Week 11

Fourth Way Wisdom Work: Self-Remembering
Week Eleven

NOTES FROM BOB SABATH: INNER PRACTICE AND MOVEMENTS EXERCISES

This week’s reading challenges us to find different ways of Self-Remembering at different times of the day and in different states: “If you are in a bad state you remember yourself in one way, and when in a good state you have to remember yourself in another way and it is often more difficult.”

Maybe we can report on our different experiments with Self-Remembering, both in bad states and in good states within ourselves.  Is it true for you that Self-Remembering is more difficult when you are in a good state?

This week’s reading challenges us:

“Try to remember yourself, do not merely think about it or discuss it, but try to do it privately, intimately; and if you can as yet do nothing better, try to stop your thoughts, try to separate from your inner state as it is at this moment and regard it as being of no consequence and not you. This may open something, may lift something up to the level of the 3rd State of Consciousness. Something at a higher level will then recognize you, become aware of you, as if you have stepped through a door.”

Does something at a higher level recognize and become aware of you?  Have you stepped through the door?

If you want to share with others how you are working with this week’s reading, you can post your comments in the Discussion Forum for Week Eleven.

We will lightly continue with our core inner work practice:

  1. Become aware of the natural flow of your breathing for a few breaths, noting the sensation or presence of the physical body as the air comes in and goes out. Relax the body as you breathe out.
  2. Let a feeling of gratitude or wonder arise. Relax into a feeling of gratitude or wonder for life or for whatever you may feel gratitude for. Do this for a few more breathes.
  3. For the next few breaths, say inwardly “I”, as you inhale, breathing with the intention of taking in finer energies or substances in the air and feeling a connection to Higher help. When you breathe out say inwardly “AM”, with an awareness of your whole body physical presence.
  4. Finish in three breaths with Inner words: “Lord Help Me”; “Lord Help Us”; “Lord Have Mercy”.

The exercise itself is a form of self-remembering — returning from “all these other things” back to ourselves.  Its aim is to practice three-centered awareness — observing (seeing), sensing, feeling. Engaging all three centers and having a sense of whole body awareness is essential. Activating gratitude, wonder, a sense of our own being, or our own inner poverty and need for higher help — all are good catalysts for self-remembering.

Post your reflections on Week Four reading and your own inner-life experiments in the Discussion Forum for Week Eleven.

GOSPEL OF THOMAS AND WEEKLY LECTIONARY READINGS

Do you see any connections between these scripture readings and the Nicoll commentary reading for this week?  Post any reflection in the work group discussion for week eleven.

Gospel of Thomas – Logion 26: Humility

Yeshua says…

You detect a speck in your brother’s eye,
but fail to perceive the beam sticking out of your own.
Remove the timber from your eye,
and you will see clearly enough
to extract the speck lodged in the eye of your brother.

 

LECTIONARY FOR LENT 5B, March 18, 2018

John 12:20-33 (New International Version)

  1. Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival.
  2. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”
  3. Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
  4. Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified
  5. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
  6. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
  7. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
  8. “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.
  9. Father, glorify your name!”
    Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
  10. The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
  11. Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine.
  12. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.
  13. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
  14. He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

Psalm 51:1-12 (New International Version)

  1. Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
    according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
  2. Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.
  3. For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
  4. Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
    so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
  5. Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
  6. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
  7. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
  8. Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
  9. Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.
  10. Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
  11. Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
  12. Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

WEEK ELEVEN READING FROM NICOLL’S PSYCHOLOGICAL COMMENTARIES

The following reading is taken from Maurice Nicoll, Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, Vol. 3, 1996 Edition: Samuel Weiser Inc., pp. 925-927

NOTE: This week’s reading is edited to reflect more inclusive language. Post any reflections from this reading in the work group discussion for week eleven.

A SHORT NOTE ON DIFFERENT WAYS OF SELF-REMEMBERING

It has been said that Self-Remembering gives a shock to the whole Being and actually provides better food for the cells of the body. But we do not give this shock to ourselves ordinarily and for that reason it is called the First Conscious Shock, because it has to be done deliberately. It is not done in nature.

