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To: angst+@CMU.EDU
Subject: More Kerista
From: wce@hogbbs.scol.pa.us (Bill Eichman)
Comments: Validated
Message-Id: 
Date: 	Tue, 27 Apr 1993 19:55:07 -0400
Organization: The Heart of Gold BBS, Lemont PA

From psuvax1!gossip.pyramid.com!daemon Mon Apr 26 23:53:37 1993 remote fro
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Date:   Mon, 26 Apr 1993 23:46:17 -0400
From:   Robert Funkhouser From: wce@hogbbs.scol.pa.us (Bill Eichman)
>
>I was going through some material in my files and came across this 1988
>era Keristan stuff.
>
>It seems to me that for those on Leri who are really interested in
>metaprogramming that this material might be a useful starting point for
>practical discussion. I'd be interested in any reactions to it.
>

Ok, here's some input/feedback.  I "hung out" with the Keristans in 1986.  
I looked at their polyfidelitous commune form of living closely.  I was a
candidate for joining, went to two of their private parties, partied and
tribal danced the night away with them, stayed at one of the BFIC's (Best
Friends Interest Cluster) overnight as a guest.  Got to know most of the
members at the time.  Read their stuff. Had two of my favorite Keristans
to my house for hot tubbing and discussion. Invited the entire commune
to my place in La Honda, CA for the "Great 60s Party of 1986."  Many
came.  Dated a woman who left the commune, advertised my software in
their publication - The Node.  Enough already...  you can tell I have
some familiarity with Kerista - my comments are rooted in my own
experience/analysis of the Kerista Commune.  

I came close to joining in 1986.  Many attractions - fun, smart, idealistic,
energetic, party-loving, sex-loving (that's an understatement), creative,
thinking, nice, hip people.  The reasons I did not join should be apparent
in my comments.

The original post just scratches the surface of the Kerista lifestyle and
philosophy.  They have a Social Contract with some 50+ points, and a
raft of cool sayings, like "live twice as nice for half the price."  They are
(were at least) into "voluntary wealth limitation" and "voluntary
childlessness."  The men all get vasectomies.  Children are not excluded if
the new member already has the child.  

>The Keristans are a bit on the wild side, however-- and their language

I must admit it was the wild side that attracted me most.  "Responsible
Hedonism" is what they call it.  I liked :) that part, no problemmo.

>is a bit odd too, as you will read.

Yeah, well, maybe you didn't know that they work with Spirit Guides,
which they call the "Holy Names."  These beings are guiding the commune
with ideas, suggestions, inspiration, plans.  I saw three of them the
evening after my second private party.  Three beautifully lit faces is what
I saw, hovering above my head as I was in my bed in that place between
waking and sleeping.  They were checking me out (since I was a potential
member).  I told them I wanted to go to sleep and I asked them to
leave and they left me alone.  It was a slightly scary.  I could pass a
gauntlet of lie detector tests that it really happened.  That episode is my
closest encounter with non-incarnate entities.  Interesting that they
consider using an alphabet board, similar to a Ouija board, to be a
completely *rational* way to talk with their guides.  Actually, it *is*
rational but lotsa people would say NOT.

I think Kerista is about 80% on target.  They are clear that they are a
social experiment and they continually make changes and try new ideas as
the members want.  I respect that.  My following comments apply more
or less to the 20% that I disagree with.  I contend that the reason
Kerista is small (they were about 30-35 people in 1986, I don't know
their size today) is due to the 20% misalignment with the human
configuration.  If Kerista gets close to a 100% fit with the human
configuration this movement may spread very quickly.  Especially since the
population:resources ratio favors living in some kind of shared
arrangement.  They'll be ready - they have a 500 year plan!
And more power to 'em.  I respect their trip.

Keep your salt shaker handy - my comments pertain to my 1986
experiences.  They might have changed some of their ideas since then, I
don't know.

>------------------
>Utopian Psychology
>------------------
>Fundamental Principles for Mental Health
>========================================
>(Excerpted from Utopia 2, page 13 & 14, a publication of the Kerista
>Commune, 547 Frederick St, SF, Ca, 94117, 415-753-1314)
>========================================
>
>
>UP Principle # 2
>----------------
>There is No Conflict between Intellect and Emotion
>
>The UP view of the brain/mind complex includes the theory that the
>intell4ect is inextrictably intertwined with the emotions. I can use my
>intellect to decide what are the most health-producing attitudes for me
>to embrace. For example, deciding to embrace the first principle of UP
>eliminates the negative emotion of jealousy from my entire mental
>landscape. My thinking mind, by eliminating the idea of possessiveness
>of another human, has effected my emotional experience. Conversely, an

Yeah.  They have a very sophisticated view of jealousy as a negative
emotion.  The ex-Kerista girlfriend I had gestaulted jealousy right out of
me.  And I needed it - jealousy had ruined at least two potentially
excellent relationships for me.  It was a fairly painless procedure, no
worse than having a tooth pulled with pliars.  (just kidding).  

