August 2017 - Fourth Way Today

Rilke on Death – from his Letters

Rilke’s poetry and letters dwell substantially on death and the transformation of suffering, as in these excerpts from his letters. From the Letters of Rilke We simply do not know what can be destroyed in a heart through suffering, or what suffering might achieve there. As a poet, one should not even take distress for a lover […]

by David Tuttle

Self-Observation

A Right Basis for Observing Oneself With self-observation, as in everything, the beginning is important and needs to be on the right basis. One has to be very careful what one calls “I”. Basically, practically everything we can observe is actually not “I”. Of course, there is a real “I” in each person, but it […]

by David Tuttle

Food for the moon?

“If one studies and observes and works for long enough, gathering material, might one eventually verify what Gurdjieff said about humanity being food for the moon, but in the meantime, use that theory as an incentive for self-remembering?” The Gurdjieff system is like a toolbox with many tools. We use the ones we know how […]

by David Tuttle

Using Energy and Impressions for Self-Remembering

“What can we do to increase the reserve of energy needed for self-remembering and how do we use impressions?” First Conscious Shock – Being Present to Incoming Impressions Self-remembering needs emotional energy, hydrogen 12. According to Ouspensky, the first conscious shock involves bringing this energy of the emotional center to the point of incoming impressions. […]

by David Tuttle

Being Present to One’s Sleep

“I have an aim to be present when opening doors. I’ve just opened a door and walked through the doorway. Was it presence when my hand was on the door handle? If I wasn’t or I’m not sure, then who or what is it that opens a door and walks through?” An experienced Fourth Way […]