The natural shock that is given to the body is the act of breathing. The act of breathing gives a shock to the Food Octave starting at 768 and transforming itself successively until it reaches Si 12. This is a mechanical shock.

The most important and the most practical thing that we can do

Now the First Conscious Shock is what was always emphasized in the earlier part of the teaching as the most important and the most practical thing that we can do. We must learn what it means to remember ourselves and practice it every day at least more than once.

There are many different ways of remembering oneself

Since it is so important it is always a good thing to remind ourselves about it and once more to study it. There are many different ways of remembering oneself but in every case it means not identifying with something and so separating from something by feeling one is different from it.

There is no mechanical way of Self-Remembering.

There is no mechanical way of Self-Remembering. It is, speaking on a lower scale, like saying there is no mechanical way of self-observation. Both acts require intelligence and consciousness and vision. A monk may mutter prayers all day long and miss the mark completely. It might indeed be very much better for him if he took in impressions at a particular moment and did not mutter mechanical prayers.

The Sly One’s Pill

On one occasion, when Mr. Ouspensky was asked: “What is this pill that Sly One makes and swallow?” he said that one meaning was that a Sly One remembers oneself in different ways under different conditions.

I will quote his words. He was asked the question: “What is it that the fakir suffers years to get and the monk weeks and the yogi days?” He answered: “Understanding.” He was then asked: “What is the pill that Sly One takes?”

He said: “It is composed of many things. One must self-remember to be able to take the pill.”

What is the difference between desire and will?

He was then asked in some connection that I have forgotten bearing on the same subject: “What is the difference between desire and will?” He answered: “We can do what we desire but if we do what we do not desire this shows Will.” He then added that all Self-Remembering must have an element of Will-control. It is an act of doing–the only one we can make.

Aim must connect with Self-Remembering 

Now we know that this Work teaches that the only place where we can interfere with our machine in a right way is to give it the First Conscious Shock, or the shock of Self-Remembering. That is why aim must connect with Self-Remembering. To try to carry out aim without any state of Self-Remembering accompanying it is to try to do from the wrong place, from the machine itself. I once emphasized to you that the Driver must climb up on to the box–that is, he must be on a higher level before he can control the horse and carriage. Remember yourself and then remember your aim.

Different kinds of Self-Remembering

Ouspensky said more definitely about Sly One’s pill that it was different kinds of Self-Remembering. He said: “You must find it out for yourselves gradually. It has to do with different influences, one kind for one person, one kind for another person, and so different for each person. At different hours of the day it is different for each person.”

We must learn to remember ourselves in different ways

This means that we must learn to remember ourselves in different ways. It is one and the same thing only in the sense that it means that you separate from and cease to identify with something that is getting hold of you. Only in that respect it is always the same. It is always the same because it is a lifting of oneself above the level of ordinary ‘I’s, above the stream of thoughts, pre-occupations and moods, but the direction that it takes will be different.

Self-Remembering always means a fuller state of consciousness

Self-Remembering always means a fuller state of consciousness, but you do not get a fuller state of consciousness by always looking at things in the same way, because that will either miss the mark or lead to mechanicalness. If one always looks through an eastern window, one will not see the sun all day. If you are in a bad state you remember yourself in one way, and when in a good state you have to remember yourself in another way and it is often more difficult.

Do not give full belief to your state

But in every case you do not give full belief to your state but to something you could be and indeed once were–something you have forgotten. In the act of Self-Remembering you distinguish yourself from the person you have become in life. And you distinguish yourself from your present thought and mood.

Slowly it is given you to see that all this is not ‘I’. Otherwise one simply remains one’s random foolish thoughts and useless states–a kaleidoscope–and this is being asleep in mechanical states, in typical faults. Then we are at the mercy of every set of negative ‘I’s that seek to destroy us–and of these we have enough.

Everyone is being eaten all the time by bad states

Do you realize that everyone is being eaten all the time by bad states, bad ‘I’s, by useless identification, and so feeds the Moon? In a state of Self-Remembering this is impossible. The influences of the Moon do not penetrate to the 3rd State of Consciousness. When we understand this we know we must fight to remember ourselves.

