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The Law of Three

In the Fourth Way there is something known as “The Law of Three”. This “Law” relates to the three forces: Passive, Active and Neutral (or Allowing) force.

For example, consider throwing a rock. The Active Force is you throwing the rock, the Passive Force is the rock itself and The Allowing (or Neutral Force) which is the most difficult to perceive force, is the space in which the rock is able to be thrown.

If you took away any one of these forces then the rock would not be thrown. The Law of Three is depicted in the Yin, Yan, Yung symbol.

But it goes deeper than this. In the Fourth Way tradition three Centers are recognized: Moving/Instinctive, Emotive and Intellectual. These three are active within all human beings to a greater or lesser degree. Almost without exception, a person will be focused more within one of these than the others and for most people it is not difficult to determine which of the three they favor.

For instance people who are focused more on the Moving/Instinctive center will be largely concerned with food/sleep/exercise/dance/sports etc. Emotionally centered people are focused on Art and relationships. Intellectually centered people tend to read a lot and enjoy things that are related to symbology such as language, computer programming etc. Nobody is active in only one center but all tend to have one that dominates the other two.

The three centers also correspond to our three brains: Mammalian(Emotive), Reptilian(Instinctive) and Primate(Intellectual) brain. This follows how life on this planet evolved – Dinosaurs were primarily reptilian living a solo existence while Mammals tend to live in groups and need emotions in order to get along with each other. Primates(like us) poses the added ability to speak/understand a symbolic language.

The three centers correspond with three major Chakras: Muladara (moving/instinctive), Anahata (Emotive) and Ajna (Intellectual). Therefore these three Chakras correspond to our three brains: Reptilian (cerebellum), Mammalian (Limbic System – hippocampus, hypothalamus, amygdala), Primate(Neocortex).

If we are hoping to balance our three centers then it is vital to gain a solid understanding of them. The primary way to do this is with Self Observation but that will be the subject of another article.

There are many examples we can find in organized religion of the Law of Three, for example the Holy Trinity of Christianity(Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and even the Body, Mind and Spirit. No matter what you believe the Law of Three provides us with a framework that we can use to better understand ourselves and others. I see it as a fundamental truth and perhaps, The fundamental truth.

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Finding Happiness and Joy

As I was preparing to write this article I realized that I could talk about neurotransmitters like Serotonin and Nor-epinephrine, depression and the physiology of feeling happy. Instead, lets just cut the B.S. and go straight to the point. To find happiness and joy you have to look in places where they can be found.

Sounds ridiculous right? I mean of course you have to look where they can be found, what kind of silly article is this. Well before you dismiss this completely consider one of my favorite Sufi teaching stories starring the Mullah Nasruddin. I will just paraphrase and summarize. The Mullah is outside of his house at dusk, near the front door. He is crawling around on the ground looking for something. A passerby asks him “What are you looking for Mullah?” and he answers “I am looking for my key so I can unlock my front door and get into my house”. So the passerby gets down on the ground and starts helping him search.

After some time the passerby is getting a little frustrated and says “What does the key look like?” The Mullah describes the key in great detail. After a few minutes more the passerby says “where exactly were you when you dropped it?” The Mullah points to a tree about 300 feet away and says “I was standing under that tree”. The passerby gets very frustrated and yells at the Mullah “Then why where you looking here?” The Mullah answers “Because there is more light here”.

You have to look for happiness and joy where it can be found not where its easy. There can be satisfaction and security in planning the future and executing a plan. Or in remembering happy times or acquiring something new or a million other things. But that is not what I mean by happiness and joy, these things pale in comparison to true happiness and joy. I am talking about strong emotions that make your eyes well up or force you to be grinning from ear to ear without even knowing it, or maybe even shouting with joy! For this kind of happiness and joy you must be in the moment, the eternal now. I know I am getting a little esoteric here but that is where true happiness and joy lives, it lives in the moment. If you are looking for it anywhere else, for instance where the light is better, you wont find it.

