I have been enjoying listening to the erudite wit of Allan Watts in a series of podcasts. The breadth and depth of experience, story, and connections amazes me. I continue to be intrigued by one particular conversation - about the Hindu view of the world. We children of the book - crusaders, Zionists or Muslims - have our godhead outside of us, and way beyond our reach and comprehension. Watts speaks of the Hindu approach as assuming the we, each of us, is the godhead [a blasphemy for western “children”] and that rather than a life seeking redemption for our sins and purifying the sins of the flesh that we are heir to, life is a drama - a game of hide and seek - where the godhead [Shiva] acts in a most convincing way to intrigue us and beguile us into forgetting that we ARE Shiva.
I have noticed from my personal experience, and in listening to clients over the years, that all too often we are revisiting the same problems over and over. I have resigned myself to assuming that some lessons take a lifetime to learn, and have lightheartedly suggested to arguing couples that they videotape their arguments, and replay them, since they are always the same - or variations on a theme.
The idea of hide and seek delights me, and lightens the burden of my stupid, slow learning, thick headed incompetence. It also fits in beautifully with Erickson’s saying that we all have more abilities than we know; with the questions “What’s missing?” and “What are you overlooking?”] that are at the core of the solution approach; and invites the game to continue …
If you’re interested … think of some recurrent issue - one which has troubled you repeatedly - and from the position of being Shiva, begin the game of seeking what you have been hiding from yourself.
Interesting?
At one point, Allan Watts chortles when he speaks of thinking when someone brought a problem to him for resolution “Get off it Shiva!”.
Mmmmm.
Rob
The Essential
Therapist,
is coming up July 13 - 17 in Hobart - you are welcome to
join us in this learning opportunity.
Also
you might be interested to look at
What's on?
And
a reminder ... if the history of hypnosis is of interest -
have a look at Saul Rosenfeld's solidly whimsical "A
Critical History of Hypnotism: The Unauthorized Story"
at
www.historyofhypnotism.com
Rob
McNeilly & Gabrielle Peacock
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