The Fourth Way and Esoteric Traditions
In this work to awaken fully, we experience a changing sense of ‘I’. First, our sense of ‘I’ develops in childhood, as we grow away from the simple essence with which we are born. We develop personality, trying on aspects of new personas into adulthood. When we begin to seek a way out of the […]
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What does the medieval Christian concept of uncreated light show us about reaching higher states? Efforts are the “work” of the Fourth Way, but “uncreated light” comes when it will.
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Objective Reality – Beyond World Twelve to World Six The natural world is more clearly inviting us into its mysteries, these days. I’m spending an hour each morning raking leaves. The distractions of ordinary life seem muted by the pandemic. Energies more rare, more refined, appear outdoors. And this natural world speaks to something higher […]
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Plato’s principles of the ideal state apply to our inner world as well. Are we able to form a deputy steward to govern the city? To recognize the true ruler, to enable higher states to visit us?
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In the Fourth Way, separation of oneself from oneself is a key step to inner development. If we are at the mercy of our own thoughts, impulses, and emotions, we cannot step onto the path of awakening for very long. Seeing the real and unreal in ourselves requires discrimination born of this separation. Gurdjieff, 1923: As long as […]
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Who is the sacred stranger, according to ancient laws of hospitality? The sacred guest we shelter and to which we must offer food, is our Self. The Sacred Stranger in Greek Mythology Strangers who travel to certain lands retaining old customs may participate in a mystery: The gods may enter our abode, unknown to us. […]
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The Fourth Way school that is the Fellowship of Friends[1] studies the six cosmic processes outlined by Peter Ouspensky in A Record of Meetings and A Further Record. His student, Rodney Collin, described the six processes in detail in The Theory of Celestial Influence, written after Ouspensky’s death. Collin notes that this is not a new idea: The principle that six […]
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from Fourth Way writers and other mystical authors P.D.Ouspensky: For us, meditation is imagination. Enough imagination is in us as it is, without adding meditation. We must try to awaken first. P.D.Ouspensky: Symbolism in ordinary art… is the product of a man’s dreams. In much of modern art, it is is the product of his nightmares. […]
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So just what makes an outstanding moment of photography? -Image courtesy of Sharon Gordon See some moments here: https://vimeo.com/202335588/ac0bce355f A photographer’s eye mirrors the space she inhabits. We present the work of Sharon Gordon in this recent video. A professional photographer, Sharon travels the world and captures these simple moments. For more of Sharon’s work, see […]
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Bread and the Essence of Craftmanship – How does a master craftsman use bread-making for presence? Amidst these days of mass marketing and food production, one man here makes bread by hand for his community. Craftsmanship requires attention in the moment for a finished product to be both useful and beautiful. Presence to detail creates […]
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