Stuck on Step 1..?

[Omer Gilad]

I'm currently working on step 1 and getting completely clear about it - what I do is:
1. Read the step - "You must want Freedom/Imperturbability/Your goal more than you want control, approval, security and separation".
2. Notice if anything comes up, then release.
3. If nothing comes up or it feels stuck - Would I like to change/control that? Would I like to figure that out? etc.

Seemed to be fine at the beginning, but now it feels like going in endless circles, no matter how much I release on it - including stuckness. Is there a point where I am supposed to KNOW that the step is in place? Where does it end? Where is the stage where I can say "OK, next..."
Has anyone done any kind of releasing directly on the step? Is it recommended at all?
The reason I do this is because I feel that the step is completely off, I always get distracted by everything, I am not clear on goals, I don't have any real intention.

Thanks ahead

[Frank]

Omer, I'll be interested with what replies you get, because I feel I am a lot like you. When you say, "I always get distracted by everything, I am not clear on goals, I don't have any real intention." You could be speaking about me, too. I'm going to guess that you have a lot of aversions. That is, things you want to move away from. When thinking about things you want, you're sub-consciously focusing on a negative result. You many not be aware of this, as you may have been doing it so long it's become automatic. Just like when you get on a bike, you don't think about how to ride it.

If I am right about this, then there are othes here much more advanced than I that can suggest processes or course work that better deals with aversions. Again, I'll be interested too.

[Zannie Rose]

Omer,I chose step one as my focus with a releasing buddy last week. Quite a lot showed up, including fear that god would take away those people who are precious to me if wanting freedom is more important than wanting the world. I discovered how much I wanted guarantees that all this releasing would work..which gave me a fit of giggles after a few minutes.
I dont think that one session on step one is all that is necessary, I think that I will have to return to it again and again, but it isnt a waste of time as once stuff is released it is gone for good. I find it works best for me to have an abstract goal such as this one or ' I allow myself to be happy'.along with a material goal such as 'I have my own place in Devon'

[Omer Gilad]

Frank - Yes, I would be happy to have a good process for aversions in general, currently this is what shows up - I don't have many "things I really want", only things I don't want.

Zannie - you seem to be right, but I don't even care about "wanting Freedom more than the world" - Currently I don't seem to want the world (aversions)...

[Tom Verbroekken [Hootless Crew]]

Nice stories Omer...give your mind a pat on the back. "That helpful mind", as Hale would say with sarcasm :)

You are not releasing, but in your mind trying to figure it all out. Here's what to do about it:

1) Could you welcome any and all wanting to figure things out regarding the Sedona Method?
2) Could you welcome any and all resistance to releasing?
3) Could you welcome wanting to change the feelings of stuckness?
4) Could you welcome all attachments and aversions to the world?

Good. Now, you know what you don't want, and that's a good first step in the right direction. Turn those statements around and you'll have what you do want. Let me give you some examples:

"I don't want to be sad" turns into "I allow myself to be happy with ease". sad -> happy
"I don't want the world" turns into "I allow myself to be free with ease". shackles -> freedom
"I am distracted by everything" turns into "I allow myself to be focused with ease". distraction -> focused.

That's how you find out what you do want. Turn your "I don't wants" around by looking at the polar opposites. Then turn it into a goal statement and release it. It's that simple. Keep it simple. You are trying to make the Sedona Method complex, and that will never work because truth is simple. If truth were complex, then your mind would have figured it all out by now, hmm?

When you allow the Method to work for you, then the efforting drops away fast. Allow it to work for you, and then it will work you in ways you have not imagined.

And you know how aversions work, but your mind has convinced you otherwise at the moment. Do an attachments/aversions sheet on aversions themselves, ie:
"What advantage is it to me to have aversions?"
"What disadvantage is it to me to have aversions?"
"What do I like about having aversions?"
"What do I dislike about having aversions?"

And then end it with a "squeezin' the lemon" set:
"Imagine always, always aversing everything."
"Imagine never, ever aversing anything ever again - it's impossible."

Let me know how it works out for you :)

[Omer Gilad]

Thanks, you help a lot. I have a tendency to over-complicate the method, which always keep coming back... I would be happy to hear of a good process for this. Right now I'm also doing resistance/attachments/aversions to simplicity.

And back to the first post (yes, right now I released a lot about it) - What is this "Getting step 1 in place" thing once and for all? In the basic courses Larry and Hale never mention anything about it. In fact, they keep those six steps like a "mysterious part of the method" and barely elaborate about them - only telling you to have a look at them when you're stuck. Sometimes it helps. sometimes it doesn't.
But yet, people in this community and GoingFree.org keep talking about "completely getting step 1 in place" before doing any releasing work. In my experience so far, whenever I tried to do that by releasing, I didn't get anywhere, just more stuck than before. I now tend to stick with Hale's approach - let it come naturally.

Tom Verbroekken said:

Nice stories Omer...give your mind a pat on the back. "That helpful mind", as Hale would say with sarcasm :)
You are not releasing, but in your mind trying to figure it all out. Here's what to do about it:
1) Could you welcome any and all wanting to figure things out regarding the Sedona Method?
2) Could you welcome any and all resistance to releasing?
3) Could you welcome wanting to change the feelings of stuckness?
4) Could you welcome all attachments and aversions to the world?

Good. Now, you know what you don't want, and that's a good first step in the right direction. Turn those statements around and you'll have what you do want. Let me give you some examples:

"I don't want to be sad" turns into "I allow myself to be happy with ease". sad -> happy
"I don't want the world" turns into "I allow myself to be free with ease". shackles -> freedom
"I am distracted by everything" turns into "I allow myself to be focused with ease". distraction -> focused.

