"I of my own knowledge…"

This is a long excerpt from the book Civilization by Kenneth Clark, later Lord Clark, writing in 1969. I was living in Florida in the early 1970s and I watched the ten-part PBS series “Civilization” (the transcripts of which comprise this book) and I remember how moving it was. The test of any work of art — including the art of accumulating and disseminating wisdom — is the test of time. Forty years one, I find little to criticize here. These were his concluding words, pp. 346-7

And yet when I look at the world about me in the light of this series, I don’t at all feel that we are entering a new period of barbarism. The things that made the Dark Ages so dark — the isolation, the lack of mobility, the lack of curiosity, the hopelessness – don’t obtain at all. When I … visit one of our new universities, it seems to me that the inheritors of all our catastrophes looked cheerful enough… In fact, I should doubt if so many people have ever been as well-fed, as well-read, as bright-minded, as curious and as critical as the young are today.

Of course, there has been a little flattening at the top. But one mustn’t overrate the culture of what used to be called “top people” before the wars. They had charming manners, but they were ignorant as swans…. The members of a music group or an art group at a provincial university would be five times better informed and more alert. Naturally these bright-minded young people think poorly of existing institutions and want to abolish them. Well, one doesn’t need to be young to dislike institutions. But the dreary fact remains that, even in the darkest ages, it was institutions that made society work, and if civilization is to survive society must somehow be made to work.

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Why is there not worldwide outrage at the reckless arrogance being displayed here? Does anybody think this will be kept within limits? But if it’s done in the name of “science” it’s okay, right? That was certainly the Nazi viewpoint.

Notice the explanations that amount to saying, “it won’t be carried beyond certain carefully restricted bounds.” Sure. That’s what they said about cloning, too, and you may remember how well that worked. This is the ghastly end-result — or rather, it leads to the end-result, for unfortunately we’ve a long way to go in the wrong direction before we come to the end-result — of turning “science” into a god, and worshipping it with money and power.

From the Times, April 2, 2008: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3663033.ece

We have created human-animal embryos already, say British team

Mark Henderson, Science Editor

Embryos containing human and animal material have been created in Britain for the first time, a month before the House of Commons votes on new laws to regulate the research.

A team at Newcastle University announced yesterday that it had successfully generated “admixed embryos” by adding human DNA to empty cow eggs in the first experiment of its kind in Britain.

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If you have not yet heard of G.I. Gurdjieff, this may be your lucky day.

Back in 1972 I was introduced to the work of Gurdjieff by way of the work of P.D. Ouspensky. (The first book of Ouspensky’s I read was In Search of the Miraculous, the title of which in itself immediately grabbed me, as embodying my deepest yearning.) Here was evidence that deeper things that our culture denied nevertheless existed and perhaps could be found.

This was reinforcement that I needed, for I was very much alone, working without a school, without a religious tradition (having left the Catholic church as a teen) and without a teacher. If that is your situation, and you are of an intellectual bent, Gurdjieff’s work is in print and may take you far. Better, of course–in fact indispensible–is a teacher. But make yourself ready and the teacher will appear, though it may take you a while to recognize him, or her, as such. I well remember reading that “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear” and desperately hoping that it was true, but not of course knowing that it was. In fact, I had already met the man who would become my first teacher,  but  I could not read my life forward and so didn’t know that he was. Oddly, neither at the time did he.

But the point of this post was supposed to be Gurdjeiff’s criteria for finding and recognizing our proper work:

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A little long-winded, perhaps, but not the less insightful for all that. I copied out this quotation back in 1972. It doesn’t seem any the less applicable to the 21st century than it did to the last third of the 20th.

In human terms, how are we to describe… our own Western civilization, or any other of the 10 or 20 civilizations which we can count up on our fingers? In human terms, I should say that each of these civilizations is, while in action, a distinctive attempt at a single great common human experience, or, when it is seen in retrospect, after the action is over, it is a distinctive instance of a single great common human experience. The enterprise or experience is an effort to perform an act of creation. In each of these civilizations, mankind, I think, is trying to rise above mere humanity — above primitive humanity, that is, — toward some higher kind of spiritual life. One cannot depict the goal because it has never been reached, — or, rather, I should say that it has never been reached by any human society. It has, perhaps, been reached by individual men and women. At least, I can think of certain saints and sages…. But if there have been a few transfigured men and women, there has never been such a thing as a civilized society. Civilization, as we know it, is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not a harbor. No known civilization has ever reached the goal of civilization yet. There has never been a communion of saints on earth. In the least uncivilized society at its least uncivilized moment, the vast majority of its members have remained very near indeed to the primitive human level. And no society has ever been secure of holding such ground as it has managed to gain in its spiritual advance.
Arnold Toynbee, Civilization on Trial

It is pretty well understaood in spiritual circles, and increasingly even in some circles in science, that our mental world calls forth the external circumstances of our lives. If that’s so, then the clearer our image of the world we wish to live in, the more powerful our visualizing ability, and the stronger our “pull” toward another world. So, wouldn’t it be a good idea to sharpen our vision?

