Power User's Tips: Get the Most Out of this Website!
by Paul M. Helfrich, Ph.D.
(A compilation of the monthly newsletter column.)
March 2002 - Using Browser Search
Did you know that your web browser has its own SEARCH function? If you use Netscape or MS Explorer, just press the CTRL+F keys (the letter "F") and you will open a search window (OPTION+F on Macs). Just enter any keyword or phrase and it will search whatever webpage you have open.
For example, if you are searching for info on the orientation of "soft" and have opened the Digest on gender, orientation, and preference, you can then go directly to any reference to it WITHIN the Digest and skip around using this function.
April 2002 - Page Search
Last month we looked at using our web browser’s SEARCH function to search individual webpages once they are downloaded. This month we’ll build on that. For example, did you know that the Digests Table of Contents page, available as a link in the left margin on EVERY page, contains ALL of the key terms and concepts that Elias has presented to date? They are also cross-referenced, so whether you are looking for information on pets, whales, or dolphins you will find links to "creature consciousness" on the SAME page.
Keyword searching on the Digest’s main page is a quick way to find something:
1. Open your browser search (PC users = CTRL+F keys, Mac users = OPTION+F)
2. Type in a keyword, and click on Find (or some variation). You will jump to a link on the Digests page.
3. Then, click the link (blue or purple) and it will automagically take you a Digest hot link (also indicated by a triangle/bullet and file size -- e.g. [ 234 kb ]).
4. Click on the Digest link. Ta Da!
The Digests provide a DEPTH not found in any single Transcript. So if you’re ready to dig in, the Digests are for you! The idea is that after you assimilate the core ideas in the Digests, reading any Transcript will make much more sense, whether you know the person/people or not.
Also, you can use this technique on the Exercises, Library, and Transcripts Table of Contents pages.
May 2002 - Exploring the Search Page
During the past two months we explored using our web browser’s SEARCH function to search individual webpages once they are downloaded. This month we’ll finish up with the all-important SEARCH page. Did you know that every word in the website is searchable, over 14,000 pages?
Here’s a few tips on using the online Search page:
- under MATCH, the default setting is "Any Term." This searches for ALL term, and produces more general results. To narrow your search, click on the little downward pointing triangle button, and select "All Terms." This searches for ALL of the terms you write in the text box.
- under IN TOPIC AREAS, the default setting is ALL. This searches the ENTIRE website. To narrow your search, click on the little downward pointing triangle button, and select one of the five main areas: Introduction, Digests, Transcripts, Exercises, or Library.
- don’t worry if you get a large number of results, the most relevant content WILL ALWAYS APPEAR AT THE TOP of the first Search Results page.
- to narrow your search, use quotation marks around any group of TWO OR MORE WORDS to retrieve pages with that EXACT phrase.
- you don’t need to type anything in CAPS, so typing in “ELIAS” or “elias” will get you the SAME results.
- The Search page is available on every page of the website, in the left-hand margin: http://www.eliasforum.org/search.html
Next month, we’ll look at printing tips.
June 2002 - Getting the Most Out of the Print Function
The last three months explored using various SEARCH functions to locate exactly what we want. Refer to the March, April, and May Newsletters in the Library under “N” for more info.
This month we are going to take a look at how to get the most out of the PRINT function. Many people print out Transcripts, Digests, and Exercises and use up a lot of paper and ink cartridges that can get expensive. So to help save on trees and ink, here are some suggestions on how to get the most out of your printing efforts. These are just suggestions – feel free to customize to suit your own tastes!
Tip #1: print double-sided, you'll get twice as much! (This saves on binders and paper.)
Tip #2: if you have a color printer you may wish to print in grayscale to save ink. Press CTRL+P, then click on PRINTER PROPERTIES or SETTINGS, then click on grayscale. Be sure to click on OK to save the change.
Tip #3: use the following page settings to get the most per page when printing. Press ALT+F, click on PAGE SETUP, then type in:
| top margin | = .50" |
| bottom margin | = .20" |
| left margin | = 0" |
| right margin | = .20" |
| font size | = 10 or 11 point |
| suggested fonts | = Verdana, Arial, Times New Roman |
| (font settings really effect how much you get on each page, Verdana tends to be a bigger font. Arial and Times New Roman will get more per page and still look just as nice). | |
Print instructions are also available online at:
Site Features. Read Me First!
http://www.eliasforum.org/intro/site_features.html
Next month, we’ll look at getting the most from the Digests.
July 2002 - Exploring the Digests
Last month we took a look at how to get the most out of the PRINT function. This month we’re going to learn how to get the most out of a Digest. There are presently 162 Digests containing over 4,000 pages of Essential Elias – various terms, concepts, metaphors, analogies, allegories, and aphorisms he has introduced and consistently refers to.
The purpose of the Digests is to introduce these terms, etc., in a “reader’s digest” format that provides a greater depth of the information not available in any single transcript.
