The space between remembering and forgetting, in Gurdjieff terminology, is usually supposed to be filled with “remembering oneself.” At least I thought so and worked at this for some twenty years at Claymont following my Sherborne course. One day I went to see Pierre Elliot, our teacher at Claymont. It was after a very intense … Read more
On Easter Sunday morning, the priest spoke about the blood and body of Christ being real. I heard him and knew that for him it was a big deal and the difference between Catholic and Protestant religions. The Catholics believe the host and wine turns into literal blood and flesh. The Protestants believe the communion … Read more
How do I pay the debt of my existence? Gurdjieff clearly puts the need to do this in front of us in All and Everything. But what does it mean and how am I to do it and how will I know if I’ve done it? I’ve wondered about this for years, thinking it must … Read more
This little light of mine, I’m gonna make it shine… The other day I caught myself wondering what earthly good my little inner-work efforts are, anyway? I see the suffering from war in Ukraine. I’m aware of the interwoven cultural-historical relationship between Russian and Ukraine, an obvious cause for anguish with many international families. Close … Read more
What do I mean, juicy? In last week’s post, I spoke of wanting to be “a juicy tidbit” as food for the universe. Or whatever it is that is higher and “eats” me. What do I mean by that? I noticed that the food on my plate nourishes something in me just by looking fresh, … Read more
I, too, am food. The depth of this reality has been evolving in me since last summer, when two things coincided. First, I listened to a 1973 recording of Mr. Bennett giving the exercise of trying to be present to the first bite of food. Second, I was introduced to a practice of cupping my … Read more
What is this wanting to remember? I saw last week that when something in me, like my self-interest, is involved it wakes me up. I was entering a room for a meeting and suddenly remembered to sense the doorknob. A task I had set and failed to accomplish a short time earlier. In the split … Read more
I’m dealing with tumultuous emotions. My daughter-in-law, Michelle, has cancer and is recovering from major surgery. This has all transpired in the past six weeks. My wish is to be available to her and my son in all three centers. Yet my emotions break through at times when I’m thinking or talking to others about … Read more
“Bobby Jo, there’s a group of us going caroling after lunch, would you be interested?” “Sure, who all is going?” I ask, curious. “Oh, anyone who wants to go. I think we have about fifteen or so. Vivien is taking us around. We’ll meet out back by the kitchen door.” The … Read more
The following is an excerpt from my memoir of Bennett giving a talk at the start of our course. He wanted us to consider our current world. Mind you, this was the fall of 1972. I offer it here as we come to the end of 2021 and look towards what kind of world it … Read more