Work for Next Meeting

Challenge

Whenever you are asked to do something you would rather not do, if you choose to comply, bring your hands together in a Namaste gesture, then perform the action willingly.

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Shrugging It Off

Reflections on the Challenge

When you meet brashness or rudeness, notice how you feel. Shrug; ask yourself what you are assuming, and what may be lacking in you.

• Experiences

  N described dealing with a difficult business associate who repeatedly obstructed an administrative process before making a dismissive remark about him. Remembering the month’s challenge, he paused to observe his immediate reaction rather than responding automatically. This created a gap between the provocation and his response, allowing him to remain inwardly aware instead of reacting mechanically.

  L described eating in a quiet café when a nearby group began talking loudly and conducting a call on speakerphone. He recognised this as an instance of rudeness, shrugged, and asked himself what might be lacking in him. Rather than feeling annoyed, he realised he had no desire to challenge their behaviour, choosing instead to let the incident pass.

  T described arriving late at a market and meeting a stallholder who appeared reluctant to serve her. She questioned her assumptions, considering that his apparent brusqueness might have reflected the practicalities of packing away at the end of the day rather than personal rudeness. She realised how her assumptions had coloured her initial perception of the encounter.

• Responses

  L suggested that the stallholder in T’s account may simply have been preparing to close for the day when an unexpected customer arrived, creating a conflict between wanting to serve her and wanting to finish work.

  N agreed, adding that the stallholder may have been tired after a hot morning and simply eager to complete the day’s work. T recognised that she had expected the same enthusiasm she had encountered at another stall, and that this expectation had coloured her perception.

  N observed that none of the three experiences resulted in an automatic reaction. Instead, each person paused and allowed the situation to unfold without responding mechanically.

  L wondered whether the challenge lay not only in avoiding automatic reactions but also in finding a considered, conscious response. T agreed that there was a difference between conscious action and simply remaining passive.

Beelzebub’s Tales, Chapter 34

• Passage

  he himself began—of course quite without the participation of, as it is called, his ‘personal-subjective-initiative,’ but guided only by automatic habit acquired by him, thanks to the doing of always one and the same thing—to subjugate all my separate spiritualized parts and all the self-manifestations of my common presence, taking it as it were under the directive of his own ‘I.’

  From this moment, I had, in the sense of my ‘outer manifestations,’ as our esteemed Mullah Nassr Eddin would say, to ‘dance in everything to his tune.’

• Discussion

  N noted Gurdjieff’s distinction between outer manifestations and inner manifestations, suggesting that although outwardly one may have to “dance to another’s tune”, one’s inner life can remain free and aware.

  T connected this with the previous month’s challenge, observing that the outward response to rudeness could differ from what was taking place inwardly.

  L agreed, relating the passage to the earlier discussion about automatic behaviour. He suggested that, like a puppet whose movements are directed by strings, a person may outwardly conform to the expectations of others while remaining inwardly free.

• Passage

  ...In the hall every movement, every step I made, even to the blinking of my eyelids, were seen in advance, and prompted to me by this important general.

  However, in spite of all the absurdity of this procedure, if one takes into account that the perfection of a being depends on the quality and quantity of his inner experiencings, then objective justice demands that due must be given for this to your favorites, that on that day they compelled me, of course, unconsciously, to undergo and to feel perhaps more than I had undergone and felt during all the centuries of my personal sojourn there among them.

  However that may be, I must yet say that having agreed to this ‘famous presentation’ for the purpose of observation and investigation of the peculiar and such a ‘contorted’ psyche of your favorites, and after all the ‘great agitation’ which I had lived through on that day, I finally breathed freely only in the carriage of the train after my tormentors, particularly that important general, had left me alone by myself.

  In the course of the whole of that day, I was so occupied with the fulfillment of all the innumerable foolish manipulations required from me and which fatigued me in view of my declining years, that I did not even notice what the unfortunate Emperor there looked like or how he manifested himself in this comedy.

• Discussion

  N noted that, although the experience caused Beelzebub considerable agitation, it also enriched his inner experiencings. He suggested that difficult situations need not be wasted but can become opportunities for self-observation and learning.