The Digests are also in a linear order that reveals the development and consistency of Elias’ ideas as they unfold in time. Each excerpt is presented with a link to its original transcript so that a reader can easily access its wider context, except for the 1995 sessions which are in need of revision and aren’t yet available.
Clicking on the blue or purple session date inside the brackets at the end of each excerpt will take you to the exact place within the original Transcripts where the excerpt begins.
Clicking on the blue or purple session date inside the brackets at the end of each excerpt will take you to the exact place within the original Transcripts where the excerpt begins.
- For example: [session 217, September 14, 1997]
All excerpts from the Elias sessions have been selected from the original Transcripts, which have been transcribed, edited, and proof-read by Mary Jane Gilcrease, Bobbi Houle, Vicki Pendley, Margot Reed, and Paul Tews.
Why are there 
at the top of each page?
Each Digest begins with a series of excerpts or “gems” that provide an overview and important orienting concepts – enclosed by the gem icons. These are also available in “random” fashion by clicking on the word Gems on the gold, left-hand margin.
There are now over 500 quotes in our database. Some people find this a useful way to enter the site and begin reading transcripts. Just pick a quote and then click on the link to the original transcript.
Why do some Digests use quotes in their titles?
There are quotes around certain “New Age” concepts that Elias attempts to clarify. This is not an attempt to invalidate anyone’s experience in these areas, but an attempt to clarify the language Elias uses in his intent to deliver helpful information with the least distortion possible. Some examples:
“akashic records” world views | energy deposits “chakras” energy centers “channeling” energy exchanges “reincarnation” cycle of manifestation | manifestation “walk-ins” alternate selves | focus of essence; an overview
Why are there Digest links at the bottom of each page?
As you read the Digests you’ll notice that certain concepts are used repeatedly to present core ideas. Learning them helps build an understanding of Elias’ worldview. To facilitate that, related Digests are referenced at the bottom of each page so you can look them up with the click of a mouse.
This is very useful when you read online and come across a term or phrase that you don’t understand. Click the Digest links at the bottom for an instant primer and then click your back button to return.
You will also notice additional links to the Introduction, Transcripts, Exercises, and Library where appropriate.
Next month, we’ll look at getting the most from the Exercises.
August 2002 - Exploring the Exercises
Last month we took a look at how to get the most out of the Digests. This month we’re going to learn how to get the most out of the Exercises. There are presently 41 Exercises! They are available from any page on the website by clicking on the word "Exercises" in the left-hand navigation column.
Elias offers these exercises to enhance our physical senses, in conjunction with, what he calls, inner senses. The inner senses are like a set of “sixth” senses or deep intuition. They are the tools that allow anyone to perceive reality beyond the “limits” of their five physical senses.
Elias has not prescribed any order or best way to approach these exercises. Each is given in response to peoples’ needs in the moment as they interact with him.
“What I offer to you in exercises or in affirmations or in any offering of methods that you may employ, these are all suggestions. They are not absolutes, and they are not the only direction that you may offer to yourself that may be effective. They are suggestions that may be helpful to you in time periods in which you are not allowing yourself to offer your own suggestions to you.” [session 620, May 25, 2000]
For me, the exercises fall into three related groups:
- I. Noticing self
- II. Noticing your waking/dreaming state
- III. Noticing your senses
Each grouping follows the order by date in which each exercise is given. So there is no right or wrong way to do them! Some are short, some are more involved. You might try whatever exercise that feels like it may be beneficial to you.
As Elias often says, the results you obtain will be based solely upon your intent, desire, and motivation. Understanding those may be a good place to begin. Learning about your inner senses may also provide a framework for further exploration. This exercise listing is NOT prescriptive but serves more as a point of departure and further advice to refine our own personal practices.
“These exercises are offered to you not as time consumers. They are offered to you to allow you the opportunity to be clear within your manifestation within physical focus, and be appreciating of your creative power.” [session 149, January 19, 1997]
“I have expressed to you previously that you understand and incorporate and assimilate information by experience. I may talk and talk and talk to you, and it shall mean little if you are not incorporating the experience. This shall create the reality to you, as you allow yourselves to experience all of these elements of which we speak. Therefore, this being why these exercises hold importance. They allow you the experience, and therefore allow you to realize the reality.” [session 162, April 06, 1997]
“I may sit before you all for the next twenty years and expound upon the subjects of how you create your reality and offer you exercises and offer you information, and you shall NOT be accomplishing objectively until YOU are noticing and YOU are offering yourself objectively your own information; for although you believe yourselves to pay close attention to these words, you pay closer attention to your own selves. You pay closer attention to your own experiences and the information that you offer yourself, for this within yourselves is MORE REAL than my offering to you.” [session 259, January 17, 1998]
Next month, we’ll look at getting the most from the Library.
September 2002 - Exploring the Library
Last month we took a look at how to get the most out of the Exercises. This month we’re going to turn our attention to the Library. It presently contains 13 compilations plus the newsletters. They are available from any page on the website by clicking on the word “Library” in the left-hand navigation column.
New submissions are encouraged. Just send an email to Paul Helfrich at helfrich@eliasforum.org.
