--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "jpgillam" <jpgillam@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "wayback71" wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote: > > > > > > I found [witnessing] incredibly liberating, a > > > sense of having dropped all the baggage I had been > > > lugging around, a huge feeling of relief, most > > > definitely "something good." But the first time I had > > > the experience, I didn't realize it was witnessing. > > > That didn't even occur to me until it was well past. > > > > Same thing for me, Judy. My first witnessing experience > > occurred before I even learned TM. I was about 18 and > > knew something very different had happened for a few > > hours. And during it I felt terrific in every way and > > functioned really well. I had no name to give it, but will > > never forget it. Without any spiritual construct I knew I > > liked that experience. - and preferred it to my typical > > state. It seemed a way to go through life that was so > > very easy and effortless while still doing the usual stuff. > > What word would you use to describe that experience? > What term did you use before learning about witnessing? > > I ask because it relates to a previous conversation in which > I elicited terms for being "with it" or "on." Barry had suggested > "openness." And the term "presence" is gaining currency; I > saw it in a New Yorker cartoon recently and thought that may > be the default term people will start using for having one's center > in the non-changing self, as opposed to being centered > in one's thoughts and feelings. > > Thanks. >
At the time I did not give it a single name and did not feel the need to. I just thought of it as an amazing time where I felt totally my self and my best self possible that I knew I always had inside - and then some. I felt in tune with everything and everyone, completely open to life, no defenses or extraneous thoughts, just being. I actually prefer the wordy description I just gave to the term "witnessing," which does tend to lump experiences into a box. But labeling these experiences certainly is handy in discussions and simplifies things, as long as we all agree on the underlying basics - a big assumption I guess. I like "presence." Or having "one's center in the non-changing self" is excellent.
