The Text isn’t openly process focused – Using the “In Me” Tool (7 mins)

An excerpt from The Logopraxis Workbook: The ‘In Me’ Tool  The Heavenly Doctrines often state the need to remove the concepts of space and time from our thinking as far as possible, when thinking about spiritual and celestial realities. The ‘In Me’ tool is a useful device that can help to do that, so that rather than taking the meaning as relating to realities external to ourselves, we can at least keep some level of attention on the potential meaning the Text might have in connection with our own internal personal life. We achieve this by placing the words ‘in me’ into the Text. There are no hard and fast rules about where the phrase is to be placed, so it’s left to the reader to play with it to see what works. Just keep in mind that the objective is to keep the focus on applying what we are reading ‘in me’. Everything described in the Heavenly Doctrines apply to the life of our mind, because the spiritual world does not exist outside the human mind – in fact, it is the human mind. In the work of Logopraxis we operate from a principle that all revelation is given to teach us about what exists within ourselves, and we accept that revelation is not to give us information about other people. This tool carries us from natural based thinking to more spiritual based thinking, and greatly assists in setting our task. So, the ‘In-Me’ tool is a technique to shift our thinking from a natural mode to a spiritual mode of thought, which is focused on applying what we’re reading in the Text to our mental states, to our thoughts and affectional life; to where spiritual work really needs to be focused, ‘in me’. Examples are shown below. From Heaven and Hell 595 we read: “It should be known that the hells are continually assaulting heaven and endeavouring to destroy it, and that the Lord continually protects the heavens by withholding those who are there from the evils derived from their proprium, and by holding them in the good that is from Himself.” And this can be adjusted in the following manner: It should be known that the hells (In Me) are continually assaulting heaven (what is good and true from the Word – In Me) and endeavouring to destroy it, and that the Lord (the Word – In Me) continually protects the heavens (what is good and true In Me) by withholding those (states of evil and falsity In Me) who are there from the evils derived from their (My) proprium, and by holding them (Me) in the good that is from Himself.  Key Principle: Evils and falsities (the hells/states of self-centredness) are continually assaulting goods and truths (the heavens/states of good will) in order to destroy them, and the Lord (as the Word) protects what is good and true by holding the mind in what is good from Himself (the Word). Sample Tasks Observe and take note of experiences where evils and falsities (states of self-centredness) arise seeking to destroy goods and truths (states of good will).  When this is seen try to remember this principle and note any shifts in the quality of my mental state. From Heaven and Hell 155 we read: “Angels are not constantly in the same state as to love, and consequently not in the same state as to wisdom for all their wisdom is from, and according to love. Sometimes they are in a state of intense love, sometimes in a state of love not intense. The state decreases by degrees from its greatest to its least intensity …. From this last state they return again to the first, and so on, these alternations following one after another with variety.”  Key Principles  The state of love and wisdom is never constant in an angel. The state of love and wisdom in an angel ebbs and flows, from highest to least intensity. The alternate states of love and wisdom in an angel follow on from each other with constant variety. The Principles Applied with the ‘In Me’ Tool The angel (In Me) is not constantly in the same state of love and wisdom. The angel (In Me) is sometimes in a state of intense love and sometimes this state is not so intense, decreasing by degrees to the point of least intensity. The angel (In Me) experiences an alternation of states of love and wisdom, with the phases of least and then greatest intensity following one from the other with constant variety. Sample Tasks To observe the lack of constancy in my state of love to the Lord or remember to use the Word in my life. I shall observe and record the role of the proprium in attempting to hold me fast in the glue of love of self and the ways of the world. To observe what thoughts and feelings are present when I am experiencing conflict, unhappiness, or an absence of the Lord (love and wisdom). And then to note how remembering the fact that the angel in me experiences alternations, changes my thoughts or experience of the difficult state. Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments in online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to maintain a focus on understanding the Text’s application to the inner life while reinforcing key LP principles highlighted in the exchanges.