Element 1  Guiding Principles

•   Retain You

.».  Opening
     Imagine a book consisting of a process; the process itself is only the medium for the knowledge.  The knowledge inside that book and when used to transform your life represents the real value.  The process holds information on how to transform your life but it only has value when You change.  That change is a product of your will (S11. Your Will).  In essence the change is the transformation of knowledge to wisdom (S5. Knowledge to Wisdom) recorded in your essence (S7. Essence).
     The idea is not to loose one’s self in the work it’s to find yourself through the work (you do and be).  You may at times love some process (maybe even this Practice) and that’s ok yet keep going to the point where you love yourself, where you love life, love of relationships.  In terms of the Practice it’s the relationship you have with the process to love, this way it always comes back to you back to the feeling (to love).
     Why put so much emphasis on this concept?  I’ve seen examples in others (myself too at times) where a certain process they were studying had become overly important to them (which can be ego).  “Oh I’m studying an ancient process”, ok but what about you, how is your life improving through this doing?  When the work becomes more important than your life then something is out of alignment (and possibly there is fear).  Beyond improving the emphasis of the Practice is for you to evolve change grow.  Retain you to not get lost in your practice.

.».  Expressions
Specific to the Practice:
» Don’t get lost in the work.
       It may feel so good and you may be getting it yet always come back to you, your life and living.  This is the point.  Better to spend 5 minutes doing the work and 55 minutes living than the inverse.  So what is the balance, possibly you are unhappy and want to change something in your life?  Doing the work (this Practice, another process) can be a path to happiness.  
       So easy, do the work.
       + Yes but live too.
       You could spend your entire life doing the work, hold away in a room achieving enlightenment right as you keel over and die.  This is not the intention of this Practice.  You being out in the world is the intention of this Practice.
       I would rather you (and me) be out in the world butting up against the confrontations of the relationships living, making mistakes, even regretting in the knowing that we are living now with awareness (S1. Awareness).  When you pause for a moment you will notice the path of living will get you there faster (and you may have been hiding).  This is true for doing, being and creating the work (S1. Doing Being Creating), no reason lets you off the hook to live.
» It’s one thing to write/read about it, it’s another to take action (S5. Action) and to feel it.
       So one question to ask yourself is what does living look like to me?  It’s an even harder question to ask when you don’t have everything you want.  We at times live the fallacy that until we get certain things that we are not living thus waiting (S2. Waiting) and time is moving (S5. Time).
       You may like to pause for a moment to contemplate this question.  Your answer many involve you giving yourself permission to enjoy life (E3. Intention).
       Note:  What does living look like to you including your fears.  Your current fears that are holding you back, are those part of your life, part of what living looks like to you?  Release your fears, do, be the work.
» Don’t attach to the Practice, attach to the feeling.
       The Practice is centered around getting you to feel life (S4. To Feel).  Place your attention not on the process but rather on what it brings up in you, what you are feeling.  Don’t attach to the process embody the energy (S4. Energy), embody the connection, embody the feelings, embody the peace.
       As an example imagine two people are talking about a process they like.  The first one says I really like this process and it’s intention.  This is to attach to the process.  Initially this is ok as a place to start but don’t stop here.  Now the second person says I really like the changes that are occurring in my life as a result of working through this process.  This is to embody the energy of the process.
» Don’t mistake the directions (instructions) to God as God.
       Don’t fall in love with the instructions, fall in love with You (God).  This Practice is only the instructions.
       Note:  We are not trying to insinuate this Practice is the instructions to God even if we suggest so.  This Practice is a process you manipulate, change and form to fit your desired intention.  We do hope to help you find reality existing there beyond perceptions.  The Practice is meant to bring you and your relationships to the fore.
» Embody the energy, in time you will see it’s all inside you.
       Eventually you simply enjoy your life and how it’s evolving with no one thing being the driving force and rather all relationships (the Practice, with others, things, nature, beyond) playing a part in your evolving, this is the noticing of the moment (S9. Noticing Moments).
» When you reach a point where what you feel transcends the work then you will know.
       Don’t get lost in the work (especially when interacting with others).  You are to evolve beyond the work.  The work is a step, a part, a piece of the puzzle of your life.  You are the intention for the work you do, be, create.  
       Note:  See yourself as a completed puzzle, even with pieces yet to be created.  Visualizing your life as an expanding puzzle with all the unfilled edges.  Those open edges are opportunities to fill with life (moments).
       The intention is for you to transcend the process.
» I am not a victim of this work (always come back to you).
       Relates to say guidance, meditative questioning, always come back to you.  Always come back to you.  When it’s unclear and you don’t understand the receiving always come back to you, this is where the power is.
» The work will consume you if you let it (and is ego).
       If the work becomes more important than the life this is when the ego is driving the ship (life).  This is true of any process, any relationship.  You may not know who you are, the work can help with that, this happens through balance.  Through the Practice we help you define the life (your life).  See (S5. The Life).
       Note:  Many of us have lost ourselves for instance while dating or at a job, it can be not so nice.  Same idea with any process, retain you.
» The question is not do you believe in the work (Practice).
       The question is do you believe in the intention of the work.  In a sense do you believe in the Universe and God (able to interact with).
» At some point you may ask (wonder) does the work work?.
       + No.
       Can I change my life?
       + Yes.
       Through this work?
       + Through living life.
       You then might wonder is this work part of your life?  You may have to do some work to know.  As long as you need it then the work is not the answer (will not help).
       Note:  It’s like doing the work with an open mind and a bit of surrender rather than expecting a miracle (needing it to work).
       You can ask it again like this; “does the process work”.
       No.
       “But I’m using it to change my life, how is this different”?
       The focus is on you.  This becomes important as the process drops away replaced by connection.  Start out from the onset with you (and connection) as the intention (not the process).
» Through life you release need.
       Then the work is more useful.
       I need to release need?
       + No you are to release need.
       As you embrace the idea (even in small ways) of releasing need the work helps (accelerates your learning).
       Note:  Seeing something as important to you is different than needing something.
       You might say but I have problems, that’s why I’m doing the work.  Very little likely changes through this approach (no matter what process you use).  A small change in the wording, in the energy I would like to change, I would like to release these (not my) problems helps, more change occurs (this is the space).
       As your focus shifts to the positive (S12. Focus on the Positive) I would like to evolve, change, grow the work becomes more effective.  This idea is not specific to the Practice.  The philosophy here is that this is how the Universe works.  Flow through the Universe, create and your life will move forward.
       Note:  When our words and actions are not in alignment much of the work we do ends in what we perceive as failure (we didn’t see the change we desired).
» Integrate the process into your system (Being).
       You can take hundreds of notes (and that’s ok) yet it’s more about you actually living the process.  You can’t live the piece of paper, live the life with the new qualities in you from the work you have done.  Ebb, flow… study, change.
       Note:  Imagine you write down all those notes from practicing the work; there are no cue cards to our lives.  Gradually allow the wind to (metaphorically) blow your notes away. 
» At some point you are to let go of the work and go live.
       There is a tendency for the work to become a dependency (S1. Dependencies).  You are to break this bond too.  Break this bond before you think you are ready (S2. Ready) to let go of the work.  
       This doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the work completely, this could be your challenge.  The Practice may be a part of your life always, it’s about the relationship with the Practice.  Your primary relationship is with you, everything else is an addition to your life.
       Note:  In the Practice we talk about how God is inside you, how you are inside the Universe, the Universe is inside of you.  There are numerous Topics in the Practice around relationships including (S11. Your True Relationships), (S6. Relationships).
» The more you think about the work the more you disassociate from the intention of the work.
       The more you realize you (S11. The You) the more effective is the work (you do, then be).  You might like to use these two questions how is this work changing my life, how am I changing as your barometer for it working.  When the answer is about realizing who you are (free of the ego, collective and fear) it’s working.  If you think you are free it’s not working (and likely ego).  When you feel you are free (as you feel free) you could say it’s working but it really doesn’t matter at that point.  You are freeing yourself (period).
       You could stop doing the work at this point, you could continue on and deepen your sense of self.  It all depends on if the work is continuing to work (for you) or not?  This question takes you back to the beginning of this Expression to think about the work (or not to think).  This is a good segue into E1. Interpreting Expressions where we look at ideas beyond thinking about Expressions.
       Note:  Be aware the ego will tell you to stop (doing the work, doing anything constructive for your life).  You are to evolve beyond the thoughts of the ego.
       If your answers for how you and your life are changing is “not much” then add in more living.  In conjunction with doing the work add in more living.  Go on a first date, take your partner out for a date, try that fruit at the grocery store you can’t pronounce.  And when those things don’t change your life realize you are still focused on the outcome rather than the moment, this is the lesson.