Bobbi Houle has created a series of great resources that are useful for new and old readers alike. Be sure to check out her index, too. All of Bobbi’s resources are complete through session 500 (she chose this as a stopping point so she could transcribe full time. She plans on continuing her research one of these days.):
Ron Churchman has created a set of beautiful tile renderings, from the game:
Luana Alika is continuing the session overviews, beginning at session 501:
Paul Helfrich has created two compilations that explore the depths of the information:
Next month, we’ll look at getting the most from the Transcripts.
October 2002 - Exploring the Transcripts
Last month we took a look at how to get the most out of the Library. This month we’re going to turn our attention to the Transcripts.
Did you know there have been over 1,100 recorded Elias sessions since May 1995? Of that total, the transcribing folks just released session 862, and there are now 642 transcripts available!
How come so “few?” Well, there are 63 transcripts from 1995 that need revising before they will be made available. That’s because during that first year there was no set transcribing team assembled, and various people did their best before Vicki Pendley took over the job full time. Those 63 transcripts are being checked from the original videotapes, and will be available in the not too distant future. Most of the information in them has been covered in greater detail in subsequent sessions, so there aren’t any large gaps in what’s available.
Also, there are presently 57 “x-files,” or files withheld by request for personal reasons or technical problems. Many of them were transcribed by Vicki Pendley, but they are no longer transcribed until the person gives their permission. Most of the information is available in the existing Transcripts, Digests, and Exercises.
All x-file session numbers and dates are noted in the Transcripts table of contents pages. To see them, just click on Transcripts in the left-hand navigation column, and click on a year, and go to the bottom of the page. You will see links to all x-files there.
So, we wish to encourage anyone with an x-file to consider making it available and add it to the growing body of work for all to benefit from. Just contact Bobbi Houle at momcat28@sti.net.
The titles used in each Transcript are selected by Vicki and Bobbi as a way to provide a summary of the main concepts. If you check, you’ll see that it wasn’t until session 79, in March 1996, that Vic began to regularly use single titles. Her first double title came in session 247, December 1997, and around August of 1998, you can see multiple titles, sometimes 3-5, being used. This reflects the ongoing dynamics, the natural process of trying to highlight main concepts in the ever-growing body of work.
Next month, we’ll look at getting the most from the Gems.
November 2002 - Exploring the Gems
Last month we took a look at how to get the most out of the Transcripts. This month we’re going to turn our attention to the Gems.
The Gems are a growing database of quotes that provide an essential nugget of Elias. Each has a link to the exact place in the original Transcript that provides the larger context. And context is very important in discerning the deeper meanings, which can be very subtle and easy to distort at times.
Some folks come to the homepage, check out what’s new, and use the Gems to enter the website. Some even set the Gems page to their homepage:
http://www.eliasforum.org/gems.shtml
The way to do this is to open your web browser, in Netscape on the top left of the screen, click on Edit, then Preferences, then Navigator. You will see Home Page and Location. Simply type in the above web address.
In MS Explorer, click on Tools, Internet Options, General. You will see Home Page and Address. Simply type in the above web address and voila!, you can start, continue, or end your day with a gem.
There are now over 500 quotes in the database. Each Gem can also be found at the beginning of every Digest and even some of the Exercises. They are used to introduce each main concept found therein in Elias’ own words.
Next month, we’ll look at exploring some of the email lists where folks talk about the information offered by Elias.
December 2002 - eBooks!
Last month we took a look at how to get the most out of the Gems. And we said we were going to talk about email lists this month but decided to wait until next month in order to explore the world of Elias on eBooks.
Several of you have written and asked about using eBooks software along with the Elias forum website (thanks Geoff and Arthur!). We checked it out, and here’s what we discovered. First and foremost, our website has been carefully designed using simple state of the art techniques to make the information freely available to the widest audience possible. So we employ what’s called a browser neutral style of HTML. This way the website looks the same on almost every browser (over 200!), on every operating system (over 80!), while affording the user control of page size and fonts. Therefore, you can customize your browser settings to size the windows, and set the font type and page size to suit your tastes. This also affects how it will look when you print it out.
For our printing recommendations, see Site Features: Read Me First! at:
http://www.eliasforum.org/intro/site_features.html
Second, we’ve been very careful to include hyperlinks to all of the original transcripts to make it easy to find the original context in which the information was offered. So every excerpt in the Digests, Exercises, Library, and Gems have these links. And though Elias mandates very little, he has made it very clear that we’re responsible for keeping his words in their original context and not changing any of them. His intent, and ours, is to offer the information with as little distortion as possible.
Third, we use colored fonts where applicable to enhance certain ideas, for example, the essence families, energy centers, and thought/emotional/reglious/political focuses. We also use simple tables to graph many of these concepts.
So the above are what we see as the strengths in the design of the website (which is also available to text-only browsers, and compliant with standard speech readers, too.).
