Question from @SoulFire (original post):
I’m running KB for the long term so I’m going with Stage 4 but I’m wondering if it still contains some of the clearing from Stage 1 or is Stage 4 its own unique scripting and I’m missing out on the other stages by solely running Stage 4? @qOS
Summary
@SoulFire — yes, Stage IV keeps a healing process running, but it is its own scripting, and running it alone means missing what Stages I to III build.
What Stage IV contains
Stage IV fuses the earlier stages into one self-running process, with healing, keeping, deepening and refining running together beneath your life. The Forge Tends Itself keeps clearing whatever needs clearing without you watching over it. Relighting helps you rebuild with resolve and without shame when illness, neglect or an old habit knocks the fire down. Together they keep the ground clear once it has been cleared. What Stage IV does not have is Stage I’s dedicated clearing work: the features that take on sexual shame, performance anxiety, numbness, old hurts and the fear of being seen as sexual belong to Stage I.
What you would miss
The stages are a true progression, and Stage IV assumes the materials of all three before it. Stage I is where The Hidden Spring lives, your first direct feel for the still essence beneath sexual energy, and everything afterward builds on that introduction. Khan Black recommends starting with Stage I whoever you are, including people who feel they have already healed. That includes anyone who ran the original Khan Black, because this edition is fully rewritten and expanded. Stage II builds the capacity to hold more without strain. Stage III gathers the reserve and makes the choice between keeping and kindling it instinctive. Stage IV then fuses all of that into one process, so without the first three it has much less to work with.
The long-term plan
Running Khan Black long term on Stage IV is a good plan, as the last step rather than the first. Run I through IV in order, then keep Stage IV going for as long as you like. It is also the one stage that needs no build designed around it: the Khan Black Stage 4 Core can sit in any later custom and keep the depth going while your other module slots serve a new goal.
Running all four stages at the same time does not get around this. When BeingNeo mentioned doing that by accident, SaintSovereign replied in post #72 ( Main Disc. Thread - The NEW Khan Black: The Crucible (Now Available! Q Modules Available!) - #72 by SaintSovereign ) asking people to be careful with it.
Start with Stage I and move through the stages in order. Listening guidance is in the official instructions: https://instructions.subliminalclub.com
