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constantly trying to wash away this boundary of “self” that we are
maintaining by our addictions and our stored memories。 But we keep
drawing a self boundary in the addictive sand of our personality so that it is
continually defined and redefined in our experience。
With each addiction that you are successful in upleveling to a preference； you
will find that a hunk of this “self” disappears。 Instead of experiencing people
as objects； you increasingly feel them as “us” or “like me。” Gradually； with
the upleveling of almost all of your addictions into preferences； this sharply
defined experience of “self” leaves you。 You then begin to identify with other
people even when they do something that previously would have triggered an
angry response in you。 You just see that they are doing something that you
have done hundreds or thousands of times and you do not throw them out
of your heart。
When you are heavily addicted； your experience of “self” is solid like a block
of ice。 When you have succeeded in reprogramming almost all of your
addictions into preferences； your “self” loses its rockness and begins to have
the adaptability and clarity of water。 When one is operating primarily on
preferences； the hardness melts and instead there is a conscious fluidity。 In
this state； like water； your sense of “self” is infinitely flexible to
acmodate itself to your here…and…now surroundings。 But there is still a
gentle experience of “self” even at the Fourth through Sixth Centers of
Consciousness。 All of the intense separateness and alienation of the previous
rock…like “self” is gone but a shadow of the former “self” still remains。
Since it is now so flexible； and since you have trained your ego not to fire
your energy into guarding and defending it； this gentler experience of “self”
does not keep you from enjoying a happy life。 The self boundary created by
your preferential programming enables you to love everyone unconditionally
including yourself。
For the few intrepid explorers of the mountain of consciousness who wish to
go to the top （which in the Living Love Way we call the Seventh Center of
Consciousness）； even preferences must be reprogrammed。 The same tools of
mindfulness that enable one to get rid of addictions can be used to eliminate
preferences。 But one should realize that just as the ability to skillfully play
the Brahms violin concerto is extremely rare and attainable only by a few
people； the ability to reside in the Seventh Center of Consciousness is unusual
today。 Enjoying life in the Fourth through Sixth Centers of Consciousness is
something that almost every one of us can do when we are sufficiently fed up
with yo…yoing between pleasure and pain and are determined to use the Five
Methods to get free of the addictions which keep us from continuously
enjoying life。
At the Seventh Center of Consciousness even the fluid self boundaries
disappear。 As water evaporates； it bees a transparent vapor。 Similarly； at
the highest level of consciousness； the experience of “self” bees a
transparent vapor that does not affect perception or dam up the intuitive
wisdom that is within each of us。 As our perception of “self” or “somebody”
disappears； we bee “nobody” which then lets us be in an unitive space
with everybody。
And so； step by step； we climb the mountain of consciousness。 We find the
path that most beckons to us and then we let the cosmic energy within each of
us impel us toward the loftier regions where serenity； unconditional love； and
fulfillment await us。
Chapter 19
How to Recognize Your Addictions
Since the Living Love Way to Higher Consciousness is based on gradually
eliminating your addictions； it is most important that you learn to
automatically spot them in your moment…to…moment flow of consciousness。 A
year contains 31；536；000 seconds each of which offers you an opportunity
to grow in consciousness。 How fully you benefit from these thirty…one million
opportunities is up to you。
You can recognize an addiction by your awareness that your bioputer is
using emotional programming to make you irritated； angry； jealous； confused；
tired； bored； defeated； fearful； resentful； or upset in one way or another。 Once
you are well on your way to reprogramming your more gross addictions； you
may then bee aware of your subtle addictions。 A subtle addiction does
not get you upset emotionally but with a subtle addiction your
consciousness is preoccupied with the addiction for a period of minutes；
hours； or days。
We may kid ourselves that we are thinking profoundly and continually about a
subject； but we’re actually churning away most inefficiently and ineffectively
and diverting energy and consciousness that could be more optimally used。
As you grow into higher consciousness； your here…and…now broad…channel
perception and your relative freedom from having your consciousness
dominated by addictions will intuitively give you the wise and effective
answer to any problem。 As you work toward the higher levels of
consciousness； you will find that “thinking” （juggling words； hypotheses； and
ideas centering around a problem） is usually not the way to find the optimal
solution to your problems。 A free； undominated awareness that is highly
attuned here and now to the people and situations around you will best enable
you to benefit by the wisdom that is waiting to be tapped in your
bioputer。 Your problem is to get at the wisdom that you already have
but which is now inaccessible due to your security； sensation； and powerdominated
consciousness。
One of the obstacles we must overe to grow into higher consciousness is
the “Spiritual Lawyer” phase。 When we first begin our journey and really see
the job of reprogramming that awaits us； our ego will experience a threat
because of a necessity to change certain lifetime habits that keep us on lower
consciousness levels。 But then once the ego gets familiar with the rules of the
game； it learns how to distort these rules so that we can rationalize our
avoiding the Twelve Pathways and other tools for consciousness growth。
Let us suppose that you annoy yourself when someone asks you to repeat
something you just told him。 Your ego puts your consciousness on the power
level by introducing the thought that if the other person had given you enough
of his attention and realized the importance of your worlds； he would have
been able to hear you clearly the first time。 Your ego then tells you that it is
important that the other person learn to respect you enough to pay attention
when you speak。 You are showing your irritation in order to help him
develop better habits of attention。 Your ego at that time does not permit you
to remember that your uptightness is a sure sign of an addiction （in this case a
power addiction） and that you are creating duality and alienation between
yourself and the other person。 All of us from time to time ask people to
repeat what they have said。 And so the other person is just doing something
that all of us have often done。 If we were responding from the Love Center
of Consciousness； we would feel no irritation and simply repeat the
information asked f