Nine solutions for anxiety and depression

 River Books-Book Two 

Session Three-Life Goals, Symbolisms of Water, Aire, and Earth Ways

River: In great love and harmony, we welcome you!

Julia: Welcome!

River: Have you performed your homework duties this week?

Julia: Yes.

River: please give us the first part of the lessons of this journey you are on.

Julia: You asked for three statements and I divided my life into what I saw as three parts. What I learned from the first part which I called childhood. I felt I was accommodating myself to others.

River: A form of receptiveness and openness.

Julia: Right- and what I felt I had learned was that I could be receptive without losing myself.

River: That is the lesson of the first part which is, number one, to open, to be aware. One cannot learn to accommodate without awareness of others, and though this way may be viewed as negative, it may also be viewed in a positive way. Continue.

Julia: The second part of my life, I called my youth and I felt this was marked with rebellion an exploration.

River: A necessary ingredient to put some limits on receptivity. Is this not true?

Julia: Yes.

River: And the third part in this experiment of life?

Julia: The third part, I called young adulthood and the lessons from that part of my life was that I was committed. I found a new commitment and I wanted to find my own voice in all the others.

River: Three parts, three opposites dealing with three very different things. Now without thinking too hard on this, what is the theme that has gone through all these three parts? In a personal way and not so much in a developmental way.

Julia: You said once that the goal of my life was self authority.

River: That is true but what is the gut feeling you have now?

Julia: I would use the term self esteem.

River: And what is the opposite of self esteem?

Julia: Self annihilation.

River: Where in your life have you done this?

Julia: Self annihilation? Most of it!

River: (laughter) This may seem true, however it is not. There is always the opposite in all acts, in self annihilation there is always brilliantly, shining self assertion. In reality, you cannot go down to the pit without having half the body turned towards the light. It is only a view after all and only a very narrow view. But you have not stated what you feel have been the life journey goals. Self authority is one way of expressing it, however that term came from the river. What are your opinions on this life of yours?

Julia: I'm not sure what you mean?

River: Self authority is the one way of expressing your relationship with others but is not a cosmic spiritual goal. It is a way of dealing with others. A cosmic spiritual goal is how one views the whole process of living. What gifts are you exploring and finding out about, in other words, in this journey of self authority? For self authority is a gift to find out a deeper goal. What is your purpose of life?

Julia: Lately I've been thinking about what you call attaining a sort of emptiness.

River: We will not put pressure on you anymore, realizing that flesh is mortal and spirit is even more mortal. In your case the journey and gift you were given is the ability to be a spiritual being without losing sanity. For many are spiritual and have drifted into a kind of insane state. Insanity without reality. You have been given the ability to be spiritual to hold on to spirituality, the awareness of more than reality, into everyday life. This has caused a viewpoint which has caused sometimes relationships or what you called self authority, to be difficult. For by bringing spirituality and faith into relationships you caused the Other great discomfort.

This has been the case of many of the relationships in your life. The way you assess relationships is not the common one. It is your gift, and it is also your problem. The Other becomes the mirror of this problem. That is all.

Julia: Thank you! You wanted a compilation of statements one and three from last week?

River: Yes.

Julia: That was really hard.

River: And have you succeeded?

Julia: I felt that when I put these two together what I had was: all choices and actions spring from the moment and there is a freedom in the present period.

River: That is true. However, continue and we will comment later. How have you combined these two offerings?

Julia: All things have consequences, but there is in the present still a freedom of choice.

River: When you speak of choices, you have already committed yourself to no choices. Perhaps a view that action from the moment, without past or future, has no choice. There is only action.

You muddy action with the very term, choices. You have also brought into the issue consequences. For very closely connected to choices is the either/ or, and from that springing naturally, a future reality which you must avoid to act freely in the present. By eliminating the idea of choices one acts, one acts. There is no choice in action, there is merely the doing. It is a quick thread into the future with the term choices. it is like blood beating through the body, you cannot cut it off. Is this understood? It is also part of this week’s talk. So, if you have no further views or questions we will continue.

River: Today we will speak of the Great Ways. This discussion will carry on through several sessions. As an introduction, we will start at the widest point. The widest point in describing the Three Great Ways is to understand them as the general avenues where the self gains self knowledge, where his responsibilities lie and through which filters he will see himself and his world. (The River used the male pronoun in most of this talk. As was the custom of those times, the male pronouns are a general pronoun for all people) The Great Ways, by the way, are Earth Way, Water Way and Aire Way.

