I started writing on Substack

[luc]

Agreed, thanks @luc for this piece.

Upon reading it, was left with a question in the mind though. As it concerned the Work and what we do on Forum, in part at least, thought to post it here instead as a comment on the Substack.

What was said in the article, and even its title right away, seemed to be in opposition to the G's Work as presented in ISOTM by Ouspensky, and even to things elaborated in Gnosis trilogy by Mouravieff, namely to having an or the Aim, or simply a goal.
Is what you suggest in the article really contrary to the Work?

And as a side question, maybe not directly related to the above, Mouravieff in Gnosis put a rather strong accent on the need to have "ardent desire" while climbing the Staircase in pursuit of reaching the Second Threshold ("reaching the threshold" in itself represents again sort of a goal or an aim).
Is that "desire" in the same category as desires that we're encouraged to let go so to purify our intents, as written in the accompanying text for month September on FOTCM 2025 Calendar?

Yeah, it can sound contradictory, and part of the problem is that different people need to focus on different aspects at different points in their journey.

Of course, we sometimes need to set ourselves "hard goals" like quitting an addiction or some other disastrous habit, things like that. Also, a broad "esoteric goal" like aligning with truth and the will of the universe, of being of help to the cosmos, etc. is necessary.

But problems arise when you get caught up in dreams about imaginary futures that make you comfortable, in thinking about what you "should" do all the time instead of paying attention to the real, to the energies that can guide you in your decisions, etc. This can really block the energy. To give a practical example: I often used to beat myself up because in my head I decided I "should" be doing this or that (say finish some work or whatever) when in fact it wasn't the right moment, and the universe gave me an opportunity (and the right energy) to do something else. Then later at some point the energy changed, and I could finish the work effortlessly and even with joy.

Another aspect is the danger of thinking purely transactionally, in terms of expediency. Like, "what can I get out of this", "will this make me more rich", "will people like me more if I do this" etc. Such goals too can block the natural flow of energy.

As I said in the article, of course goals and utility have a place in this life of ours. But they should be in line with reality, with what reality tells us, which can be very difficult and subtle to figure out. Just slapping a "rule" or some abstract goal on it can, again, block our ability to see and perceive what's actually going on.

The Cs recommended having a "happy go lucky" attitude, and stressed the importance of patience over and over again, which I think is part of what I'm getting at here. There's also this quote by Ark:

FORGET "I should", forget it all. Replace it by "I LOVE TO DO ...." and skip completely the TIME issue. If you need five lives to accomplish what you WANT, let this be the first of those five. And then, without any "time obligation" or "should stressing" - start it. First step first. And ENJOY it. And LOVE yourself - take care of yourself. This is the only thing that the Universe (God?) wants from you, I think. "

All of this can easily be misunderstood to suit your whims of the moment, sure. But Gurdjieff's (or rather Ouspensky's rigid interpretation of Gurdjieff) can also be easily misunderstood and mess things up. Perhaps a good idea is to be curious about it all, experiment with those mindsets, and observe what reality/the universe is telling you while you do it.

 

[msasa79]

Yeah, it can sound contradictory, and part of the problem is that different people need to focus on different aspects at different points in their journey.

Of course, we sometimes need to set ourselves "hard goals" like quitting an addiction or some other disastrous habit, things like that. Also, a broad "esoteric goal" like aligning with truth and the will of the universe, of being of help to the cosmos, etc. is necessary.

But problems arise when you get caught up in dreams about imaginary futures that make you comfortable, in thinking about what you "should" do all the time instead of paying attention to the real, to the energies that can guide you in your decisions, etc. This can really block the energy. To give a practical example: I often used to beat myself up because in my head I decided I "should" be doing this or that (say finish some work or whatever) when in fact it wasn't the right moment, and the universe gave me an opportunity (and the right energy) to do something else. Then later at some point the energy changed, and I could finish the work effortlessly and even with joy.

Another aspect is the danger of thinking purely transactionally, in terms of expediency. Like, "what can I get out of this", "will this make me more rich", "will people like me more if I do this" etc. Such goals too can block the natural flow of energy.

As I said in the article, of course goals and utility have a place in this life of ours. But they should be in line with reality, with what reality tells us, which can be very difficult and subtle to figure out. Just slapping a "rule" or some abstract goal on it can, again, block our ability to see and perceive what's actually going on.

The Cs recommended having a "happy go lucky" attitude, and stressed the importance of patience over and over again, which I think is part of what I'm getting at here. There's also this quote by Ark:



All of this can easily be misunderstood to suit your whims of the moment, sure. But Gurdjieff's (or rather Ouspensky's rigid interpretation of Gurdjieff) can also be easily misunderstood and mess things up. Perhaps a good idea is to be curious about it all, experiment with those mindsets, and observe what reality/the universe is telling you while you do it.

Thanks.
I also now understand better your reply on Substack some time ago about a break in writing there.