Here are the first three ‘Locations’ proposed by Jeffery Martin and shared tonight by Judith:

Location 1: A sense of “fundamental okayness” regardless of what is going on in the world, is usually in the background; negative emotions arise but with less intensity than before; there is a heightened sense of being complete; the Narrative Self softens; life is more centred in the present moment; interest in the life stories of self and others diminishes; there is a greater connection to all of life.

Location 2: The sense of ‘fundamental okayness’ moves into the foreground; the Narrative Self diminishes further; responses to psychological ‘triggers’ are fewer and less powerful; the need for approval from others dissolves; the range of positive emotions increases as incidents of negative emotions decrease; the notion of ‘me and other’ softens or disappears.

Location 3: Here there is mostly one dominant or ‘meta’ emotion of compassion, joy, and love; there is virtually no negative emotion, very little Narrative Self, and often a strong sense of divinity or of panpsychist, all-pervasive, consciousness. The mystics of many traditions may be seen in the deepest levels of Location 3. Locations 4 and beyond address further deepening often associated with monasticism.