The theme of this workshop is "The Human Biological Machine as a Transformational Apparatus"

If it can be believed, this one lone, little title holds such a wealth of information and a profound promise.

Some of these things we know so well that we may have gone numb to it.

Do you feel the shirt on your back or the shoes on your feet. Being honest with yourself you know that you were not aware of your shoes on your feet until asked. You may even be able to scan back in time and "feel" the shoes upon your feet. But until asked, did you actually feel the shoes upon your feet?

We can become used to almost anything. Almost any sensation, concept, idea, or feeling can fade into the dull grey ubiquitious background of stuff that is around us constantly.

Imagine sitting alone in your livingroom. Suddenly you feel a hand upon your arm. This is shocking.

After you find out that it is the hand of a friend or lover and is a "safe" sensation, you are not so startled.

Imagine further sitting through a movie, an interesting movie, with this same safe hand resting gently upon your arm. Some time during the movie you may well forget about the hand on your arm. Now not only is the once startling sensation not shocking, it has blended into the grey of persistance.

Consider the notion that your machine is biological -- that the body you are calling your body is a biological machine. On that moment when you actually realize this it is shocking -- as well it should be. But, no matter how shocking it is eventually it will fade into grey.

So the Human Biological Machine....

"What's this?" you ask. "We have classified the biological machine as human. Hmmm? Does that mean that there are other types of biological machines of potential use for us to use?"

The answer is Yes and No.

Yes there other other biologicial (and even non-biological) machines of potential use.

No, there's not much point going into wishful dreaming about using other machines when a) we haven't figured out how to use this one, and b) we are currently in this one.

So far we have blundered along to the realization that we have a human biological machine. Or, have we? As long as you are utterly convinced that you are the machine that if very different than operating from the point of view that you have a human biological machine. I am not this penny I hold in my hand, I have this penny. I am not this keyboard I am typing on, I have this keyboard at my disposal for use. I am not these shoes I wear, I have these shoes I wear. I am not this human biological machine, I have a human biological machine that I may "hold" in my presense. I have a human biological machine that I may wear.

All of this is very different than "I am this human biological machine." "I am this body." "This body is me." "This mind is who I am." "I am this set of habits and thoughts and feelings and personality." These are very different formulations. Not particularily empowering.

So already from this one title we are at the presumption of having a machine. We have some clues about the devasating effects of identification. We have some inclining that our awareness is not unified. Our understanding fluctuations from moment to moment. We have been exposed to the notion that no matter how shocking or enlightening, under normal circumstances all of these ideas are doomed to fade into the grey fog of persistance.

All of this and more can be drawn from this one little title.

But, this does not get us to the profound promised indicated earlier. What is this profound promise spoken of? Remember the part about "as a transformational apparatus?"

In that phrase are two bits of good news. 1) There is such a thing as transformation. And, 2) you have the apparatus necessary for this transformation already available to you -- the machine. You don't have to buy anything. You don't have to watch late night infomercials for that special piece of transformational equipment. You already have it.

Problem is, as you are the machine. This Felix the Cat, cartoon Change-O-Matic device is turned off.

So our job is to wake up to the fact we are not the machine -- we have a machine.

Next, it might help to acknowledge that it is currently in the off position.

Next, we can take as a hope or promise of good things to come that there is in fact an on switch. And that it is within our power to turn it on. Our fingers can get to that switch.

After all of this, than we can look about for ways to "turn on" the transformational capabilities of the machine.

That should be enough for one day.

Hehehehehehe.

Okay, so maybe just the first three might be good for one day.

Claude Needham