Study of Lying from Ouspensky's Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution, pp. 47-48 Now we must see what are those harmful features that man finds in himself. Speaking in general, they are all mechanical manifestations. The first, as has already been said, is lying. Lying is unavoidable in mechanical life. No one can escape it, and the more one thinks that one is free from lying, the more one is ...

Filing Impressions from Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, p109 It is necessary to know what these points are and it is necessary to know how to approach them, for if one does not begin with them one will either get no result at all or wrong and undesirable results. Having fixed in his own mind the difference between the intellectual, the emotional, and the moving functions, a man must, ...

Imagine Yourself Conscious from Ouspensky's Fourth Way, p. 113 Q. I still do not see what it means to try and think as we would think if we were more conscious. A . Try to imagine yourself conscious--that would be the right use of imagination. We develop this power of imagination in an absolutely wrong and useless way which is always making trouble for us. But now, for once, try to use it and ...

Limit of Consciousness from Ouspensky's Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution, pp. 19-20 I shall try to explain how consciousness can be studied. Take a watch and look at the second hand, trying to be aware of yourself, and concentrating on the thought, I am Peter Ouspensky, I am now here. Try not to think about anything else, simply follow the movements of the second hand and be aware of ...

Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution: Notes on the Decision to Work 1973 Vintage Books; pp. 115-119 (omitted from 1981 edition of same) Think very seriously before you decide to work on yourself with the idea of changing yourself, that is, to work with the definite aim to become conscious and to develop the connection with higher centers. This work admits of no compromise and it requires a ...

P.D. Ouspensky's soulful 1908 observations concerning the Sphinx ...

Sacrifice Suffering from Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, p. 274, and Nicoll's Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, vol. 4, pp. 1239-1242 from Ouspensky's Search, p. 274 I have already said before that sacrifice is necessary, said G. Without sacrifice nothing can be attained. But if there is anything in the world that people do not understand it is the ...

Sincerity Life is real only then, when I am p136 For an all-round assimilation of both these assisting or as might otherwise be called helping exercises for the mastering of the chief exercise, I now, at the very beginning of the formation of this new group composed of various persons pursuing one and the same aim, find it necessary to warn you of an indispensable condition for the ...

Stopping Thoughts from Ouspensky's Fourth Way, pp. 115-118 and 380 Q. What is the distinction in the meaning of attention and consciousness A. Attention can be regarded as the elementary beginning of consciousness--the first degree. It is not full awareness for it is only directed one way. As I said, consciousness needs double attention. Q. What is the object of attaining this higher ...

Submission of Will from Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, pp. 159-61 Gurdjieff: In the life of an ordinary man truth and falsehood have no moral value of any kind because a man can never keep to one single truth. His truth changes. If for a certain time it does not change, it is simply because it is kept by 'buffers.' And a man can never tell the truth. Sometimes 'it tells' the truth, ...

The Quiet Place from Ouspensky's Fourth Way, pp. 132-133 Q. I had a problem which was worrying me. I tried to self-remember and for a short time I got into a state in which it was no longer possible to worry, and at the same time my sense of values generally changed. This state did not last long, but the problem, when it returned as one, did not again assume the importance it had before. I ...

Work on Uncontrolled Imagination from Ouspensky's Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution, pp. 47-50 Now we must see what are those harmful features that man finds in himself. Speaking in general, they are all mechanical manifestations. The first, as has already been said, is lying.... The second dangerous feature he finds in himself is imagination. Very soon after starting his observation of ...

Exist as You Exist from Gurdjieff's All and Everything, p. 78 So in the meantime, exist as you exist. Only do not forget one thing, namely, at your age it is indispensably necessary that every day, at sunrise, while watching the reflection of its splendor, you bring about a contact between your consciousness and the various unconscious parts of your general presence. Try to make this state last ...

I am, I can, I wish from Gurdjieff's Life is real only then, when 'I am, ' pp. 110-111 For an approximate definition of the first of these three human impulses which must arise and manifest themselves in a real man, one might employ the English word can, yet not in the sense in which this word is used in the contemporary English language but in the sense in which Englishmen used it before what ...

