Date: Sat, 24 Jun 1995 04:26:52 -0400 From: RUnzicker@AOL.COM Subject: Re: Perspectives on Truth To: Multiple recipients of list MADNESS Given the interesting discussion, I have asked permission of my friend Dorothy Thomas, a psych survivor and teacher/healer, to share her outline for a presentation on "speaking one's truth." "FOLLOWING THE SIMPLE PATH OF TRUTH" (Notes for 'Gestalt-In-Action' Presentation: April 1990) Dorothy N. Thomas - INTRO: -It is my practice to follow a path of surrendering to the truth of 'what is', in reality, and to follow, as much as possible, what I label as the inner voice or guidance of God's will. -It is not an easy path to walk on this planet because most people have no sincere desire to really know truth, mine OR their own. Most people want truth conditionally, like love. "I want your truth as long as it's "good".....I want to know and be who I am only if what I find out about myself, and am, is "good". Few people would admit that this is so, even to themselves, yet this is certainly my experience in the world. -Following a path of truth does not mean having to run around telling your truth to everyone you meet. But it does mean practicing honesty and being willing to see and accept our "dark" side, our "shadow", as well as what we label as good. To be willing to see and accept the dark side of others, and of life, both generally and specifically. -I have never formally spoken about it. I may skip around. I find it difficult to talk about this path without making what is, in truth, very simple (though not easy) appear extremely complex and difficult. There are many paradoxes. Opposites that are both true. Please bear with me. - PREFACE: -This is my path, my truth, my biases, my opinions, my beliefs. No continual qualification during presentation. I will speak sometimes as though these are Universal Truths. -I believe one of the simplist and most direct ways to 'an enlightened path' comes from looking within for our answers...........by following the most simple, basic practice of "knowing and being thyself", in truth. (Socrates.) ALL OF WHO WE ARE. And for me, I believe this path works only in conjunction with surrendering to"God's will" or by having the foundation of our life's path rest in serving what is best for the Universe as a whole. It takes a great deal of personal integrity. Otherwise, this path could become a rationalization for personal egotism and selfishness. (Just as Fritz Perle's "Gestalt Prayer" can.) -When I speak of God throughout this presentation, I am speaking of God in the way Maslow defines God "not as a person, but as a force, a principle, a gestalt-quality of the whole of Being, an integrating power that expresses the unity and therefore the meaningfulness of the cosmos, the dimension of depth." There are many labels for this same force. I use God. -I believe no books have to be read, no theories learned, no gurus followed, no teachers listened to. Although outside forces are all tools we can use on our path, most people are separated from their own truth and knowing by continually searching outside for their truth. - HISTORY: -l978, series of intense Kundalini experiences which totally blew everything I had believed and thought to be true out of me and left me totally empty. Psychotic episodes. Poetry, writing. New truths. Prior to that I was a "normal" southern belle living in ignorance and non-awareness. Raised to people please, and with the unspoken continual teaching that what everyone else thinks about who I am is much more important than who I really am. I had not prayed for 9 years. Even vegetarians were "weird" in my world. I knew nothing about real honesty and truth. -l979, vision to one day begin a "transpersonal training center". Although a momentary vision, it was not fleeting. It was also clear that the way to the actualization of the vision was to not 'try' or in any way 'do' things to make it occur. To simply honor the truth of who I AM in each moment. To surrender to the on-going truth of WHAT IS. - CONCEPTS: 1) PROSTITUTION- -We are a society raised as prostitutes to our souls and true selves. A society of very dishonest people going around believing and aying that we are, as individuals, honest. Convincing ourselves that saying YES when our TRUTH is a NO is not dishonest because we don't want to hurt another's feelings or we're obligated to them because they did such and such for us, or because we don't want them to think "bad" of us, etc. -Other forms of prostitution are 1) PERSONALLY (not necessarily professionally) spending time with people that we really have no interest in being with; 2) LISTENING to people talk on and on about stuff we could care less about while our mind wanders and we nod our head and do other little things to make it SEEM we are interested. 3) Being really friendly with people we don't like (even calling them "Sweetie", etc.) 4) Being sexual with someone we really know we don't want to be with-or-going through with an initially wanted sexual experience that has already begun even after realizing that we don't want to anymore (obligation.) 5) Parental prostitution: there's a difference between being a good parent to our children and prostituting our own individuality and growth for them. I feel we model a great deal of unhealthy learnings to our kids through our various forms of prostituting ourselves for them and for others around us. -Group participant prostitution: Biggest example is when, just after completing a freeing and insight producing piece of right brain work, we sit during feedback and allow the essence and healing energy of the work to dissipate by forcing attention on other group members' feedback, which is often in the form of left brained advice, analysis, judgement, etc. Also, during a piece of work where the leader invites those group members who would like to come join in a "hands on" or group hug, many people do so against what their truth is. That is prostitution. -There is a fine line between prostitution and CONSCIOUS CHOICE made in full awareness of what we are "up to". A lifestyle of prostitution is different from an occasional act of prostitution with awareness. -In essence, we prostitute ourselves anytime we are being who we're not or not being who we are. -A lifestyle of prostitution robs us of energy. Robs us of our true self, of knowing and living our real TRUTH, of being and becoming all that we are capable of being. 2) UNIVERSAL HEART (SELF) AND PERSONAL HEART (SELF)- -We are both. It can be confusing.