I know what you are thinking, “Don’t we exist in the moment, the eternal now?” Yes we do – and yes that is actually all that there is (you literally have no choice but to exist in the moment). But your awareness is flexible and while you are living in the moment it can become identified with things that you are not. When this happens you are either imagining the future or remembering the past. Not only CAN your awareness become identified with thoughts and ideas, it DOES become identified almost all of the time. What is even worse, this process of identification is usually compulsive, happening automatically, without your awareness.

When you are identified with thoughts and ideas then you are distracted from what is happening in the moment. You are literally loosing your identity(which lives in the moment) to the thought that you are identified with. The Fourth Way refers to this state of identification as “Walking Sleep” or “somnambulism”. Eventually It will leave you feeling very joyless and even depressed because you are disconnected from the now and that is where happiness and joy lives. Seeing this predicament that we find ourselves in is known as “The Terror of the Situation” in Fourth Way terminology.

People who love to engage in dangerous sports or hobbies often say that it makes them feel more alive. This is because the mind stop its compulsive identification when it thinks you are in danger, In order to help you survive. People will also say that time seems to slow down. This is because your full awareness is now active in real time, taking in everything!

It is not always necessary to put yourself in danger to stop identification, it could just be that this sport or activity demands your full attention. Afterwards you may continue feeling good because you have exhausted your physical energies to the point where you have no extra energy for compulsive identification. For instance you can’t play ping pong and think about anything else or you will miss the ball. This is usually called “being in the zone”. Activities do not guarantee that you will find happiness and joy but at least they put you in the spot where they can be found. There are spiritual benefits to playing sports and to being an “Adrenaline Junkie” .

Even when you are looking in the right place for happiness and joy these solutions are still coming from outside of yourself. Spiritual practitioners know that there is another way to access happiness and joy entirely from within. In order to find this inner source of happiness and joy it is often necessary to feel very strongly that something is wrong. It might just feel like a subtle form of anguish or like life has lost its joy or it might feel like “a splinter in your mind” as they say in the movie The Matrix. Like all pain this pain is there to motivate you.

Mental pain/anguish/depression is what motivated me to begin spiritual work over 30 years ago. Since then I have spoken to many people who found the same motivation. If you regularly experience mental anguish/pain then be encouraged. This is the first step toward seeing the process of compulsive identification in yourself and finding the source of true happiness and joy inside of yourself.

Self observation and Meditation provide powerful tools to transform an ordinary life into an extraordinary life. With an endless source of happiness and joy!

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Switching To A Low Cost Prepaid Cellular Service

There are many low cost options for cell service on the market today. Republic Wireless and Mint Mobile are the two that immediately come to mind, but there are many other Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO)s. The word “virtual” is key.

So how can they add a virtual “middle man” to cellular service and still reduce the cost?

Great question, there are several ways they do it but the primary way is by providing Prepaid service instead of a Contract Plan. Basically that just means you pay for your services up front instead of being billed after the fact. Another way is that an MVNO will provide the customer support and account management and there are some savings to be had there.

The most painful way they save money is that your MVNO connection will be given a lower priority than an MNO connection. This is defined in a Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the MVNO and the MNO. This SLA specifies how the MVNO service will be reduced when the MNO customers are competing for it.

This gets at the fundamental difference between the MVNO’s and the actual Mobile Network Operators (MNO)s, since the MVNO is “virtual” and does not actually own or operate the underlying network that their subscribers rely on.

Why would the network operators sell bulk access to the virtual network operators at a reduced rate? The network operators have a significant investment in equipment and so it is in their best interest to have their networks as fully utilized as possible. Besides, the SLA ensures that their direct subscribers will not experience a downgrade in service because of it. In short, they can’t lose but this creates a kind of two tier model in which the MVNO customers are on the second tier.

If that doesn’t annoy you and you are more interested in saving money than having high priority and high cellular data speeds then an MVNO is likely to be a good choice for you. A word of warning, If you are currently on a family plan be sure to consider your family plan members and their feelings too. The last thing you want is to have them unwillingly transfer to a different cellular service only to complain to you every time their service is worse than the previous provider. Which is quite possible.

