sarek initial status report

[sarek]

I'm now two weeks into the Work and its time to lay down a baseline and see what my priorities must be.

Some pre-Work info:

I am mainly an intellectualist, in terms of MBTI thats an INFP, close to INTP. I've done personality enneagram tests before i realised what the Enneagram actually is and they revealed a type 9. I am fully aware that those are labels, and thus needlessly simplifying, obscuring and limiting but I am giving them only as a general indication.

I am an intellectualist, emotionally being somewhat low key and subdued(hence sarek). My motive system is seriously underdeveloped and needs a lot of work. Being ADD, its a driver of high speed and impatient behaviour.

Beginning Work has revealed the following:

After the initial 'awareness surge' I notice its quite hard to maintain awareness both in terms of time and depth.
I tend to 'anchor' my awareness mode by practising physical awareness, relaxation and frequent thought stops. Also focusing on physical action like walking or driving a car tends to be useful in bringing me back into the moment.

I've noticed a marked reduction in impulsive angry outbursts (an ADD symptom) and a rather marked leveling off in moods. I also seem to be somewhat less sensitive to weather conditions like heat, cold and rain.

The Work upturned my value system. I seem to see in much sharper detail, how i have been treating people in my mind. In my work on the ADD forum I often have to extend support by people and i now realise that all too often i have done that through invalidating yet others(external ones, never anyone who might read it).
While i always liked to call my self free of judgement, its quite obvious I am totally not that and it needs much work.

My primary focus as i see it right now is boosting my awareness. That is my key instrument in being able to actually begin the Work for real.

 

[Ollie]

I'm now two weeks into the Work and its time to lay down a baseline and see what my priorities must be.
...
Beginning Work has revealed the following:

After the initial 'awareness surge' I notice its quite hard to maintain awareness both in terms of time and depth.
I tend to 'anchor' my awareness mode by practising physical awareness, relaxation and frequent thought stops. Also focusing on physical action like walking or driving a car tends to be useful in bringing me back into the moment.
...

My primary focus as i see it right now is boosting my awareness. That is my key instrument in being able to actually begin the Work for real.

What you have experienced is quite normal. There is, in terms of progress in beginning to make the Work real, a need for a continuation of what you have been doing - practice, repeated practice, and practicing of the repeated practice.

You may like to set aside a specific period of time each day to do this Work, for a specific period of time. After a while slowly increase the length of time of maintaining awareness, then after a further period of time, increase the number of periods in the day that you spend doing this.

It may help increase your level of awareness if you concentrate on your breathing, especially the effects above the navel, and relaxing the body, whilst Working. And, if you are not doing Work in that period, read about Work.

It may help if you keep a sensation of the whole body, mental, emotional, and physical. Become aware of any unnecessary (Predator's Mind) thinking that arises that is over and above what is required in the Work in front of you, Become aware of any inappropriate emotions that arise, more than required, or related to something else, or unnecessary tension in the body, more than that required for the specific activity, and noticing habitual activity (a reaction from the past) that is an inappropriate response to what is in front of you, seeing what patterns emerge. Finally, accepting whatever is observed, without changing it in any form, allowing it to be in the body, simply observing, free of getting involved, relaxing, accepting, allowing, non-judgmentally: just silence.

As you have observed, 'I've noticed a marked reduction in impulsive angry outbursts (an ADD symptom) and a rather marked leveling off in moods.' is a positive side effect of developing awareness, self-observation.

Keep on practicing and see where it leads you. :)

 

[Carl]

Hello sarek,

While this forum is primarily based on 4th way principles, I'm sure you've noticed that we have a whole lot of other interests too. One of the biggest issues we have faced is diet, and we've come to pretty much conclude that boosting one's awareness is seriously hindered, or even impossible, whilst not eating optimally.

Your ADD is a prime example of this, and is one disorder which has been cured by many, by removing grains, dairy, and sugar etc. from the diet.

If you'd like to know more, our Diet and Health section is a great place to start, specifically the Life Without Bread thread.

 

[Tigersoap]

Hello Sarek,

I think you might be interested to read some posts in the Psychology & Cognitive Science section of the forum, for example the Thinking, Fast And Slow one.

Seems like Gurdjieff was well in advance for his time and now some researchers are making the same discoveries ;)

 

[sarek]

What you have experienced is quite normal. There is, in terms of progress in beginning to make the Work real, a need for a continuation of what you have been doing - practice, repeated practice, and practicing of the repeated practice.

You may like to set aside a specific period of time each day to do this Work, for a specific period of time. After a while slowly increase the length of time of maintaining awareness, then after a further period of time, increase the number of periods in the day that you spend doing this.

It may help increase your level of awareness if you concentrate on your breathing, especially the effects above the navel, and relaxing the body, whilst Working. And, if you are not doing Work in that period, read about Work.

It may help if you keep a sensation of the whole body, mental, emotional, and physical. Become aware of any unnecessary (Predator's Mind) thinking that arises that is over and above what is required in the Work in front of you, Become aware of any inappropriate emotions that arise, more than required, or related to something else, or unnecessary tension in the body, more than that required for the specific activity, and noticing habitual activity (a reaction from the past) that is an inappropriate response to what is in front of you, seeing what patterns emerge. Finally, accepting whatever is observed, without changing it in any form, allowing it to be in the body, simply observing, free of getting involved, relaxing, accepting, allowing, non-judgmentally: just silence.

As you have observed, 'I've noticed a marked reduction in impulsive angry outbursts (an ADD symptom) and a rather marked leveling off in moods.' is a positive side effect of developing awareness, self-observation.

