Looking at the Ideal State of Plato
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?
Read More…Author: Rowena Taylor
Separating the Unreal and the Real
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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Recognizing the Sacred Stranger
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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Opening Thoughts on the Six Cosmic Processes
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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Quotes on Sleep and Awakening
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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Photography of Simple Moments
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-making: The Soul of Craft
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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On Simplicity – Quotations
– Quotations on the necessity of inner simplicity, from writers, mystics, and artists. Leonardo da Vinci: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Michel de Montaigne: Others study how to elevate their minds and hoist them up tight; I, how to humble mine and lay it to rest. Goethe: This is the most difficult thing of all, though it […]
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