Gurdjieff, The Work, Effort, and Understanding
Yesterday, after having read the Signs pages, I read the latest forum posts. After reading the transcripts for the two part podcast entitled "In Search of the Miraculous," (Podcasts #64 & 65) I had a strange experience of expanding understanding of all of the material I have been reading in the last couple of years.
I will write some of my thoughts and insights here in the hope that they will help some of the members of this forum and network.
As I have read so much information on these websites and also read other recommended material, little by little, over time, I have increased my knowledge a little bit, from the abominably low level for surviving and being effective in any measure in these tumultuous times we live in. Over the last couple of years I had the actual personal experience of going from gathering information, to a slow digestion process and assimilation, to possessing a theoretical knowledge I could seldom apply, to finally getting to the very beginning of understanding.
The process has been rather frustrating because, although I have tried to be patient and work hard (not always as hard as possible) I have had a nagging feeling in the background that I am not making much progress. But the feeling was pretty vague; I could not articulate in what way I was not making progress "to my satisfaction." As it turns out, I think, it was the knowledge on some level that I had a very poor understanding of all I read. It was all too theoretical, something I may even on occasion be able to explain to someone else perhaps, but I could not implement any of it in any practical way. I am not saying that I have reached a stage where I can actually apply some of the knowledge consistently now. I am just seeing that there is progress that is hard to notice most of the time. It is a process, one that takes time and continued effort with a sincere wish to be able to reach some practical understanding.
As many on this forum know from their own experiences, doing the Work is extremely difficult. Breaking out of the mechanical, automatic mode of existence even for a few moments takes continued, sustained attention and effort. But the effort it seems is the most important aspect. The failures to sustain your attention, the failure to remember yourself, these are a given. But the continued effort does have some small, slowly developing results. Some imperceptible internal process takes place, and over time bears some fruit.
This effort combined with reading the enormous amounts of invaluable information on these sites, which also requires large efforts, time and energy, has the result of starting this slow, imperceptible inner process. And once it has started, although imperceptible for a long time, it continues to develop as long as we keep making the required effort. Making the effort day in and day out has some hard to formulate effect. The key seems to me to be the continued effort to increase, to expand our understanding to some day be able to apply more and more of what we have learned.
Although frustration at our lack of abilities to maintain the necessary attention may be unavoidable, to maintain the effort is just sufficient enough to continue the inner process of developing a latent potential. To not resent that it takes so much effort, and just keep at it seems like a natural process that can be seen in anything that grows and develops, such as grass having to push up through the earth to the light of day.
Now getting to some specifics. In the last couple of weeks I read Gurdjieff’s Life is Real Only Then When 'I Am' which is discussed in the "In Search of the Miraculous" Podcasts, and then read C. S. Nott’s "Teachings of Gurdjieff: A Pupil’s Journal." The thing that struck me in Nott’s book is the incredible amount of patience, tolerance and understanding Gurdjieff had towards his pupils if they made the necessary efforts to advance in the Work. Gurdjieff could only guide with his superior knowledge and understanding those who were making the required efforts, but the ultimate results were dependant on the efforts of those participating.
The crucial understanding that I am coming to from all the material I read recently is that we in this group are the potential "nucleus of people capable of responding to the demand" that has arisen which Gurdjieff foresaw and discussed. We do not have a master like Gurdjieff to guide us, but we have the invaluable work, research and knowledge gathered by Laura, Ark, the Signs Editors, and others. These websites, this network and forum function just like Gurdjieff and his school. There has been an indescribable amount of effort, time and energy put into this project by the Administrators, Editors, and Moderators here, and if we put our own required effort to get the potential benefits from this project and contribute to it in any capacity we can, I think we may increase the likelihood that some positive results may come about at this time of world crises and turmoil.
