School Influence is Life

School Influence is Life

“A practical school produces Higher Centers in its students.” – The Teacher

Reflecting on the history of esoteric schools, Rodney Collin himself a Teacher in the Fourth Way tradition wrote, “School influence is life; where it is, there is hope and creation.” It seems clear to me that all of us are looking for something to create, to live our lives. I cannot say whether that creative something is a school, “peace of mind,” a loving relationship, or something else, for it all depends on the seeker.

When I first encountered the School, I was not looking for a school. I was attending college and merely reading books by P.D. Ouspensky. It was the summer of 1977. A friend, who was also interested in Fourth Way books, found an ad for our Fourth Way school in the Washington Post, saying, “Now Accepting Students.” My friend and I attended a series of introductory meetings, but I was not ready to join at that time because I was not sure what I wanted. Two years later, I returned and joined the school.

It took me these two years to put my house in order and, more importantly, to mull over whether I wanted to commit to this path of inner growth. I have no regrets and I have not looked back on this decision, and it’s been more than 45 years. School is a special place where a seeker finds a real Teacher, fellow students, and the umph to keep working. It’s a place to create yourself and to reveal your inner or Higher Self.

I recall hearing an interview with one of the all-time greatest car salespeople, in which he revealed his amazing secret to selling an enormous number of automobiles. He said something like all I do is give the customer what he or she wants. I don’t sell anything.

Our schoolwork, consistent with the teachings of the Fourth Way, is built upon verification and understanding. Everything emerges from those two creative realizations. We don’t sell anything.

“It is the duty of a true school to disseminate the knowledge of the system as extensively as possible because men are in desperate need of these great ideas. They are the only ideas on earth that can relieve men from bondage, and the chains are stronger than iron. They can be sundered only by Self-remembering.” – The Teacher

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