> > According to Dave, HAI intentionally maintains a level of secrecy, > supposedly to keep the newcomers from making "safer" choices. I probably need to illuminate this a bit. Let's say you're starting an exercise. You would typically be asked to pick a partner, and given some sort of guidance on what sort of partner, like "same sex", "opposite sex", "someone you wouldn't normally choose", or something like that.. At this point, you don't know what the exercise will be. The point of this part of it is to get you past the fear of approaching people in this context. > Also according > to Dave, he and his wife attended the Level 1 workshop in the nude, and > talks about "intimately touching another man" during the "magic weekend." > Does this make sense to you? Well.. the nudity was an enormous fear issue for me prior to that, not to the point that it was interfering with daily life, but it was probably something you could call a phobia. It's gone now. > > My point is, levels are an attribute of many of the world's religions, So are candles and music. Levels in HAI aren't like levels anywhere else I know. So say you're like me and have done L1, L2, and L3. I might do L4 next, or I might repeat L1 because I think that it would help me through something I realized needed working on. The only reason the levels are there at all, is that you need the things you learned in level 1 to have level 2 work well, and so on. Levels 5,6,7 can be done in any order. Level 1 teaches some introductory concepts, like "No means NO" and the basics of being intimate with another person, the difference between love, sex, and intimacy, and so on. Also covered are the basics of sexual anatomy (you'd be surprised what adults don't know sometimes!) and an overview of sexual health. Another important concept introduced here is "being at choice", knowing that you DO have the option to say yes, or no, in a given situation. Level 2 is about loving yourself. Accepting who you are, and not being so intensely self-critical as we all seem to normally be. More also of the same things that were covered in level 1 Level 3 is about being "at choice". You are given opportunities to experiment with this, and some illustrations of how easy it is to fool yourself into the idea that you don't have any choice in a given situation, or that something is an option when it really isn't. The rest, well I haven't been there yet. > HOWEVER, that's not what I was arguing at all. Call it whatever you want, > I > was just asking Dave to explain how HAI is different from a religion, as > far > as this list is concerned. I feel like I'm trying to explain color to a blind man. :) HAI does NOT profess belief in any supreme being, nor does it ask you to reject any such belief. It's simply got nothing to do with it. > HAI has its own dogmas (ideology, whatever you call it) which he feels > free to (and you let him to) express here. Would you let a Buddhist talk > about the Four Noble Truths, or the Noble Eightfold Path? HAI has dogma? Hmm.. Not that I've seen. There's no "bible", no books or tapes or anything like that. The closest thing is a newsletter. There is no deity in HAI, no heaven, no hell. Argh.. To pull a quote from their site: *What are some overall benefits of the workshop?* - In a caring, supportive and safe environment, discover the ingredients for happy, healthy, loving, intimate relationships. Shed your fears, judgments and disempowering beliefs that keep you separate from others. - Where did you learn about love, intimacy and sexuality? What we often don't realize is that our very ideas about these topics may prevent us from fully expressing and receiving love. The workshop provides an opportunity to examine this. - Participants are profoundly moved by the depth of emotional openness that repeatedly occurs throughout the course of a weekend. Imagine if you can, a group of people being completely honest and real with each other. Ok, where's the religion? > Can you prove your love for your wife? Or subject it to confirmable tests > and studies? Heinlein's definition of love, when the happiness of another is essential to your own. I can't prove my compersion either, but it's there. (essentially the opposite of jealousy) > And by banning them here, we have created a > > place where most conversations are peaceful and informative. Well, so far, this one seems peaceful and informative, though I admit I'm not doing as good a job as I should be. Vitaly, I seem to really SUCK at explaining HAI to people, so I'm going to suggest that you contact someone from HAI through their web site, and ask them to explain it. I'm not pushing you away, I just don't seem to have the skills to explain it properly. Mea Culpa. -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist