The Grace of Uncreated Light, FourthWayToday, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton

The Grace of Uncreated Light

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.

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God Breathes Life into Man, Created and Uncreated Light, Fellowship of Friends, FourthWayToday, Robert Earl Burton

The Light of Presence

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.

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Lighting the very light, uncreated light, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton, FourthWayToday

Lighting the Very Light

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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wishing you an ideal state, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton

Wishing You the Ideal State

Plato’s ideal state was never meant to include everyone, only those who support it. In Athens there were many who wanted Socrates put to death. Internally, the many I’s will never really support self-remembering. Only a small inner circle of work I’s will promote the presence of higher centers.

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freedom of the real, Leonardo, Portrait of a Girl, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton, FourthWayToday

The Freedom of the Real

When we talk about freedom, we’re speaking about the work an individual does to become free of unnecessary laws. Man as a Microcosmos of the Universe In order to understand this, it is first necessary to see man as a microcosmos. Man is a microcosmos because, like the universe, he has within him layers of […]

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Greek masks of tragedy and comedy, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton, FourthWayToday, separating the unreal and the real

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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Greek fresco, changing sense of self, Fellowship of Friends, FourthWayToday

Quotations on the Changing Sense of Self

Towards a More Real ‘I’ – the Changing Sense of Self through Work in the Fourth Way What is this changing sense of self that can come in the work, and how does it relate to a real ‘I’? Gurdjieff: Liberation is the aim of all schools, all religions, at all times. This liberation can indeed be […]

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