On Reading and Wine Tasting

 

This post is adapted from my response to a message I received this morning about the post I wrote last night, which was about one of the diamonds contained in the conversation between William Mistele and Sa.   

Sometimes, I come across people stating that the only writings that a Bardonist needs to read are Bardon's books. This is true. Bardon's books are the only necessary writings, and all other writings are unnecessary. However, just because other writings are unnecessary doesn't mean they aren't extremely useful. It is wise to read not just the necessary writings, but the extremely useful ones as well. Imagine that a Bardonist finds himself face to face with the one thing he is least capable of dealing with and has never read the transcript of the conversation between William Mistele and Sa. This Bardonist may think that he is just having a lot of bad luck. He may indulge in self-pity, which is egotistical and unproductive. He may even curse God, which will do nothing but generate enormous amounts of negative karma. Unlike this Bardonist, a Bardonist who has read the transcript of the conversation between William Mistele and Sa would know that this is not the time to indulge in self-pity or curse God, but the time to undergo enormous amounts of spiritual growth. Although Bardon has provided us with the path, it is the writings of the adepts of the Franz Bardon tradition that are filled with shining jewels that illuminate the path. Yes, you can stumble your way through the path without being able to see, and if you are persistent, you will arrive at adepthood. But you will probably run into a lot of trees and fall into a lot of ditches along the way, and you will arrive at adepthood bruised and battered. This is why it is helpful to read the writings of the adepts, the writings of people like William Mistele.

When you read William Mistele's writings, however, you cannot read them the way an ordinary person drinks wine. You have to read them the way a wine expert drinks wine. There are wine experts out there who can examine the color, scent, and taste of a glass of wine and tell you the exact region of the world and the exact year the wine was made in. You can read about this sort of thing here. Grapes that are grown in different soils have different qualities, and grapes that are grown in different climates have different qualities. The soil isn't the same across the world, and the climate isn't the same every year. If you give an ordinary person a glass of wine, it is highly unlikely they would be able to tell you the exact region of the world or the exact year the wine was made in. Ordinary people don't have the sensitivity to notice subtle differences in taste, color, and scent, and they don't have the knowledge needed to extract such information from these subtle differences. 

When I say that you have to read William Mistele's writings the way a wine expert drinks wine, what I mean is that you have to notice things that a casual reader wouldn't notice. You have to extract information from those things that a casual reader wouldn't be able to extract. The experience of drinking a glass of wine as a wine expert is completely different from the experience of drinking the same glass of wine as an ordinary person. Similarly, the experience of reading an essay by William Mistele as an expert reader is completely different from the experience of reading the same essay as a casual reader. For the record, I am not claiming to be an expert reader myself. In fact, I insist that I am not. But, unlike many other Bardonists, I am at least making an effort to become an expert reader. Is there even a single Bardonist out there who can read one of William Mistele's essays the way a wine expert drinks wine? I don't know, but regardless, it is an ideal that all of us should aim for.