If you are all good on the above issues then that is great because it has been my experience that you could save as much as 50% by switching! Here are five steps to actually make the switch(sequence is important):

First – you need to unlock your phone. This is totally legal and does not compromise your phones security. It simply allows your phone to work on another network. Usually this requires that you pay off any remaining balance owed on your phone and request that your provider unlock it. Again if you have a family plan and you are switching everyone over you need to unlock all of the phones. Here is how apple suggests that you unlock your iPhone and this article is for Android.

Second – I suggest that you determine your first and second choice MNO networks in your area and then identify which MVNO’s operate on them. That will narrow things down a bit, now determine which of those MVNO carriers provide the best support for your particular phone(or phones). Of course you will want to compare prices and services(WIFI Calling and Tethering/Hot Spots) and maybe check out some customer reviews. At this point you should have a very short list and you should know your first choice.

Third – do not notify your current provider that you are leaving them and wish to stop service! This would result in them cutting off your service and that is a problem because most two step verification processes text a secret code (PIN) to your phone. If you are moving more than one number (as in a family plan) you need your phone to keep working to to get all of the information.

The most important thing you need from them is your account number, it is required to get your number ported over to the new carrier and that is why this information is not easy to find. It may be at the top of your bill or you may have to call customer service and ask for it at which point they will be curious to know why you are leaving them and who won your business etc.

Fourth – Place an order with your chosen MVNO and wait until you receive a new Subscriber Identity Mobile (SIM) card from them. Then go through the process of creating an account, activating the card and porting your number over to your new provider. You will need your MNO account number and phone number and provide some kind of proof (two step verification) that you are who you say you are. The verification is annoying but ultimately it is for your protection. If you followed the sequence above your phone still works so it should be no problem.

Fifth – at this point your current provider will probably know that you are leaving. Its OK though because you will have already made a safe transition to your new provider. You should feel like you have just safely found your way out of the most dangerous part of a nearby city, at midnight! The only thing left to do is make sure that your previous provider stops billing.

In the unlikely event that you want to switch back to your original provider(MVNO service is not good enough etc.). Be sure to do things in the same basic order described above and you should be fine. Good luck and I hope you save loads of cash!

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Kriya Yoga, Spiritual Steroids

I know steroids are bad for you but you get the idea right? n this article when I say Sadhana I mean your spiritual practice. I learned this term from Isha and that is how they use it. In the Fourth Way this is simply called The Work. Like anything else it can be done correctly or incorrectly. When done correctly it is a means to raise your consciousness, strengthen your true self and progress on the spiritual path.

With the right intention and attention, anything can become part of your Sadhana but I believe some things are more effective than others. This is where the yogic traditions shine, because they were created specifically to be part of a Sadhana. But how do you know if you are doing them correctly, so that they will help you progress spiritually?

” Everything can be sadhana. The way you eat, the way you sit, the way you stand, the way you breathe, the way you conduct your body, mind and your energies and emotions – this is sadhana. Sadhana does not mean any specific kind of activity, sadhana means you are using everything as a tool for your wellbeing. ” -Sadhguru

I have been practicing the Shambhavi Mahamudra for five years and just recently (1/19/2019) began practicing Shoonya meditation and Shakti Chalana Kriya. All of these I learned from the Isha Foundation which is run by Sadhguru. Before that I was doing “The Work” as described in the fourth way and taught to me by the Tayu Center. These have all been part of my daily Sadhana. The tools they provide give me a way to swim up stream against the current of entropy that tends to pull as all down to our lowest common spiritual denominator.

When I am doing it right my Sadhana provides a mirror for me to see myself. Not necessarily my true self but all of myself. Even the ugly bits. In order to see these particular parts of myself I need to have a set of activities that require effort (work) and that I know very well. For instance a series of yoga poses like the Surya Namaskar or Kriya Yoga which my body has memorized the movements/breathing patterns for. I don’t have to think very hard about it. I don’t have to think hard but I do have to remain present and aware enough to not get lost while doing it and I think this is key.

