The
teaching about the images of oneself is not well understood, not even
in theory. One of the reasons is the difficulty in realizing that we form
images of ourselves and that we live all our lives with them. The powerful
force of the imagination forms the images that govern us all and replaces
the real thing with the imagined thing. Not only do we dream up imaginary
pictures of ourselves, but also of others and about the other. While these
images continue to be dominant, no transformation of ourselves is possible.
The reason is simple. If someone has become an image of oneself in which,
for example, he sees himself as a person who never lies, naturally he
will never be aware that he lies. We need to experience ourselves in a
new way.
The Work says that human beings are hypnotized and asleep by the power of the imagination. Each person has a certain number of images, which work on him, blinding him to himself, making him think that he is what in fact he is not. This is the action of the image. We all remain with the pictures that we have formed of ourselves and others and it is not necessary to have too many hopes about our capacity to see clearly how the imagination works on us. Constant intense work is needed before the power of the imagination diminishes just as much calm and patience is also crucial.
There are all types of images: that of the democrat, the gentleman, conservative, spiritual, smooth, strong, timid, etc. All these are imagination. Behind all this is the real thing, never in the pictures. The problem is that we do not realize how this governs us and interferes in our experience of life. Just by being aware can leave mechanicity behind. It is not possible to destroy these images unless something has formed after them, that we have a new experience of ourselves. I remind you that part of this work consists of freeing ourselves from certain things, stopping them, not doing. It is necessary to see and to separate from the incessant hypnotic power of our mechanicity. It is not a matter of doing something but of not doing something, not-exercising the identification, the imagination, the internal consideration, etc. Due to the multiplicity of "I´s", it is very difficult to know or to feel what we are, to discover the beginning of oneself. This is because we have lost contact with essence and because essence has not been developed.
We live all kinds of invented lives, we have our images, we are hypnotized and this is due the lack of a true center of gravity in us. If we had true knowledge of ourselves and were able to feel the real "I", I suppose that we would never make any statement about the kind of person we think we are as we do now. The Being is, makes no affirmations of itself. To be is not to imagine and vice versa.
The images that we dream up are not a problem while we are satisfied with ourselves and we do not wish any knowledge that can make our existence more real. When these pictures of the reality are very strong, very deep and the identification with them is great, the idea to leave them behind is a silly thing because they are the only thing that exists. Who am I then?
From our point of view, it is evident that the others are hypnotized but, are we hypnotized as well? We all dream up these delicate and false images, everybody without exception, but we do not realize it. They give us great satisfaction until opposing forces are aroused in us and when we begin to wake up. This is because we continue clinging on the ideas that we have of ourselves and, simultaneously, they suffocate us. Naturally, there can be no transformation while we remain obstinate to what is not.
The Work says that human beings are hypnotized and asleep by the power of the imagination. Each person has a certain number of images, which work on him, blinding him to himself, making him think that he is what in fact he is not. This is the action of the image. We all remain with the pictures that we have formed of ourselves and others and it is not necessary to have too many hopes about our capacity to see clearly how the imagination works on us. Constant intense work is needed before the power of the imagination diminishes just as much calm and patience is also crucial.
There are all types of images: that of the democrat, the gentleman, conservative, spiritual, smooth, strong, timid, etc. All these are imagination. Behind all this is the real thing, never in the pictures. The problem is that we do not realize how this governs us and interferes in our experience of life. Just by being aware can leave mechanicity behind. It is not possible to destroy these images unless something has formed after them, that we have a new experience of ourselves. I remind you that part of this work consists of freeing ourselves from certain things, stopping them, not doing. It is necessary to see and to separate from the incessant hypnotic power of our mechanicity. It is not a matter of doing something but of not doing something, not-exercising the identification, the imagination, the internal consideration, etc. Due to the multiplicity of "I´s", it is very difficult to know or to feel what we are, to discover the beginning of oneself. This is because we have lost contact with essence and because essence has not been developed.
We live all kinds of invented lives, we have our images, we are hypnotized and this is due the lack of a true center of gravity in us. If we had true knowledge of ourselves and were able to feel the real "I", I suppose that we would never make any statement about the kind of person we think we are as we do now. The Being is, makes no affirmations of itself. To be is not to imagine and vice versa.
The images that we dream up are not a problem while we are satisfied with ourselves and we do not wish any knowledge that can make our existence more real. When these pictures of the reality are very strong, very deep and the identification with them is great, the idea to leave them behind is a silly thing because they are the only thing that exists. Who am I then?
From our point of view, it is evident that the others are hypnotized but, are we hypnotized as well? We all dream up these delicate and false images, everybody without exception, but we do not realize it. They give us great satisfaction until opposing forces are aroused in us and when we begin to wake up. This is because we continue clinging on the ideas that we have of ourselves and, simultaneously, they suffocate us. Naturally, there can be no transformation while we remain obstinate to what is not.
