Roberta 
My first teacher in the work was Mrs. Popoff who had been P.D. Ouspensky’s “secretary.” This meant she was responsible for recording what was said at group meetings—from memory. When Gurdjieff came to New York, she was in the movements classes he gave. She attended his famous dinners, which meant getting home in the wee … Read more
I am a cross I realized this morning in New Hampshire. Here, at the end of the dock. In this bright, still, early morning. The water is still, I can see down to the sandy bottom, a little fish swims there. I go inwards, relaxing in layers—first my skin, then muscles, tendons, bones. Deep into the very … Read more
Gurdjieff presents as yet another old white man whose language, culture and message are woefully out of date in today’s world. Say it ain’t so, Joe! Well, from where I sit it is and it isn’t. First, Gurdjieff’s dad was Armenian, and his mom was Greek. He grew up in the Caucasus, so he certainly … Read more
I was reminded the other day that there is an energetic awareness I need to heed. I was holding my husband accountable for not setting up a side-trip he’d wanted to tack onto an already planned vacation. We’d had most of a year to extend our itinerary, but never got around to it. Once or … Read more
Cynthia Bourgeault, a Christian Wisdom teacher, invited her students to, among other things, “fast completely from the story of yourself.” She suggested this as an Ascensiontide practice, lasting for the period between Easter Sunday and Pentecost, forty days. The entirety of her message and the Invitation she threw down was inspiring. But I was not sure … Read more
We’d been on the rooftop in the restaurant lounge of a fancy hotel celebrating a friend’s birthday. The six of us included a couple who did volunteer work with the homeless in a food kitchen and with a transport service. Her career had been in social work and his as a lawyer. They split their … Read more
Sensation is the first building block in the Gurdjieff Work. I know I am repeating myself, but I recently had a new insight. When I was introduced to the Work, a lot of emphasis was put on sensation and the ability to recognize and direct it. Why is this important? I never really thought much … Read more
I put money in the bucket an old black man in a white shirt, black pants, and vest, held out at a stop light. He’d been there other days, too. I recognized the uniform from other locations in Asheville and in Charles Town. I have no idea if this money really feeds the homeless as … Read more
The Jesus Prayer work weekend was held recently at the Claymont Society for Continuous Education. This was the first seminar in a series proposed by my husband Jack, based on the Four Prophets morning exercise. He suggested that Claymont could host events delving into the inner work that each of these prophets represent. In the … Read more
How do I even approach paying the debt of my existence as Gurdjieff exhorts us to do? I’ve never been clear on how to see my way there. Recently, I sense that space between being aware of myself and losing awareness is the chasm to work within. It doesn’t matter how far apart or close … Read more