Keep on practicing and see where it leads you. :)

Most of this is pretty much what I've been doing so I guess I am on the right track so far. I do have observed a tendency to stamp out undesired behaviour and thought patterns every time my awareness acts fast enough. I shall have to suppress that automatic reaction.

That said, I AM following Gurdjieffs guidance to not allow negative emotions and daydreaming/fantasizing.

 

[sarek]

Hello sarek,

While this forum is primarily based on 4th way principles, I'm sure you've noticed that we have a whole lot of other interests too. One of the biggest issues we have faced is diet, and we've come to pretty much conclude that boosting one's awareness is seriously hindered, or even impossible, whilst not eating optimally.

Your ADD is a prime example of this, and is one disorder which has been cured by many, by removing grains, dairy, and sugar etc. from the diet.

If you'd like to know more, our Diet and Health section is a great place to start, specifically the Life Without Bread thread.

I am studying the dietary advice with great interest. I have already been working on my sugar intake and will see if i am able to introduce other beneficial changes in this respect. One thing I am happy about is that apparently no one is asking me to go vegetarian all of a sudden. I'm a major meat eater.

 

[Jacques]

I am studying the dietary advice with great interest. I have already been working on my sugar intake and will see if i am able to introduce other beneficial changes in this respect. One thing I am happy about is that apparently no one is asking me to go vegetarian all of a sudden. I'm a major meat eater.

And be sure that no one will ask you that.

Have you read the Vegetarian myth by Lierre Keith? Very good book to read.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Vegetarian-Myth-Justice-Sustainability/dp/1604860804

Also available in French: http://pilulerouge.com/vegetarian-myth/

Some links on SOTT.net:

http://www.sott.net/article/230120-Lierre-Keith-on-The-Vegetarian-Myth-Food-Justice-and-Sustainability

http://www.sott.net/article/226718-The-Truth-About-Vegetarianism

 

[mcb]

...I am studying the dietary advice with great interest. I have already been working on my sugar intake and will see if i am able to introduce other beneficial changes in this respect. One thing I am happy about is that apparently no one is asking me to go vegetarian all of a sudden. I'm a major meat eater.

I can imagine somebody encouraging you to go carnivore, but I don't think anyone is going to ask you to go vegetarian and get away with it. :)

 

[sarek]

...I am studying the dietary advice with great interest. I have already been working on my sugar intake and will see if i am able to introduce other beneficial changes in this respect. One thing I am happy about is that apparently no one is asking me to go vegetarian all of a sudden. I'm a major meat eater.

I can imagine somebody encouraging you to go carnivore, but I don't think anyone is going to ask you to go vegetarian and get away with it. :)

Aye, that you can be sure off. I am quite a stubborn character, which in turn is of course one of those many observations i can make about myself. That list of 'observations' (to put it euphemistically) is getting rather intimidatingly long.

I did notice one thing though. When i began the Work i was amazed how much it all seems to be a natural extension of pretty much all the things I have learned and thought about in my life until now.

Obviously a great deal of the material was totally new to me, but then again in a weird way it wasn't. There was also a great deal of natural recognition when I read it. Its partially a voyage into a strange land, and partially a coming home.

 

[Vic]

Hi Sarek

It has nothing to do with you, or anyone, being 'stubborn' - If it was I would still be a vegetarian. I was one for twelve years before arriving here. No, the answer lies in The Vegetarian Myth. As you are not a vegetarian you probably don't need to read it, but it makes incredible reading, vegetarian or not, in terms of the history of agriculture and how the control system has used it, and is using it, to destroy the earth and all living beings on it.

If anyone recommended going vegetarian to anyone on this forum, members in the know would jump on them. Figuratively speaking.

...I am studying the dietary advice with great interest. I have already been working on my sugar intake and will see if i am able to introduce other beneficial changes in this respect. One thing I am happy about is that apparently no one is asking me to go vegetarian all of a sudden. I'm a major meat eater.

I can imagine somebody encouraging you to go carnivore, but I don't think anyone is going to ask you to go vegetarian and get away with it. :)

Aye, that you can be sure off. I am quite a stubborn character, which in turn is of course one of those many observations i can make about myself. That list of 'observations' (to put it euphemistically) is getting rather intimidatingly long.

I did notice one thing though. When i began the Work i was amazed how much it all seems to be a natural extension of pretty much all the things I have learned and thought about in my life until now.

Obviously a great deal of the material was totally new to me, but then again in a weird way it wasn't. There was also a great deal of natural recognition when I read it. Its partially a voyage into a strange land, and partially a coming home.

 

[Menna]

My primary focus as i see it right now is boosting my awareness. That is my key instrument in being able to actually begin the Work for real.

You have already begain the work for real. Your awareness doesn't have to be boosted to actually begin the work. I believe it doesn't work that way at least for me. I say this because when doing the work you recieve knowledge about yourself and the world around you and in doing this your awareness will increase. The two go hand and hand (knowledge + application of knowledge = awareness). It will come as you continue to work at the work. I believe knowledge comes first then applying that knowledge in real life and then you will have increased awareness. This is how it has worked for me but again others are obviously different.

EE helps when applying this forum because at times you might apply knowledge but it might not be the right situation or you might do apply it the wrong way. It is tough to see where the different peices of knowledge fit in each situation. If this happens and you I guess you can say make a mistake with good intentions. If you are down or depressed about it this is when I asses what I have done see what I have to adjust and practice EE to calm my emotions.