Lost Coin Class Notes May 15

Modes- what makes them sound different is the intervals between the notes, where the whole steps and half steps fall.

It's important to grasp the concept of Major/minor. The first three notes determine the feel. If the spacing is whole step, whole step, whole step, the feel is happy. If the interval between the second and third note is a half step (whole, whole, half) the feel is sad.

This is objective (for a purpose) rather than subjective. For example, every person experiences the same thing, it has the same effect on all who hear it.

Other examples of objective art include Haiku, which is written for a season, indicated by one line, and the works of Wendy Carlos Williams, who plays un-tempered instruments. Objective art is related to work on oneself.

*For the next couple of weeks, return to self-observation. Look at yourself as if you are seeing yourself on film. This is the way others see you. You act automatically if you are not awake, experiencing the same cause and effect. If you can see yourself, you have a choice- attitude, body posture, sounds of words- we're not fooling anybody. When we work on ourselves, we take a less critical view then others. Freedom is implied. You do not have to play the same mechanical role over and over.

Meticulous observation accumulates energy. Extra effort comes back into you. Not just what you see, but the muscle you are developing. Come to class.

After a while, through self-observation, you will have a collection of 'films' of yourself. PAY ATTENTION! Does it make you talk less? A lot of your talking is mechanical. Ask questions in class. And see yourself as if in a movie.

Here's something: The profoundest wish in relationships that are difficult is that the other person could see themselves. What the other wants is for you to be aware of yourself. When you practice self-observation, and you are the object of development, it is much kinder that when someone else is 'the object of development'.

Mechanical actions can generate positive response. Some people act in a way to make everybody like them (learned behavior), for approval. This is mechanical inner considering, it is not free, it is not your self. If you are raised to be polite, it is mechanical, it is not real. BE THERE- to choose. 'Choose the Right' implies that you are awake and aware.

Observe yourself.

When other people are around who are working together, it creates energy. The object is to bring consciousness to where you are, and until you do, you will repeat yourself over and over. The goal is to be free, to be conscious.

Try not to meddle, just see the film of yourself. Rely on consciousness, not emotion. Efforts to describe it, take you away from it. If you catch yourself and want to change, that's one part of your self that is fighting another.

Most of us are not aware of ourselves. How we leave a room for example. A little bit of awareness makes a big difference.

The 'I' that we see the least run our lives the most.

Worry more about what you do than what others do. If you practice self-observation long enough you will naturally not judge so much. You'll start to see what judging does to your own body. No one would choose that.

Anything bad that happens to you happens because you are asleep.

What you want to do is feed the work 'I'. The observer is not part of you. The one that sees is not you. In Zen we call this 'mind without contents', in  other traditions, 'the light'.

*Two things: every choice you make contributes to you waking up, or going to sleep.

Once you feed it, it will grow.

Wish for what you want.