Like What It Does Not Like from Gurdjieff's Views from the Real World, pp. 243-245 There are two kinds of love: one, the love of a slave; the other, which must be acquired by work. The first has no value at all; only the second has value, that is, love acquired through work. This is the love about which all religions speak. If you love when it loves, it does not depend on you and so has no ...

No News from Gurdjieff's Life is real only then, when 'I am, ' pp. 103-5 This benevolent advice of mine to you Americans, composing in the given case this group, and who became, thanks to a series of accidentally arranged circumstances of life, my nearest essential friends, consists in indicating the categorical necessity that each of you should cease entirely, at least for three months, the ...

Separating the Mind from the Essence from Gurdjieff's Views from the Real World, pp. 148-150 As long as a man does not separate himself from himself he can achieve nothing, and no one can help him. To govern oneself is a very difficult thing--it is a problem for the future; it requires much power and demands much work. But this first thing, to separate oneself from oneself, does not require ...

Walking with Momentum from Gurdjieff's Views from the Real World Pp 116 & 161 It is a very interesting thing, and you must try to understand what I am saying about momentum. When I make a sudden movement, energy flows in, but when I repeat the movement the momentum no longer takes energy. (He demonstrates.) At the moment when energy has given the initial push, the flow of energy stops and ...

One Thing You Can Do from Nicoll's Commentaries, pp. 369-370 One of the objects of self-observation is actually to observe something. Now I must say here that to take the Work-phrase Man cannot do in such a way that one makes no effort is a very good example of chaotic thinking in the Work. There is one thing that you are told you can do in regard to yourself and that is that you can observe ...

Opposite Attitudes from Nicoll Commentaries , pp. 1263-4 On one occasion I asked Gurdjieff, through an interpreter, whether it was necessary for everything to be overcome in oneself. He said: No and seemed then to speak in an indirect way more of the necessity of creating new attitudes to things so that, so to speak, it was comparable to crossing from one side to the other, as when crossing ...

Relaxation from Nicoll's Commentaries, pp 1252 and 809 We are taught to practise relaxation. In some situations it is the only thing we can practise--just to relax and not think. Begin with the small muscles of the face. Yes-- but to relax the muscles of the face it is necessary to become conscious that they are tightened or contracted. A muscle can tighten without visibly contracting. It can be ...

Intentional Observation from Ouspensky's The Fourth Way, pp. 43 &54 Q. Does one acquire knowledge of oneself through self-observation A. Self-observation is connected with certain definite practices. If you just start observing how things happen, you will miss many things; but if you try to struggle against some of the things you see, for instance against small habits, you will at once begin ...

Remember Yourself from Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, p. 118 But before making deductions, I will try to describe my attempts to remember myself. The first impression was that attempts to remember myself or to be conscious of myself, to say to myself, I am walking, I am doing, and continually feel this I, stopped thought. When I was feeling I, I could neither think nor speak; even ...

Sleeping People from Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, p. 265 After this there followed a strange period of time. It lasted about three weeks. And during this period from time to time I saw sleeping people. This requires a particular explanation. Two or three days after G.'s departure I was walking along the Troitsky street and suddenly I saw that the man who was walking towards me ...

Third Element From Ouspensky's A New Model of the Universe, p294 In this incident I undoubtedly came into contact with the possibility of a different vision in the world of things and events. But, speaking generally, all the questions which I asked myself referring to real life or to concrete knowledge led to nothing. I think that this is connected with a principle which became clear to me ...

Ask Yourself from Gurdjieff's Views from the Real World, pp. 56-59 The more a man studies the obstacles and deceptions which lie in wait for him at every step in this realm, the more convinced he becomes that it is impossible to travel the path of self-development on the chance instructions of chance people, or the kind of information culled from reading and casual talk. At the same time he ...

Blending from Gurdjieff's Life is real only then, when 'I am, ' p. 140 Well then, I am now sitting among you, as you see, and although I am looking at Mr. L yet I am intentionally directing all my attention, which you are not able to see, on my foot, and consequently any manifestation Mr. L produces within my field of vision I see only automatically--my attention, which at the present moment ...