The symbolisms of Water, Aire, and Earth Ways are used as a beginning place of human understanding of how they experience their journey and what traits and viewpoints they will bring into their journey. The Ways form an identity right from the beginning, when the being is spun off from the all, in the in-between times, within the Great Net (universe), at each stage of this journey. Therefore, at the grossest level, after the spinning off from the All, consciousness is shaped by the Ways and therefore can be viewed as the first structure.

Let describe them first as a three-parts, perfectly balanced, in harmony, way of viewing the world. The Aire Waye, water and earth- see them as three parts of a whole perfectly fitting together into a whole, each individual, his true essence has one Way that is are more weighted, encapsulating one of the ways as his experience mode of spirituality, himself, and his experiences of others. In other words, he will filter through the Great Ways, views and perceptions and attitudes of others.

We must caution at this point, that the purpose of the great ways is an onward growth, when the three ways are balanced and harmony, they are left behind and then, there is no way. There is just back to the All. So, the three can be viewed, as in other discussions, as Three Opposites that in the final transformation, become One and are left behind. In other words, the traits of Water Way, Aire Way and Earth Way, are a beginning place but are ultimately left behind. Though the residues, the familiarity of the path remains within the individual forever. All learning, all methods of growth can be experienced within each Way. Fully developing within any Way, of necessity, mirrors the other two Ways. Therefore, the other two Ways become the teacher.

For the Water Way, the Earth and Aire Way are teachers- uncomfortable, or comfortable. The Water Way person with another Water Way person enhances a self realization of who they are, they sense they are of a similar soul body, a soul traveler. This is why sometimes in meeting another individual there is a sense of a great familiarity, for in truth, they are travelling in similar ways, heading in similar ways to a goal.

Individuals see the other Ways as adversaries before they have reached a spiritual level where they realise that aversions are mirrors, and teachers. It is a delicate balance as we have said before. And difficult. But that is the play of living and learning.

We will start first with the Water Way, the Great Water Way, for that is who we are, and that is how we face the world. Water Way people feel themselves to be always in the midst of relationships, finding out who they are in a relationship. They traveled together with great camaraderie. Within the Water Way people, the significance is where they find themselves, is where they find others. Harmony is very important, a prime motivator an activator of attitudes and behaviors. It is a constant exploration into how and why and to what purpose relationships and behaviors are a common support. The Water Way is a slow way, though most powerful for in its dogged pressing forward to clarification, it wears down within itself and within its environment, illusion, delusion, and untruth. In its wearing away, it demands of itself and others, justification of behavior and a back to principles and spiritual goals, as the purpose of relationships.

The Great Water Way is difficult to encompass in that it is dependent upon the individual constantly searching inner motives and attitudes. Structures within and without are in constant question and in constant flux and therefore the Water Way person himself or herself is also in constant flux. Because of this the great truth, change, is not difficult for a Water Way person to embody and to understand and to embrace change with great joy.

This is in opposition to the Earth Way person, who views change as disruptive and difficult and in opposition to their ideals and desires. Change for a Water Way person is welcome.  For the Earth Way person change is resisted.

 However, we have gone beyond describing the Water Way. Its very strength is in its constant changing and their unpin downable quality. This quality is frustrating to the other two Ways, more in harmony with the Aire Waye Way, but the great opposition with the Earth Way. The Water Way then can be characterized as a desire to know self in others and to allow change and a great sense of the flow of the contours of consciousness which are continuous and net like.

At this time in history a per dominance of Water Way would ensure survival of the planet. Unfortunately, that is not the case. And because in these times, the other two Ways turn inward, an understanding of the outward Net of interdependence is left behind. Exploring, questioning, assessing, changing are the great hallmarks of the Water Way. Viewed as difficult, unreliable, frivolous, self introverted and self concerned. However, that is just the other two Ways perspective. The Water Way has been considered a female way this is not true as in sexual but as a more nurturing, concern for others and for the Great Net.

Water Way is the bonding way. Religious preferences are more for the primitive, the isolated, the solitary. It is the questioning Way. The Water Way produces more of the spiritual leaders, spiritual questioners and less the producers and thinkers. It is the creative, mystic way. Only in the fact that it is able to question itself and therefore making adjustments and suppositions from self to others and others back to self. Therefore, the great Water Way is concerned with similarities between all beings, more than differences. However, in paradox the Water Way person is self-sufficient for the richness of their inner life requires solitude, contrary the great Earth Way.

There has always been a predominance of the Earth Way on earth. Earth Way individuals are more linear and produce more works. They are the workers, the makers of food and find themselves in what they make the products of their bodies and minds. More specifically their minds, pragmatic and practical are unaware of the deeper meanings and find it unnecessary to explore the deeper meanings within.

