Q: To give some shape to this meeting I can say there are two stones that can express this: there is something called a touchstone I read about, actually used to touch something supposed to be gold to see whether it is or not. And then there is the philosopher’s stone that turns base metal to gold. Maybe I can meet you in both of those, seeing where I’m at now and helping me see what is real, and what I believe is real that is not.
John: The touchstone is your gentled and quieted heart. It’s from there that you know the truth, that you can read the truth. When you’re not gentled and quieted in your heart that means that you don’t really want to know the truth. You’re in a distraction away from the truth. When you’re not gentled and quieted in your heart it’s inconvenient to know the truth. The truth within, as you respond to it, first brings you into being gentled and quieted in your heart. It’s the end of distraction.
The philosopher’s stone is a lot deeper than your heart. It’s much deeper than you being gentled and quieted in your heart. The philosopher’s stone is you, awareness, existing in life as a being, actually and really. It’s actual and real all the way through your self, your person and your life. Your touch into everything, as a being that has a life, makes everything golden.
Q: It seems to me that I have tasted this sometimes but it wasn’t stable and that’s annoying. How to stabilize this thing about the heart you always speak about: opening, softening and gentling?
John: By you opening and softening in the midst of every little thing in your self and in your life that touches into annoyance, frustration, disappointment. That involves a complete giving away of all of your power to the tiniest little bit within that you directly know the truth of.
Q: And this means the same as all my imagined identities that I have accumulated?
John: That all of the energy – the power that you use to empower your self and your life – you give all of that power, through your heart, to what you directly know the truth of. That’s home.
Q: Do you also have advice on this quite clever counterfeit-producing mind of mine? A week from now I could believe I’m following your advice, but it’s a mind-produced counterfeit of that. How do I stay not locked-in to that longer than necessary?
John: There’s only one way and that is honestly. Honesty, core honesty, knows the difference. Dishonesty doesn’t want to know.
Q: And honesty is the same as humility and surrender, would you say? Or very, very close.
John: Yes. It’s only the touchstone that introduces you to the philosopher’s stone.
Q: I think I knew that. Dreaming about gold doesn’t help that much, I think.
John: Dishonesty, a disquieted heart, wouldn’t know if the touchstone was even in its hand. It would be dismissed as just a stone.
Q: Thank you.