Dualities ( Seal of Solomon ) from Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, pp. 280-82 Gurdjieff: The understanding of symbols can be approached in the following way: In studying the world of phenomena a man first of all sees in everything the manifestation of two principles, one opposed to the other, which in conjunction or in opposition, give one result or another, that is, reflect the ...

External Considering from Gurdjieff's Views from the Real World Page 94-96 Everyone is in great need of one particular exercise, both if one wants to continue working and for external life. We have two lives, inner and outer life, and so we also have two kinds of considering. We constantly consider. When she looks at me, I feel inside a dislike of her, I am cross with her, but externally I am ...

I Am from Gurdjieff's Life is real only then, when 'I am, ' pp. 134-137 For the correct understanding of the significance of this first assisting exercise, it is first of all necessary to know that when a normal man, that is, a man who already has his real I, his will, and all the other properties of a real man, pronounces aloud or to himself the words I am, then there always proceeds in him, ...

Sounding from Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, p. 304 On one occasion, in connection with the description of exercises in concentration and bringing the attention from one part of the body to another, G. asked: When you pronounce the word 'I' aloud, have you noticed where this word sounds in you We did not at once understand what he meant. But we very soon began to notice that when ...

Doing as One Likes from Orage's Psychological Exercises and Essays, pp. 109-112 There is no higher aim than to do as we like, provided that we first know what we like and, secondly, can actually do it. But these are the difficulties: we do not know what we like, and, when we find out, we too often discover we cannot, in fact, do it--and not because people or circumstances forcibly restrain us, ...

Dying Daily from Orage's Psychological Exercises and Essays, pp. 105-108 It is said by those who have survived death that before the final plunge into unconsciousness the whole of a man's life is unrolled before him in pictures. Not a detail of the panorama is omitted, and every colour, form, and movement is reproduced in all its original lustre. Whether this is true of all causes or only in ...

Intuition from Orage's Psychological Exercises and Essays, pp. 102-104 For adults the possible means of developing intuition must of necessity be different . They cannot revive the early tendencies of childhood; they cannot become little children again, and grow up where they left off. At least, the means are not the same. By what means, if any, can adults try to repair the defect of their ...

Pondering from A. R. Orage's Commentaries on G. I. Gurdjieff's All and Everything, ed. C. S. Nott, pp. 56-58, 62-63. Orage: As has been said, a man should spend half, or at least a third, of his life in pondering. Helkdonis stands in relation to the assimilation of foods as pondering stands in relation to impressions. One of us said: A man must make an effort to resolve the struggle between ...

Three Times from Orage's Psychological Exercises and Essays, pp. 85-88 Time seems long or short to us according as it is filled or empty. We may compare time to a string on which beads are threaded. When the beads are very close together we are not aware of the string. The farther they are apart the more the string shows. ... Have you ever considered the possibilities of doubling or trebling ...

World View from Orage's Commentaries on All and Everything, p 51. Can we, in this life, develop our emotional and mental potentialities, become Platos or Hypatias, which in pre-Babylonian times were normal In this decline, from intuition and understanding, to rationalism, came the decline of religion and the invention of the maleficient idea of good and evil. What is our world-view Is the ...

Elder from Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, p. 294 Gurdjieff: Speaking in general it must be understood that the enneagram is a universal symbol. All knowledge can be included in the enneagram and with the help of the enneagram it can be interpreted. And in this connection only what a man is able to put into the enneagram does he actually know, that is, understand. What he cannot put ...

Life Story from Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, pp. 247, 249 Gurdjieff: Some of you think you can see types but they are not types at all that you see. In order to see types one must know one's own type and be able to 'depart' from it. In order to know one's own type one must make a good study of one's life, one's whole life from the very beginning; one must know why, and how, things ...

Self-observation from Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, pp. 146-49 Gurdjieff: When a man comes to realize the necessity not only for self-study and self-observation but also for work on himself with the object of changing himself, the character of his self-observation must change. He has so far studied the details of the work of the centers, trying only to register this or that ...

Three Finger from Gurdjieff s Life is real only then, when 'I am, ' pp. 112-116 Based on my own experience, I consider it absolutely necessary to note here that the difficulty of a clear understanding of all this without a long and deep reflection and, in general, the complication of the process of standing on the right path for the obtaining in one's common presence of factors for engendering ...