Earth Way tends to see itself in isolation. And in isolation it finds itself in practical matters. It is the making way, the artisan’s way, the craftsman way. It is concerned with survival, and very basic urges and needs, for from those experiences, it finds itself. It is the way of deep emotion and in deep emotion it finds itself. The emotion comes from within and as a reaction to external events. With deep emotion, the Earth Way comes to realization of its own self. Its emotional interests, its emotional intensity is not in reaction to others behavior but into its own behavior. This is one of the differences of the emotional quality of their path to self knowledge.

In other words, it is very difficult for an Earth Way person to let go of the past and evolve because of their strengths. However, many do. And it is usually through great shock, some great tragedy or stress that the Earth Way is able to see an overview of themselves in connectedness with others and their responsibilities.

The third great way is the Aire Way. The Aire Way is concerned with pleasure, joy and compassion. It is the way of compassion that it puts no demands on any other human being. It is the way of very few on this planet that is evolving. For as you can imagine the problems of the Aire Waye Way are one of great disillusionment, disappointment and they tend to have many physical diseases and addictions. For in their incredible sensitivity to themselves and others with a compassionate stance, they need to dull their pain by addictions, disease, and other destructive behaviors.

Ideally, the Aire Waye Way is the mother of others. It is a supportive mother of the other two Ways, in constant approval and in constant laughter. For then, there are no concerns no goals. Except to enjoy life. That is why in the early stages of development the Aire Waye Way people appeared to debilitants. They appear to be pleasure seekers who have no responsibilities to themselves or others and go through life from one seemingly failure to another because they have not gained a sense of responsibility from the Water Way. They are desperately trying to find their opposites within themselves. And it is the task of the Aire Waye Way to find self responsibilities, within the net, and in action which they learn from Earth Way. They are the children of the great net, bringing joy, bringing laughter and bringing degradation through failure of connecting with any Way.

As we have said, the Aire Waye Way looks out towards the Earth Way and the Water Way to the lessons they need to develop their own growth and their own true essence. The Water Way looks out from itself and deepens itself through learning from the Aire Waye Way and Earth Way, compassion and energy and productivity. And in a similar fashion the Great Earth Way looks out of itself for its growth to the Aire Waye Way and the Water Way for learning compassion and the interconnectedness.

Symbolisms of the three.

There is the wisdom of the Water Way the compassion of the Aire Waye Way and the strength of the Earth Way. Each is a mere facet in the total evolution each Way, needing the other two Ways for completeness- each reaching out from its own natural essence receiving gifts from the All. In the three are the all, in the one must be reached through the completeness of the other two.

At this time, more and more on this planet, the balance is unbalanced. There are the Earth Way and Aire Way essences in predominance. They are here, in this crisis time and at this point in history these two Ways have chosen to find themselves. Many Water Ways have decided not to be embodied at this time period. It is a time of struggle between the Earth Way and Aire Way and the Water Way is a minor player.

We do not say Water Way is an inferior player, or less important player. But the Water Way people have chosen to remain in absence. For though the Water Way is most powerful, it is also the hardest and at this time Earth Way has most opportunities to find themselves.

The Water Way is the longer Way and requires more inner work., They do not find it useful to be in the external crises of such a magnitude that are now upon us. The Great Earth Way and Aire Ways are therefore benefiting in their own evolution in these events that are ensuing. Therefore, it is also true that at this point in time it is very necessary for the other two Ways to have contacts with the Water Way, for they are the mirror of the other two. While it is not necessary for many Water Way people to be here, it is necessary for them to be the mirror.

 In other words, the numbers are not important because with the Great Water Way is the knowledge of the net and with intention a few embodied Water Way affects the whole net although the majority are Earth Way and Aire Way. The numbers are not important, it is the intention and the intention of a few Water Way people are very powerful and affects many.

We would speak now of practices of the three Ways.

The Water Way practice is to enlarge the self into an all-encompassing awareness. Meditation is the way of the Water Way to let go, to be empty of goals and ideals. In this practice, right behavior springs and knowledge resides within the emptiness of the individual.

For the Earth Way it is the way of creation it is the midst of creation, gives the creation to others. The Earth Way finds the spiritual parts of himself that are external. Giving is the struggle of the Earth Way, to be generous. For part of the dilemma of the Earth Way is to be itself for itself. Therefore, practices that encompass a giving as in the helping professions such as doctors, nurses and other healers -where their creation is giving to others. This is an opportunity for the Earth Way to broaden his way towards the other two ways.