>Faulty notions can distort emotions. Faulty emotions can distort
>notions. There's an absolute, wholistic link between what I feel and
>what i think.
>

Quite true.

>A corollary to this principle would then be that negative emotions can
>be eliminated using a rational process. A person deciding to eliminate
>angry responses to disturbing situations, for instance, can experience
>enhanced physical as well as mental health by jettisoning it as a choice
>emotionally. This doesn't mean squelching it, but eliminating it through
>a new mindset and a new set of problem solving techniques far more
>effective than the tantrum.
>
>UP Principle # 3
>----------------
>Total Rationality at all times is the Basic Mental Milieu for Optimal
>Psychological Healthiness.
>
>This principle does not deny the existence of unexplained phenomena,
>some of which may be inspiring or perplexing to the human mind, but it
>does include the idea that all phenomena are ultimately explicable
>wether or not our limited biocomputers can do the explaining. It also
>does not exclude very deep feeling about all sorts of things. Feelings
>and emotions can be very rational reactions to real life events.
>However, it does rule out giving yourself the right to insist that
>something is true simply because you feel strongly about it. That's OK

Here's where I got off the bus.  The world is full of people who feel, or
more importantly *experience* something unique and meaningful. People
*are* at different steps on the evolutionary trail.  Kerista attempts to
achieve stability by getting everyone at the same place on the trail.  This
boosts those not as far along but hinders those whose views and
experiential life is a superset of the commune in general. If Einstein
had been a member of Kerista he probably would have had the theory of
relativity obliterated from his thinking in an all night gestault session.  
After all, when he came up with the original idea, it was in his
imagination and he couldn't prove it at first, the equations came later.  

That last sentence above does provide for static quality (stability) but
limits dynamic quality, ie it provides a service but introduces a limitation. 
I think there *must* be a way to have both.  If there is, I don't know
what it is.  The novel "2150" dealt with this in an interesting way, but I
don't think it's functional now.  Or perhaps Kerista would say that those
who are on an eccentrically individual (or "loner trip" as they might call
it) are not cut out to be in the commune.  I think their 500 year plan,
in full fruition, shows most people living communally - but not all people.   
    

>for starters, but if challenged, you've got to be able to defend your
>view with something more than subjective experience, which may be

The human configuration includes external (objective) life and inner
(subjective) life.  For me, the inner world is very rich, and what I am
most interested in exploring.  The inner and outer are connected.  I think
Kerista is interested in expanding external oriented awake consciousness.  
And that's a noble objective, I'm into that too, but I go about it
differently.  

There is an old saying about "East is East and West is West and never
the twain shall meet."  The saying has merit because, to use an analogy,
Eastern man builds the pyramid from the top down and Western man
builds the pyramid from the bottom up.  This is clearly the case when
you compare, say Hinduism with Western Science.  The Hindus are mainly
into the inner life and their outer lives are essentially backward,
considering how long the Indian culture has been around.  Western
man by comparison, has been eccentrically outer oriented to point where
we've achieved fantastic feats of material engineering, but have relegated
the inner life to such a low position that many argue it does not even
exist.  I argue that *both* methods of understanding self and the
universe are valid, but very different.  I use both methods because I want
the largest, most functional worldview I can have.  Why not use the best
tools that are available?  I'm getting off the point a bit, but the point is,
the point is, that Kerista is outer oriented, building reality by agreeing on
what it is from the bottom up.  Top-downers get that shit gestaulted out
of them in Kerista, and speaking for myself, I value my top-down, inner
oriented methods.  I don't want it gestaulted out of me.  For me, that
would not be psychologically healthy.  Thus, UP Principle #3, is *not* a
true for everyone, imho.

>connected more to old ideas in your head than to what's really,
>objectively going on in the present.

Yes, but they may also be connected to the optimal future for the
human race contacted through visionary experience.  The emphasis on
rationality and the external discount inner experience.

>
>The language spoken in this totally rational environment is reason and
>logic. A sect of ancient Hinduism calls this language _Nyaya_. Ongoing
>rational dialogue (nyaya) with friends who share my basic values is a
>kind of mental jogging which keeps my mind the most robust and healthy.
>
>Nyaya is the language of Gestalt-O-Rama, the ongoing, equalitarian peer,
>self-help group therapy process of UP. Inside this process, the ongoing
>pursuit of truth through the elimination of contradictions takes place
>on an around-the-clock basis.