  T contrasted becoming caught up in the “stormy waters” of events with remaining aware of something deeper. She also observed that Beelzebub became so absorbed in fulfilling the expected role that he scarcely noticed the Emperor himself.

  L was struck by Gurdjieff’s use of the phrase objective justice, seeing it as an expression of gratitude towards the mechanical people who had unintentionally provided the conditions for such valuable inner experiencings.

  N suggested that objective justice meant accepting even unpleasant experiences as having a value beyond one’s personal likes and dislikes. Rather than condemning those around him, Beelzebub accepted the situation and was grateful for what it enabled him to experience.

  L added that this conscious acceptance reconciled the opposing forces at work: although constrained by outward demands, Beelzebub willingly underwent the experience and found value in it.

  N illustrated this with his own experience of meeting Prince Philip after completing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Looking back, he realised that his youthful disappointment arose from expecting an ordinary conversation, whereas the formal occasion required everyone, including the Duke, to fulfil a prescribed role. T agreed that the machinery of such institutions depends on people carrying out their roles rather than acting simply as private individuals.

• Passage

  This gradual acquiring of the habit of judging the merits of beings according to the outer ephemeral appearance in all other beings, developed and continued to develop their imagination, which became strengthened about this, that just in this consists the acquisition of ‘being-individuality,’ and all began subjectively to strive only for this.

  That is why at the present time, all of them from the very beginning of their arising gradually lose from their common presences even the ‘taste’ and ‘desire’ for what is called ‘objective-being-Being.’

• Discussion

  N suggested that Gurdjieff was contrasting outward appearance with objective-being-Being, observing that people often place their trust in appearances rather than in genuine being.

  T linked this to the passage’s description of outer ephemeral values, suggesting that the pursuit of individuality can become distorted when it is based primarily on external appearance rather than inner development.

Chinese Whispers

Reflections on the Challenge

Each time you go out through your front door, be aware of your legs and notice how you feel about going. Hold your intention in mind.
When you return, recall it, and consider whether it was fulfilled.

• Experiences

  L had remembered, on some occasions, his intention when leaving home and later reflected on whether it had been fulfilled. On other occasions he had remained aware of his legs while going out. The challenge had also helped him keep in mind Gurdjieff's idea of the octave, particularly the need to remain conscious both at the beginning of an undertaking and as it approached completion.

  N had set out with a clear intention for an afternoon excursion. He spent time browsing for books and enjoyed lunch before returning home. On the journey back he encountered large crowds of football supporters and became aware of his reactions to the atmosphere and behaviour of the crowd.

• Responses

  Responidng to L, N said that returning home could create a false sense of safety, leading to a loss of concentration when the final stage of a task still remained unfinished.

  T said that to painting, completion itself could become a difficulty.

  N added that he had become more aware of impulses that diverted him from completing tasks and had found it necessary either to consciously maintain direction or consciously set tasks aside for later completion.

Beelzebub’s Tales, Chapter 33

• Passage

  On the third morning, looking by chance out of the window of my lodging into the street I saw there quite an unusual commotion; everyone was cleaning, everywhere there was sweeping, many of what are called the ‘gendarmerie’ and ‘police’ were walking up and down.

  To my question as to what caused all this, our Ahoon explained to me that on that day, in our street, the arrival of a very important general of that community was expected.

  On this same day, in the afternoon, while I was sitting at home and talking with one of my new acquaintances, the concierge of the house came running in to me, agitated and bewildered, and stammering exclaimed: ‘Hi… s, his… Ex… Exce… ce… ce… lency!’ But he did not have time to finish before His Excellency himself entered. As soon as the unfortunate concierge saw him appear, he appeared as if struck dumb by lightning, and then, having pulled himself together, he hurriedly, as it is said there, ‘backed’ out of the room.

• Discussion

  T noted how dramatically the arrival of an authority figure affected the behaviour of everyone around them, observing how the servant seemed to make himself smaller in the presence of status.

  L connected the scene with thresholds and entrances, pointing out that the arrival itself involved a conscious crossing into a new situation.

  N suggested that powerful figures could evoke exaggerated responses because people projected significance onto them. He compared this with modern experiences of meeting famous or influential people, where reality often differed from expectation.

  Later, T suggested that authority figures often appeared larger than life because of what others projected onto them rather than because of their actual physical presence.

