Despite its "introductory" title, this early Socorro session delivered advanced teachings on personal symbols, the "neti neti" meditation technique, and the distinction between heart and mind paths - while revealing that these gatherings are no accident but part of a deliberate movement of Eastern wisdom into the Western world.

Context: This second session in Socorro, New Mexico, on January 2, 1978, addressed John and Louisa Aiken's quest group that met weekly. Bartholomew explained that while seven core members form the spiritual foundation of the group, the fluctuating participation made it difficult to guide everyone progressively deeper. The key challenge was that these seekers were "floating on a very thin membrane" between their deeper being and their surface consciousness - riding on the skin of the sea, unable to break through to genuine depth.

Prescription - Personal Symbols: The primary prescription given was intensive meditation practice - but not as a single prescribed method. Each person must discover their own unique way, their own symbols that resonate with their deepest truth. For one person it might be the cross, for another the concept of compassion, for another something entirely different. When someone connects with their personal symbol, their entire life transforms: a rose becomes all of life revealed, everything fills with meaning, creativity, and light.

Meditation Techniques: Bartholomew introduced the "neti neti" (not this, not that) meditation technique for more advanced practitioners. This involves systematically rejecting everything that arises in consciousness - thoughts, feelings, sensations - to eventually reach the "nowhere" that is actually everywhere. Through consistent practice, one learns to access this state not just in formal meditation, but throughout daily activities, walking the streets as a living meditation.

Heart and Mind Paths: The teaching emphasized that spiritual force moves through different centers in different people. John Aiken's path flows through the mind, while Louisa's moves through the heart - both equally valid and equally powerful. Many people undervalue the heart path because the brain sits physically above the heart, but this placement means nothing spiritually. Their combination is precisely why they work well together as teachers, serving students of both orientations. No one is ever used against their will; teachers like Bartholomew work only with those who have genuinely asked to serve.

A Larger Purpose: Finally, the session revealed that their presence in this time and place is no accident. Representatives from ancient Eastern teachings have been deliberately sent to the Western world at this crucial point in history. John carries strong Oriental influences from past lives, while Louisa blends both Eastern and Christian streams, making them ideal vehicles for bringing these timeless teachings to contemporary seekers ready to break through the membrane into genuine spiritual depth.