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This term
serves as one of the abstract semantic bookends of the Spalding Method. In relation to the
immediate task at hand, WAKING denotes the proper mental attitude in approaching the shot
we are about to embark on. We want to cultivate the attitude that it is the first shot of
the day ... always. The previous shot is gone, whether skewed or straight, gone. We are
WAKING to a new one now and the mind should be focused and attentive on the present
condition. WAKING then implies the expenditure of the perfect effort for the shot at hand
and condemns the expenditure of energies collected from past frustrations. WAKING to the broader aspects of the game is a highly individual
experience. This involves our overall temperament and the state of our egoic attachments
to the game. In this respect, this author does not presume to be awakened or presume that
anyone else on the planet is not awakened. It is impossible for anyone to make such a
claim since doing so would reveal the ignorance of the claimant and the state of his or
her unawakedness. That is why this term is a pure abstraction. This author hopes to clear
up some illusions in the game; beyond that there is little else to be done. WAKING, in the
broader form, can be brought on by many things. It could be as simple as turning thirty
years old or as complex as the near death experience. It can be ushered in by the birth of
a child, the death of a loved one, losing a hundred pounds, gaining a hundred pounds,
reading a great book, having a vision or mystical experience or stumbling through
incredible twists of fate. Accepting the unpredictable is perhaps the golfer's greatest
challenge. Whatever awakens us to this reality can only be a benefit.
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number two explanation |
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