Understanding Sunflowers What I have noticed about self-reflection and observations is that there is a part of me that evaluates what I learn – knowledge – against what I actually observe – being – in relation to that knowledge. If there is discrepancy between my knowledge and being, I continue gathering knowledge and make further observations until the discrepancy between them vanishes and I reach understanding. For example, somewhere during my childhood, I was taught that s

Understanding  Understanding Understanding in the Fourth Way has a special meaning, like many terms used in the Work. It is incumbent upon a student of the Fourth Way to stretch his or her level of being and to personally dive into the knowledge of the system with the intention of increasing his or her understanding. Understanding in this context refers to a deeper apprehension of the obstacles that stand in my way and a revelation of the opportunities to experience higher st

The A‐B‑C’s of Knowledge and Being I would like to illustrate the relationship between Knowledge and Being with a little experiment. Let us explore the idea “man does not know himself” from the vantage point of three beings, whose orientations are completely different, that is, beings who are under three different primary influences: Influence A, Influence B, and Influence C. These imaginary beings live the majority of their lives under A Influence, B Influence, or C Influenc

Knowing and Being The uncomplicated and direct imperative ‘Know thyself’ encompasses all that is needed for conscious evolution. Without knowledge of the lower self - the four lower functions, the higher Self - higher centers - would remain ignorant of themselves. Know thy lower self, so that your higher Self may know it’s own divine presence. The question becomes, how to know the lower self? Indeed, without full knowledge of the four lower centers, thoughts, emotions and sen

Knowledge is a Start, not a Finish Knowledge is essential for any human endeavor. There might be exceptions, but based on my experience, I am not aware of any. Similarly, I cannot proceed in the Work without acquiring new knowledge and new perspectives on our old knowledge. So, as a “devotee” to a new way of life, I explore new territory and revisit old territory with a new lens. Knowledge by itself is not enough, however. Without changing my level of being, that is, becoming

This selection is from our friend Dharmesh Shah of the Ahmedabad Center, India. By viewing ourselves as a machine, a certain level of separation from mechanicalness has already begun. Then the question arises, who is observing the mechanical tendencies of the machine? Is the observation impartial? How to begin the journey from mechanicalness to consciousness? How can we separate functions and consciousness? In an esoteric school, mechanicalness is represented by sleep, and th

A Conversation on What Matters Two students were talking about consciousness and the practicality of the Work. One was confused by the plethora of ideas and tools. Let’s call him Tom and the other Sofie. Tom said, “So, how do I know the proper psychological tool for a given situation, because it all seems so muddled? Too many choices, so little time, as the saying goes. How do I know what I don’t know? Which idea or effort is more important to follow?” “I can see that you are

Scale and Relativity Relativity is the key to understanding. Self-remembering will always remain our highest alternative, the summit of scale. — The Teacher The same substance composes us—the tree overhead, the stone beneath us, the bird, the beast, the star—we are all one, all moving to the same end. ― Pamela L. Travers Meditate often on the Interconnectedness and mutual interdependence of all things in the universe. The present is the only thing of which a man can be depriv

Sand, Heaven and Eternity In relation to conscious evolution, higher centers occupies the summit of scale and is the center around which, all ideas and concepts of the system revolves. When we speak of scale, we refer to the different levels of cosmos that are subject to the same objective principles or laws. A microbe experiences it’s life just as fully as Man, as do the planets and galaxies. The difference is the speed at which each cosmos operates. On every scale, each cos

Making Small Aims This essay was written by my friend and fellow student, Dharmesh Shaw, of the Ahmedabad Center. Dharmesh originally...

The “Truths Which are Evident” The more one verifies one’s thinking is subjective, the more objective one’s thinking becomes. ─  The...

VERIFICATION One of the foundational pillars of conscious evolution is verification. Neither accept nor reject anything written here or...

From my friend and fellow student, Mark of the New York Center Will and Washing Dishes Will is the undeniable and instantaneous command...

“Far … a Long, Long Way to Run” “The seven-tone scale is the formula of a cosmic law which was worked out by ancient schools and applied...

BRIDGING INTERVALS Studying the two intervals in an octave, mi-fa and si-do, the mi-fa interval is characterized by the law of accident...

Bridging Intervals: Closing the Gap to Presence We have posted about the law of octaves in the past, so I will not reproduce all that...

What is Psychological Thinking? When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe. — ...

Time = emiT Time, in the invisible world,  must run backwards . — Rodney Collin Once upon a time, I read about a theory and its mysteries...

TIME Replying in a letter to a friend, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe wrote  ‘My apologies that this reply is so long. It would have been...

Our time is counted and we must use it well—for presence. –  The Teacher The old saying goes, “Time flies when you are having fun.” My...

The Law of Octaves From 'A Question of Presence', by Sergio Antonio Those who know a little about music theory know that an octave is the...

Golden Opportunities From our friend, Charles R. All processes are subject to the law of octaves. This objective principle can be applied...

From Rodney Collin, At one very emotional moment in those last days, Ouspensky said: 'People must not be afraid to take second step.' It...

Just Keep Practicing I would like to share with you an important verification that I have made from my experience in studying music....

Verification, Proof and Belief From our friend, Charles R. Don’t accept or reject anything you read in this, or any of our posts. Rather,...

From our friend, David Tuttle “All occult and spiritualistic societies and circles assert that they possess a new knowledge. And there...

A Question of Valuation “A dog, while carrying a piece of meat across a river, caught sight of his own image floating in the mirror of...

Credit Terms and Conditions In relation to esoteric work there is no credit. Payment is strictly in advance. It’s another ‘inexorable’...

Paying My Way An adage I keep encountering repeatedly is “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” This simple adage, evident in all...

Beauty Gurdjieff said that there are three types of food: the physical food we eat, the air we breathe, and impressions, that is, what...

The Law of Accident “An accident happens when two lines of events cross one another. Suppose a man stands under the roof of a house,...

Autumnal Tints by Henry David Thoreau Regeneration is one of the six processes which is set in motion by the Law of Three. Rodney Collin...

Laws -As Above, So Below Esoteric schools have created and perfected tools that allow objective observation and description of processes...

The Law of Three and Triads The Law of Three states that, for anything to happen, there must be three forces at the given point of space...

Laws We Are Under We mentioned earlier that there is a correspondence between our inner and outer worlds. Depending on our state, we are...