Leaderless leadership when there have always been leaders? At the Prieuré there was Gurdjieff. At Sherborne House there was Bennett. Pierre Elliott directed courses at Claymont for decades. With a teacher, the direction and energy for spiritual work comes through a single source. That has been the model throughout history. The recent experiment at Claymont … Read more
Claymont’s Fourth Way Course of Study, dubbed the COS, was a risk and an experiment. By mostly, it was a success. Here is an overview: How it Came About During a summer seminar at Claymont, a participant suggested/requested we provide a longer work event. The notion of having a “course” was already in the air. … Read more
May today be merry and bright May you fill it with depth and delight Let the light from above Shine down below, In the pool that reflects in the night
Here’s a real-life experience of bridging an interval. Just as there are two intervals in the musical scale, there are intervals in a process. These intervals are key to staying on track. In my case, the intervals involve two seemingly unrelated events. The first is the period following the writing of my memoir, Real People. … Read more
The author grapples with the desire to do good deeds but feels inadequate compared to grand gestures. They advocate for small, achievable acts of kindness like calling a relative or being punctual. The post emphasizes the importance of intentionality and putting thoughts into action, as these small deeds carry more value than inaction fueled by overwhelming aspirations.
My relationship with sensation is expanding, literally. Initially, my experience of sensation was of a prickly, electric, warm, moving, “something” in me. In the beginning I managed it, moving from arm to leg, to leg to arm, around the body. Skipping one limb each time, I kept my attention engaged. In truth, that was mostly … Read more
You know, where I am keeps coming back to haunt me. After my recent foray into what felt like unknown territory, frightening in it’s very unknown-ness, I find myself back here again. Back here with myself. The very self that shimmered for a moment thinking it had transformed. But maybe this wasn’t the faná I … Read more
Bennett used the Sufi term faná. Which is a good way to express something on the spiritual plain that isn’t served by being pinned down. It could be experienced as the inner crossing of a threshold. Or finding oneself suddenly in a different place in oneself. Possibly like a death, as in “die before you … Read more
This is the story of 100 cloth napkins. Once upon a time—a long, long, time ago—in the last century, there was a special kind of school. The things this school taught were not at all what other schools taught. And they were not taught so much with words and letters, but with experiences. This school … Read more
I hardly ever pay attention to how you work. It’s always about how I work, how am I getting on? I mean, in the inner-work sense. The “work on yourself” sense. When I think of others and their process, it tends to be in relation to my own. Does it look like how I’m doing it? … Read more