If you allow your mind to wander while doing Shakti Chalana Kriya you will very quickly become aware of it because you will lose track of what you are doing. A certain amount of awareness and intention is necessary to prevent the mind from wondering when doing a task you have done many times before. That is where the strengthening of your awareness and increasing your self understanding comes in.

Since your mind could be allowed to wander into that dreamworld that it goes to when things become mundane and boring you have to make a specific kind of effort to not allow it to go there. Your mind will want to go to that dream like state where you have imaginary conversations or silently talk to yourself. This is very valuable because it allows you to see this part of yourself. It is not easy to look at but It is an important part of your Sadhana. It requires you to bring your mind back to what is happening right now.

This was a significant realization for me recently. If I am learning something new then I naturally focus my attention on it, without much internal distraction. But if this is something I have practiced many times I could choose to go on autopilot and let my mind run free. Here is a link to a scientific study on attention and mindfulness. This is actually a very significant evolutionary advantage that we humans have over many other animals. For instance we can drive while thinking about what we will do when arrive at our destination. The problem is that we can compulsively just let our minds wander into a dream like state of imaginary conversations.

If it happens compulsively, without any will or attention from us then I believe that this is harmful to our being. An effective Sadhana creates this exact situation where you must strengthen your attention muscle to become conscious and this will naturally weaken the ego. My first spiritual teacher Robert (from the Fourth Way tradition) used to say that to be truly conscious requires three things: Will, Attention and Presence. So if your Sadhana requires these three things then it will be effective. Sadhguru often speaks about reducing compulsiveness in ourselves to gain control of our lives and end addiction.

“Addictions and compulsive behaviors signal that we are not able to properly make use of our mind and bodies. As humans, we have the ability to employ our minds to go beyond our fundamental needs of life. Inner Engineering improves our ability to conduct our life in the way we want it without being compelled by external influences and circumstances. ” -Sadhguru

In the case of Kriya Yoga, the activities themselves (mostly different types of breathing and counting) are designed to require Will, Attention and Presence while increasing physical strength and flexibility and raising Prana . Increasing the Prana (energy) which fuels the three elements of being conscious creates a positive feedback loop!

Kriya Yoga also separates your body and mind. For instance while your mind is counting your body is either exhaling, inhaling or simply holding the breath. This is clearly two activities happening at once. And who is noticing these two activities happening at once? It is yet a third aspect of you, your awareness! This is what makes Kriya Yoga one of the most effective forms of Sadhana IMO. It is like spiritual steroids.

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The Fourth Way

I purchased a copy of the book “In Search of the Miraculous” by P.D. Ouspensky in the late 1980’s at a book store in the San Francisco Airport. This book changed my life in a profound way, it set me on a course of self examination and self understanding through the practice of self observation. I read this book several times (at least three) but subsequent readings did not have the same impact on me as the first. This was annoying to me. I also remember how annoyed I felt because there were no Fourth Way teachers in the area and the book kept saying that one would need to find a real Fourth Way teacher.

In Search of the Miraculous
In Search of the Miraculous

In 1991 I was taking Psych 1A at Santa Rosa J.C. and I saw a poster at Emeritus Hall that said “Mr G. wants you!”. I knew that Mr. G. is how Ouspensky referred to Gurdjieff in the book but could this really be a Fourth Way school right here in Sonoma County? It seemed too fantastic to be true but there it was. The poster had been placed by Stuart Goodnick from the Tayu Center Meditation Center a real Fourth Way school in Sebastopol with a real Fourth Way teacher Robert Daniel Ennis . I later learned that Robert was not too thrilled about the flyer because Fourth Way schools were supposed to be hidden and difficult to find.

