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Hello John and Carla,

I was listening once more to the November 28, 2012 podcast and specifically to your response, John, to the questions I had in regard to my mood swings. What you said was something to the effect of:

Those moods, the sensation that is the mood of elation/unhappiness--the interpretation of those sensations themselves are... the remnants of the whole apparatus that was put into play by the fear of life, so that the sensations themselves are nothing. The feeling that elation is welcome and that the opposite of elation is unwelcome is the work of neurotic psychological devices.

Does this mean that as our life goes forward without the fear of life we will still be subject to elation and depression/sadness, etc., but not be upset/threatened by it? Am I perhaps getting confused between the recovery from the fear of life and feeling good? I am feeling confused by what you said above, and perhaps you could clarify that for me.

Best regards,

Marlowe

No, it does not mean that you will continue to suffer with the neurotic feeling states of elation and depression and the like (sadness is not necessarily neurotic, sadness abounds in our time).

The looking does not change the unfolding circumstances, the looking only rids you of that which makes you shrink from circumstance and seek escape from the actuality of life. And this, of course, gives you for the first time the direct experience of your actual life.

The best way to understand the effect of the looking is to think of it not as the final solution to life's problems and an end to all confusion, pain and sorrow, it just brings to you the actual direct experience of your human life unfiltered by the unexamined perceived need to protect yourself from your own life, and frees your self-reliant intelligence to guide you in the journey.

Is that any better?

love

John

Yes, I think so, John. Thank you, Marlowe

John this answer is so succinct..I just love it..

I experience even more moments of the deepest sadness..someone said to me in a critical way "if a cat died across the street you would take it personally and cry"

The funny thing is it's true ..I'm a person so of course I take things personally..I have no desire to dis-identify with all the ways life affects me...

I'm accompanying a good friend who is dying of cancer and she has a lot of anxiety and fear coming up..with her spiritual background she is trying to detach, dis-identify with the fear and judging herself for her lack of awareness etc...I simply said it's totally normal to be afraid just remember to look at yourself..you are here right...she was like really really grateful and relaxed finally....

Maureen

After looking just once more even thoughts of fear are easily embraced and moved on. Isn"t life grand.