Created and Uncreated Light
Work in the Fourth Way requires efforts–but sometimes higher states come of themselves. We can term our efforts ‘Created Light,’ and those of presence coming on its own—‘Uncreated Light.’
Read More…Author: Benjamin B
World 12 and World 6
Fourth Way authors alert us to the fact that what we experience is, to a large degree, an illusion. There is a tangible reality—if we see a tree, or the wall of a house, we can touch and feel them. They are there. In a deeper sense, however, most of our perceptions stem from a […]
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External Consideration–a tool for spiritual growth
There are aspects of presence that can play in our favor. One is battling imagination, the many I’s comprising our inner world. A major tool for this struggle is external consideration, the work of being present to another human being.
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The Struggle of the Magicians in Spiritual Evolution
Struggle of the Magicians – the Battle for the Higher Self Many myths and spiritual traditions describe a struggle between competing inner entities in man or woman. Some term these entities the lower self and the higher self. Gurdjieff described this struggle as ‘the struggle of the magicians.’ Curiously, this struggle becomes apparent when the […]
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Using Intellectual Parts of Centers
How do we use the highest parts of ourselves to work towards awakening, and rest when needed? Intellectual parts of centers need to work together for us to truly remember ourselves. The Four Lower Centers Fourth Way authors alert us to the fact that we have seven brains, rather than one. Two of them function in times […]
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Absorbing and Emitting Light
Absorbing and emitting light are aspects of spiritual growth. What are some of the steps along this path? The Alchemical Process of Containing Fine Energy Fourth Way authors speak of spiritual growth as analogous to the ancient practice of alchemy; that is, the transformation of base metals to more refined ones. The human machine is […]
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Six Cosmic Processes and the Principle of Payment
What are the six cosmic processes? Fourth Way authors alert us to the fact that all phenomena are created by two laws, the Law of Three and the Law of Seven, and the concept of a cosmos[1]. The Law of Three, Producing Triads The Law of Three states that for each phenomenon to occur, there […]
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Growth – from Darkness to Light
The author describes how the tools of scale and relativity help us awaken from sleep, to reach an awareness that is more in touch with reality. Our Changing Connection with Reality Our inner lives comprise moments of varying profundity or depth. Depending on the activity at hand, the mood we are in, or the influence […]
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What Makes School Work Real?
What, in fact, is Real? Mr. Gurdjieff assures us that in the conditions of ordinary life, we encounter our true selves only very rarely. It often occurs when presented with surprising or unusual circumstances. It is in these moments of presence, or self-remembering, that we connect with actual reality, that we are truly ourselves. Indeed, […]
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Multiplicity and Unity: Personality and Essence
What are the differences between personality and essence in terms of unity? The Fourth Way advises us that the study of man (or woman) must go hand-in-hand with study of the world. That man is a microcosmos[1], with traits identical to those of a higher cosmos. Therefore, man can be compared to the higher cosmos […]
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