That's how you find out what you do want. Turn your "I don't wants" around by looking at the polar opposites. Then turn it into a goal statement and release it. It's that simple. Keep it simple. You are trying to make the Sedona Method complex, and that will never work because truth is simple. If truth were complex, then your mind would have figured it all out by now, hmm?

When you allow the Method to work for you, then the efforting drops away fast. Allow it to work for you, and then it will work you in ways you have not imagined.

And you know how aversions work, but your mind has convinced you otherwise at the moment. Do an attachments/aversions sheet on aversions themselves, ie:
"What advantage is it to me to have aversions?"
"What disadvantage is it to me to have aversions?"
"What do I like about having aversions?"
"What do I dislike about having aversions?"

And then end it with a "squeezin' the lemon" set:
"Imagine always, always aversing everything."
"Imagine never, ever aversing anything ever again - it's impossible."

Let me know how it works out for you :)

[Frank]

Yes Tom, I agree with Omer. Once again from you, just excellent stuff.

Thanks.

[Tom Verbroekken [Hootless Crew]]

Ok, The Six Steps. That's a good point you bring up - and I'm sure it confuses a lot of people. I guess you are better able to understand the six steps after doing the processes first and that's why they place them towards the end of the course. Had you started off the course with step one, "You must want freedom more than you want the world" (this is Lester's original phrasing), I think most people would have never gone beyond page 1. It throws up too much ego resistance, if you get what I mean.

So let me explain Step One in such a way that it it is comprehensive for everyone. The Six Steps are there to make sure you stop the suffering in your life. By having step one in place, you prevent all suffering - therefore a lot of releasers place the emphasis on having step one in place. If you release to "get" things from the world then you only generate more wanting for yourself, thus keeping yourself stuck in suffering. Do you see, hear or feel how that works?

Let's say you are wanting to have financial freedom. If you're wanting financial freedom more than freedom, then this is what happens: you end up lusting for it, craving for it, needing very badly. However, when you release on financial freedom with the intention of having freedom, then this happens: you drop the wants until they are all gone, and you're feeling lighter and happier along the way. In other words, you're releasing to get your underlying wanting approval, control, security, seperation and oneness out so you can be clear on your topic, such as financial freedom. This gives you true freedom and you'll notice that the goal happens without any efforting, any struggling whatsoever because you are in flow with life. There are no attachments and no aversions, and therefore you realize your goal(s) quickly and effortlessly.

Also, when you drop a want, let's say wanting approval, it gets knocked out "across the board" as Lester would say - it drops a piece of your total wanting approval and it's gone forever.

This is why having step one in place is super important. If step one is off, you're back into lusting things, people, events, objects - thinking they give you what you need. But everything is already inside of you, so when you release to gain freedom, you discover that all the pleasure is already yours - right there inside of you, independant of external "stuff". This is what Lester meant with "wanting freedom more than the world". Release to get your wants out, so you can experience the truth of who you are - that is releasing for freedom.

So when you release, make sure you go for the underlying freedom you get from releasing on your topic instead of going for the topic itself - this makes all the difference in results I've noticed myself. If step 1 is off, you keep on circling in the mind - and when it is in place, goals happen, and life is so much easier.

And as always, take this for checking - don't believe a word I'm saying, but take it for checking yourself.

Namaste,

Tom :)

[Tom Verbroekken [Hootless Crew]]

To take this for checking, ask yourself this question:

"What do I want more than freedom right now?"

Your mind will shoot up what you're currently "lusting" at - relationships, money, health, wealth, security, sex, etc.
When something comes up, welcome it as best you can, and then look for the underlying want, and knock it out.

Keep going until your mind is clear :) I know this is a pretty confronting exercise (from Larry's Goals & Resistance course), but very powerful and therfore highly recommended!

[Omer Gilad]

Thanks for reminding me of this exercise.
Last time I did it, I woke up the day after and I was told by an officer that 7 months were cut off my military service, which was amazing =)

Tom Verbroekken said:

To take this for checking, ask yourself this question:

"What do I want more than freedom right now?"

Your mind will shoot up what you're currently "lusting" at - relationships, money, health, wealth, security, sex, etc.
When something comes up, welcome it as best you can, and then look for the underlying want, and knock it out.

Keep going until your mind is clear :) I know this is a pretty confronting exercise (from Larry's Goals & Resistance course), but very powerful and therfore highly recommended!

[Frank]

Geez Tom, that makes so much sense. I don't have the Goals and Resistance course, but I'm sure I've read that explained before. I guess it just never registered with me. Thanks again!!!

[Omer Gilad]

Wow, this exercise brings an endless pile of shit. I wonder if it has an end, or something which will actually last as a goal statement...

[Tom Verbroekken [Hootless Crew]]

No, you only think it is endless. That is the mind again: "this is endless - so stop".

I highly encourage you to continue instead. Are you running your mind, or is it running you? At the moment you are letting yourself being run by your mind, and that is unfortunately a misunderstanding. "The mind is a terrible master", as Hale would say. Whenever it throws up crap such as "it's an endless pile of shit", just say to it: "I love you". And whatever it continues to throw up, just say "I love you". That will quiet the mind very quickly.

"I'm gonna die - I love you". "Life's a dark tunnel with no light at the end - I love you." "I don't know what will last as a goal statement - I love you". "I wonder if this exercise has an end - I love you."

When you do this for a couple of minutes, the mind will have nothing to say anymore because love is the answer to everything.

Take it for checking, and keep on going, no matter what the mind throws up at you. Especially when it throws up heavy stuff then absolutely continue now :)