• Passage

  But His Noble Excellency himself, with a very friendly smile, although with a shade of what is called ‘hauteur’ ... came towards me, at the same time examining with great curiosity the ‘antiques’ which were in my room, and, shaking me in a special way by the wrist, sat down in my favorite armchair.

  ...Having said this, he suddenly stood up and approaching what is called a china figure of old Chinese workmanship which stood in a corner of my room, he exclaimed with impulsive rapture which thrilled his whole presence: ‘How charming!… Where did you get this marvel of ancient wisdom…?’

  And not ceasing to look at the said figure and giving himself up to the feeling of his rapture, or, more strictly speaking, with all his feelings coursing together through him, he further continued:

  ‘I myself am very much interested in all ancient art, but chiefly in Chinese, and that is why, of the five rooms given up to my collection, three are filled with productions of ancient Chinese work alone.’

• Discussion

  T observed that the official appeared as captivated by the Chinese artefacts as the servant had previously been captivated by him, suggesting a parallel between fascination with authority and fascination with objects.

  L noted the phrase describing “all his feelings coursing together through him,” seeing this as an unusually strong description of emotional involvement.

  N suggested that the attraction towards ancient Chinese art reflected a perception of wisdom and mystery associated with older traditions and cultures.

  T added that Chinese art seemed to possess a different quality of beauty, one which appeared to emerge from a different way of seeing the world.

• Passage

  During this conversation he suddenly and hastily took his watch from his pocket, automatically looked at it, stood up quickly and, once on his feet, said:

  "How vexing! I am obliged to interrupt our chat, interesting to the highest degree, as I must hurry home where doubtless the great friend of my youth and his charming wife are already waiting for me..."

  "And as regards the instructions I am required to give you, about which I had come to you, I will send my adjutant this very day, and he will explain everything to you, and no worse than I perhaps would."

  After this, with fussy self-importance, he left me.

  And indeed, on the evening of the very same day, as His Noble Excellency had promised me, one of his adjutants came to my house who was still, as is said there, a "young man" ... This adjutant of his who came had the very marked specific type of a terrestrial three-brained being whom in recent times among your favorites one has often come across, and who is very well defined by the words mama's and papa's darling.

  ... a little later it became clear to his being-rumination that I belonged neither to his own caste nor to a higher one, but appeared to be one of those beings who according to the abnormal understanding of the beings of that community are considered little higher than what are called ‘savages,’

• Discussion

  T questioned whether a genuine conversation had taken place at all, observing that the official seemed absorbed in his own concerns and barely acknowledged the person in front of him.

  T noted that the young adjutant appeared shaped more by privilege and upbringing than by experience, while N suggested that he seemed full of borrowed attitudes rather than anything genuinely his own.

  L observed that the passage presented successive layers of hierarchy: each level appeared subordinate to one authority while simultaneously acting superior towards another.

  Later, T suggested that these displays of importance functioned as a way of controlling others through expectation and social convention. N agreed, observing that many people appeared to live through inherited assumptions and roles rather than authentic experience.

Hand on the Tiller

Reflections on the Challenge

When you notice a situation in a group going off course, cup one ear. Sense your feeling and your part in it.

• Experiences

  L had noticed several instances where, in his view, groups had gone off course. He cited the cover of a Quaker publication supporting Palestine Action as one such moment, observing a perceived contradiction between the group’s pacifist origins and its current stance. He had also reflected on the Artemis mission, feeling that political considerations had overridden adequate preparation.

  T had attended a wake for a fellow artist, held in a venue associated with his life. During the gathering, she had found herself repeatedly cupping her ear in order to hear conversations over loud music, though at the time she had not connected this with the challenge. The following day, she recognised the coincidence and reflected on it. She had observed that, during the wake, conversations had repeatedly moved away from the shared reality of the artist’s death. Although all present were affected by the loss, discussion had drifted towards personal topics, avoiding the immediacy of grief. She had recognised this as an instance of a group going off course, and became aware of the tension between the collective situation and the tendency to turn aside from it. In recalling the event, she had also become more conscious of her own unfinished relationship with the deceased and her response to his absence.

