Theos-Talk Archives (November 1995 Message tl00402)

Hi all
I have just come back from a few days in Auckland attending a Theo exec
meeting and catching up with my daughters. I found quite a lot of mail and
to my surprise channelling has appeared again. I read your two posts with
interest and slept on it.
It seems to me that ideas on a topic and personal experience of it are two
different things. You theorise and expound much energy debating this and
that yet from a 'personal experience' point of view none of what you say
has relevance. It is like myself reading volumes on 'enlightenment' and
pursuing a path to it. I do not 'know' what enlightenment really is apart
from the idea that my reading has given me about the experience which is
far removed from the actual experience itself. If I had experienced it I
would be a different person because of it and I think channelling or rather
my personal experience of channelling has had an effect on my life because
of access to a source of wisdom better that my own whereever it may come
from. It has proved itself reliable over a period of time so I now listen to
it whether it is done aloud to others or comes silently within.
It is impossible to pass on personal experience to another except in
descriptive words and that has many pitfalls. Someone talks to me of their
personal experience of channelling and I have a better idea of what they are
trying to say than if I had no experience myself yet their experience is
not the same as mine no two people do things the same way. You will never
really understand what it feels like to channel until you have done so
yourself and it is the same with most things. We can talk about things and
get an idea what we are talking about and argue for our own theory but
personal experience of any of the spiritual ideas brings a 'knowing' that
passes beyond understanding and partakes of a different realm.
I could rack my brain for ways to explain what it feels like but words are
poor substitutes so I won't. I just ask you to be aware that much that is
said about it has not much bearing on what the actual experience is. I
reckon that would apply to most things so until you have walked a mile in
the other persons shoes be careful of what you say because personal
experience is a fragile thing and brings with it a sort of isolation from
others who do not understand what has been happening.
I have a friend who suffers from depression and I find myself wanting to
shake her into life sometimes but on reflection I try to understand but I
know by my initial reaction that I do not understand how it is for her and
how it feels inside her. I can only try to remember my idea of what it might
be like and approach her from that point of view. It is that same with many
things.
Well that is my cents worth for now.
Love to you all Bee