1 result for (book:ecs3 AND heading:"esp class session march 9 1971" AND stemmed:imagin)
[... 15 paragraphs ...]
(To Bette.) Now you do not have to fear your secrets or anyone else’s, and you do not have to fear that when you open yourselves up you are only going to find dark terrors, frightening thoughts and horrendous sins of the flesh. The flesh is far more innocent than any of you suppose. And the secret sins that you may think lie within you will not upset the gods one whit. The vitality of life is far greater than anything you can do to wound it. It is the most supreme egotism to imagine that any of your secrets can stand between you and any reality that is. You form your reality.
[... 5 paragraphs ...]
When I said that our simple little exercise last week was a preliminary exercise, that is exactly what I meant but you are the ones who are placing the interpretation upon it that you are. So I have a simple question for you and I will expect an answer. It is a very simple question, there is an implication within it. You do not need to accept the implication, but if you do not, then why do you not? And for all your fine thoughts, why are each of you, in your secret ways, so afraid of the implications of the word love or showing it here? Why do you find it far safer to show love to an animal and pet it, than to a person? Now this is my question for you this evening, and I expect it faced and answered honestly. You are more frightened of that than anything else, not of your secrets. This is a fine blind. Some of you would rather stand up in this class and say, “I killed an animal in hatred” or “I knocked a man’s guts out” or “I shot my neighbor” almost, rather than express a simple statement of love or acceptance to another person in the class wholeheartedly and act, that was not an act, when you are not a star performing. The secrets do not bother you half as much as you imagine that they do.
[... 36 paragraphs ...]