Concentration and the Step I Work

["Alan Cook" <fish_studios@...>]

Concentration

These are some of my thoughts on concentration, either stemming from 
or related to the work of Step I and II of Initiation Into 
Hermetics. I have tried to give examples or analogies of things that 
most people have experiencd or can experience.

The first exercise a student is asked to perform is that of mental 
observance. It has been pointed out that the word "control" used by 
the english translations may not be the best. The German word could 
as well be translated into "standard", in this case the "control" 
would be more like a control group for a study. In this context, the 
first exercise of IIH takes on a bit more significance. The student 
is asked to observe his thoughts so that he knows the way in which 
his mind works under "normal" circumstances.

This can be visualized by the analogy of being in a theater. The 
viewer is passive, not participating in the story. He is *observing* 
it. This is the level at which Step I is to be approached: the 
passive observer. He is to observe the "story" of the thoughts that 
are occuring in his mind, but not to participate in them.

>From the discussions that I have read, conversations I have had, and 
from my own experience, the understanding of this exercise tends not 
to present that much of a problem to the student. Once the goal is 
firmly in mind it is simply a matter of time.

We shall skip the one-pointedness of life, as Bardon's description 
and Rawn's commentary explain it to the full extent. As well, I have 
yet to see anyone ask for any clarification for this exercise.

The next exercise is one of focus and concentration. This exercise 
is hardly ever questioned, as it is easily understood. Most of the 
questions tend to stem around what constitutes a "thought". Counting 
of the breaths is not a thought. The one-pointedness is to be of a 
thought or train of thoughts, stemming from an idea or thought. In 
my opinion, and experience, the best thoughts to use during this 
exercise are those of the Theory of IIH, or other thoughts of that 
nature. This is sort of "killing two birds with one stone" but since 
IIH and hermetics is of interest to the student (as he is pursuing 
this Work), the mind is able to focus on these with a degree of 
intensity.

If the student is having trouble with these exercises, a good 
exercise is to find things in his life that allow him to focus 
intently on something. Media is a great tool for this. If the 
student likes movies, plays video games, or even reads books, he will 
see that this allows him to focus to the extent that he is engrossed 
in what he is doing and the surrounding world disappears from him. 
This is the level of focus that the student is aspiring to obtain. 
If the student plays an instrument or is a lover of music, he will 
notice that when he plays or listens, that his focus is sometimes so 
great that the only things that he is aware of is the music.

The student can find something that he can concentrate intently on. 
If all else fails, watch your favorite movie. Try to keep in mind 
that you are wanting to observe your surroundings. Try and stay 
aware of them. At some point, you will lose your surroundings and 
become abosrbed in what you are doing. Eventually you will "snap 
out" of this state of intense focus, or the movie (or activity) will 
end. Now think back to how focused you were on what you were doing. 
That is what you are trying to achieve. Nothing else mattered but 
that one thing. You need be able to achieve this with any thought 
and activity that you choose.

The last exercise of Step I in IIH is the exercise of vacancy of 
mind. This is not the *blocking out* of thoughts. It is the release 
of thoughts. It is a state of mind that is *above* thought. In this 
state, things are *perceived* and *not thought*. It is *vacant of 
thought* but not vacant of activity. A lot is going on, which after 
sometime the student will be aware of, but thoughts do not occur in 
this state. This is why this exercise seems to be so difficult. 
Trying to put into thought that which is void of thought, is 
difficult in and of itself. To then put those thoughts into words is 
almost impossible. But if there is doubt in the student's mind as to 
whether or not he has achieved this state of mind, he will know when 
he does. That's about the best way I can say it. The crux of the 
exercise is to *let go* of the thoughts and not *block them*. Let 
them flow out of your mind and leave it empty.

I myself had trouble at first. I would try and block all thoughts, I 
would think about not thinking, etc. But once I learned to *let go* 
and *release* thoughts from my mind, it was only a matter of time 
before the exercise was "completed".

This state is extremely important for later work in IIH, this is why, 
in Step II, the exercise is deepened and continued to be practiced.

The concentration in Step II is based upon the exercises of Step I. 
If the student is having trouble focusing upon on the sensory 
concentration, he should pursue the work of one-pointedness to a 
deeper state than that which was required in Step I.

One-pointedness is also needed with the asana of the physical 
exercises of Step II. The body is to be observed during the time of 
the sitting. In the end, this will require the one-pointedness of 
observing the body for 30 minutes. So the one-pointedness of Step I 
is already used extensively in Step II of IIH. As well the one-
pointedness of life from Step I is used in the psychic exercises of 
Step II. The student must transmute his negative traits in his Soul 
Mirrors, one way being that of constant watch throughout the day. 
Without the one-pointedness in life, he will have difficulty in this 
endeavor.

The continued vacancy of mind that must be deepened in Step II, is of 
great importance as it will lead to the direct perception of 
essential meaning later. But this exercise must be continually 
deepened throughout the Steps.

All Will Go Well,
--Alan