Good morning everyone. I was chatting with Kat a little bit earlier today and she suggested that I address this question of effort a little bit because she’s been noticing rightfully that people feel that they need to try to be on Holiday or put in effort or practice or something like that. It’s very natural. And I do often speak about that on the intensives and everywhere, really, including these Holidays. Let’s look at it some more. Ultimately, a Holiday, your own essential being, is nothing to do with effort. It’s just what you are. Of course. So it doesn’t take any effort to be what you are. So when I say have a Holiday, it’s a seed I plant in your mind that sprouts by itself. It’s not an admonition to practice something or anything like that. This is also why I don’t say take a Holiday. What I mostly say is when a Holiday happens, know that you are. ««»» Holidays happen by themselves. Whether we think we’re doing them or not, we’re not. They happen by themselves. I’ve spoken about this many times. Everything happens by itself. So whether we think we’re intentionally having a holiday, even that intention sprouts spontaneously. There’s no doer in that. So there’s no effort in that way. So why do people feel that they have to make an effort to be on Holiday? And that’s a genuine question. Clearly, the reason that idea or concern would be there is because the mind that has that question has the idea that it’s not there yet, that there’s something more to do. And so what is that? Obviously that’s the rising I, ego, mind that has an idea. The idea being I’m not there yet. I’m supposed to be on holiday all the time. Why aren’t I? Maybe I’m not fully awakened or fully enlightened yet or, any number of concepts and questions that arise create the movement of that same mind to want to do something to have more holidays. And so what to do? There’s really nothing to do. I can’t say don’t put in any effort or don’t try to have more Holidays or anything like that because then again there will be a concept in the mind that’s now trying to not have any effort or Holidays. So what I say is that I put the seed Holiday, Holiday, Holiday that sprouts by itself in your mind. And so I say, when a Holiday happens, notice some things. What do you notice? Well, clearly, a Holiday is free of the rising I, which is the movement of ego, of time, of past, future, story, history, personal history, all of that. What else do you notice? You notice that this pure eternal being, which is timeless, is always here. It’s always what I am. Whether I notice it or not, it is. So you notice that also on a holiday. And what else do you notice on a holiday? That inherent contentment and peace and happiness is already here as your nature, so you notice that also. And what else do you notice on a holiday? That seeking is over because the one who is seeking, the rising I, is no longer here. And when the rising I, the seeker goes, like now, for a moment, the seeking goes as well. ««»» Like now for a moment, when the one who thinks there’s something more to attain, which is again the rising I that has a lot of concepts about freedom and enlightenment, when that rising I that thinks there’s something more to attain is gone like right now, ««»» the feeling or idea that there’s something more to attain is also gone with it. And contentment is here. ««»» And also, when the rising I that has the idea that more effort is required to reach a holiday, when that I is not here, like now for a moment, ««»» the idea of effort is also not here. ««»» I often say a Holiday reveals things. A Holiday is a Holiday, it’s a break from the mind games in that whole world of mind, that phantom world of mind. It’s a break from that. And it’s knowing that I am. And so I say when a Holiday happens, know that you are. And in that things are revealed like some of the things I just said. ««»» It’s revealed that you’re already home. It’s revealed that no effort is required to be home, because you are there. It’s revealed that a Holiday is a very different way of being, not the contracted, limited, bound self way of being, but blown wide open, free. ««»» And in that we find this way of being to be preferable. We find peace and contentment here, ease of being, And so, instead of requiring effort to try to get to this, we just naturally want this without any effort. The more we see this way of being, the more we realize it’s a good way of being, Better than running around in the carousels of mind. Then naturally we want to live this way. And so no effort is needed. It becomes our natural condition more and more. It becomes our default condition more and more. ««»» And no effort is required for that. It’s just falling in love with being. So what to do? You can’t force that to happen either. That’s another thing that would be an effort. So we don’t force anything here. So if you notice that there is the idea that I need to make more effort, or I need to practice Holidays, or I need to do Holidays more, notice something. Who has that thought? What about you has that thought? The rising I, obviously. And like with everything else I share, it’s just to see that, that’s all, just to notice. Oh, oh yeah. If there is the concept that I need to try harder or have more Holidays or do something, that has to be only the rising I. No problem. Jump off. That’s all. ««»» And so again, it can’t be forced. It will appear like effort is being made until it’s no longer needed. Nisargadatta says, “when effort is required, effort will appear. When effortlessness is required, effortlessness will appear.” There’s no doer in either of those. So just in summary, this is nothing to try to attain effortlessness here. “Oh no, now I’m thinking I have to have a holiday. That’s effort, I’m doing something wrong.” No, it’s not about that. Again, that would be the rising I. What is the way it works is, as I say, when a holiday happens, recognize the value of what that is. Recognize it’s the end of all of your seeking and the end of you running around in those carousels. It’s home. And the more you recognize that, the more naturally, of course, what will you want? Of course. And then no effort is required for that. ««»» And in the meantime, I say, yes, Holiday, Holiday, Holiday, Holiday. It’s just a seed, a seed, a seed. It’s planted in the mind and it sprouts by itself. It’s not an admonition to practice or anything like that. It’s a seed I put, Holiday, Holiday, Holiday, and it will sprout by itself. And when it does sprout by itself, recognize what it is. Freedom. ««»» It’s good to be with you. I’ll be back again tomorrow. Peace. JOIN THE WEEKEND MINI INTENSIVETHE UNBOUND SPACE OF PURE BEING - August 22 - 23 Salvadore Poe - Liberation IS is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Salvadore Poe - Liberation IS at salvadorepoe.substack.com/subscribe