For the Aire Waye Way loving compassion without control, for the great difficulty of the Aire Way is caring for others without controlling them. In this and for the Earth Way also, close connections with the earth are very important. For in learning how to manipulate the earthy things, there is an opportunity to release manipulation and control and find joy and change- which is most difficulty for both Aire Way and Earth Way. Change is viewed as stagnation.  Change is viewed as harmful and to be opposed. Which the great Water Way views change as joyful, the great adventure.

The way of Aire is to release control and the way of Water is to guard against frivolousness and superficiality, for the change for the sake of change is also nonproductive and lowering of the net within and without.

So, in harmony the three have possibilities of being in balance and though the individual is in essence one – with the three in growth, the other two much be incorporated. three have possibilities of being in balance in growth the other two must be incorporated. Wisdom, love and strength. Three parts of the whole in transformation, they become one and in separation, in everyday life they become the individual’s unique perspective, unique attitudes towards the world and himself.

Are there any questions?

Julia: Do I understand correctly that each being tends to stay in one way throughout their evolution.

River: That is true however for complete evolution the strengths and positive attitudes of the other Ways must be incorporated within this essence within their own pass. For example, the love and compassion which is the strength of the Aire Waye Way must be incorporated into the wisdom of the Water Way. Not as Aire Way but transformed into the expression of the Water Way. It is as if there is a foundation of Water Way and on top of this is built with the hands of the Water Way are the powerful gifts of the other two.

Of course, as you can realize the individual also has a choice to take the gifts of the others, when one’s self knowledge is at the right time. Take for example, the strength and power up the Earth Way and instead of incorporating it in a positive evolutionary raising of the net, to incorporate it into a negative destructive way. That too is a choice. So, your view is correct.

Julia: Why do you not speak of a fire way?

River: The fire way is not one of the major Ways. It is the second level, the combination that springs up from the basic three Ways. It is more description of personality type than a way of essence. In other words, it is a superficial quality, not a basic view, not a basic beginning.

Julia: Because there is a preponderance of Earth Way and Aire Way people is that why we are experiencing the damage and changes that are happening now in the environment?

River: Exactly. Also, because each essence requires situations that will force it into the upmost crisis of learning for itself, both Aire Way and Earth Ways require this kind of crisis. We do not say they need it but they have a tendency to create it. So, in an Earth Way being, its gifts and strength are also a burdens. Strengths and burdens are very similar. The gift is the burden, as we have said before.

So, the Earth Way person sets up within his lifetime circumstances as mirrors that again and again, require it to question and know itself by its strengths. In other words, the strength of the Earth Way has two possibilities. It has strength into dominance. Which can be either a struggle into manifesting the dynamics of servant and master, or the care of others. It is a choice. Strength can be one or the other. Which would be in each case, their opposites. Therefore, the Earth Way person will set up situations for themselves where these choices have to be made. Right action from inner knowledge and serenity verses dominance, aggression and manipulation of the environment.

For the Aire Way person, whose great gifts are love and empathy with others has at the same time the burden and drawing attraction towards manipulation control of others. If they choose love and empathy, they experience freedom and inner serenity also. Therefore, they set up situations, conflicts and behaviors constantly within a lifetime where of these two choices will have to be made, one or the other. To deepen the gift, the mirror must always be there.

Remember a gift also must be chosen beyond just being a gift. Is the gift going to be one for growth? Is one for devolution or negligence? Is the gift going to be chosen with the hand that is more awareness of self or less awareness of self, manipulation and devolution of self?

So, your question is- they are very interconnected at this time period. We have Earth Way people and Aire Way people in predominance. They have chosen this method, these learning situations and each individual born today makes these choices.

At the same time, though not a Way more probably easier to view as a guide- there is a guide essence of humanity itself and at this point the guide essence of humanity is accessible to Earth Way. But at the same time, it is easy to hear false guides. Earth Way and Aire Way connecting with what they consider their true selves are listening to fall skies. For within each of the ways there are the guides of Water Way but embodied individuals of humanity create artificially a guide of each of the Ways.

Therefore, to ask Earth Way to listen to their inner self is perhaps not as clear for them as it is for you or for others. For in connection with this inner self, they must get past their false selves and false guides and then the authentic Way has been created.

True guides are independent of in embodied essences. False guides are created by all evolved ways as a justification and a disruption with themselves of their gifts.

Therefore, techniques for each Way to reach their true guides is very important. Understanding all knowledge is within and all knowledge is without is part of the process of each of the ways. For total evolution requires the disappearance of the Ways as similar to the disappearance of all knowledge is within, and all knowledge is without into pure action and the reflections of true self.