Working towards your intention:
» Allow yourself to love this work.
       (it’s ok) To love this moment.  Are you holding back, it sounds simple, yet?  Allow yourself to love this work, to open up to it, to feeling.  Eventually as you cultivate this idea you will shift from loving the work to loving yourself and recognize the work was only the vehicle for this aspect of your journey (E2. Alignment).
       Note:  Guilt may be the shadow to overcome.  Allow in the joy.
» Do it to be it (not to do it).
       You can feel the difference when this is true.  This work is not something you can do to get done or to accomplish.  You do the work to be it to live it.  You may start out with this as your intention and from there let the work integrate into your life.  Come back to this Guiding Principal frequently.

.».  Examples
       As a metaphor see how preparing food is an important step.  Yet it’s the action of eating the food, the breaking it down by your body into energy that your life moves forward.  Similarly for the Practice, transform the work you do into changes in you (feeling), into energy and you will prosper. 
       The same idea applies with money.  The money itself is only part of the value.  Acquire the money and buy and do stuff (through the money) to experience the real value.  Study the process, acquire knowledge and transform that knowledge to wisdom through (your) action.  Live out the intention of the Practice.

       Don’t loose yourself in the work.  The work is intended to bring you to the fore.  If you find yourself preaching the work, you should then you have lost yourself in the work.
       Note:  Better for you to be an example of the work than to preach.  There are ways for you to share with others but be sure there is an opening.

.».  Summary
     This Topic is possibly overly emphasizing the idea of not just studying but to actually change.  There is nothing (any) process can tell you that will transform your life, it’s your action that is the transformation it’s you changing.  You could read something and feel better, that feeling is the change not the words (from the process). 
     If you fall in love with a process and stop there you will miss out on life.  It comes down to intention, what is your intention for doing some process?  Fall in love with you; acknowledge your worth-receive.

(E1. Retain You), © 2023 Busacca