tip of the iceberg, Robert Earl Burton, Fellowship of Friends, Dante, Divine Comedy

The Tip of the Iceberg

What we see, be it Whitman’s ‘Leaves of Grass’, or Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’, is but the tip of the iceberg. In these two masterpieces of world literature we see but a reflection of what an individual, such as these two authors, may invisibly attain.

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humble work, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton,

The Humble Work of Consciousness

What is this humble work we do when we work to achieve consciousness? Consciousness does not belong to us. We ourselves belong to it. When we manage to reach the third state, it means that we gain access to those subtle energy levels of the universe that exist independently of our knowledge of them. If […]

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Jacob van Cost, Recognizing the Sacred Stranger, Fellowship of Friends

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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Sharing the Light with Others

Sharing the Light in our Work with Others

How do we work with sharing the light with others? The Wish to Prolong Presence The human machine is a wonderful invention. It is a machine that can produce consciousness. That consciousness has degrees. It can be closer or further away from what Gurdjieff and Ouspensky called the second state, or day-dream state. Some higher […]

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absorbing and emitting light, Fellowship of Friends, Alhambra

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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Becoming a mirror, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton

Becoming a Conscious Mirror

Can We Stand to See Ourselves? Everybody stands before a mirror and, instead of himself, sees somebody else.  — Ouspensky, The Fourth Way People live their lives in a state of sleep and have an imaginary idea of who they are. Working towards awakening requires a third force. If one only has the first force of […]

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Walt Whitman, sharing the light, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton, What is it then between us?

What is it then between us?

A Fourth Way author muses on this work of sharing the light and the creation of a new foundation for our presence. What is it then between us?What is the count of the scores or hundreds of years between us?Whatever it is, it avails not—distance avails not, and place avails not…. – Walt Whitman Yes, what […]

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The Light of Presence, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton

In the Light of Presence

This student of the Fourth Way in India describes experiences of reaching the light of presence. “Light rare untellable, lighting the very light,Beyond all signs, description, languages.” – Walt Whitman The Divine Mirror of Consciousness Higher states, belonging to worlds 12 or 6, when they circulate within a person, are often likened to a luminous, […]

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Rumi Meeting Shams, Fellowship of Friends

Teaching Conscious Evolution

A noted Fourth Way author describes the essential qualities required for teaching conscious evolution. The Need for Both Knowledge and Being Spiritual understanding is not solely based on studying religious concepts. It is the combination of comprehending the ideas that make up a religion and the capacity to put those ideas into practice. It is […]

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Sharing the Light, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton

Rodney Collin on Sharing the Light

From Rodney Collin: We are connected with everyone we have met or talked to or felt, because we have given them part of ourselves. Whatever is strongest affects whatever is weakest. A crowd can be on the verge of panic and one strong person, by projecting confidence, can stop it. In a group of people […]

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