A newsletter about the Lion/Unicorn theory of relationships developed by Mark Waller

Issue #5, Dec.. 17th

Are you a Sleepyhead or a Knucklehead?

In my life, I have been blessed by getting the opportunity to interact with many awakened teachers. These are those who have entered the natural state of enlightenment that is available to all of us. But from that natural state of enlightenment the world looks very different and the truth of What Is tends to stand out against the background of the unconsciousness of the collective ego mind of humanity. For me, it was from this perspective that I saw the "Dance of the Lion and the Unicorn."

Well, it turns out I am not the only one who can see this. Bob Fergeson is an enlightened teacher affiliated with the TAT Foundation (http://www.tatfoundation.org) and he has seen the pattern as well. He recently e-mailed me a copy of a paper he wrote, entitled From Psychology to the Listening Attention (http://home.mindspring.com/~bferge/writings_2.htm) in which he, like me, could see people through the lens of fight or flight. He calls the fighters knuckleheads and those who flee sleepyheads. Wow! How apropos!

Bob discovered the pattern while working with spiritual seekers. He noticed that, "The sleepyhead flees, runs away and hides from the not-self while the knucklehead tries to control, project and manipulate the environment." This is a pretty accurate definition of Unicorns and Lions! Both are forms of unconsciousness - a dance of the ego mind.

What I love about what Bob has done is the use of the terms "sleepyhead" and "knucklehead." Let me put this in the context of Lions and Unicorns to answer the most asked questions I get when I speak to groups, "Can I be both a Lion and a Unicorn?" Okay, let's us Bob's terms instead of mine and asked the question again. "Can I be both a knucklehead and sleepyhead?" Do you really want an answer to that?

How about this question; "Are you saying it's better for two Lions or two Unicorns to get married than a Lion and a Unicorn?" This would then translate to; "Is it better for two knuckleheads or two sleepyheads to get married than a knucklehead and a sleepyhead?" This rephrasing rather puts the question in a little better perspective, doesn't it. The idea here is not to become a better sleepyhead or knucklehead. The goal is to wake up - to become conscious. You can only do that by studying knucklehead or sleepyhead consciousness as it plays out in your mind. This "watching" causes a great perceptual awakening to occur called "witness consciousness."

Thanks Bob for your razor like insight. I will use "sleepyhead" and "knucklehead" to augment my description of Lions and Unicorns. That should put many questions to rest!

Mark Waller Ph.D. LMFT

Carnal Mind- Ego Mind- Critic -Advice Giver

The apostle Paul writes, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

Paul is referring to the ego-mind. We are carnally minded when we are expressing opinions, giving advice, or being a critic. This is death in the real sense. For it is driven by the need for self- enhancement. The ego-mind must survive at everyone else's expense.

What we have a hard time seeing is that self-enhancement is a form of violence. It inflicts death on those around us. There is no life, there is no peace, but boy do we feel better about our selves.

We can only be seen as the expert if someone else loses. Our carnal nature loves that stuff!

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The Messenger: A Guide to Life's Adventures

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