Episode 117

Awakening Practices from PRACTICAL WORK ON SELF, "Search for Dr. Livingstone", Part One

In this episode, THE THREE-HEADED MAN explores the concept of identification, defining it as a state where individuals "fall into" various temporary personas without awareness.

Jimmy, Jazzy, and Phreddie analyze the term "blithely" from EJ Gold’s Practical Work on Self, describing how people use intellectual excuses to remain disconnected from their deeper, animalistic natures. They contrast the "ivory tower" of theoretical knowledge with the "flesh and blood" reality of physical experience, noting that true self-work requires more than just academic understanding. Using the metaphor of searching for Dr. Livingstone, the group discusses the difficulty of finding one's one true identity amidst a sea of suggested influences. They conclude that the practice of declaring "I am not this" serves as a tool to break the grip of these mechanical identities.

Ultimately, the dialogue emphasizes that total immersion in life must be balanced with a conscious rejection of false self-images to achieve genuine awakening.

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The Three-Headed Man
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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.