Yes, but it also tiles over the inner world.  The drive for rational
agreement on all things does build stability and functionality but at the
expense of individuality and the inner world and ultimately, I will argue,
creativity. I think they need a better balance here.  For example, I think
mythology might provide better guidance than strict rationalism. << Ok,
Ok, come down from the ceiling my scientific friends! :)  We can explore
this later>>.  Rationally, the Titanic could not be sunk.  Rationality is a
*subset* of the entire human configuration.  Rationality is a valid and
functional method of developing a worldview, but it is not the only
method.  Having a sophisticated relationship with your intuition and, yes,
feelings, inner guidance combined with rationality, would be a better fit
to the entire human, imho.

>
>UP Principle # 5
>----------------
>Judgement is essential to optimal mental health.
>
>The notion of "non-judgementalness" has become a popular fad in some
>schools of new age psychology. It is humourous and ironic because the
>statement "judgement is bad" is a total judgement.

Wrong. Wrong! Wrong!!  They have *completely* misinterpreted what is
meant by judgement as a negative or limiting behavior.  It may be a
semantic problem.  I think Kerista is using "judgement" when I would use
"evaluation" or "discrimination."

I portend to understand the psychological dynamics underlying the idea
that judging other people limits your own experience.  Many New Agers
are grokking this.  Kerista is in left field on this issue, imho. If
anyone's interested, let me know and I write it up a post on the topic of
judgement.

>
>In UP, Judgement is always considered a positive. This is not the same
>as being condemnatory. Social tolerance is a given which must always
>temoper judgement. Opinions are expressed freely in Gestalt-o-Rama in a
>non-condemnatory way and each individual inside the gestalt environment
>is prepared at any moment to alter her/his judgement or opinion about
>someone or something inside of rational dialectic.
>
>UP Principle # 6
>----------------
>The Most Significant Attachment of an optimally Healthy Person is
>Her/His Attachment to a Passionate Sense of Mission in Life.
>
>Using this principle, a person attaches her/himself to other people
>through this passionate sense of _mission_. Those people who share a
>common Mission/Vision in life arew most likely to remain together and
>experience a stable, burnout resistant bonding with one another.

I dig this.  Sharing purpose is a very cohesive force.  Fun camaraderie
and teamwork always, well, pardon the term, "feels" good to me.  

Like I stated at the beginning, I respect what Kerista is doing and I wish
them success.  There are lots and lots of communities operating around
the country.  Kerista is distinguished from them in two major ways - 1)
they live in the city, whereas most communities live on the land and with
the land.  I think Kerista eventually sees a combination of urban and
rural groups, but for now, they're ultra-hip city folk.  2) they have to be
the largest and oldest surviving polyfidelitous commune in the country.  It
is a primary part of their current trip, and I think that they think
everyone will eventually loosen up and come around to polyfidelity, once
people redo their moral programming.  I tend to agree with them on this
issue, but it'll take time.

Ok, you can put the salt shaker down now.                           

It's certainly not my intention to squelch interest in Kerista.  They have a
lot going for them and they *are* pioneers.  Like always, I'm just callin'
'em as I see 'em.  They'd probably say I'm too much of a loner for
Kerista, and they may be right.  I'm not into round the clock gestaults.  
And my worldviews are too eccentric for their rationality-only reality.  That
doesn't make me right and them wrong, or vice versa.  It just says we
don't match up.  And yet, I think of living in a community of like-minded
people all the time.  I think it *is* the future of man, to begin to
reconnect, in an almost tribal manner, into groups of like-minded people.  
Perhaps we will see, as I see when I read about existing communities,
that many, many types and styles of community will form and begin to
draw in those bold ones who are ready for exciting new paradigms.  I'm
working on the blueprint for a community myself, and btw, I like most of
what I've read so far of the Eco-Futurists.  It's a long road.  The trip is
just beginning!  Here's to it.  [clink]

I would like more Kerista material posted so we can all take a good look
at it.  

Cosmic Bob
          

From psuvax1!pyramid.com!leri Tue Apr 27 19:55:54 1993 remote from hogbbs
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Date:   Tue, 27 Apr 1993 18:38:16 -0400
From:   hurst@vistatech.com (Dave Hurst)
To:     Leri@pyramid.com (Leri)
Cc:     Leri@pyramid.com
Subject:  Re: Kerista
Errors-To: leri-request@pyramid.com
Return-Path: leri@pyramid.com
Message-Id: <9304272238.AA16574@orion.noname>

Bob,

I'm not familiar with Kerista but it looks interesting, from what you
wrote.  I have the impression from your post that there's a more complete
description of Kerista online.  Could you post the full file, or if it's
already been posted to leri and I missed it, could you just e-mail me
a copy?

--DaveH
internet: hurst@vistatech.com   "Be excellent to each other!"


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