The Eye Technique

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Something Richard said that I found useful was to practice bringing my visual awareness to the very front of the eyeballs. I found this is the best ‘I’ can do to mimic ‘self’-less seeing – there is less of the feeling of ‘me’ looking through the eyes and more of the feeling of the eyes seeing. In this way you also avoid the risk of becoming ‘the observer’ watching ‘the observed’, but more closely mimic what you actually are – the universe sensately experiencing itself as a thinking and reflective corporeal human being.

– Peter
(link: http://www.actualfreedom.com.au/actualism/peter/selected-correspondence/corr-method5.htm)

I found this so very helpful today.  This little tip ended up being pretty effective in giving me a pretty perfect day today.  Fantastic.  It has helped me to let the moment live me as Richard suggested to a respondent on the Yahoo group recently:

I have oft-times said that if one allows this moment to live one (rather than trying to live in the moment) one’s journey will be over sooner rather than later.

– Richard
(link: http://actualfreedom.com.au/richard/listdcorrespondence/listd45.htm#05Jan14)

It’s advice that I am putting into action as best I can.

Update

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I updated the AF Reading page tonight.  I haven’t posted anything to this blog in a while.  I have been continuing to read and apply the actualism method.  I’ll try to post something soon to the main blog in case there is anyone reading this.

Under a Microscope

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microscope“One literally puts oneself under a microscope and amazing discoveries are there for the making – things one was avoiding, things one was ignorant of, things one dared not to look at, things no one had told you, things that were completely different from what you assumed and believed to be so. This is the very business of an actualist – it is only by making this ‘inner’ journey of discovery by oneself, for oneself, that one is able to become free from belief. You get to find out what you are as distinct from ‘who’ you think and feel yourself to be – the ‘who’ that others and blind nature have programmed you to be.”
-Peter (From: http://www.actualfreedom.com.au/actualism/peter/selected-correspondence/corr-method.htm)

I had an interesting experience for the 50k race I ran last weekend.  I got sick at my stomach the day of the race but I went ahead and started anyway.  I was able to make 23 of the 31 miles and then I just couldn’t continue and had to drop out of the race.  My very first DNF for a race.  Oh well.  I still had fun and enjoyed myself even though I threw up a lot during the race (about seven hours total for me).  A lot of people tried to comfort and console me.  I found it amusing.  I didn’t see my failing to finish as a problem at all.  It was just the facts of my situation.

Next up I’ll be working on building up my barefoot distance and a 24-hour race in November.

Three Miles!

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I worked my way up to three miles of unshod/barefoot running.  Wooo hooo!   I’m really loving it.  Started doing some runs on gravel to help with toughening my feet (a little intense at times).  I’m going to do three runs of three miles this week and then take a week off of barefoot running just to be extra safe since I am doing a 50K (31 mile) race on the 20th.  This 50K will be my first one with lots of hills and starts at night and will go through the morning.

Thought Systems

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“Many people I know never ever left the thought-system they were born into and yet others fondly look backwards to ancient thought-systems somehow imagining that archaic thinking has an intrinsic value simply because it is ancient.

The important thing I found was whenever I discovered something didn’t make sense or that something didn’t work was not to stick with it but to leave it behind and move on until I found something that makes sense and that does work.” –Peter (From: http://www.actualfreedom.com.au/actualism/peter/selected-correspondence/corr-actualism.htm)

Leaving lots of things behind.  What fun!

The Map to Actual Freedom

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In a recent post to the actual freedom yahoo group here is the progression of the phases from normal to fully free:

  1. Normal
  2. Virtual Freedom
  3. Peace-on-earth free
  4. Fully free/meaning-of-life free

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/actualfreedom/message/13501)

I found this pretty interesting since I didn’t really understand the terms “peace-on-earth free” and “meaning-of-life free” and how these phases fit into the progression.

Seems like such a huge leap from normal to what is described as ‘Virtual Freedom’. I would really be thrilled if the journey there were a quick one for me.