The album is the story of a fantasy trip (some say via LSD, thought getting high is not essential to the whole thing), interpreted through the philosophy of a 70s enlightenment movement called the EST training. The final song, IT, is light on the fantasy – heavy on the EST. In fact, the song's meaning is, literally, the point of EST.
The climax of the est training is “getting it”. “It” is the experience of enlightenment. As such, the experience can be overwhelming; some say it feels religious, some that it's trippy, some happy, some sad, some very obvious and straightforward, some painfully obscure... the gamut. “It” is completely individual, everybody's experience of getting it is individual. Lol... yes, I did the training. And no, it's never been easy for me to put into words.
But Gabriel does, with a series of this-and-that opposites. It is hot, while it is also cold. It is the chicken, it is also the egg. It never stays, but it doesn't leave. It is in us, it is between us (the cages). Along with 'truisms' about it – it is here and now. It is not wimpy. You can't accumulate it. My favorite: “If you think that it's pretentious, you've been taken for a ride.” :-) It doesn't make you better than anyone else.
The last line is so simple, yet all encompassing. It is available to every individual (knowall), you just have to look (knock). It's only knock and knowall. I like it. :-)
@e103464187 Very interesting! I found this entry online, pretty much confirming the EST training Gabriel had:
@e103464187 Very interesting! I found this entry online, pretty much confirming the EST training Gabriel had:
I just read this about what Peter Gabriel had to say about Werner Erhard and the value he got out of the est Training…
I just read this about what Peter Gabriel had to say about Werner Erhard and the value he got out of the est Training…
“Anyone with an open mind wanting to explore the world was drawn to that movement. There were fairly scary adventures that could change lives. Last year I met Werner Erhard [born John Paul Rosenberg, the former salesman who created the EST course]; many people feel negatively about him, but I enjoyed him enormously. The whole system he set up felt...
“Anyone with an open mind wanting to explore the world was drawn to that movement. There were fairly scary adventures that could change lives. Last year I met Werner Erhard [born John Paul Rosenberg, the former salesman who created the EST course]; many people feel negatively about him, but I enjoyed him enormously. The whole system he set up felt like a hard-sell American organization but if you didn’t have a year to spend in an ashram yet still wanted to shake up your life a bit, you could go for a couple of weekends and get severely challenged.
“It taught me all sorts of things, of which one was to be responsible for your life and who you are—don’t blame others, don’t be a victim. I’d been doing that. The analogy is of a boat in dangerous water: would you rather be in the hold bitching about the captain or standing at the helm with the power to change direction? you can only get to that position if you’re prepared to take responsibility. It’s very logical but very hard sometimes—I can’t always stay in that place but I know life works better when you’re there.
“The other thing is to be authentic about who you are, how you feel, and what’s going on…It’s about being real. We spend so much of our lives not actually being who we are but who we imagine we ought to be.”
@e103464187 Very interesting! I found this entry online, pretty much confirming the EST training Gabriel had:
@e103464187 Very interesting! I found this entry online, pretty much confirming the EST training Gabriel had:
I just read this about what Peter Gabriel had to say about Werner Erhard and the value he got out of the est Training…
I just read this about what Peter Gabriel had to say about Werner Erhard and the value he got out of the est Training…
“Anyone with an open mind wanting to explore the world was drawn to that movement. There were fairly scary adventures that could change lives. Last year I met Werner Erhard [born John Paul Rosenberg, the former salesman who created the EST course]; many people feel negatively about him, but I enjoyed him enormously. The whole system he set up felt...
“Anyone with an open mind wanting to explore the world was drawn to that movement. There were fairly scary adventures that could change lives. Last year I met Werner Erhard [born John Paul Rosenberg, the former salesman who created the EST course]; many people feel negatively about him, but I enjoyed him enormously. The whole system he set up felt like a hard-sell American organization but if you didn’t have a year to spend in an ashram yet still wanted to shake up your life a bit, you could go for a couple of weekends and get severely challenged.
“It taught me all sorts of things, of which one was to be responsible for your life and who you are—don’t blame others, don’t be a victim. I’d been doing that. The analogy is of a boat in dangerous water: would you rather be in the hold bitching about the captain or standing at the helm with the power to change direction? you can only get to that position if you’re prepared to take responsibility. It’s very logical but very hard sometimes—I can’t always stay in that place but I know life works better when you’re there.
“The other thing is to be authentic about who you are, how you feel, and what’s going on…It’s about being real. We spend so much of our lives not actually being who we are but who we imagine we ought to be.”
