The meeting started with a continuation of some of the many questions discussed at our previous February meeting.
The questions discussed were mostly about the ray of creation, the law of three and the law of seven, and how the principle of scale shows that our planet earth is almost at the bottom of our particular ray of creation, which is not a good place to be. Also most people have not thought about whether there are better or worse places in the universe and do not realise that they are in almost the worst place in our ray of creation.
Gurdjieff also explained that the musical major scale possesses a symbolic representation of the law of seven which illustrated the regular pattern of occurrence of tones and semitones within each octave of the major scale.
When we set ourselves a goal, our actions relate to the same sequence of the notes of the ascending octave, but start to deviate away from our intended purpose at the place where the semitones in the major scale occur; this is the way things usually happen in life.
If we want to achieve our intended purpose, one must be aware of what is happening at these moments where the semitones occur and make an extra effort to keep things going in the direction we originally intended.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Four States of Consciousness
The meeting started with a reading from Ouspensky’s ‘The Fourth way’, Chapter 5, and discussed the idea in the work that with certain knowledge and efforts a man can improve and develop himself and become a more conscious being.
In the waking state a man’s reality differs very little from his sleeping state and very few are sufficiently interested in becoming more conscious, but those who do can observe for themselves that when we are in the waking state, most of our behaviour is mechanical and we do not possess ‘self-consciousness’. This realisation of our lack of awareness is the first step in acquiring self-consciousness.
The next step is to realise that we do not know ourselves or how our mechanical way of thinking controls our actions. Knowing these facts can lead us to study methods of self-study such as ‘self-observation’ noting whether the type of impression that we observe is a thought, a feeling’ or other kind of sensation’ and evaluate if they are useful or harmful to us.
(Read more on this from the book itself. An electronic version of this book is available from the link on the right.)
This led to a discussion of four states of consciousness, sleep, waking state, self-consciousness, and objective-consciousness, and the relative differences between them.
.
In the waking state a man’s reality differs very little from his sleeping state and very few are sufficiently interested in becoming more conscious, but those who do can observe for themselves that when we are in the waking state, most of our behaviour is mechanical and we do not possess ‘self-consciousness’. This realisation of our lack of awareness is the first step in acquiring self-consciousness.
The next step is to realise that we do not know ourselves or how our mechanical way of thinking controls our actions. Knowing these facts can lead us to study methods of self-study such as ‘self-observation’ noting whether the type of impression that we observe is a thought, a feeling’ or other kind of sensation’ and evaluate if they are useful or harmful to us.
(Read more on this from the book itself. An electronic version of this book is available from the link on the right.)
This led to a discussion of four states of consciousness, sleep, waking state, self-consciousness, and objective-consciousness, and the relative differences between them.
.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Essence and Personality
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.
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, 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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