The mechanism for doing so is simple enough! Write out your vision, and when you’ve written it out, sharpen it, refine it, re-write it. And when you’ve written it out — subject to revision as often as you feel the need, as your inner world clears, perhaps — mull it, ponder it, let the vision become an integated part of your everyday mental world, rather than a wistful “wouldn’t it be nice if….”

This is not about producing a literary masterpiece. It is a mental exercise that has the potential to become part of your spiritual discipline.

An example, from my friend Nancy Ford:

My world is a safe, peaceful and abundant universe where conscious, loving and responsible beings live in an integrated, mutually beneficial manner with all other forms of life, balanced and harmonious.

A society that is aware of the determining factor of choice in the events surrounding their lives, and the life of their communities. The sensibility and understanding that to destroy another is to destroy oneself. The ability to live without causing damage or pollution and to transmute any that exists,

An honoring of diversity as the norm and the desire to learn from others, including off-planet beings, and other life forms,

A world where all are sheltered, fed, clothed, educated, and have access to advancement,

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This being Easter, it is perhaps a good time to point you to a very interesting discussion that I had with Joseph Smallwood some time ago, which you can find here:

http://frankdemarco.wordpress.com/2007/05/02/chasing-smallwood-32/

Beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 22, some of Rita’s friends and neighbors gathered in David Francis Hall at the Monroe Institute to celebrate her life — not least by telling stories. As usual I had my camera in my pocket, but it never seemed appropriate to take photos of the room or the participants beforehand, and, I admit, afterward I entirely forgot. There weren’t a tremendous lot of people there — maybe 50 — mostly I imagine because few of her extended network of friends, former students, fellow TMI participants, and former colleagues were able to attend on such short notice, and on the day before Easter. But I noticed that pretty nearly everybody from the New Land (the residential community surrounding the Institute) was there, which didn’t surprise me.

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Before we get into this short transcript, a caveat. To the question, “How do you know that you were really talking with Rita and not making it up?” there can only be one true answer: I don’t know. I think so, but I don’t know so. I can’t prove it, any more than I could prove any other conversation I have ever had Upstairs. All I can do is present the material as it came, and let you decide.

Rita Warren was stricken with a massive stroke at a little after 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, March 11, and lingered, paralyzed on her right side, without the power of speech, before finally obtaining release late Wednesday afternoon, March 19. While she was in that in-between state, on Friday morning, I decided to try to communicate with her, on the theory that although she was still tethered to the body she might have more freedom to communicate. Hence this. Material in brackets is added by me for the sake of clarity.]

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Rita Warren (1920-2008)

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This was to be part two of the introduction to the book that would explain what Rita and I had learned in extensive conversations with The Guys Upstairs. Rita’s training as academic comes through quite clearly here, I think.

The background

As Frank has reported, Bob Monroe turned his Explorer program over to my husband Martin and me shortly after his new lab was opened in early l984. Here is how that came about.

In 1979 Bob and his family had sold their home (“Whistlefield”) near Charlottesville, Virginia, and re-located about 30 miles south, in rural Nelson County, to build The Monroe Institute (TMI). He opened the first Gateway Voyage program in July, l979.
A friend and I had read about Bob’s work in his first book, Journeys out of the Body, and were eager to visit the Institute and participate in a Gateway. Fortunately, we were able to attend the second program given in Virginia, in August, 1979. My world changed in that week as it did for many who have experienced Gateway. [Those who have written about that life-changing event include Joseph McMoneagle (Mind Trek); Bruce Moen (Voyages into the Unknown), Ronald Russell (The Vast Enquiring Soul); F. Holmes Atwater (Captain of my Ship, Master of my Soul), and Frank himself (Muddy Tracks).]

I had thought of myself as a rather stodgy University professor during the l970s and early 1980s, although I had had some periods showing promise earlier. During Gateway, my life was full of color and amazing adventures, experiences beyond ego. I hadn’t planned to retire from teaching for another ten years or so, but when Bob offered lots near TMI for sale in 1980, I couldn’t resist. Martin, having already retired, came down to the New Land to build a large house so that we would have room for us and for Nan Wilson (the friend with whom I had done Gateway) and, shortly thereafter, Darlene Miller. Bob offered another Gateway for New Landers (as we were now being called) and although I was concerned that a second Gateway could offer nothing so incredible a second time, Nan and I attended, and I did indeed have more heart-warming and soul-stirring experiences.

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