Q1: John, could you say what the difference was in the meeting yesterday, compared to when the same person was in the chair at David Thompson Resort? At David Thompson you said that sometimes you come from way back, and questioners are coming from way back in order to relate. At David Thompson I found it really difficult to connect to anything that was going on in that meeting. It got me thinking, because it seemed to be a significant meeting for a lot of people. Yesterday, she was in the chair again and I thought I would really try to see what’s going on, to focus a bit more, and I felt much more connected to the talk.
John: It didn’t go as far back.
Q1: So what’s the significance of someone being in a meeting, and seemingly unable to come from where the questioner is coming from? I know you’ve said a few times that it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand, and if one person goes through we all go through, or something like that. I do believe it, but I find it hard to trust all the time. In those meeting I tend to just lose focus. Could you say anything about the more and what the significance is for those that aren’t getting things as they feel they should be?
John: For you?
Q1: For me, but there are probably a few others as well who feel out of the loop. Often the really deep talks that everyone talks about afterwards are the ones that, for me, were just nothing. I didn’t get it at the beginning and then I just lost it.
John: That’s just not so relevant for you at that time. What’s taking place in the meeting is just not up for you as directly as it is for others. Quite a few people would be relating in the way you are, and there are many that are relating in the way that the questioner is. Because there’s more of a voice to those who do relate than those who don’t, it makes those who don’t relate feel that everyone’s relating except you.
Q1: I can see it might be a bit like a math class where the teacher keeps teaching the hardest math to one student who keeps asking all the questions. I know it’s not like that, but when a questioner takes a big step, does that have an effect on me if I’m in the meeting?
John: Because you have reason to trust that what’s happening is not all made up, whilst you can’t relate to it and you don’t know the truth of it, you do know that what I’m doing is real. You’re knowing me, so you have reason to trust that this is worth letting in, and that this is real and true and good. That leaves you deeply open, deeply open beyond any experience in your self. That stretches your self. It also stretches your heart, and that’s good.
Q1: So in those meetings it’s really important not to be put off.
John: And not to let the meeting slide by.
Q1: It’s a challenge.
John: Then put everything in. Put all your antennae out there. You’re really tuned in for possibilities that you’re not relating to. You’re really there.
Q1: That’s what I thought I did yesterday, and I thought I got it, but it was obviously not quite as deep.
John: Still, it really does something because you’re applying your awareness in a way that’s not common for you. Even if you don’t get anything, every time you do that, you’re stretching your tuner. You’re bringing your tuning abilities right to your highest cutting edge, so you’re exercising little muscles that you don’t easily exercise.
Q1: Yes, I can feel that. It really has me being in a very different way in the meeting. It’s a big shift to stay open and stay engaged. It’s much more pleasant for me just to disengage.
John: Yes.
Q1: And the way to continue moving forward, to come from greater depth and to continue to expand in that way so I can relate to what’s going on, is that subtleties and just being aware?
John: If you can’t relate to the words and you tune to your highest capacity, you may still not be relating to the words and to the substance of what’s taking place, but within your own tuning you’re directly knowing instead of having to reason to trust that something real and true is happening. You’re knowing something real and true is happening but you still can’t relate. You can relate to what that is, you just directly know that it is. Right now you’re trusting that it is and you have good reason to trust that it is.
Q1: Sometimes I think I'm quite shallow because often my questions that come up relating to this are, “oh, I want to go deeper, I’m not connected to this” or “I’ve got resistances to this etc.” I know I have gone deeper since being here and that continues to happen. I shouldn’t even ask about how I’m struggling with this resistance or I can’t relate to this.
John: It’s fine.
Q1: I feel shallow and I live on a very surface level and I know I’m not a really surface person. It confuses me to find my self living in shallowness whilst being deep.
John: Some of the things taking place in meetings are off the chart, so for you not to be relating is quite understandable. Someone can have a lot of depth, but in some of these meetings they can’t track.
Q2: I don’t know if it was just important for me or for lots of people, but you said to a questioner that understanding isn’t needed. What’s needed is to realize this.
John: Not necessarily realize this, but realization is more important than understanding.
Q2: I got that understanding's not needed, that the self’s not needed and the past's not needed and then I felt it came to a point where the only thing that’s needed is to realize this. It just comes down to that one very small point.
John: If someone wouldn't know what this is, what’s important for them is just to come into what realization is without having to understand this.
Q2: The group opportunity came up again last night in the way that you and the questioner were relating. I felt there was such an opportunity for lots of people. Is there something we can do to further that? Is there something we can do as a group, or as individuals, to further that opportunity?
John: Fall in, and whatever there is for you to know is what you are looking for. You’re not looking to have the experience that the questioner’s having, or some other people in the room are having. You’re falling in and you’re open to know, or perhaps experience, anything that you’re capable of at this time.
