The meeting commenced with a reading from Maurice Nicoll’s ‘Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky’, Volume 1, where the processes of the growth and development of ‘essence’ and ‘personality’, and how they can achieve a balanced development are described.
Ouspensky describes ‘essence’ is what is born in man, and ‘personality’ is what is acquired in man after birth. Normally, essence should overrule personality and then personality can be more useful.
In the reading it was explained that the growth and development of ‘essence’ and ‘personality’ could be explained as happening in three stages. The first stage is that man is born as ‘essence’ which is the real part of him, the part of him that can grow and develop. This part in him can only grow slowly and has not the strength to sustain itself for more than three or four years, and in order for it to grow further it must gather around itself ‘personality’.
The formation of personality around essence is the second stage and the future development of essence depends on the formation of a balanced personality around it.
The third stage is the further growth of essence, and the richer the personality the better eventually for the growth of essence.
This meeting generated much discussion about the nature of our identity.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Consciousness and functions
The meeting started with a reading from Ouspensky’s “The Fourth Way”, Chapter 3, on states of consciousness and functions.
This chapter explains there are four possible states or levels of consciousness. They are: sleep, waking state, self-consciousness and objective consciousness, but in our condition we only live in the lower two, one part of life spent in sleep and the other part when we are in the “waking state “.
The reading was followed by discussion on levels of consciousness and the functions of the mind.
This chapter explains there are four possible states or levels of consciousness. They are: sleep, waking state, self-consciousness and objective consciousness, but in our condition we only live in the lower two, one part of life spent in sleep and the other part when we are in the “waking state “.
The reading was followed by discussion on levels of consciousness and the functions of the mind.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Recurrence
The meeting started with a reading from Ouspensky’s “The Fourth Way”, Chapter 16, on the theory of recurrence.
He writes: "Some people may have exactly the same recurrence, other people may have different variations or possibilities . . (but in) the case of people who come nearer to the work, it may be possible . . . to study three successive recurrences."
Moreover, he continues, in the second case "when one definitely comes in contact with C influence . . . the possibilities of recurrence greatly diminish . . . because C influence cannot be wasted."
(Read more on this from the book itself. An electronic version of this book is available from the link on the right.)
The reading was followed by a general discussion on the mechanical nature of A influences and how we can be influenced by the qualities of B and C influences that have a conscious origin.
He writes: "Some people may have exactly the same recurrence, other people may have different variations or possibilities . . (but in) the case of people who come nearer to the work, it may be possible . . . to study three successive recurrences."
Moreover, he continues, in the second case "when one definitely comes in contact with C influence . . . the possibilities of recurrence greatly diminish . . . because C influence cannot be wasted."
(Read more on this from the book itself. An electronic version of this book is available from the link on the right.)
The reading was followed by a general discussion on the mechanical nature of A influences and how we can be influenced by the qualities of B and C influences that have a conscious origin.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Doing and Happenings
The meeting started with a reading from Ouspensky’s “The Fourth Way”, Chapter 10 (We cannot ‘Do’), explaining how we think we make our own internal decisions and act accordingly, yet are actually being controlled by external influences.
If the internal decisions correspond to the external influences we will do it, otherwise we do not.
This was followed by a discussion where the possibility of being able to change ourselves from a relatively mechanical existence to being able make our own decisions, instead of letting things just happen, was the main theme of our discussion.
If the internal decisions correspond to the external influences we will do it, otherwise we do not.
This was followed by a discussion where the possibility of being able to change ourselves from a relatively mechanical existence to being able make our own decisions, instead of letting things just happen, was the main theme of our discussion.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Essence and Personality
The meeting started with a reading in which all present read a short part from “The Fourth Way”, Chapter 4, describing the essential different qualities of essence and personality. This was followed by our usual discussion.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Knowledge, Understanding and Beingness
There were nine people present.
The meeting started with a reading from the “The Fourth Way”, Chapter 2, explaining the essential differences between knowledge, understanding and beingness.
This was followed by an interesting discussion on how we can try to change our levels of knowledge and understanding of these states.
The meeting started with a reading from the “The Fourth Way”, Chapter 2, explaining the essential differences between knowledge, understanding and beingness.
This was followed by an interesting discussion on how we can try to change our levels of knowledge and understanding of these states.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Consciousness and Functions
The eighth meeting.
There were nine people present.
Subject for discussion: Consciousness and Functions. Ouspensky’s “The Fourth Way”, Chapter 3, page 53.
There were nine people present.
Subject for discussion: Consciousness and Functions. Ouspensky’s “The Fourth Way”, Chapter 3, page 53.
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