Athletes, Greek vase, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton

Movement and Rest

How can we utilize the law of octaves to help continue progressing in our work to awaken? Movement forward also requires rest, where new shocks can enter. “Life is a movement and a rest.” – Gospel of Thomas Motion and Repose in Spiritual Life  The word movement comes from the Latin, movere; “to move, set in motion.” […]

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movement and rest, Fellowship of Friends, Robert Earl Burton, God and Adam

Movement and Rest in the Bible

The act of creation implies movement and rest. What does the Sabbath represent, for our inner work along the Fourth Way today? Starting with Genesis: Movement and Rest From the very first chapter of the Bible, we read of the idea of movement and rest.  The act of creation represents movement, over the first six days, […]

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Octaves and Intervals, Apollo with Lyre, William Page, Robert Earl Burton, Fellowship of Friends

Octaves and Intervals

How does the study of octaves and intervals help us understand our own efforts to be more present, more awake? The Natural Law of Octaves and Intervals The Law of Seven can be observed everywhere in the natural world and in everything we do internally and externally. If we understood the law of octaves, we […]

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Intellectual parts of centers, Fellowship of Friends

Using Intellectual Parts of Centers

How do we use the highest parts of ourselves to work towards awakening, and rest when needed? Intellectual parts of centers need to work together for us to truly remember ourselves. The Four Lower Centers Fourth Way authors alert us to the fact that we have seven brains, rather than one. Two of them function in times […]

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Movement and rest, Fellowship of Friends

Fourth Way Authors on Movement and Sleep

How do our patterns of movement and sleep interact? Seminal Fourth Way authors G. Gurdjieff and P.D. Ouspensky describe how unnecessary movement and sleep–our old patterns–pose obstacles for one seeking consciousness.  P.D. Ouspensky, from A Record of Meetings:  The Role of the Moon in Mechanical Movement and Sleep At present all our movements depend on […]

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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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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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