I tell him, “O Sun, rise in every heart,
Brighten them.”
All this universe is husband and wife
Of the small particle of Your glory. – Rumi

The Gift of the Ideal State

We have all experienced the ideal state that comes in the moment, like a gift from something higher. When our emotions are at their most compassionate, our mind at our most understanding and our body at its most tranquil, it comes, resulting in harmonious action that has lasting beneficial influence. This is the inner sun around which all should revolve. It is the invisible source of our best actions. While it is invisible from the outside, it is an undeniable force inside. We can feel, nurture, and strengthen this force so that it enlightens all we do with a supreme kindness.

We also have a self-destructive side that is at best unaware of our sun within and at worst actively fights against it. These are the negative emotions that are not interested in the ideal state. It is also the laziness of mind that allows random thoughts to create wrong conclusions that end up ruling our disjointed actions. And the unnecessary tenseness of the body that gives energy to the negative emotions and the random mind.

Becoming a Good Householder

The best way to tame our self-destructiveness is to value our external world. The Fourth Way calls this work becoming a good householder. This develops our valuation for the simple everyday acts of maintaining our selves, family, home, and community. Cleaning the house, weeding the garden, and baking bread are sacred acts of what Gurdjieff called reciprocal maintenance. This is acting from the knowledge that improving the lives of others improves our own life. 

A tool to increase good householder is that of supporting and promoting the great works of art and literature of all cultures. A complimentary endeavor to the arts is the practice of traditional crafts. Working with one’s hands to produce beauty is one of the surest ways to become a good householder. Gurdjieff said, if a man can do one thing well, he can do anything.  

Internal Work on Good Householder

However, external good householder is not enough. We also need to practice internal good householder. Internal good householder turns resentment of work to joy, because it produces the deep satisfaction of doing our part to improve our world. When we pay attention to our inner world, we reduce the tension of the body. This, in turn, allows controlled thoughts to elicit the joy of being. Gratitude is a key emotion in achieving inner good householder. To feel grateful to be able to make the efforts to improve our lives feeds the ideal state. 

Revolving Around our Inner Sun

Internal and external good householder are important, but they are not enough. We need to revolve around our internal sun–where mind, body, and emotion work in sync to be in the moment, producing harmonious action. This ideal state is in the present. It outshines the past and the future, and we touch eternity. It is hard work, but the return on investment far exceeds all other endeavors.

For those who are serious about strengthening this ideal state and truly wanting it to play a major role in their life, it is easy to verify it is close to impossible to do on your own. We need a community where practical external good householder is developed. How can this be done? Through the creation of beauty that leads to internal good householder. And this produces an inner sun of harmonious action in the present.

Steve McCulley has been a student of the Fourth Way for four decades.

For another article on the Fourth Way concept of good householder, see William Page’s blog: https://bepresentfirst.com/on-good-fortune/.