The Fourth Way and Esoteric Traditions
Rodney Collin was a student of P.D. Ouspensky in the last decade of Ouspensky’s life. He was with Ouspensky at Lyne Place, England, at Franklin Farms, New Jersey, and lived with him until Ouspensky’s death in 1947. The following excerpts are from letters written by Rodney Collin to his friends and students in the Fourth […]
Read More…
What do Fourth Way authors say about going beyond knowledge, going beyond the system, and changing the location of our sense of ‘I’? From Views from the Real World, Gurdjieff: Beyond this world, beyond the limits of our knowledge, there lies a world, incomprehensible for us, of noumena—a shadow, a reflection of which is the […]
Read More…
“The balance between knowledge and being is even more important than a separate development of either one or the other. And a separate development of knowledge or of being is not desirable in any way. Although it is precisely this one-sided development that often seems particularly attractive to people. “If knowledge outweighs being a man […]
Read More…
“If my devils are to leave me, I am afraid my angels will take flight as well.” – Rainer Maria Rilke This was the poet Rilke’s response to a proposal of psychoanalysis. At first glance, it appears to be a frightened and irrational claim. And yet it is based on an a concept of balance that […]
Read More…
The Fourth Way teaches that the Law of Three is one of two cosmic laws. It states that every phenomenon, whether physical or psychological, is the result of three forces coming together in a moment. These forces are active, passive and neutral–or affirming, denying and harmonizing. Let’s take the example of learning to play a […]
Read More…
We live each day of our lives embraced by a longing, a very deep longing. It is a formless void that we dare not stare at, but that is there. It burns within us as a constant reminder of a higher and more sublime reality.
Read More…
Being satisfied with the present moment means being unconcerned with whether or not higher forces will allow one the grace of experiencing one’s higher self. At this point, one accepts whatever the moment brings. After consistent efforts over a long period of time, one may experience Uncreated Light at unexpected moments. Yet this is the result of previous efforts.
Read More…
If the divine call is ignored, there is no telling when it will come next. If the steward recognizes the call, it immediately switches duties. Instead of making efforts to create light, it submits in silence and makes space for uncreated light.
Read More…
Only a man number four starts to understand that there is another world beyond. He is between two chairs. What is awakening?
Read More…
What is the experience of divine light? As the sunlight can have an amazing effect on a group of fish jumping over the surface of the sea, so Uncreated Light affects us when we transcend ourselves. Meaning that our steward is still working to balance our four lower centers and recedes only under the astonishing […]
Read More…