Having said all that, it would still be cool to read the website on a PC, PDA (personal digital assistant), or Palm Pilot, etc., with software that makes it look more like a book. So we tested several of the best FREE eBook readers out there:
1. Bookshelf 2.72
http://www.text-reader.com
2. Mobi Pocket Reader Emulator 4.5
http://software.informer.com/getfree-mobipocket-reader-4.5-prc/
3. yBook Reader 1.2.60
http://members.iinet.net.au/~simonh/spacejock/yBook.html
Here’s what we found. For the transcripts, all you lose are the hyperlinks to the endnotes, Digests, and other transcripts. For the Exercises and Digests, you’ll lose all the hyperlinks, font colors, font sizes, and table formats. While these features help convey the subtleties in the information, if you still prefer the eBooks format, then just download the above shareware, and save and convert the Elias forum files on your computer.
We’re keeping an eye on developments, so hopefully these free readers will eventually include all the hyperlinks, font colors, font sizes, and table formats that don’t get translated right now. And this isn’t the final word, so if you have other suggestions, or know of other readers, shareware, or freeware, please send your comments and we’ll pass them along.
January 2003 - Holiday!
Last month we explored the world of Elias on eBooks. This month we’re going to take a holiday! Whoohoo! Next month, we'll finally take a look at Public Email Lists.
February 2003 - Public Email Lists
This month we're going to take a look at email lists where you can explore the information offered by Elias. First, a bit of cyber-history. The very first list was a Forum set up by Ron Churchman and Vicki Pendley on AOL sometime in 1996. Many early Elias readers came to learn about this phenomenon and interact through this Forum. As more and more people became interested, and since the AOL Forums were proprietary at the time (meaning you had to be a paid AOL customer to access it) there became a need to create a publicly available forum.
Enter Gerhard Fuchs of Vienna, Austria who created the first public list on what was to become Yahoo! Groups in early 1999. The advent of Gerhard's list, along with the rapid evolution of the Internet, saw a decline in the original AOL forum.
This brings us to February 2003 where there are presently two public lists freely available to anyone with Internet access and a web browser. They have their own unique focus, flavor, and style of moderation:
The Elias List on Yahoo! Groups, moderated by Gerhard Fuchs <gfuchs@eliasweb.at> focuses primarily on Elias, with forays into other conscious creation material.
The NewWorldView Discussion Forums, moderated by Paul Helfrich <helfrich@newworldview.com> and Ellen Gilbert <egilbert18@comcast.net> provides three related lists: Conscious Creation, Dream-Art Science, and The Inner Visions Journal. They use the Seth material as a point of departure, but strongly encourage an integral discussion that includes other conscious creation sources, including Elias. The overall focus is to build bridges between science, art, AND spirit without limiting the discussion to any single source. Needless to say, this is a real challenge!
There are many different ways to participate in an email list. Frequently Asked Questions include:
How can I focus a topic?
What is the definition of a topic?
What topics and ideas are you interested in?
What are some regular topics that generate discussions?
Who is your audience?
What if no one responds to my post?
How quickly should I reply to my first response?
Does the way my post looks affect its impact?
How can I sharpen the focus of my ideas?
What is the subtext of a post?
Apples and oranges syndrome; the cause of many disagreements.
How can I keep a topic from turning into a destructive conversation?
March 2003 - The Order of Published Transcripts
Last month we explored Elias-related email lists. This month we’ll take a look at why the transcripts sometimes seem to be published out of order. For example, if you look at the transcripts released in February you will see the order as 895, 896, 900, 901, 905, 906. What happened to all the missing ones? Well, there’s three parts to the answer.
First and most important: whenever there’s a group session there’s always new information presented and lots of interesting questions asked. So Bobbi bumps it to the top of her transcribing queue. (Remember, this phenomenon began in April of 1995 as a group phenomenon. There were no private sessions for the first year, and only a handful in the second and third years. Gradually, things evolved to where private sessions began to far outpace group sessions. And today, Mary averages only 5-6 group sessions per year, and a couple of hundred privates. But there is still a broader span of topics and ideas covered in group sessions.)
Second, when a major mass event occurs like the 9-1-1 bombings in the USA, the sessions with the most useful information for the forum get bumped to the top of the transcribers’ queue. So session 902, dated September 13, 2001 was actually published in September 2001.
Third, sometimes people ask that their private sessions be kept private for personal reasons. But they are always noted on the updated Transcripts Table of Contents page. For example, session 897-899, and 903-4 are listed there as unpublished and not even mentioned above.
Also, on the Table of Contents page you’ll notice that all the unpublished transcripts are indicated with endnotes. And lest you feel like you’re missing something important in an unpublished transcript, Elias has consistently made an effort over the years to cover any new information in sessions that he knows will be shared within the forum at large.
