The Wheel of Identification
A Caveat About FetterWork
The first point we need to make completely clear is that all of the Fetters are nothing but concepts pointing in the direction of clarity.
They are not meant to be something that we continue using after they have fulfilled their purpose, or to even replace a previous dogma.
They are tools you use for a period, and when you have understood what you needed to understand, you leave them behind.
In some traditions, the fetters are regarded as a ladders that must be approached linearly. You must complete/see through/break one before you can move forward to work with the next.
We see how that approach, for many, can become an ego-bolstering stick in the wheel, rather than a helpful tool. The clear, linear trajectory also doesn’t seem to be the experience of the majority of people on the Awakening Path.
The other danger with this approach is that it tends to lead people to regard a fetter as a “real thing” that can be, and must be, permanently broken.
This approach is not conducive with a process of non-identifying!
Nothing is permanent, and the Fetters don’t actually exist. They are conceptual frameworks for understanding the ways that identification is continuously created in our daily lives.
To better address this approach, we’ve created “The Wheel of Identification”:
“Todd and Pernille have been instrumental in helping me discover and unpack some deep trauma that was hindering my process more than I knew. Todd’s caring and compassion combined with Pernille’s keen insight are a potent combo. I felt safe and seen simultaneously, and never felt judged during moments of deep vulnerability.
Love you guys!”
As you can see, the wheel is not in “the correct order”.
We did that to emphasise that life is messy and nothing happens in a linear way!
Notice however, how the pairs of Fetters are arranged opposite to one another.
So the First Fetter of identification is nothing but a crude form of the Eighth Fetter “I AM!” conceit.
Or turned the other way around; when you feel “I am God” or “I am Awareness” which is an Eighth Fetter delusion, you can use the lessons from the First Fetter as a support to look deeper into the hooks of identification.
Enjoy.
All of the Fetters come with antidotes or mantras that supports the insight in that given fetter.
So using the above mentioned example, when you then are First Fetter identifying, you will use the antidote of Non-Self to weaken the belief in your own reality.
If that does not help, you can use the antidote in the Eighth Fetter pair and ask yourself “Ok, what is it I need to understand?”
It helps to learn the antidotes and have them as a part of your everyday life.
You do not have to know which fetter you are stuck in to use them.
At any point can you call on stillness, calm, observation, presence and contentment.
Enjoy