If we all put the maximum possible efforts to get rid of "what is rotten" about our self importance, we can make definite progress to be able to act in specific situations using control, discipline, forbearance, and timing to have that level of conscious presence or self remembering not to react in mechanical, uncontrolled ways in the face of challenging situations. With all of the material we have been exposed to here, the Fourth Way concepts, in-depth studies of Psychopathy, Pathocracy and Ponerology, the daily occurrences around the world, etc., combined with self study, we have been put in a position to have an unusual understanding of human nature, of the human condition. Continued effort and hard work in these areas will enable us to be able to start a spark so to speak to change the susceptibility of larger and large numbers of humans from falling into mass hypnosis as Gurdjieff put it, or it can even be called mass psychosis.
The depressing, outrageous, infuriating, and dangerous situations facing us today are at the same time a practical tool to advance in our quest, in our aims. In total, the whole "terror of the situation" facing us, and growing daily it seems, is exactly the extreme form of Petty Tyrant that is needed to make some amazing advances in our mechanical existence and reactions if it is utilized properly. To successfully counteract the effect of global pathocracies we should have an in-depth understanding of psychopaths and their ways. If we have put the necessary work into identifying our own inner predator and seeing how it works, getting rid of as much of its influences on us and our reactions as possible, it will place us in a position to use the proper control, discipline, forbearance, and timing to not be defeated. If we have first gotten rid of the rotten part of our Self-Importance, we can continue with practical aims which will help us and all others that sincerely want to be helped and will take that help and work hard and put forth efforts themselves.
I think it may be useful to make a vow like Gurdjieff did not to never use any abilities we have to manipulate or influence others to get what we want and in this way help to remember ourselves. This will lead to putting one on a path that will lead in the direction of becoming more and more STO.
Within the context of everything discussed above, this group/network, this project, is a true Fourth Way Work in that it has come about in a specific time/place for a very specific purpose: to wake up as many as possible and have them see the precipice that humanity is at the edge of. And once having seen into the abyss, to turn around and head in the other direction instead of going over the edge in a mass hypnosis state.
Oh, and to add a little strange personal coincidence regarding Gurdjieff and what he wrote in Life is Real, the date November 6 is my father’s birthday; and further, the date November 6, 1927 is exactly one year before my father was born. Pretty strange….
Yesterday, after having read the Signs pages, I read the latest forum posts. After reading the transcripts for the two part podcast entitled "In Search of the Miraculous," (Podcasts #64 & 65) I had a strange experience of expanding understanding of all of the material I have been reading in the last couple of years.
I will write some of my thoughts and insights here in the hope that they will help some of the members of this forum and network.
As I have read so much information on these websites and also read other recommended material, little by little, over time, I have increased my knowledge a little bit, from the abominably low level for surviving and being effective in any measure in these tumultuous times we live in. Over the last couple of years I had the actual personal experience of going from gathering information, to a slow digestion process and assimilation, to possessing a theoretical knowledge I could seldom apply, to finally getting to the very beginning of understanding.
The process has been rather frustrating because, although I have tried to be patient and work hard (not always as hard as possible) I have had a nagging feeling in the background that I am not making much progress. But the feeling was pretty vague; I could not articulate in what way I was not making progress "to my satisfaction." As it turns out, I think, it was the knowledge on some level that I had a very poor understanding of all I read. It was all too theoretical, something I may even on occasion be able to explain to someone else perhaps, but I could not implement any of it in any practical way. I am not saying that I have reached a stage where I can actually apply some of the knowledge consistently now. I am just seeing that there is progress that is hard to notice most of the time. It is a process, one that takes time and continued effort with a sincere wish to be able to reach some practical understanding.
As many on this forum know from their own experiences, doing the Work is extremely difficult. Breaking out of the mechanical, automatic mode of existence even for a few moments takes continued, sustained attention and effort. But the effort it seems is the most important aspect. The failures to sustain your attention, the failure to remember yourself, these are a given. But the continued effort does have some small, slowly developing results. Some imperceptible internal process takes place, and over time bears some fruit.
This effort combined with reading the enormous amounts of invaluable information on these sites, which also requires large efforts, time and energy, has the result of starting this slow, imperceptible inner process. And once it has started, although imperceptible for a long time, it continues to develop as long as we keep making the required effort. Making the effort day in and day out has some hard to formulate effect. The key seems to me to be the continued effort to increase, to expand our understanding to some day be able to apply more and more of what we have learned.
