Episode 107

Awakening Practices from PRACTICAL WORK ON SELF, "The Pond", Part One

This week, the Three-Headed Man discuss the psychological and spiritual benefits of conscious self-work.

Centered on a chapter titled "The Pond" by EJ Gold, the conversation explores the metaphor of a stone hitting water to represent external stressors and the subsequent internal reactions. The speakers analyze how negative impressions create ripples on the surface and deeper reverberations within the human "machine," affecting everything from mood to digestion. To counter these automatic responses, they suggest techniques such as containing negative expressions like a pressure cooker or willingly accepting difficult moments to prevent internal friction.

Ultimately, the participants aim to transition from reactive habits toward a state of greater awareness and "specialness" by observing their own predictable patterns.

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The Three-Headed Man
Talking To Ourselves For Over 25 Years

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About your host

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Fred M Schill

I like to do. I like to make things. And, I like telling stories. I tell stories to myself and to others.

First, a short biography, which is, of course, is a story. I was born in Cleveland, played sports, and attended university. Later, after a few years in the radio business, I returned to university to study education and literature.

With a teaching certificate in my file folder, I began working in high schools, first as a strike-breaking scab substitute teacher in Cleveland's far suburbs, and then in Chicago, mostly in private high schools.

Cleveland and Chicago. My two main towns, and I escaped them both. Presently, I live in a tiny, isolated, mountain village in Spain. I am reluctant to write the name of the town because I don't like tourists. When the tourists arrive, they look at me as if I am an animal in a zoo.