So this also explains why there are occasional gaps on the home page in the order of newly published transcripts. If you’re ever confused just click on the Transcripts link in the left-hand spine, then click on the Table of Contents for the year in question, and then click on the Month. You’ll see the exact order of transcripts as they occurred even though they may have been published out of order. For example:
Session 895, Monday, September 03, 2001
“Zombie and Eternal Life Imagery”
“Reflective Cat Behavior”
“Choosing a Relationship – or Not”Session 896, Thursday, September 06, 2001
“What DO I Want?”Session 897, Thursday, September 06, 2001 (h2)
Session 898, Friday, September 07, 2001 (i2)
Session 899, Friday, September 07, 2001 (j2)
Session 900, Sunday, September 09, 2001
“Myriad Directions of Expression in Relation to Intent”
“Books and Chapters”Session 901, Monday, September 10, 2001
“More on Thought”
“What You Create Is What You Are Choosing”
“Why Do We Have to Exist in This Reality?”Session 902, Thursday, September 13, 2001 (published in Sept. 2001!)
“The World Trade Center Event”Session 903, Monday, September 17, 2001 (k2)
Session 904, Tuesday, September 18, 2001 (l2)
Session 905, Friday, September 21, 2001
“Lessening Trauma in the Shift”
“Look to Self in Mass Events”Session 906, Saturday, September 22, 2001
“The Key Is to Find the Part That Does the Choosing”
There’s also another trick to checking on the order of published transcripts: you can click on the navigation buttons (triangles) on any Transcript page to see what comes next. And if you find gaps, for example, 896 to 900, then you can be assured that 897-899 are being held private by request.
Lastly, this all works together to show how the overall flow of information is disseminated in real-time. There are three main fronts that have clearly emerged:
- The actual sessions in real-time, both group and privates.
- The actual transcripts as they are published (a lag of 14-17 months).
- The growing, cumulative database of published Transcripts, Exercises, and Digests.
Each of these three main fronts are coupled with various conscious creation email lists and personal discussions. The truly amazing thing is that the Internet makes the delay time the smallest it’s ever been in terms of publishing. So the fact that there are presently seventeen months of new Transcripts in the transcribers queue is balanced by the fact that there are now over 14,000 pages of Transcripts and 4,000 pages of Digests of Essential Elias freely available. Plus, if you have serious questions, you can always talk directly to Mary and Elias about them!
Elias and the transcribers all manage this flow with their own impeccable sense of timing. And did you ever notice how each new session always seem so timely? Or that there’s always something relevant to what you’re personally dealing with in the moment-point? A coincidence, or...? Can’t you just hear the echoes of Elias’ gregarious laugh!? HA! HA! HA! HA! ...
April 2003 - Top 20 Search Terms of All Time, Space, and Everything
Last month we explored why transcripts are sometimes published out of order or not at all. Given the serious nature of world events this past month, we decided to “blow some bubbles” of our own. Back at the January group session in Castaic, Jo had a lot of fun reading the Top 10 terms from the Elias forum search engine. So here are the most frequent terms since February 2002.
Tip: just because someone’s name appears doesn’t mean they’re searching for their own private sessions. Others may enjoy reading them, too! And last we checked, Beethoven and Seth were still dead guys. Also notice that depression follows money, and love follows sex. Hmmm, we think we're seeing some trends here.
Top 20 Search Terms
- 206 intermediate
- 127 Vold
- 106 money
- 85 depression
- 77 Tumold
- 56 Mylo
- 55 sex
- 54 love
- 53 Seth
- 47 Rodney
- 44 personality
- 40 Zuli
- 39 perception
- 37 Beethoven
- 37 Mikah
- 35 Daryl
- 35 death
- 35 expectation
- 35 philosophy of essence
- 34 intent
Isn’t it somehow appropriate that intermediate is #1 by a large margin? :-)
May 2003 - Exploring the Digests II
Last month we looked at the Top 20 search terms to date. This month we’re going to take a look at getting the most out of the Digests.
As most realize, Elias isn’t able to explain every one of his concepts in a one or two hour session. In this context, we only get a snapshot each time a new Transcript comes out. And this IS intentional. It explores the deep and subtle relationships between his many concepts a bit at a time, in a way most of us learn.
This is what led me to create the Digests back in the Fall of 1997. At that time, people were already beginning to create topical compilations of Elias, like Margot Reed’s “transition bible.” My early interest began with a compilation of the essence family information, since it was clearly based upon a continuation of the earlier work of Jane Roberts.
Fast forward to 2003, and we now have a web version of 164 Digests consisting of well over 4,000 unique pages of information (and likely, if they were to be put in some kind of book format, would exceed 5-6,000 pages!).
The beautiful thing about web links is that nested relationships can be highlighted by the click of a mouse button. And so the Digests are linked to each originating Transcript, to provide the original, deeper context. I have added endnotes in the Digests that allow any reader to come in cold, so to speak, and be ballparked to whatever concepts Elias casually refers to (e.g. bird cage, sapling, essence family, etc.).
So the tip for this month is simply this: each time you go to read a Digest, scroll down to the bottom of the page (Ctrl+End keys), and take a minute or two to review the “Digests – see also:” listing. It will have a listing of ALL the main concepts that help explain the main Digest title. This provides a way to get a broader conceptual overview before reading the Digest.
