gurdjieff Archives - Fourth Way Today

What is a Conscious School?

Most people live their lives oblivious to the fact that they are machines. Some reach a point where they begin to feel uncomfortable with their life. They may wonder what it is all for, perhaps realizing that they are asleep. Some may even join a group where ideas about awakening are taught. One of the […]

by Ruth Atkins

Quotations on Schools and School Work

“‘Know thyself.’ These words, ascribed to Socrates, actually lie at the basis of many systems and schools far more ancient than the Socratic.” – George I. Gurdjieff “Schools have the privilege of making the effort in the right place. They create space for the deity within, one’s own presence.” – Robert Burton “When I met this […]

by The Editors

Quotations on Trust and Verification

Faith of consciousness is freedom.Faith of feeling is slavery.Faith of body is stupidity. – Gurdjieff The soul, when it sees a trace of its kindred reality, is delighted and thrilled and returns to itself and remembers itself. – Plotinus I ask you to believe nothing that you cannot verify for yourself. – Gurdjieff Our faith […]

by William Page

On the Awakening of Meher Baba

To begin I should make it clear that Meher Baba considered himself an avatar, and that what I have to say here is partially an attempt to understand what that means. In simple terms, an avatar is a god who became a man, rather than a man who, through efforts in his life, evolves into […]

by The Editors

Quotations on Impressions

Our end is to follow the gods. And the essence of good consists in the proper use of impressions. So, make a practice at once of saying to every strong impression: ‘An impression is all you are, not the source of the impression.’ Then test and assess it with your criteria, but particularly one. Ask, […]

by Walter Scott

What is Love?

The work for us therefore lies mostly in minimising that which is not love. For example, negative emotions, inner considering, judgement, and unconscious speech and movement separate and isolate us from the higher state that is love.

by Miguel Reyes

The heart of the matter

“Only with the heart can one touch the sky.” Rumi. That piece of flesh that pumps blood from the first moment of our gestation, that we call “heart,” is not the spiritual heart we read about in mystical and religious traditions. Rather, when we refer to the heart, in terms of spiritual work on ourselves, […]

by Klaus Labuttis

Love – A dramatic play

As George Gurdjieff pointed out, the first step in our journey of self-improvement and love is observing ourselves without the urge to change what we see.

by The Editors

Quotations on the Way of Love

The way of love is slower, but more certain than the way of denial. Robert Burton When we have attained love, we have reached God, and our journey is over. Philokalia Where there is love, there is Oneness and, in complete Oneness, the Infinite is realized completely at all times and in every sphere of […]

by Natassa Cavalli

The Flexibility Needed for Consciousness

What can we do in our inner work to achieve an open flexibility towards consciousness? It is true that… *..Developing sequentially our “being”… *..Watching the “I’s” springing from each part of our four lower energy centers… *..Connecting our will to our “heart of hearts”… *..Eliminating any negativity from our “queens”, “kings” and “jacks”… *..Surpassing our inner “steward” and following our awaken soul’s […]