Objective Walking

[Russell Smith]

A response to a question regarding "how to perform" and "when I first formulated the Objective Walking Exercise".

England 1997, after the second All and Everything Conference, where I presented "A Law-Conformable Schematic for Awakening Higher Centers", a small group of participants assembled to further discuss practical ways of Fourth Way work.

During that gathering, we were sent outside, down the beach, with the instructions to remember ourselves. Most of the folks grouped up and walked together chatting and enjoying the environment. I fell back of the pack and began to walk in a new way.

I was walking on a paved road that runs down the middle of the beach, hands in my jacket pockets, my head slightly down, my eyes focused on the ground a couple feet in front of my steps. I did not allow myself to look up; this created a bubble of the visual area within the periphery of my sight.

Taking slow deliberate steps, about 1 per second, swinging the leg and foot out in front; and, then, dropping the heal back on the ground with some sense of force, which I used to help me focus on, and count each step. Thus, I locked-in to the count.

Next, I focused on the sounds and smells that came into this visual bubble created by my sight. The only existence was what entered my bubble. There were many urges to look up towards sounds and things originating outside of my bubble, but I refrained. I remember receiving a great shock when an approaching truck suddenly entered my bubble and whizzed by — passing within inches of hitting me. I completed 1000+ steps in this focused state.

I was in an extremely high state when I returned to the meeting room. Higher perceptions, moments of direct knowing, I passed my turn to read from BBT as that would have required a much lower attention.

Months later I added the third ‘threefold-attention’ aspect of emotion, since I already had the counting and sensing of what entered my bubble locked-in.

Synopsis of Exercise

Walk with your head slightly bowed, eyes focused on the ground a couple of feet in front of your leading foot. Don’t allow yourself to look up. This will create a bubble within the periphery of your vision (akin to the ‘Eye-relaxation’ exercise).

Take slow, deliberate steps, about 1 per second, swinging the leg and foot out in front and dropping the heel back on the ground (somewhat like a goosestep) with a sense of force. Count each step and lock into the counting.

Then, focus on sounds and smells that also enter this visual bubble; experience only what enters the bubble. Refrain from urges to look towards phenomena originating outside of your bubble.

Having established the counting and sensing, add the third ‘threefold-attention’ aspect of emotion (typically in the form of gratitude – as with ‘Threefold Attention).

Perform 1000+ steps in this focused state.

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