Talking to my nine-year-old granddaughter, I show her my drawing that accompanies this text. The boatman’s attempt to escape all the obstacles impresses her. So I dare to ask her a question of conscience: “What do you want to happen?” And she answers spontaneously: “May the boatman succeed in reaching the sunlight!”
Our answer to a question of conscience reveals our inner situation. Indeed, if we want to separate ourself from this state, we must first accept ourself in the stage we are in. Then we seek ways to internally activate the process of transformation.
Metaphorical Steps in Awakening
*Break the ropes, and any belief that binds us to rocks,
*To sail even with crooked oars–our own fickle characteristics,
*Escape from ice–the emotional frost,
*Endure annoying birds–the scattered thoughts in our minds,
*Reach the clearing–the joy of the sun, with another “being” and fragrance!
Transformation and Six Processes
On discovering the Fourth Way system of spiritual awakening for the fastest possible human evolution, my heart felt relief. I attend a practical school that uses this system. The interaction between teacher and students establishes the processes of self-observation and transformation in the “being” of both sides.
Our voluntary work to transform our being requires that we achieve the correct functioning of the five lower centers. This preparatory work helps to more freely connect to the higher emotional and the intellectual centers (chakras).
Our innate characteristics manifest in an unskillful way, mainly through the lower centers. For this reason, inner work relies on the correct (and fast) functioning of the lower emotional center. Enriching it with positive impressions entails transforming our negative emotions into acts of self-respect and mutual respect.
By paying attention to how we function, to what our stimuli, goals, and results are, we develop an inner observer. This observer can evolve into a steward of our lower centers. We are on our way to becoming “multi-intelligent”, like Homer’s Ulysses.
Successive emotional sequences, using six intentional mental steps, improves the six internal processes that occur within us and helps them achieve a functional order. The process of growth requires understanding our experiences, our characteristics and their honest expression, with self-respect and external respect. We soar towards a higher stage of consciousness the moment our will is connected to the divine Will.
The process of destruction, eliminating unnecessary elements at the cellular, molecular, and spiritual level, accelerates this holistic transformation. Gently, as if lying on a soft mattress, we realize that the essence of forgiveness has an eternal glow.
The process of crime, or corruption, is also offensive to our being. It causes us to activate healing processes from higher levels of energy. A lightning-fast energy that is available since the beginning of the world remains inconceivable to our lower self. Only elevating our level of being with this high energy catalyze our regeneration. We suddenly perceive the death of our old being as progress towards immortality.
Did We Win?
It is true that through the process of transformation, our emotional and intellectual intelligence is united, in harmony. We reach the clearing. Our Self stays whole, within the quantum stardust of divine objective consciousness.
«Νενικήκαμεν»! (Nenikíkamen)» “We won.”
Natassa Cavalli is an artist living in Athens, Greece, and a frequent contributor to FourthWayToday.org. For more articles by this author, a long-time student of the Fourth Way, see: https://fourthwaytoday.org/author/natassa-cavalli/.
For more on this topic, see: https://fourthwaytoday.org/gurdjieff-and-ouspensky/ and for more on Ouspensky and the six processes see: https://www.ouspenskytoday.org/media/cl/e-Vol-IV-Levels-and-Laws-7.pdf.