A good example is the mass events Digest. It was recently updated to include all relevant info from 9-1-1 forward, including the Iraqi War. If you begin by reading the concept listing at the bottom, you set the stage to see how they work together within the broader context of the Digest.
It’s challenging enough to deal with ourselves as individuals! And yet, Elias’ ideas scale up to help us understand mass events.
June 2003 - Using Elias Gems
Last month we looked at getting the most out of the Digests. This month we’re going to take a look at getting the most out of the Gems.
The Gems are “random” quotes that have links to the ordinal transcripts, so you can get the larger context. But each quote is a pithy snapshot of Elias wisdom. It is the second most used page on the website!
All perennial teachers talk about the need to balance intellect and intuition, rationality and inner knowing. Both skills develop throughout our lifetimes. Here’s a good example of learning to trust the intellect and intuitions.
I had a dream early the morning of May 1st, the day that I sent out last month’s newsletter. I was in a classroom dreamscape. Joanne was to my left, and there were 5-6 other “students” present. We were in the midst of our term projects, doing research on whatever interested us. Joanne was way ahead of me on her project, which caused me frustration because my project was still not focused. I said mentally, “what do I have to do to get over the hump and finish this course?” Well, our teacher appeared, a 40-something year old man with black hair, and he look at me and said, “Don't try too hard.” He smiled, and went into another room.
I was floored. I instantly knew what he meant, and the other students heard this too and knew. I remember looking down at his desk and thinking, “that was exactly what I needed!” And I instantly relaxed and knew how to continue and that everything would be fine.
There was another snippet, too. It was a realization that my “grade” from “teacher” was very subjective and the difference between an A- and A+ was based on his own criteria, not mine. The idea, again, was to look to myself for my own validation, not worry about pleasing teacher, do my best, and move on.
All this leads up to later that day, after sending out the May newsletter, I went to the Gems page to get my daily bit of Elias wisdom. I cleared my mind briefly, settled down mentally, and focused upon that dream imagery. I mentally asked for Elias to provide me with his own commentary on my dream. And hit the mouse button.
Now, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get a direct answer. Sometimes they seem completely from left field, but later in the day I always make the connection in some way. However, on this day, the answer seemed like a direct comment on my dream. It was a block about the difference between trusting and accepting self, the affects of duplicity, guilt, and worry. [session 510, December 04, 1999]
OK, I get the message (once again, for the millionth time!).
And this is the kind of thing that folks do all the time with the Gems. Just think of it as your own private mirror of Self. For example, Joanne did this recently and said she had a full “conversation with Elias.” (But then, Jo has been known to have “full conversations” with our living room lamp :-)
There are now over 510 quotes there that cover all the essential concepts in Elias’ teaching to date. The key is to clear your mind, settle down, and mentally state a question with full intention in the Now, and ask for a relevant answer.
How we interpret the advice, of course, is up to each of us. And like anything, we can overdo it, or be too literal. So take it with a grain of salt, be playful, and open-minded. Allow your deep intuition to come through, trust that You will provide you with the information needed.
July 2003 - Little Known Facts in the Digests
Last month we looked at using the Gems to “talk to Elias.” This month we’re going to look at another feature in the Digests that many folks may not be aware of.
Did you ever wonder how many truths Elias has discussed? Or what wave in consciousness the collective is engaging during any particular moment? I know, I know. Who the hell cares? Well, it turns out a lot of folks care. In fact, at the recent group E-fest in Brattleboro, Vermont, Elias introduced a new wave in consciousness: the belief system of truth.
So what does that mean and why should I care?
Rather than explain the particulars, the point is that you can always look this kind of information up in the Digests, as someone with nothing better to do has spent much of the past six years tracking them and posting them in introductory notes in the Digests. For example, the actual waves and their approximate starting points are listed in the “waves in consciousness” Digest. And, “truths” are listed in the “belief system of truth” Digest.
You get the idea!
So the next time you wonder about some aspect of the information offered by Elias, like “the children of Rose,” the “orientations,” or the “essence families,” you can look it up yourself on the website (you always use the search feature to provide the links, too). Just be sure to always look that the top of the Digest for an intro note. And if you find a Digest you think could benefit from an intro summary, send along a suggestion.
August 2003 - The ’95 Transcripts
Last month we looked at little known facts about the Digests. This month we’re going to explore the ’95 transcripts, since they came up during Mary’s recent talk at the June group session in Brattleboro [see session 1368, June 07, 2003].
As Mary explained, the method used for recording and transcribing evolved over a period of months during that very first year (1995). Initially, they were hand-written by several people, and then typed up and distributed. Also, the group was very small, fluctuating between three to ten or so people during a session. Then, Ron Churchman began to videotape on session 11, May 31, 1995.
