(M.J.E. Spirit / Wed., 30 Nov., 1994)






Spirit Dialogues


Explorations of Spirit
by Michael Edwards




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Wednesday, 30 November, 1994


      Michael: Hallo, Bivalia. How are you?

      Bivalia:[a] Very well, thank you. And what have you been up to recently?

      Michael: Oh, nothing special, I guess. I've been into town today, something I do rarely. But I decided to get Eric Klein's two books The Inner Door, volumes 1 and 2. However, on the tram on the way home, I tried starting to read, but somehow couldn't get into it.

      Bivalia: Well, give yourself time. Perhaps you're not in the mood for it presently.

      Michael: No, I don't think I am. There was something else I did also. More than a week ago, I decided to write a letter to the composer George Lloyd whom I mentioned in a previous session, the one whose symphonies I admire so much, you know.

      Bivalia: I'm with you. Why did you decide to write to him?

      Michael: I wanted to find out if the scores of any of his music are available. I've never seen them in shops like Fine Music, and I thought the best way to find out would be to write to the composer himself. He'd probably reply; I think composers like to hear from people who like their music, and are pleased to know that there are people who appreciate what they do.
      Well, I wrote the letter over a week ago, perhaps getting on for two weeks ago; but I didn't know where to send it. It would probably be impossible to find out his home address, but Joan I. (my aunt, whom I visited a week or so ago) suggested if I wanted to write, I could send the letter to his record company, who would probably forward it on. But I had to find out what his record company was, and what their address was (probably in England or America - preferably in England, if he had more than one record company).
      I thought the easiest way of finding out this would be to visit a record shop, and ask to see some of his records. I would find out which company did his music, and with a bit of luck one of the record covers might even give the address. While I was in town today I decided to visit Thomas's Records, which was only a block away from the Theosophical Society Bookshop where I got the Eric Klein books. And I found out the name and address of George Lloyd's record company, so I can now send the letter to them, and hope they'll send it on to wherever he lives.
      I met the owner of Thomas's Records, Peter Posarnig, who recognized me, even after all these years. I used to buy records quite often in the 1970s, back in the days when I actually listened to music, and quite often I went to Thomas's. I probably don't buy anything in the recorded music area more than once or twice a decade now, but Peter still knew who I was.

      Bivalia: He probably wonders why you don't buy anything these days.

      Michael: Perhaps. He said nothing about it though. But he did on a previous occasion, and I think I just gave him a fairly brief version of the reasons why I don't - that is, that it is impossible, where I live, with neighbours so close, to listen to music without unfairly imposing it on them against their will, and, given that I would resent it if other people forced their music on me, I can't justify forcing mine on other people, even though it means I never listen to music as a result. I don't remember what Peter said to that (I didn't go into lots of detail), but he probably wouldn't understand why I feel that way.
      Anyway, I found out what I went into Thomas's for, the record company's address in England, and I wrote it down. I had a look round at what music by other composers was available, and all sorts of things seem to be available. It was obvious that I had totally lost touch with things over the years. There was a time, well over a decade ago (before compact discs were even in existence), when I thought I had a reasonably good idea of what was available in classical music generally - but not now. There are all sorts of treasures available. Given that I would have no hope of being able to afford to buy everything I would conceivably like to (you'd have to be rich for that), and also given that even if I could afford it, I couldn't listen to it anyway (for the reasons I just gave), seeing how much wonderful stuff was available was quite depressing in a way. If there are things you might like but can't take advantage of, perhaps it's better not to know about them.
      Needless to say, I didn't buy anything (and hadn't entered the shop with any intention of doing so); if I can't listen to music properly anyway, there certainly isn't any point in wasting expensive money buying records.
      And I suspect that, even if conditions were ideal: I could afford to buy lots of records (and proper equipment for playing them), that I had a house out in the country where I could play all the music I like without anyone else being able to hear it at all, and so on - if conditions were ideal, like this, I suspect that my attitude to recorded music has become so poisoned that I just wouldn't ever feel like listening to music anyway, that I wouldn't enjoy it, that I would just feel bad about it.
      I suspect that my feelings about this are so tangled that perhaps it would be better to just give up music altogether, playing, composing, the lot. It is obvious that the conditions of my life simply are not in the least favourable for developing a musical life of any sort.

      Bivalia: Do you need to listen to recorded music in order to compose your own music?

      Michael: I'm not sure. That's one of the uncertainties of the whole thing. I suspect it would be better to be able to. You don't compose music in a vacuum; composers are often inspired by other music they hear, and listening to music, especially if you can follow with a copy of the score, is the best way of learning technique. It it doubtful, at best, if I already have enough technique to write all the music I want to.

      Bivalia: It's difficult to know what to say to all this.

      Michael: In other words, you're stumped; I've presented you with a problem you have no answer to.

