to happiness
and long life?" Out of the blue lips of this
nearly frozen monk comes the answer, "Chastity,
poverty, self-sacrifice and abstinence." There
is silence for a moment. Then in the final
cell of the comic strip, Hagar asks, "Is
there someone else up here I can talk too?"
The second thing your article reminded
me of, was a quote from one of Jane Robert's
ESP classes. Seth, as you know, was Jane
Robert's famous trance personality; and though
one may be skeptical on whether Seth was
just an unconscious production of Jane Robert's
fertile imagination, or indeed was as he
claimed he was "An energy essence no longer
focused in physical reality" (Seth Speaks) -
what this personality did have to say many
have found to be astonishingly enlightening
and very New Age'ish (if there is such a
thing.) Note too, that Richard Bach's
("the Seagull" as Seth used to call him,
Shimoda from Illusions was based on his
meeting with Seth and Jane Roberts.
(This is not very well known fact by
the way.)
Anyway, Seth came through in Jane's class
one day and told the members this:
"If it isn't fun - stop doing it!"
Let me repeat that to you again,
"If it isn't fun - stop doing it!"
Now, I have to admit, when I first
read that line, I was stopped cold in
my tracks, much like Jane Robert's ESP class
was on that 1974 spring afternoon, when this
now famous not-physical personality made this
remarkable statement. One person - a Richie
Kendall, screamed at Seth as soon as he heard it:
"STOP IT???" Richie screamed, shutting
Seth off in midbreath, STOP IT??? You
mean, just like that - just STOP it?
Anything - ANYTHING that's not fun??
Just like that???? Just - STOP IT????"
And the excerpt continues:
"Seth nodded, smiling broadly at
Richie. "Creativity and the joy
of the gods does not involve responsibility -
in your terms, now," Seth said. "Being
knows its own actions, and when
you are yourself, you fulfill any
responsibility that any god or man
could lay upon you from the outside."
By the way this excerpt is taken from Susan
Watkins book "Conversation with Seth, Volume II",
copyright 1981 - if you are at all interested. An
excellent account by the way of Jane's
ESP classes held by Jane in Elmira New York.
Now of course, many other class members
also chimed in: What if nobody wanted to WORK
anymore?! What if you no longer liked your kids?
What if you stopped taking care of your
grandmother because it was no fun anymore? And so
on and so on. The funny part to is Seth came
right back and said:
"Your world is not in dire straits
because you trust yourselves,
but precisely because you do not."
And then goes on to say:
"I come here because it is fun. I have
fun when I come here. I do not come
here because I feel that I have any
great responsibility for your beings
or welfare. Who am I to set myself
against the innate wisdom of your
individual being, or to take upon
my invisible shoulders the great
privilege or joyful responsibility
of your behavior and destiny?"
(Again, quoted from Conversations II)
So. Anyway Mary, this concept (believe it or not)
is echoed in other sayings. Perhaps one of the
most famous quotes of all:
"Consider the lilies of the field, how
they grow: they toil not, neither do
they spin: and yet I say unto you,
That even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these"
Mathew 6:28-29
The main idea here then is - that one need not
work to AWAKEN. That true spirituality lies in
your spontaneity, and following what is deep in
one's heart. For where the heart lies, there
lies one's treasure (I think that's another quote
which I haven't quoted exactly (sigh) And more
importantly, if you are finding it hard to wake
up in the morning; or you must force yourself
to enjoy something you find dull or distasteful
- then perhaps you need to reconsider how you
are living your life, and find something else
to do - something fun, something that will
make you want to wake up.
And if WORK isn't FUN - STOP DOING IT!! 
John A.