Struggle not to believe your states

We simply must remember ourselves and stop considering. Struggle not to believe your states–only the state of Self-Remembering.

We should be able to turn round in ourselves

Gurdjieff once said: “We should be able to turn round in ourselves.” Now this means that we are stuck to nothing in ourselves. When we identify we stick to things and so cannot get free and cannot turn round. It is true things matter. But non-identifying matters most. Things both matter and do not matter. It is a double feeling. Things are serious and not serious.

There are different forms of Self-Remembering at different times

People pestered Mr. Ouspensky to explain exactly what the pill of the Sly One is. They were not content with having to study it for themselves and with the hint that it was different forms of Self-Remembering at different times.

He answered: “If you would not identify with the idea of slyness, then you might understand better what is meant.” He sometimes said: “You may pass into a relative state of Self-Remembering without any direct effort. All that you notice is that you are in an unusual state and that you are not identified with anything. The whole of life and its cares is dropped away and yet you see everything very clearly.”

To identify is to cease to remember

Now when we practice Self-Remembering we can have what we want. We can have what we want as long as we do not identify with it, because to identify is to cease to remember.

All you have to do is to remember yourself

“What have I to do?” was the constant cry in the early years of this Work. And the answer was always the same: “All you have to do is to remember yourself.” Now if you think that this is a giving up of yourself you are quite wrong. It is finding yourself and losing what you took as yourself–all this mess one is.

Help can reach us

If we can get as far in this Work as to know Self-Remembering and to realize when we are not remembering ourselves we have gone a long way and reached a goal. For in this state of Self-Remembering, in the 3rd State of Consciousness, influences can reach us which cannot reach us otherwise–in fact, help can reach us. We are taught internally.

Once we know or witness this help as a personal experience we understand the Work because its knowledge has led us to this point of perceiving truth. We see what the Work means, without words, because it shows itself.

So I remind you again:

Something at a higher level will then recognize you

“Try to remember yourself, do not merely think about it or discuss it, but try to do it privately, intimately; and if you can as yet do nothing better, try to stop your thoughts, try to separate from your inner state as it is at this moment and regard it as being of no consequence and not you. This may open something, may lift something up to the level of the 3rd State of Consciousness. Something at a higher level will then recognize you, become aware of you, as if you have stepped through a door.”

The Fourth Way Wisdom Work group is a program of Wisdom Way of Knowing. Any errors or omissions are unintentional and will be corrected in future offerings of The Fourth Way Wisdom Work as they are called to our attention.   If you are using the links below from your phone, you will need to login with your email and password to have access to the class material.

Dashboard
Fourth Way Wisdom Work
Introductions and Intentions
Class Readings
Class Discussions
Technical Help
Work Group Resources
Inner Work Practice
Movement #39 Teaching
Movement #39 (PDF)
First Obligatory Teaching
First Obligatory (PDF)
Week One Lesson (web)
Week One Lesson (PDF)
Week One Discussion
Week Two Lesson (web)
Week Two Lesson (PDF)
Week Two Discussion
Week Three Lesson (web)
Week Three Lesson (PDF)
Week Three Discussion
Week Four Lesson (web)
Week Four Lesson (PDF)
Week Four Discussion
Week Five Lesson (web)
Week Five Lesson (PDF)
Week Five Discussion
Week Six Lesson (web)
Week Six Lesson (PDF)
Week Six Discussion
Week Seven Lesson (web)
Week Seven Lesson (PDF)
Week Seven Discussion
Week Eight Lesson (web)
Week Eight Lesson (PDF)
Week Eight Discussion
Week Nine Lesson (web)
Week Nine Lesson (PDF)
Week Nine Discussion
Week Ten Lesson (web)
Week Ten Lesson (PDF)
Week Ten Discussion
Week Eleven Lesson (web)
Week Eleven Lesson (PDF)
Week Eleven Discussion
Change your account information and click on “Edit Profile”

Back to