As Mary said, since Elias spoke so slooooowwwwly at that time, folks were able to take down his words in real time. Therefore, the videotapes were not the primary source for the early transcripts, but used to fill in any gaps in the handwritten transcripts. In late 1995 Vicki Pendley took over as the sole transcriber of the sessions and began to rely on the videos because Elias finally got with the program and quit speaking like some kind of al-i-en vis-i-tor and spoke like the rest of us, well, at the same rate anyway (seriously, it’s really “unique” to hear Elias talk in these early tapes).
As time rolled by and the transcribing process settled into a routine, it became clear to Vic and Mary that there were mistakes in the 1995 transcripts. Distortion police alert! Dog forbid there be ANY distortion! With hindsight being 20/20, this was another inspired decision by the group.
Now, Vic had always intended to get back to the ’95 transcripts once she “caught up” with the ongoing sessions. Bobbi Houle even retyped four 1995 sessions that mysteriously got zapped on Vic’s computer in 1998. And Vic also managed to revise the first ten sessions herself. But that still left the bulk for re-editing.
Along comes Paul and Jo, who moved to Castaic, CA in January of 1998 to study the information and generally help out. We created the Elias forum website during that time. It includes over a dozen 1995 excerpts in the Gems database that were edited by Vic (and thus declared safe from those dreaded distortion police). So there IS a small amount of ’95 material available. But as Vic and Mary have always said, most of the information covered in those sixty-two transcripts has been refined and expanded since then. So there are no big revelations forthcoming, just an interesting look into this phenomenon during its emergence.
Vic passed away unexpectedly in December 2001 and never got to finish those ’95 transcripts. However, Mary, Ron, and Cathy eventually asked if I would do the honors. And of course, I accepted.
I spent the months of March and April, 2002 beginning this project, figuring it would be a piece of cake. Well, I did get through the first fourteen sessions, but it became very clear that this was a BIG project and would require an appropriate block of time and focus to complete in a consistent and professional manner. Remember, Elias is speaking at the rate of paint drying, and some of those transcripts are over twenty pages long!
So what’s involved? It should be pretty easy right? Well, that depends on how you define easy. For example, the process of transcribing involves at least three readings and edits of EACH transcript: the first for format and editing style, the second to compare with the original videotape. If there are references to dreams, someone’s job, personal life, etc. I try to contact the folks to see what they remember and add endnotes, otherwise it will seem like many of the private sessions where folks make references that never get explained. And since this was the formative first year, any endnotes that help explain what the heck folks are talking about will help illuminate the information and provide context. The third pass is for final format and edits (the process includes two print outs of EACH session).
So this is a major project. And sixty-two sessions averaging @15 pages each = @930 pages! That’s a real tome in the making, and it could take close to a year of full-time work.
Mary has requested, and we all agree, that the ’95 transcripts be made available as a complete unit when they are done. So while we can’t give a firm completion date, the good news is that there is still plenty of new Elias information coming out weekly -- approximately 45 pages a week. And of course, you can always have your own private session and ask him what you missed in 1995 (hey, it’s worth a try! :-). Also, the website Digests, Exercises, Library, and Gems continue to grow. So there is plenty to keep anyone occupied in this Now (an estimated 14,000+ pages).
However, by way of a preview, here are two additional tidbits:
First, there is no official record of session 1. So how did the “first” record of an Elias session come to be labeled as session 2? According to Mary, Elias had come through and spoken for the first time during the previous week while visiting a couple of friends:
“The meeting took place at Donovan’s house, but there’s no record because Donovan tried to tape it and only got static. Elias only came through for about fifteen minutes and neither, Donovan or Carol, could remember what he said. This is not unusual, even now most people can’t remember half of what Elias says in their sessions until they get their tapes.” [private correspondence, March 15, 2002]
So Vic and Mary decided to number the “first” session as number two, since that is the technical order. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Second, session number two is already published! That’s right, it can be found in the Introduction section under the title How Did These Sessions Begin? by Vicki Pendley. Session 2 is actually Vic’s account of her first encounter with Elias and doesn’t contain any actual Elias quotes, but it’s still a hilarious story! And Mary’s version is also available in the Introduction: “The Beginnings of the Energy Exchange” “Where Do You Go, Mary?” by Mary Ennis. The two accounts are an interesting comparison, too.
Finally, we greatly appreciate the several offers to help with this project, and will keep everyone’s name on file in the event that we can use your help. In the mean time, continue to enjoy the Elias forum website, and Gerhard Fuchs’ excellent website that features a complete transcript database, pictures, a game board, quotes, translations of overview sessions several languages, and more.
As Always,
Paul & Jo
September 2003 - Get the Most Out of the Home Page
Last month we explored the ’95 Transcripts. This month we’re going to look at features found on the home page. Since it’s chock full of the most useful links in the entire website, it’s a great page to add to your bookmarks or favorite places!
Like every page, the home page has navigation links in the right-hand spine. Plus, there are four main sections:
What’s New?
- - A dedication to our good friend Vicki Pendley who was instrumental in transcribing the first 764 sessions
- - Site Features (includes Site Overview, Printing Tips, How to use Real Audio/Windows Media/audio/video.)
