The Fourth Way and Esoteric Traditions
What is the function of the steward in work on ourselves? Both science and objective wisdom indicate that to restore balance to our shaken “being,” practical work on ourselves is necessary. Science informs us that our thymus gland is the first thing affected by our emotions. It is responsible for our immune system and the […]
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Who We Admire Any man can speak truly; but to speak with order, wisely, and competently, of that few men are capable. ~ Montaigne There is something ridiculous about a learned man who lacks the discipline to use knowledge in a way that benefits his soul. Nor would we glorify the ignorant who move from action […]
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In this work to awaken fully, we experience a changing sense of ‘I’. First, our sense of ‘I’ develops in childhood, as we grow away from the simple essence with which we are born. We develop personality, trying on aspects of new personas into adulthood. When we begin to seek a way out of the […]
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All work for development has two sides—something old in man has to be killed and something quite new has to be born. Preparation for the one and the other must go side by side, and they require quite different work. – Rodney Collin
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The very idea of finding one’s self is problematic because we are the never the same. If you think you have found yourself—a solid, unchanging self—wouldn’t that imply that you’ve stopped growing?
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Reading the Food Diagram pages in Ouspensky’s In Search of the Miraculous can be difficult. However, theoretical work lights the way for practical work. Practical work, in turn, helps to further decipher the theory. If the two don’t proceed together, work stops. It’s also possible to learn something well enough to perform it, even if you don’t […]
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Ordinarily—that is, in the second state—our machines function on the basis of stimulus and response. This means that some stimulus is the first force for our actions. The stimulus initiates the action, while our reactions to it are the second force. The third force determining the nature of the reaction comes from our mechanicality: chief feature, type, and so on.
When we we are observing ourselves, however, our work introduces a new triad. In this triad, the work is the first force and mechanicality is the second force. The observer (and eventually the steward and then higher centers) is the third force. This represents the process of regeneration, in which the form provided by the Work acts on the matter of the machine with a third force stemming from consciousness.
The Law of Three and the Law of Seven can be studied both outside oneself, in external phenomena, and within. The enneagram symbol is a representation of both these two cosmic laws.
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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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Objective Reality – Beyond World Twelve to World Six The natural world is more clearly inviting us into its mysteries, these days. I’m spending an hour each morning raking leaves. The distractions of ordinary life seem muted by the pandemic. Energies more rare, more refined, appear outdoors. And this natural world speaks to something higher […]
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