Today I was revisited by a memory that I have not seen in some time. And it returned with a new and reinvigorated understanding. I was contemplating the concepts of communication, and the granting of life, or beingness. I was contemplating the wins I have had with these things, when I remembered a series of conversations (that's right, conversations, not comm cycles, LOL) with my grandmother many years ago.
What popped up from my Scientology experience, in relation to this incident were two basic Scientology principles - ARC, and Tone 40. I gained a new understanding on these points, or more precisely, why they don't work, the way they are used within the Co$.
A little over ten years ago my grandmother fell ill, and was rushed to the hospital. She had suffered a heart attack. When she got to the hospital she had another heart attack, and a stroke. She was in her mid seventies when this occurred, and so was not expected to live much longer. Even she didn't think so.
I rushed to the hospital as soon as I could. She looked weak, so I just sat with her, not sure what to do. The rest of the family were outside her room. It was almost as if they were dividing up her assets right there. Highly insensitive. So I stayed with my grandmother, rather than take part in any of their nonsense. No one expected her to live, not even her, but she deserved some dignity, and comfort.
I worked close to the hospital, so I returned the next day. It was just me at that time. I started talking to her about things. She was appreciative of having someone to talk to. I was happy to have someone to listen to me - but then I did have a captive audience
I don't recall exactly what was said, but I do remember the topic. My grandmother is a Christian. She has been all of her life. I was brought up as one, but wasn't by this stage. But we both knew this, and were ok with it. She had her beliefs, but didn't smother others with them, and I respect that. But more importantly, I was very aware of exactly what she did believe, so I was able to communicate with her. My only real intention was to give her some sense of peace. The last thing I wanted to do was mess with the belief system of an elderly woman. So we spoke. We spoke about life, love, happiness, peace. But from the Bible, or I used my experiences in such a way that it didn't contradict her beliefs.
I returned the next day, and we talked some more.
And the next day.
And then on the third day (now this IS starting to sound biblical, LOL), she was looking remarkably well, she was happy, her body was holding up, and she said to me at the end of our conversation - 'You have taught me more than all the preachers I have ever known'. And this from a woman in her seventies, that had been going to church all her life. I wish I could remember the specifics of what I said. But then I don't think it's the words that matter as much as the intention behind those words.
I wanted her to be well, and be happy. I didn't want her to DO anything, necessarily. And this lead me to think about Tone 40, and my understanding of it, and how I saw it practiced. From what I observed, the use of Tone 40 in the Co$ is not a spiritual concept but a materialistic one. It is not used for the benefit of the other, but to make the other DO what you want. Instead of putting across an intention that resonates with the other person and works with them, it requires the use of force (even force of personality) to control the other person into doing what it is you want them to do. No wonder I struggled with this whilst in the Church.
And the concept of ARC. This was one of the basic concepts that I held onto for some time. I have read many posts here that show how it is actually not true, but I didn't fully grasp it until contemplating this event with my grandmother. You see, there was no agreement on the central issue. She believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and I don't. But we were both ok with this basic disagreement. And the conversations that proceeded over the next few days were all within the context of her biblical beliefs - I wanted her to have a win. I wanted her to be at peace. So, naturally I used her belief system. And the affinity between us increased, as did the communication. Perhaps we had agreement on our disagreement, LOL. But I think that we were able to go beyond all that and just communicate.
The end result of all this is - it has been over ten years since this took place, and she is still very much alive. She has had very few physical problems. Naturally, she is very frail, but she is happy, and has only been in hospital once since then, for something quite minor. And constantly tells me how wise I am, LOL - I wont tell her about the Scientology thing then
I think in that situation, I was able to grant her life, and she received it. And that flowed life back to me, because she wasn't resisting it. I know LRH talks about the granting of beingness being one of the most important things one can do. And I agreed with that, and still do. My disappointment was in the fact that I rarely saw it practiced in the Church. There is usually an ulterior motive. They usually want you to DO something, before they accept your Beingness. And this I found to be very stifling.
Scientology has helped me, in a sense. It has helped me put these lessons that I learnt through Scarlett, and my grandmother, into a context I didn't have before, and gain an understanding that I was lacking.