Our biggest problem is that we go against ourselves.
Going against ourselves takes three forms:
- giving in to second thoughts about what we have chosen.
- struggling against second thoughts.
- changing the subject (or substituting one thought for another -- such as "reasons why" -- or changing our course of action) without "clearing the slate", first -- without releasing both our "first thoughts" and our "second thoughts --
and so remaining in a state of internal conflict All three are ways of trying to escape a situation without releasing -- like stretching without releasing the action of holding ourselves tense. All three of these are ways of going against ourselves while feeling in mystery about why we feel distressed.
Releasing is none of these. Releasing is relaxing, not effort on top of effort. It's open space, not "right decision".
Starting something and not finishing it -- or giving our word and then breaking it -- are ways of going against ourselves. They leave a residue of distress behind, which we may tolerate -- but at a long-term price.
Release is impossible without intelligent sensing and is spontaneous as soon as we recognize the action of going against ourselves as self-generated stress and distress -- felt to be, not just thought about.
The Gold Key Release activates intelligent sensing as preparation for releasing. It is not, "escape", in the usual sense, because it reveals that we are not seeking to escape something outside of ourselves; it is our own unrecognized, chronic activity that we are suffering and seeking to escape. We are going against ourselves. It has a characteristic feeling: stress.
It is not a matter of having sophisticated knowledge about our subconscious mind or its contents. Knowledge-about is different from mastery. Knowledge-about is a mental activity -- one step removed from direct experience; it has no power, but is just another way of getting bogged down. Mastery is immediacy of experience and intelligent participation, in it. It is freedom.
To release is one of our most basic lessons. (click above)