What does Gurdjieff and the 4th Way have to offer when it comes to the feeling center? Gurdjieff presented the idea that, “Man is a three-brained being.” That each of our centers— moving, thinking and feeling, have their own intelligence. The problem is, we don’t recognize the truth of this. We don’t allow our centers … Read more
Gurdjieff uses the word “mentation” when referring to what he calls the intellectual or thinking center in man. When it comes to intellect, I’ve always had a bit of an inferiority complex. My sister was the brainy one, I had to struggle for my A’s in school. My relationship with the thinking center started early-on … Read more
OUSPENSKY AND SMALL ACCUMULATORS Before talking about Gurdjieff’s Great Accumulator, let’s review Ouspensky’s introduction to the Small Accumulators. The notion that we can collect and store energy in ourselves. To fill our small accumulators, we plug “leaks” – avoid gabbing, a certain tone of laughter, nervous gestures, spinning daydreams, etc. We each have our own … Read more
Mrs. Popoff introduced me to the practice of morning ablutions sometime around 1971. Living weekends at her home in Long Island, I worked to earn money towards the second Basic Course at Sherborne House in England and attended group meetings Monday evenings. Tuesday mornings I returned to school in New Jersey. Jack, my boyfriend, lived … Read more
I am speaking of blending an emotional feeling with a separate physical sensation. Recently, I have realized that I’ve never given real attention to nor fully practiced the art of blending. In fact, I kind of skipped over practicing blending as such. I practiced sensation in the early days until I could call it up … Read more
In Dramatic Universe, Volume 3, Bennett speaks about the stages of life. Of particular interest is what he has to say about the final stage of life. He puts the notion of “retirement” on its head, recommending that during this stage, one “retires” to a less outwardly active life. Dedicating part of each day to … Read more
Sometimes a “real person” is hidden behind the exterior. I’ve kind-of known David Kherdian, almost twenty years my senior, for thirty years. He and his wife, Nonny, are Armenian-Americans. That in itself lends a mystique, as Gurdjieff was half Armenian. David’s grandparents died in the Turkish massacre of Armenians way back when. That history still … Read more
Gurdjieff’s magnum opus, All and Everything, Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, is not about THAT Beelzebub or maybe it is. He is a fallen angel, after all. In any event, Gurdjieff loved to “bury the dog deeper.” So he created an allegory in long convoluted sentences with words that were concocted from languages that were foreign … Read more
Who is J.G. Bennett, G.I. Gurdjieff, and what is Claymont? These names have loomed large my entire adult life. For most people they have not. So here goes: G.I. Gurdjieff was a Greek-Armenian mystic who brought the “wisdom of the East” to the West. Basically, he spent his youth searching for the answers to questions. … Read more
G.I. Gurdjieff refers to both small and large accumulators in people. P.D. Ouspensky mapped these out in a three-tiered box representing our three centers—thinking, feeling and moving/instinctive. According to Gurdjieff, each center has two small energy accumulators which connect with the body’s large accumulator. The accumulators store energy to fuel the functioning of our ordinary … Read more