1 result for (book:ecs1 AND heading:"esp class session septemb 17 1968" AND stemmed:here)
[... 2 paragraphs ...]
Now if I were coming here for fun, I would indeed enjoy smiles and light and conversation. I would not, however, think of coming to such a sober group for fun. I had indeed better put on my (words lost) and instruct you.
[... 3 paragraphs ...]
All, all–life is full of vitality, and all life is joyful, and sitting around the table with long faces is not any more beneficial than sitting around the table with wine on it and the lights lit. My vitality is here, and it was not drawn here by long faces nor by sorrow. Vitality grows as it triumphs over sorrows and in any of my antics, as with the suddenly exploding light, there is also a purpose. And the purpose in that point was to let you see that the human individual reaction of a given personality continues. Only those very sure of their reality can afford to take pleasure in small things and to enjoy them.
Now I shall keep silent for a while. But I have been here this evening and I will be here a while longer. And I shall leave the light where it belongs.
[... 4 paragraphs ...]
Now you should feel a strong vitality here, and you should feel it touch each of you. You all have a vitality and energy that you do not realize that you possess, and it takes such an ancient, old decrepit, sorrowful spirit such as I to tell you. The energy used in this room this evening and in your talk and chatter, that energy barely touches upon the energy that you have and that you have not yet directed.
Now it is well and good for me to come here. You need not think any of this reprimand for you. It is fine and well for me to come here and talk to you, but you are not taking time from your daily activities to develop your own abilities, not to look inward, and you (Theodore) need not be included here. You will have your sessions when you take some time to look within yourselves. You must do part of your own work. I shall not do it for you. I even make Ruburt do his own work and I ride him hard. For I am also some taskmaster, but you must be your own taskmasters also.
[... 8 paragraphs ...]
I played with the light to help you out. The work that you (Florence) have done here helps all of the students and it does help you, but you must still open the door. The doorknob works, it will not fall off in your hands. The door will not explode and you have nothing to fear. If I could give you indulgences then I would.
I will have more to say in your (Sally) case also. For again the fear is there. And you try. You try to tint the fears with smiles, you try to pat it as you would a dog in hopes that it will not bite (words lost) you. But you do not understand the fear, and therefore you do not know how to speak its language, and when it speaks to you, you do not understand it. You can conquer the fear, but you must understand it. Give us a moment here. The fear will not devour you. You have given it fantastic proportions. You have exaggerated its strength, and because you have exaggerated its strength, you have given it more strength than it possesses on its own. You also fear to open the door.
[... 2 paragraphs ...]