We think we have digressed.

Julia: Is that what you meant when you said the Earth Way and Aire Way are choosing to look within and not look outward to the other two Ways?

River: Exactly, because looking within is not always reliable for the Earth and Aire Way people, unless the individual has an awareness of fake and true guides. The voice they hear within is only the continued over voice made by the group in embodiment, not something to be followed at all. Was this your question?

Julia: Yes, as you were talking, I was thinking about what I did yesterday, which is which was I got this bug to get a job. Would that be an example of a false guide?

River: The very fact you use the word ‘bug’ answers your question.

However, if this bug sprang out of emptiness, then it is not a bug, it is a rightness of action. It is difficult later to analyze between these two. As soon as action is completed the tendency is to put it into the perspective of past and future. Therefore, you have already coloured the issue. So perhaps your action was true but now you have distorted the action and it has become a reaction. Is that understood?

Julia: Not truly, because it seems natural to look back. And evaluate something like that.

River: But once an action is complete what is required is another action. For example, a bug to do something perhaps this was a clear and pure action. Then the next point is your rumination. Is rumination an action? We think not. Rumination is doubt, worry, anxiety. If you can take this rumination and understand as a conflict of opposites, then you have the ability to create a new action. But if rumination is only murkiness, it is not action, reaction... or anything. It is a wasted expenditure of energy, purpose. It is harmful, both physically and mentally.

Physically in that the body must do something with the anxieties that are produced within it. Mentally that is that it is far too easy to get stuck in rumination and to forget about action, or reaction if necessary. So, when you are stuck in rumination perhaps it may be useful to ask yourself, “Is this a conflict?” If “Yes” then divide it into two parts and examine both parts separately and clearly. If the answer is “No”, drop it. It is harmful!

You already are in the future of the action that you have done. You already are in consequences, rumination is non action, wasteful energy and harmful to the physical body. It is a fantasy world, with fantasy characters. Are there further questions?

Julia: Is that why I had a terrible headache that day?

River: Quite possibly! As we said you cannot put the body under tension from a mental process and not have a physical reaction. Body is ill, reflecting mind. Mind reflects body, body reflects mind. They are mirrors of each other, impossible to separate - body and mine are not separate, so much as they are mirrors. No separation- in fact body in its wisdom alleviates sickness of the mind. But this you know already.

(Personal questions about people in my life)

Julia: M is definitely an Earth Way

River: He is needing to produce through strength and domination, know himself. And that is why Water Way is so disruptive for the Earth Way. Binding themselves so tightly to who they are, the Water Way seems dangerously unfocused, wishy washy, plain weak.

Julia: is Mother Teresa an example of an Aire Way person?

River: Yes, definitely an Aire Way that is positively enhancing to self in what it needs to do.

Julia: Are entertainers Aire Way?

River: yes, a lot of entertainers are Aire Way, retarded children, drug addicts, individuals who suffer great physical ailments.

Julia: D’s mother? (An elderly woman who had severe health challenges.)

River: D’s mother is more Earth Way but thwarted.

But as you can imagine there are great variations gradations. As all along, the Great Ways are in different stages of development. As the individual reaches enlightenment and more self knowledge, it is difficult to identify which Way an individual is. For the pinnacle, all three seems to be all in harmonious action, though of course the whole has a scent, if you want, of the beginning way.

 

 

 

 

Julia: Can you comment on my dream about a young boy committing suicide?

River: As we said dreams are knowledge within and without. And that should be looked upon as messages, as ways of understanding the self and where the self is.

Committing suicide is a denial of some inner part. If you make a decision, part of the self is destroyed for the greater harmony or as an external capitulation to the wants and desires of others. There is within a small boy, a small girl, a small woman, a small man, a large boy, a large girl, a large woman and a large man. Eight facets- this is in each Way.

For example, in the Water Way, small girl, small boy, small man, small woman. Each not so much small, as parts that haven't been developed, through choice or external environmental pressures. Small means undeveloped. Suicide (in a dream) is one metaphor of not developing. Therefore, your dream is a self decision not to allow development of the small boy within. The Child like male like part of self. It is not a negative dream, as much as self knowledge. This is what you have done.

Julia: Who is the little boy?

River: The little boy, like the little girl are aspects of self within each Way. However, at this point the channel is feeling extreme discomfort. Could we leave this topic for another day?

Julia: Yes.

River: We would like to carry on with this, for it is further enhancing of understanding the Ways and we would require that is the first topic for next time- guides is one area and also aspects of development.