The next question at lunch on Sunday 5 March 1989 was from Pablo. He said that he had become “quite muddled about” how to work. He came with an intention of focusing his attention just below the navel, and the reading about Mr Bellybutton had helped him.
“His centre of gravity was not in the true place, not in the tanden,” said Mr Adie, referring to the Japanese concept which is treated in von Durckheim’s book Hara, one of his favorites.
“No,” said Pablo. “It also made me ask, if that’s my aim where is my centre of gravity? And it really struck me that although that’s where I place my attention, the centre of gravity is in the head that directs my attention to that and remembers to do it and responds to the sensation it experiences when I do it.”
“It moves,” said Mr Adie, “the centre of gravity can move. Supposing you want to talk to a person, so that he really believes you, and it’s a serious matter. What sort of gesture do you make? You don’t go like this (gesticulating around in the air) you go like that (placing his hand on his heart). See. That means you’re serious. In that case, here is the centre of gravity, you see, your heart. And above it there’s a head watching.”
“Don’t forget that you’re a man on earth under the sun, and you speak as that. The fact that you’ve got a higher part and you may even be in touch with it, does not take you off the earth, you’re still on it, and you speak as that man. Florence’s example showed the danger of a few too many words. If I am in the right place, I will find the words I need. They are all there, available.”
“But, Mr Adie,” asked Pablo, “how does that relate to your comment this morning about, ‘In the beginning was The Word’. What’s the starting point that makes work possible?” It will be remembered that this is where Pablo had begun.
“It’s the creation,” replied Mr Adie. “I’m recalling what was said in the beginning of St John’s Gospel, which is a marvellous statement, extraordinarily unusual. ‘In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God.’ It is three statements, that’s the Trinity. And if we try to understand it, there is a mystery. It means something, it obviously means something, he started the whole of his Gospel that way. And in a way it can refer to the creation. I mean every, the creation never ceases, so, every second is a second of creation, if I can know it. And that is why this question of the Word is so important.”
“So how does your self-creation commence? If you remain in your head alone, you won’t get very far. Forget the words now and just be satisfied to have a feeling which is. You have to be relaxed for such a thing. If you’re tense, you’ve got no feeling. You have to relax and balance and then you discover that you’ve got a solid sense. The spine has to be straight. This connects with everything, and as you go on, you try until you know at once that this is a good posture. The head, the feeling, the body. The carriage, the horse, the driver.”
“Does that help? And now, I need to be able to record what happens, so I use words, but which word? I’m very careful about words, but if I retain the feeling I will be in touch with something which corresponds to this event. So, I see that I want not that word, and not that one either. But, ah! This word! Sometimes a written sentences written has a big effect, but others can use the same words yet have no effect. It’s just a question of how it’s arranged, the order and the choice.”
“When you have had some experience, then ponder it. Come to yourself afterwards, and write something. You don’t want to worry, you make your effort, and then you return and re-read it later. Sometimes it makes good sense, sometimes not so good.”
“But it has this value: it is something which was formulated in a rather better state. I am in generally in a better state after a preparation, so in this state I try to put down what is important. This must have some importance because I am in a better state. So what is it? It’s legitimate. I want to formulate because my mind deals in words. And if I am relatively free of tension, then suddenly the word ‘relax’ has an added meaning over and above what it generally has for me. It becomes more my word. ‘Balance’ has meaning. ‘Reality.’ This is a sort of meditation.”
“Our work is mystic. We must be prepared for that. It’s miraculous, it’s the Great Work. There is a possibility of being quite different from what we knew a second ago. I am learning how to be able to change my own state. This is true magic to be to have that as concept to be able to change your state. You feel angry. How to be able to go just like that (lifts one finger) and you’re not angry. It’s possible, just with one gesture, if you have enough connections, if you made enough efforts, it’s quite possible.”
“Then you might ask: ‘Well do I love that person? Do I love? Could I love humanity?’ You will see.”
Once more, Mr Adie has said that we must remain with our feet firmly planted on the ground while aspiring to have some contact with the higher level. The methods, based in sensation and the collected state, make possible and a safe and sound progress.
