J said it was a difficult CHALLENGE, because it implied that you had to be doing something creative before you could start the challenge, and that was not something that came to order.
The one time T had managed to be in a creative space and remember the challenge, there was a knock on the door just as she was about to finish. This was very unusual in that environment, which was usually a deserted place. This dissipated the remembering of going out into the fresh air, which was the physical part of the challenge.
RM said that one of his misfortunes in life was to be extremely impatient about things. If he was being really patient, there was no stress involved, and creation occurred. But his natural impatience would sometimes cause stress. If he meditated, the stress seemed to disappear, and the creation just happened.
On one occasion, L had not been in the flow when he became aware that he was doing something creative, but felt he had to continue, and just carried on, but the next day, he became aware that he was in the flow, and stopped and went outside and breathed the air. Another day the same thing happened, but he forgot to do the breathing in. The air was not good - it was a polluted day, and he experienced the air. These challenges had a number of steps, and he frequently forgot some of them even if he remembered to do the challenge. On another occasion he did it properly - he was in the flow but he stopped, and went outside and breathed in. There was another time that he was busy working and realised he was in the flow, and he just carried on, because it was counter-productive to stop. If you wanted to get something done, sometimes you had to get on with it, and press forward and use will power. He thought that was what the Gurdjieff Work was partly about, building up that centre which could apply will power, and to apply that until the job was done.
Responding to T, J said that this idea that her creative inspiration could have been shattered and sent to the four winds, rather like the gentleman from Porlock who ruined Coleridge's inspiration, assumed that she had a fix on the source of the creative impulse, whereas the creative impulse which comes in a moment of stress might be the more authentic. That brought him back to his point, which was that it was important to get the result down first, and that took priority. T said that the tension, resistance and stress for her, was not getting down to being available to have the time for being creative. D said that T should not have answered the door. That was the problem. According to Gurdjieff's teachings, you have to break through. That was the point. Will power. To have that extra energy to create the will not to be distracted. To have that inner strength, inner will. Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do! Enlightenment! T said it was also important to be able to take an enforced break. Maybe it doesn't feel natural, but otherwise the activity is driving you rather than the will driving it.
The reading continued from Chapter 28 of Beelzebub's Tales. This led to much discussion on whether or not there was free will, and the purpose of existence, but none related to the paragraphs read.
| Once a day, if you become aware that you are doing something creative, observe whether you are calm and in the flow, or else making an effort and stressed or impatient. Stop what you are doing, and go outside and breathe in deeply. |
The one time T had managed to be in a creative space and remember the challenge, there was a knock on the door just as she was about to finish. This was very unusual in that environment, which was usually a deserted place. This dissipated the remembering of going out into the fresh air, which was the physical part of the challenge.
RM said that one of his misfortunes in life was to be extremely impatient about things. If he was being really patient, there was no stress involved, and creation occurred. But his natural impatience would sometimes cause stress. If he meditated, the stress seemed to disappear, and the creation just happened.
On one occasion, L had not been in the flow when he became aware that he was doing something creative, but felt he had to continue, and just carried on, but the next day, he became aware that he was in the flow, and stopped and went outside and breathed the air. Another day the same thing happened, but he forgot to do the breathing in. The air was not good - it was a polluted day, and he experienced the air. These challenges had a number of steps, and he frequently forgot some of them even if he remembered to do the challenge. On another occasion he did it properly - he was in the flow but he stopped, and went outside and breathed in. There was another time that he was busy working and realised he was in the flow, and he just carried on, because it was counter-productive to stop. If you wanted to get something done, sometimes you had to get on with it, and press forward and use will power. He thought that was what the Gurdjieff Work was partly about, building up that centre which could apply will power, and to apply that until the job was done.
Responding to T, J said that this idea that her creative inspiration could have been shattered and sent to the four winds, rather like the gentleman from Porlock who ruined Coleridge's inspiration, assumed that she had a fix on the source of the creative impulse, whereas the creative impulse which comes in a moment of stress might be the more authentic. That brought him back to his point, which was that it was important to get the result down first, and that took priority. T said that the tension, resistance and stress for her, was not getting down to being available to have the time for being creative. D said that T should not have answered the door. That was the problem. According to Gurdjieff's teachings, you have to break through. That was the point. Will power. To have that extra energy to create the will not to be distracted. To have that inner strength, inner will. Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do! Enlightenment! T said it was also important to be able to take an enforced break. Maybe it doesn't feel natural, but otherwise the activity is driving you rather than the will driving it.
The reading continued from Chapter 28 of Beelzebub's Tales. This led to much discussion on whether or not there was free will, and the purpose of existence, but none related to the paragraphs read.
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