  N had observed changes within his workplace which he felt had been implemented without discussion. He had sensed that the direction of the work might be going off course, particularly in relation to areas he believed could lead to future difficulties. He had raised his concerns with colleagues and engaged in discussion, while also noticing his own position within the situation. Although he had considered leaving, he had decided to remain and observe how matters developed, attempting to make his perspective effective within the group while monitoring whether the direction would prove satisfactory.

  J had described a situation involving collaborators on a project, where feedback passed between individuals had led to a sudden tension within the group. He had recognised that the situation could easily have gone off course at that moment. In handling the exchange, he had become aware of the need for a measured and diplomatic response, and of his own part in how the situation unfolded.

• Responses

  N responded to T’s account of the wake by noting how deeply she had been affected by the loss, and recognising the significance of the situation she described. He also reflected on L’s observation that groups can lose their way, agreeing that organisations may drift from their original purpose unless there is a conscious effort to maintain direction.

Beelzebub’s Tales, Chapter 33

• Passage

  I still hoped for and patiently awaited that time when eventually the corresponding conditions would give me the possibility of actualizing my fundamental aim, namely, the possibility of proceeding with the ‘elucidatory experiments’ on the psyche of the terrestrial beings en masse. But when it became definitely clear to me that here in this community under the existing conditions of reciprocal relationships it would be impossible for me to succeed in this ... I decided to remain there no longer, but to depart, in order to seek suitable conditions for my said aim, to some other European community.

• Discussion

  N drew attention to the phrase “corresponding conditions”, seeing it as central to the passage. He said that Beelzebub recognised that an aim could not be actualised merely by force of will; the right conditions had to exist, otherwise effort would come up against obstacles that could not be overcome directly.

  L linked this to the stages of a process: an idea meets delays and resistance before it can pass into actuality. He suggested that Beelzebub had not abandoned his aim, but had recognised that a different time or place might be needed.

  T noticed that once Beelzebub had decided to leave, others responded by wanting him to stay. She saw this as another barrier, but also as something that may have opened a new possibility: his decision had activated a response in others.

  L suggested that Beelzebub’s decision to leave was met by resistance from others who wished him to stay, and that his eventual response involved a form of compromise, delaying his departure rather than abandoning his aim.

  J observed that the passage concerned the relation between an aim and circumstances. He said that one might agree about the aim, but still have to contend with the circumstances, because these become the real barrier.

The Unbearable Lightness of Self-Calming

Reflections on the Challenge

When you notice something that feels hollow or charlatan-like, bow your head for a moment, ask what is absent, and observe your feeling without criticism.

• Experiences

  L had noticed a news report that the rebranded W H Smith stores (with the made-up name TG Jones) were struggling, which recalled an earlier instance of inauthenticity a year before, when the new name was adopted. He had also observed growing inauthenticity in YouTube videos, which often included fake voices and content. This led to feelings of emptiness, sadness, and frustration. Later, in a Japanese restaurant, the waitresses - who appeared to be Japanese - were not, and could not read the Japanese words on the wallpaper. These apparently Japanese words themselves turned out to be fake. He had felt a sense of resignation.

  N had observed several instances of fabricated or misleading content, particularly in AI-generated YouTube videos presenting invented stories about well-known figures. He had recognised these as lacking any basis in reality, which led him to question the misuse of information and the ease with which falsehoods could be presented convincingly. He had also noticed examples of distortion within political discourse, where statements appeared disconnected from truth and were used to promote particular agendas. In one such moment, he had paused and bowed his head, reflecting on the extent to which truth seemed to be disregarded, and experiencing a sense of concern at this tendency.

  J had encountered a talk at a society meeting which he experienced as markedly hollow. The speaker, a senior diplomat, had presented ideas that appeared contradictory, yet seemed fully believed within his own frame of reference. J had recognised this as an instance of hollowness not merely performed, but sincerely held. He had felt a sense of disillusionment, particularly in contrast to expectations of greater depth or integrity in such a context.

• Responses

  T responded to J’s account by expressing surprise that such hollowness could appear in contexts assumed to carry authority and integrity. She questioned whether charlatanism might extend even to the highest levels, and noted the tendency to expect it in some domains but not others. J clarified that the example concerned a diplomatic context rather than the military itself. He reflected on a tendency for people to invest authority in certain figures or systems, treating their statements as unquestionable, and suggested this arose from a search for certainty.