- - An Introduction and Overview (Who are the authors of this website?, Who is Elias?, What is Elias’ agenda?, How does Elias present this information?, What are some terms that Elias regularly uses?, What is an essence name?, What is this forum about?, What is the Elias phenomenon really about?)
- - New Digests (2-3 per year)
- - New Exercises (4-6 per year)
- - New in the Library (features the latest newsletter, occasional compilations and other goodies)
Recently Published Transcripts
This section includes the three latest transcripts. Sometimes, we’ll feature a recent public session for several weeks because they always deal with more concentrated and affecting concepts inherent in the group dynamic.
Join Our Mailing List
Receive new transcripts, this newsletter, and updates. You can also update your email address here. There’s also a link to order video and audio tapes.
Speak to Elias
This section contains links to pages with the latest group session info, as well as Mary Ennis’ contact info and session rates.
October 2003 - A Glossary of Elias’ Terms compiled by Luana Alika
Last month we explored the home page. This month we’re going to look at the most recent addition to the Library.
Many folks have asked for a Glossary, and Luana created one! She’s done a lot of excellent research and provided links to as many transcripts as possible, and we filled in the rest with link to the Digests. It’s prints out to about 15 pages, and provides a great overview of the information.
Luana also asked me to remind everyone that when you open the Glossary in your browser, you can use your keyword search function (CTRL+F) and continue search function (CTRL+G) if you don’t find what you’re looking for on the first search. It really speeds things up!
Also, the Digests Table of Contents page has links to most of the Glossary terms. And you can use the Elias search page to search for more links on any term, too.
Follow this link to the Glossary.
November 2003 - Taking a Break
Last month we explored A Glossary of Elias’ Terms compiled by Luana Alika. This month we’re going to take a break. Things have been busy!
December 2003 - NIRAA
This month we’re going to explore a very useful exercise – introduced by Elias in 1999 – just in time to help cope with the stress of the holiday season. For those of us who blissfully make it from Thanksgiving to New Years without any conflict or stress, you are already doing this exercise in your own fashion! But for the rest of us, the holidays offer a perfect backdrop in which to put Elias theory into everyday practice.
Early in the 1995 sessions, Elias introduced a concept that informs every one of his exercises: “noticing self.” “Noticing self” is a tool in which to remember who and what we really are: essence or souls-in-flesh.
“... I have been expressing to individuals from the onset of this forum, the greatest term in your language may be viewed as ‘noticing.’ This is actually your greatest tool, and you are incorporating this tool to be offering yourself more information and opportunities to practice. How shall you practice if you are not noticing? And you ARE noticing, my friend.” [session 947, November 01, 2001]
Digests: find out more about noticing self.
http://www.eliasforum.org/digests/noticing_self
In 1999, Elias introduced a method that I call NIRAA (Noticing, Identifying, Recognizing, Addressing to, Accepting beliefs/self). I pronounce it “nigh-rah.” NIRAA is a simple mnemonic aid to make it easier to remember the four basic steps involved. And you guessed it, the first one is:
- Noticing beliefs – easy, if you believe in the concept of “Know Thyself.”
- Identifying and Recognizing specific beliefs – a process of making the subconscious conscious, making invisible beliefs visible. This action is marked by varying degrees of conflict and anxiety or joy and happiness.
- Addressing to the beliefs – lessening conflict, anxiety, depression; increasing happiness, joy, relaxation, allowing more for diverse perceptions, and moving closer to accepting self. Can occur with or without a thought process.
- Acceptance, neutrality, lack of judgment while still acknowledging opinions and preferences; there is no absolute good, bad, right, or wrong = “it matters not!”
Digests: find out more about these four actions.
http://www.eliasforum.org/digests/accepting_self2.html#NIRAA
If you haven't made the connection at this point, the NIRAA method is all about learning to accept self. And this process is not strictly sequential. That is, since we each hold many hundreds, even thousands of related beliefs, once we really assimilate the four actions, we will notice that we actually engage all four simultaneously in varying degrees.
This practice takes time to assimilate into everyday noticing. But with persistence we can use it as a powerful tool to help identify and address to what were previously automatic responses – invisible beliefs – that often serve only to perpetuate conflict, stress, and unhealthy behavior. Once we begin to notice what we are actually doing and choosing in moments of conflict, it gradually becomes easier to see that we hold additional choices that we were previously blind to.
We can apply NIRAA to family and work relationships, over-eating, or really anything that causes us conflict and stress.
As a reminder, the next time you stress out, mentally remind yourself with the mantra – NIRAA. Simply say – “nigh-rah.” This will instantly shift your attention into noticing mode, with identifying coming next. NIRAA will help you to remember the order in the initial stages. Using NIRAA will make it possible to consistently address to automatic responses – long time patterns of behavior that blind us to new possibilities and fulfillment.
Finally, like any exercise, don’t go nuts, just use it for 5-10 minutes initially. The key is to be persistent during the next 4-5 weeks. In time you will find yourself noticing, identifying, recognizing, addressing to, and even accepting automagically!
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