The album is the story of a fantasy trip (some say via LSD, thought getting high is not essential to the whole thing), interpreted through the philosophy of a 70s enlightenment movement called the EST training. The final song, IT, is light on the fantasy – heavy on the EST. In fact, the song's meaning is, literally, the point of EST.
The climax of the est training is “getting it”. “It” is the experience of enlightenment. As such, the experience can be overwhelming; some say it feels religious, some that it's trippy, some happy, some sad, some very obvious and straightforward, some painfully obscure... the gamut. “It” is completely individual, everybody's experience of getting it is individual. Lol... yes, I did the training. And no, it's never been easy for me to put into words.
But Gabriel does, with a series of this-and-that opposites. It is hot, while it is also cold. It is the chicken, it is also the egg. It never stays, but it doesn't leave. It is in us, it is between us (the cages). Along with 'truisms' about it – it is here and now. It is not wimpy. You can't accumulate it. My favorite: “If you think that it's pretentious, you've been taken for a ride.” :-) It doesn't make you better than anyone else.
The last line is so simple, yet all encompassing. It is available to every individual (knowall), you just have to look (knock). It's only knock and knowall. I like it. :-)
@e103464187 Very interesting! I found this entry online, pretty much confirming the EST training Gabriel had:
@e103464187 Very interesting! I found this entry online, pretty much confirming the EST training Gabriel had:
I just read this about what Peter Gabriel had to say about Werner Erhard and the value he got out of the est Training…
I just read this about what Peter Gabriel had to say about Werner Erhard and the value he got out of the est Training…
“Anyone with an open mind wanting to explore the world was drawn to that movement. There were fairly scary adventures that could change lives. Last year I met Werner Erhard [born John Paul Rosenberg, the former salesman who created the EST course]; many people feel negatively about him, but I enjoyed him enormously. The whole system he set up felt...
“Anyone with an open mind wanting to explore the world was drawn to that movement. There were fairly scary adventures that could change lives. Last year I met Werner Erhard [born John Paul Rosenberg, the former salesman who created the EST course]; many people feel negatively about him, but I enjoyed him enormously. The whole system he set up felt like a hard-sell American organization but if you didn’t have a year to spend in an ashram yet still wanted to shake up your life a bit, you could go for a couple of weekends and get severely challenged.
“It taught me all sorts of things, of which one was to be responsible for your life and who you are—don’t blame others, don’t be a victim. I’d been doing that. The analogy is of a boat in dangerous water: would you rather be in the hold bitching about the captain or standing at the helm with the power to change direction? you can only get to that position if you’re prepared to take responsibility. It’s very logical but very hard sometimes—I can’t always stay in that place but I know life works better when you’re there.
“The other thing is to be authentic about who you are, how you feel, and what’s going on…It’s about being real. We spend so much of our lives not actually being who we are but who we imagine we ought to be.”
earcandleproductions.blogspot.com/2010/03/dont-blame-others-dont-be-victim
@e103464187 Very interesting! I found this entry online, pretty much confirming the EST training Gabriel had:
@e103464187 Very interesting! I found this entry online, pretty much confirming the EST training Gabriel had:
I just read this about what Peter Gabriel had to say about Werner Erhard and the value he got out of the est Training…
I just read this about what Peter Gabriel had to say about Werner Erhard and the value he got out of the est Training…
“Anyone with an open mind wanting to explore the world was drawn to that movement. There were fairly scary adventures that could change lives. Last year I met Werner Erhard [born John Paul Rosenberg, the former salesman who created the EST course]; many people feel negatively about him, but I enjoyed him enormously. The whole system he set up felt...
“Anyone with an open mind wanting to explore the world was drawn to that movement. There were fairly scary adventures that could change lives. Last year I met Werner Erhard [born John Paul Rosenberg, the former salesman who created the EST course]; many people feel negatively about him, but I enjoyed him enormously. The whole system he set up felt like a hard-sell American organization but if you didn’t have a year to spend in an ashram yet still wanted to shake up your life a bit, you could go for a couple of weekends and get severely challenged.
“It taught me all sorts of things, of which one was to be responsible for your life and who you are—don’t blame others, don’t be a victim. I’d been doing that. The analogy is of a boat in dangerous water: would you rather be in the hold bitching about the captain or standing at the helm with the power to change direction? you can only get to that position if you’re prepared to take responsibility. It’s very logical but very hard sometimes—I can’t always stay in that place but I know life works better when you’re there.
“The other thing is to be authentic about who you are, how you feel, and what’s going on…It’s about being real. We spend so much of our lives not actually being who we are but who we imagine we ought to be.”
earcandleproductions.blogspot.com/2010/03/dont-blame-others-dont-be-victim