Beelzebub’s Tales, Chapter 33

• Passage

  But when several participants of this Trusteeship accidentally learned that the initiative for many useful measures had issued from me—some foreign doctor or other, not even a European—then every kind of habitual, as it is called ‘intrigue’ and ‘protest’ arose against the proposals coming from me, and also against the head of the Trusteeship himself...

  They happened to be among the leaders of this Trusteeship, in consequence of the fact that in the presences of the hereditary power-possessing beings of that period there had again already become finally fixed and had become the inviolable part of their essence always the same ‘inner overlord’ of theirs, maleficent for the terrestrial three-brained beings, named by them 'self-calming,’ which by itself became for those unfortunates the sense and aim of their existence. And therefore in order not to make any being-effort at all, they insisted that these learned physicians should also unfailingly take part in this important institution of great social significance.

• Discussion

  N observed that institutions often fragmented into factions, with competing positions emerging quickly. He noted that the original aim could then be lost as opposing sides formed and pulled in different directions.

  J noted that “self-calming” becoming “the sense and aim” pointed to a wider tendency to mistake a means for an end. He suggested that practices intended to serve a purpose could become ends in themselves, leading to a form of inner passivity. L emphasised that the Gurdjieff Work required effort, and that an orientation towards calming oneself made such effort less likely. He linked this to tendencies that discouraged active engagement or responsibility. T suggested that avoiding thought or decision could lead to passivity, where individuals became followers rather than thinking for themselves. She contrasted this with the necessity of making conscious choices in practice.

Dissuasion

Reflections on the Challenge

Once a day, when you switch on an electric light, clench your teeth and notice how you feel about a current bureaucratic obstacle.

• Experiences

  T had switched on her studio light, clenched her teeth, and brought to mind difficulties with community group administration. She had felt frustration at handling more than her share of organisational work, particularly when invoices were incorrect and routine processes lacked order and smoothness. On another occasion, turning on the light had reminded her of the car service appointment system. After clenching her teeth, she had reflected on repeated phone calls, unanswered messages, and contradictory automated responses. Being told she was first in the queue and then diverted to voicemail, and later missing return calls while working, had heightened her sense of bureaucratic confusion. She had observed how digital systems appeared to multiply inefficiency rather than resolve it.

  N had encountered repeated medical and administrative complications during a family member’s hospitalisation. After an urgent call suggesting possible deterioration, he had tried to arrange further care but had met procedural obstacles and delays. Long waiting times, repeated tests, and persistent follow-up calls had heightened his sense of institutional rigidity and confusion. During these episodes he had remembered the challenge and clenched his teeth, observing his anxiety and frustration in the face of impersonal systems. He had also applied the practice while dealing with Land Registry delays, when documents he had already submitted were reported missing. Again, he had clenched his teeth and noted his irritation at administrative inefficiency.

  L had frequently encountered bureaucratic loops while attempting to arrange a car service. Phoning the number provided had led either to an engaged tone or to an automated message directing him to a website. The website, in turn, no longer allowed bookings and redirected him back to the same phone number. After several days he had eventually reached a person, only to be told there was no record of an existing service agreement, requiring him to bring documentation with him. During these episodes he had remembered the challenge and clenched his teeth, observing his frustration and sense of circularity. He had also noticed similar “Kafkaesque” frustrations described by others, showing how prevalent such loops are.

• Responses

  Responding to N and L, T observed that systems intended to increase efficiency often required the customer to undertake excessive labour. She noted that when records were missing or services untraceable, individuals were forced to search for their own “evidence” in a virtual environment where tangible accountability seemed absent. She connected this to her own experience of doing work that institutions should have managed.

  N agreed that identification systems were frequently inconsistent, with individuals never quite sure how they were recorded. He described the frustration of having to repeat information or correct errors within prescription services and local authority processes. He remarked that when administrative mistakes could not be removed from a system, it felt like a persistent “black mark” attached to one’s identity. L suggested that a decline in administrative continuity and responsibility had become more noticeable over time. He contrasted earlier experiences of attentive service with present-day fragmentation, where responsibility seemed diffused across systems and personnel. He proposed that such dysfunction reflected a broader pattern of automatic behaviour.