Enneagram

I called the number on the flyer and my wife Cheryl and I went to an interview with Robert Ennis and Robert Schmidt in Sebastopol. We did not know it at the time but they were interviewing us to see if they would take us on as students. They did and we became devoted students at Tayu Center from 1991 through Robert’s death in 1998. Both of our boys were born during this time (Peter 1992, Grant 1996) and were very fortunate to have spent time with Robert before his passing.

One of Robert’s teachers was E.J. Gold. I found this out when I read “The Human Biological Machine as a Transformation Apparatus“. I started talking about it at one of our Thursday night meetings at Tayu and Robert got a funny look on his face and said, “Oh you mean E.J.’s book, I wouldn’t waste your time reading that”. I am paraphrasing but that was the gist of Robert’s comment to me. I was disappointed in his reaction because I thought the book contained some very significant ideas. But I trusted Robert’s judgement.

The Fourth Way can be over intellectualized. The tile of the above mentioned book might be an example of that. Over intellectualizing can be quite dangerous. Robert used to tell me that I would think too much. I heard this regularly from him because I had a bad habit of over intellectualizing. The Fourth Way seems to attract this type of person. This is not to say that these people are smarter than anyone else they are just thinking too much. When you are thinking too much you are focused in the Intellectual center and you do this at the expense of the other three centers. It is known as the “Wrong work of center’s” in the fourth way.

I am not going to go into the details of the Fourth Way here but suffice it to say that it is a complete system for knowing ones self. I was very fortunate to have found Tayu Center and Robert at this time, Cheryl and our two boys have also benefited immensely and not a day goes by that I do not think about him.

I have been extremely fortunate in my life to have had two very significant spiritual teachers from two different spiritual traditions: Robert Daniel Ennis of the Fourth Way tradition and Sadhguru(Jaggi Vasudev) of the Yogic tradition. Having these two teachers from their two different traditions has really proven to me that there is only one teaching.

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Life After Shoonya

I attended the Shoonya Intensive four day program at the Isha Ashram in Tennesse with my son Grant on 1/17/2019 – 1/21/2019.  Our instructor was Senthil, he is very knowledgeable and firm but surprisingly kind as well. It was cold and snowy but we did manage a hike to the bluffs in between the rain and snow showers.

There is a reason that they use the word “Intensive”.  This was an intense class,  mainly because of the 20 minute Suhka Kriya but also the sitting in Vajrasana. Of course it is not the Shoonya meditation that is physically challenging it is the Shakti Chalana Kriya.

It has been three weeks and I am just now starting to be able to sit in Vajrasana without having the discomfort distracting me from the Kriya.  Of course it is also a powerfully transforming Kriya and I noticed having more energy and a clearer mind right away.

I recommend following all of the guidelines to prepare for the Shakti Chalana Kriya.

“Due to the nature of the Shoonya Program, it is highly recommended that one goes through a certain amount of preparation, in order to make the most of it”

in front of mahima
In front of Mahima

As I mentioned it has been three weeks, what is my opinion of the Shoonya Intesive at this point?  It was definitely worth it for me and for Grant too.  I had been practicing Shambhavi Mahamudra for five years (Grant too)  and  I truly enjoyed creating that time and space in my life to get centered and tap into that joyful place within. I was also ready for whats next, my practice was just like brushing my teeth every morning.

Shoonya is what’s next, its optional of course but I did feel as though my Sadhana had plateaued. Grant did not have to try too hard to convince me to go for Shoonya, I was very willing and I am very grateful to have a Son who encourages my spiritual growth.  The time was right.  Shoonya is a lot more demanding but provides more reward in my experience – When I say Shoonya I am including Shakti Chalana Kriya. It has provided me with more energy for spiritual work but this energy still needs to be directed toward Sadhana. it is not automatic.

If you are considering Shoonya I recommend it.

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Hello world!

Dear reader; Hello and welcome to my blog!  My name is Thomas Fonseca and I plan to share some of my deepest insights and thoughts on this blog. If you find anything I have written helpful or you have a strong opinion about it (pro or con) please leave a comment. I will try to be as clear and concise as possible while only sharing information that will be useful to you. Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing from you.

-Thomas