The Scaffolding of Esoteric Schools

The Scaffolding of Esoteric Schools

Prose needs to be built like a cathedral. There, one is truly without a name, without ambition, without help; on scaffoldings, alone with one's consciousness. — Rainer Maria Rilke

Growing up in rural America, the most exposure to esoteric knowledge that I received during my childhood was from the parables of Christ handed down from the Christian tradition. All the major religions transmit the treasures of esoteric knowledge - often as an oral tradition - from generation to generation to be received and decoded by “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

I not only attended church, but practically lived there! I was the church organist from an early age, rehearsing for and attending at least two services every Sunday, plus weddings, funerals, and other services. I heard countless readings from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible that resonated in me. In other words, these stories not only filled and nurtured me, but they also confused me, which created a yearning for the keys to understanding the stories in a deeper way.

My mother was the first person to recognize that I had a magnetic center, that “I had ears to hear.” Of course, those were not the words she used. She just worried about me straying from the Christian religion because she saw in me an openness to the mysteries that were not confined to traditional Christianity. It turns out they were universal truths, helping me to understand the parables, the meaning of life and my place in the bigger picture.

Fast forward to college where a friend of mine introduced me to the writings of George Gurdjieff and Peter Ouspensky. At first blush, I was amused and not very interested in Fourth Way ideas. A few years later, I eagerly read a small book called “The Psychology of Man’s Possible Evolution“ by Ouspensky. In his book, and ever since reading it, I have found keys to understanding not only Christian ideas, but also keys to the mystical knowledge which has emanated from schools throughout the ages.

These new - but very ancient - ideas had to marinate in my mind until I was able to be directed to like-minded people on the Way, to people who could teach me more about self-remembering and higher states of consciousness. These Facebook essays are the outward expression of my gratitude for having found what I was searching for – a Teacher and a School.

Although we aspire to convey esoteric knowledge of the Fourth Way on this Facebook page, the page itself is not a Conscious School, but evidence of those working in one. Just as the Gothic cathedrals are evidence of a Conscious School and contain the esoteric message in stone, the building itself is not a School. To do the Work, one must find and interact with like-minded people following a conscious Teacher who can teach and unravel meaning from architecture, parables and evidence left behind from every tradition.

Human life is made up of miracles. Who would believe that a Gothic cathedral could remain standing if we did not see it every day? — Simone Weil

I missed the opportunity to convey to my mother that she, too, had a magnetic center and that she did not need to leave or be fearful of leaving one tradition behind just because others were found. The bigger picture I was looking for embraces all religious traditions and spiritual paths.

Respect all religions. — G.I. Gurdjieff

So, dear reader, I propose that the fact that you are reading this essay is likely an indication that you, too, have a magnetic center. I do not wish to miss the opportunity to suggest that possibility to you. May you find what you are searching for.

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Dagobert Visiting the Construction Site of Saint-Denis, “Les Grandes Chroniques de France,” 15th century