Although frustration at our lack of abilities to maintain the necessary attention may be unavoidable, to maintain the effort is just sufficient enough to continue the inner process of developing a latent potential. To not resent that it takes so much effort, and just keep at it seems like a natural process that can be seen in anything that grows and develops, such as grass having to push up through the earth to the light of day.
Now getting to some specifics. In the last couple of weeks I read Gurdjieff’s Life is Real Only Then When 'I Am' which is discussed in the "In Search of the Miraculous" Podcasts, and then read C. S. Nott’s "Teachings of Gurdjieff: A Pupil’s Journal." The thing that struck me in Nott’s book is the incredible amount of patience, tolerance and understanding Gurdjieff had towards his pupils if they made the necessary efforts to advance in the Work. Gurdjieff could only guide with his superior knowledge and understanding those who were making the required efforts, but the ultimate results were dependant on the efforts of those participating.
The crucial understanding that I am coming to from all the material I read recently is that we in this group are the potential "nucleus of people capable of responding to the demand" that has arisen which Gurdjieff foresaw and discussed. We do not have a master like Gurdjieff to guide us, but we have the invaluable work, research and knowledge gathered by Laura, Ark, the Signs Editors, and others. These websites, this network and forum function just like Gurdjieff and his school. There has been an indescribable amount of effort, time and energy put into this project by the Administrators, Editors, and Moderators here, and if we put our own required effort to get the potential benefits from this project and contribute to it in any capacity we can, I think we may increase the likelihood that some positive results may come about at this time of world crises and turmoil.
If we all put the maximum possible efforts to get rid of "what is rotten" about our self importance, we can make definite progress to be able to act in specific situations using control, discipline, forbearance, and timing to have that level of conscious presence or self remembering not to react in mechanical, uncontrolled ways in the face of challenging situations. With all of the material we have been exposed to here, the Fourth Way concepts, in-depth studies of Psychopathy, Pathocracy and Ponerology, the daily occurrences around the world, etc., combined with self study, we have been put in a position to have an unusual understanding of human nature, of the human condition. Continued effort and hard work in these areas will enable us to be able to start a spark so to speak to change the susceptibility of larger and large numbers of humans from falling into mass hypnosis as Gurdjieff put it, or it can even be called mass psychosis.
The depressing, outrageous, infuriating, and dangerous situations facing us today are at the same time a practical tool to advance in our quest, in our aims. In total, the whole "terror of the situation" facing us, and growing daily it seems, is exactly the extreme form of Petty Tyrant that is needed to make some amazing advances in our mechanical existence and reactions if it is utilized properly. To successfully counteract the effect of global pathocracies we should have an in-depth understanding of psychopaths and their ways. If we have put the necessary work into identifying our own inner predator and seeing how it works, getting rid of as much of its influences on us and our reactions as possible, it will place us in a position to use the proper control, discipline, forbearance, and timing to not be defeated. If we have first gotten rid of the rotten part of our Self-Importance, we can continue with practical aims which will help us and all others that sincerely want to be helped and will take that help and work hard and put forth efforts themselves.
I think it may be useful to make a vow like Gurdjieff did not to never use any abilities we have to manipulate or influence others to get what we want and in this way help to remember ourselves. This will lead to putting one on a path that will lead in the direction of becoming more and more STO.
Within the context of everything discussed above, this group/network, this project, is a true Fourth Way Work in that it has come about in a specific time/place for a very specific purpose: to wake up as many as possible and have them see the precipice that humanity is at the edge of. And once having seen into the abyss, to turn around and head in the other direction instead of going over the edge in a mass hypnosis state.
Oh, and to add a little strange personal coincidence regarding Gurdjieff and what he wrote in Life is Real, the date November 6 is my father’s birthday; and further, the date November 6, 1927 is exactly one year before my father was born. Pretty strange….
