Transformation

Transformation

From our friend, David Tuttle

When I first met the idea of transformation, it seemed to mean turning negative emotions into positive emotions. I have some friends who told me they have had the experience of going from a very negative state directly to the third state of consciousness, although I personally have not had this experience.

Transformation involves an inner struggle between a mechanical tendency and the work in us. The conflict is an artificial one, caused by new attitudes created in the work. Ouspensky said “The creation of unity is not the result of conflict—it is the result of struggle with conflict.” It is what we do with friction that makes it valuable. In ordinary life, what is valued and praised is resolving a conflict and arriving at acceptance - in the work it is using an intentionally created conflict to make our ability to be present stronger.

Trans-form-ation means changing the form of something. With the work, we change the form of friction from something difficult and unwanted to a sought-for opportunity to create consciousness. This does not mean the suffering goes away. To be able to transform it, we have to give up any and all self-pity – it stands directly in the way. Sacrificing the negative emotion of self-pity allows us to use whatever difficult circumstance we find ourselves in, small or large.

If we have real suffering, such as a terminal illness, or a severe one, or the death of someone close to us, we are brought to the edge of transformation. The suffering may or may not come to an end, depending on the situation. Here, it is an uphill struggle to continually establish self-remembering over self-pity. In that way, we trans-form the suffering.

I found myself thinking about this subject while I was eating my lunch. I realized that I had been lost in my thoughts and not at all present to the taste of my food, to my surroundings and so on. As soon as I began to struggle with the tendency to think about this subject and to put my focus on divided attention and keeping the observer present, I was performing transformation.

To make consciousness stronger, we must transform whatever is in the present moment - no matter if it is negative, positive or indifferent.

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Image: After Guido Reni, St. Cecilia playing the violin