  T described how repeated non-communication had left her with a feeling of deadness and dread, as though her existence were unacknowledged within the virtual loop. The absence of human reciprocity had intensified the impact more than the practical inconvenience itself. N added that direct human contact could sometimes cut through bureaucratic inertia. He noted that speaking to a specific individual, establishing rapport, and following up personally often proved more effective than remaining within automated channels. He suggested that while systems were designed to minimise human intervention, responsibility ultimately still rested with someone.

  L concluded that the underlying issue was a lack of conscious attention. Whether paper-based or digital, systems functioned mechanically when attention was absent; the essential difference lay not in the technology but in the quality of presence brought to it.

Beelzebub’s Tales, Chapter 33

• Passage

  In one department I had to sign a certain paper; in another to answer questions having nothing to do with chemistry; while in a third it was explained to me and I was advised how I must manage with the equipment of the laboratory so as not to be poisoned, and so on and so forth.

  It turned out as I later elucidated, that I had been, without at all suspecting it at the time, with an official among whose obligations was that of dissuading from this intention those who wished to set up chemical laboratories.

  But the most amusing of all was that, for obtaining this permit it was necessary in turn to apply to those official servants who had not even the remotest notion of what in general a laboratory was.

• Discussion

  L pointed to the figure of the official whose job was “dissuading from this intention”, suggesting that organised resistance appears precisely when someone genuinely tries to do something. T agreed that bureaucracy could be seen as friction: the extra effort required once one commits to an aim “with heart and mind and soul”. She treated bureaucratic obstruction as an outer expression of inner resistance, where additional intentional effort is demanded.

  N said that rules and red tape were part of modern life, and that one needed both will and humour to meet them. He emphasised that ignoring systems could “bite back”, so the task was to clear a way through without unnecessary emotional investment.

  L proposed that the underlying cause was automaticity, whether expressed through old paperwork or modern screens. T agreed that the decisive factor was not the medium but the likelihood of something real arising from direct human reciprocity. L said that conscious attention was required to escape the loop — without it, systems become mechanical irrespective of whether they are paper-based or digital.

Automatic-Habit

Reflections on the Challenge

The first time you notice the sun this month, be aware of any thought; thereafter, recall what you thought about the last time, deliberately try to think of something different, and if you succeed, make a Eureka gesture and notice how you feel afterwards.

• Experiences

  L described several occasions during the month when he noticed the sun and worked with the challenge. About a week after the meeting, during a cloudy period, he noticed the sun appearing while writing his morning journal. As this was the first instance, there was no previous occasion to recall. On the next clear day, he saw the sun and remembered that earlier moment and deliberately thought of something different, making the Eureka gesture. He noted a feeling of increased energy and a sense of promise. A few days later, while using a virtual reality environment, he again noticed the "sun". He recalled the previous instance, made the gesture, and felt anticipation connected with his creative work. Another day, on his way back from an art session, he noticed the sun once more, remembered the virtual reality occasion, and repeated the Eureka gesture. He observed that the challenge required sustained continuity of attention, both in recalling previous instances and in consciously registering what he was doing at the time.

  T described an instance that occurred while she was waiting at a railway station in the late afternoon. As the setting sun shone along the railway lines and illuminated the railings and ramp where she was standing, she recalled her earlier thought on first seeing the sun blazing across the scene. That earlier thought had arisen from something she had recently read: that the Sun, in relation to other stars, is a yellow dwarf. She noted that this felt ego-crushing, particularly given her human inability to look directly at it. On this occasion, she deliberately thought something different. She reflected that although she loved to see the Sun, it exerted power over her physical being, as it was too bright and blinding to look at without damaging the very sight through which she perceived the world. She then made the Eureka gesture.

Beelzebub’s Tales, Chapter 33

• Passage

  And they did not know this, as I later understood, simply because no one had ever applied to them for this permit, and on this account these unfortunate beings had not acquired the customary for them what is called ‘automatic-habit’ for the manifestation of such a ‘being-duty’ as theirs of this kind.

• Discussion

  T suggested that people entered bureaucratic roles in order to earn a living and, in doing so, gradually lost their own sense of agency. She described this as a process by which individuals became increasingly automatic, almost zombie-like.