Impressions as food, in the way that Gurdjieff talks about it, has become a focus for me. I was especially struck by a story in the last chapter of Meetings With Remarkable Men. In this chapter, Gurdjieff recounts his on-going struggles with financing his enterprise. The strain he puts himself under to do this results … Read more
The Work is like an isometric exercise. At least that is how I’ve come to experience it. After periods of ongoing efforts, both internally and externally, I’ve come to see that it is during the interval of letting go and relaxing, that my “work” muscle grows. This is a phenomenon I’ve come to appreciate. Take … Read more
I Attended a Real Life Hogwarts is the tile of an interview Rebekah Berndt had with me for her new podcast, The Unfolding, Faith Without Borders. The interview centers around Gurdjieff, Bennett, and my experience at Sherborne. It also includes an overview of Claymont. There is an extended part of the interview which is accessible … Read more
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