      Bivalia: I've never said that there's an instant solution to all the problems of life. It is obvious that there is not, whether in your life, or anyone else's. It may be otherwise after the Earth's ascension, but we're talking about now.
      It is your prerogative to withdraw from music now if you feel the difficulties involved outweigh the benefits; and this would still not preclude you coming back to it when conditions are better, after ascending even.

      Michael: But meanwhile, I suppose I have to do something with my life now. At least, I don't feel morally obliged to, but without something to do, life would be intolerably boring and depressing.

      Bivalia: Perhaps computer programming is another avenue.

      Michael: To an extent; but I don't somehow feel it has the same spiritual possibilities that I feel music has - at least, that I feel it does in my better moments. And although I started studying computer programming at Swinburne in 1989 with a view towards having a career in computer programming, I don't feel I would in the least fit into the business-type areas that would probably lead to, and I certainly don't feel the slightest emotional commitment to the business world, or government, or the military, or the scientific establishment, or areas like that which use computer programming, in one of which I would presumably be working by now if I had completed that course.

      Bivalia: Well, in making the suggestion, I didn't necessarily mean anything like that. Perhaps just for your own interest - although I think it can often be good, if the opportunity comes, to be able to use your talents in any area for wider causes than a purely private interest. Opportunities could arise in the computer programming area that you would be quite unable to see ahead of time, which would be in an area you do feel some affinity with, perhaps even spiritual kinship. It's worth keeping in mind, anyway, if you do want to follow this.
      It may be that music will be better kept for a later time. If things don't favour it now, it could be that it's not what you're meant to be doing right now. Many people on a spiritual path believe that when you're meant to be doing something, things just go right, everything goes your way, and it's obvious that your musical life is not doing that, that it is in fact almost doing the opposite, opposing you at every turn.

      Michael: Well, thanks a lot! This is turning into a rather gloomy session today, isn't it? Well, I've been feeling rather down for the last couple of days. I don't quite know why; there isn't always a reason that I can see, but it paralyzes everything I try to do, even kills the desire to do anything much at all.
      I'm not even quite sure why I started this session, and I don't seem to have much more to say now. Perhaps I've been trying to write too much in the last couple of weeks.
      I'll tell you what. I'm starved, and will go and have a break and something to eat; then I'll come back here and have another try at continuing. If I can't, I think we'll call it quits for tonight. But I suspect that every time I start a session, there is something deep down that I want to say, even if I can't tell what it is.

      Bivalia: Okay; maybe I'll see you in a little while.

[SOME TIME LATER.]

      Michael: I'm back, and I've had something to eat. When I get really hungry and have to eat, I don't see the slightest way I'll ever be able to do the ground ascension process, practically stopping eating, and all that.

      Bivalia: Don't worry about it. You may remember that Sananda and Serapis Bey themselves told you that it is not for everyone.

      Michael: Even eating very little on the 12th, like Archangel Michael requested of us all, for anchoring the energy for the 12-12, would probably be too much for me. Eating nothing (or very little), even for just one day, is a big hardship for me.

      Bivalia: Archangel Michael also said you don't need to carry such suggestions to the extent that it worries you. It might be good to eat little that day if you find you can do so without worry; but if it's going to cause you much discomfort, he himself said it would give better results to eat than to stay worried.

      Michael: There's only one situation where I can eat very little for many hours without it worrying me, and that is when I am deeply involved in something like computer programming, or writing, or something similar. Even so, I get very hungry, but it matters a bit less if I'm concentrating on something else, and have so many ideas to get down that I can't afford to stop in order to eat.
      But I'm afraid meditation of the sort Archangel Michael asked us to do is most unlikely to absorb me to that extreme degree, unless I manage, in meditating, to see wonderful visions, or have an out-of-body experience, or something like that. If that happened, I think it would be utterly absorbing; but, unfortunately, I don't seem to be given to having such things happen. I will try to do some meditation of the sort that Archangel Michael asked us to do, but I don't feel I can promise definite results in advance, because I do seem to have unusual difficulty in doing anything of this sort.

      Bivalia: Whatever you can do will be appreciated.

      Michael: Anyway, I think I want to finish up now. This conversation isn't exactly reaching the dizzy heights of inspiration, and I'm getting bored. I somehow feel weighed down by my life, by the world, and even by the things that would normally interest me. I think I want to go to bed and perhaps read a bit, then get some sleep.

      Bivalia: Why not try asking St. Germain again to help you transmute your low-frequency energy to higher frequencies? You did that a little while ago, and within 24 hours you had a dream of flying. Perhaps that is not a coincidence. Perhaps something similar might happen if you ask him again.

      Michael: Yes, well, perhaps you're right. I might do that, and let's hope it leads to good results. But I think I'll say good-night now.

      Bivalia: Good-night, Michael.




NOTES

[a] Tuesday, 26 March, 2002 - "Bivalia:":
      See the first
note at the end of the dialogue for Monday, 13 June, 1994, for the meaning of the name "Bivalia", and why I adopted it in these dialogues as the name for my Higher Self. [Back]



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