The struggle between yes and no is a basic theme in the Gurdjieff work. It can also be framed as working with likes and dislikes. “Do what ‘it’ doesn’t like and don’t do what ‘it’ does like. We worked with this intensively during Lent on our course at Sherborne, many giving up all forms of … Read more
What is this longing desire I sometimes feel? Where does it come from and what is it yearning for? When I was a young girl, I remember deciding I would become a nun. The notion of living a cloistered life of prayer and inner contemplation spoke to something in me. Later, at Sherborne House with … 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
What is the “truth” of my life? Every week, I prepare myself to write this blog. I have a set practice that I do, and it ends with a writing prayer I wrote in India, during the writing of my memoir. At the end of the prayer, I say, “and may the flow from my … Read more
Being available, as in being open to another’s state of being, is tough for me. Like multitasking in the kitchen when my kids are visiting during a Holiday. Putting dishes away and thinking that just by being in the same room as my young grandson, I’m “being” with him. My whole operating mode has always … Read more
The horse, the carriage, and the driver is an analogy Gurdjieff uses to illustrate the three centers, the roles they play, and our relationship to them. The horse, representing my emotions, is rather spirited and unruly of late. It’s been rearing at odd moments. The carriage, my physical body, remains in good shape because I … Read more
How old is the concept of demiurge and can we connect to it? Bennett’s use of the term demiurge preceded Sherborne, where I assumed he had made the term up. I had not read his Dramatic Universe. As his student, I understood he meant demiurge to be a force in the realm of angels. Mr. Bennett also … Read more
The term solioonensius, from Gurdjieff’s book All and Everything, seems to be at work in today’s world. This is one of many words Gurdjieff made up so that readers would come to new understandings without the associations we attach to familiar words. Solioonensius represents the notion of large catastrophic events which affect the human psyche, … Read more
What is meant by the term relaxation in Fourth Way work? Here is another word that we “think” we understand, but do we? Typically, when stressed and tense, we think in terms of taking an external action to address the issue. Exercising, vegging out with a book or a movie, taking a yoga or meditation class. … Read more
In Fourth Way work, sensation is a building block. To use it, one must understand sensation differently than the common definition. The usual way of thinking about sensation is something from outside ourselves that sets off our skin sensors: heat, cold, touch, wind, water, etc. We touch a hot surface and burn our finger. We … Read more