Where Is God Just Now?

A kastousilia, according to Gurdjieff’s father, is a (seemingly) ordinary exchange between elders for the benefit of pupils. The following exchange took place between Gurdjieff's father and Father Borsh, Dean of Kars Academy, in Gurdjieff’s father’s workshop.  The story is from Chapter II in Meetings With Remarkable Men,written by Gurdjieff. Meetings  is well worth reading again and again – especially for those who may have forgotten the extraordinary nature and value of the relationship between elder/teacher and pupil in any serious study.
                                                                         ~ ~ ~

Father Dean Borsh (as he walks into the workshop unexpectedly asks): Where is God just now?
Father: He is in heaven.
Father Dean Borsh: What is he doing there?
Father (answers most seriously): God is just now in Sari Kamish.
Father Dean Borsh: What is God doing there?
Father: God is making double ladders there and on the tops of them [is] fastening happiness so that individual people and all nations might ascend and descend.

                                                                        ~ ~ ~

Many tend, over the years, to forget Meetings with Remarkable Men and the stories he tells  about his formative years and the extraordinary people he met during that time who had indelible influences on him. Too many people are content to watch the movie without revisiting the book in which the visual distractions of the actors, scenery and costumes are absent - leaving room for you. When you read the stories, there is just you, the story and God – and maybe Mr. Gurdjieff, off smiling somewhere seeing that perhaps he did not waste his breath.

                                                                          ~ ~ ~

Gurdjieff's story reminds me of  Jacob's dream in the book of Genesis (28:11–19)

     Jacob left Beersheba, and went toward Haran. He came to the place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it [or "beside him"] and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it." And he was afraid, and said, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."



Be Calm, Walk Steady In Peace, BE

Manna From Heaven

Drawing ~ Lalo 2008


I met a lovely young man, a seeker of knowledge and wisdom,  at a meeting last week who gave me a book mark, which had the following printed on it:
                                                           ~~~
                                          The Great Commandments
Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
                                                                            Matthew 22:37-40
                                                          ~~~

The young man told us he has always wondered what our purpose on earth is and has searched and searched for the answer. His search has taken him on an interesting journey in his life and, at this time, believes the answer is: "Our highest purpose is to become fully conscious; and when we become fully conscious we become pure love - and by doing so aid, along with others who have attained pure consciousness,  in raising [the vibrational level of] humanity."

Thank you, George, for sharing your self with us. I am glad you are here.

Be at Peace, Be Love, BE

A Natural Conversation

What I Am In This Moment disturbs you. There is no ordinary ‘entertainment’ for the sleeping man in I Am. As you look at me in horror exclaiming: “What’s wrong? Are you dying? Am I dying?” a giggle rises to my chest.  My heart is tickled by your innocence. Compassion comes for Us.

“Maybe.” I answer, “It’s okay, I AM just breathing in This Moment. Relax Your Self. BE Still. BE In Peace. BE.”

As you Stop to breathe, I See You returning Home.

 Hello

What Is This Forgetting

What is this forgetting

Does true human kindness not exist
Its counterfeit employed only when
It fits the agenda of sleeping man

Kings on Queens, wry faces greet the news
Jacks wriggle in their seats.
As a liars “You lie!” lingers in the air
A last ditch accusation
When told you have to share

“Not fair, not fair!” come the cries
From greedy mouths filled with plenty
As those who are hungry stand by
Shocked, incredulous
Stomachs empty
You were heard, you were seen
The world knows what you are

All the trappings in the world
Are not the proof in your pudding

What is this forgetting

Lip service does not serve
In a dying world of broken hearts
Of starving children
The sick and elderly sleeping in the streets
As you play Monopoly with their lives

Do No Harm, Love Thy Neighbor, BE at Peace

Change

Commentaries: Book I: Birdlip, May 4, 1941

"It is very necessary at this moment to understand what the Fourth Way mean. There are four ways of work on oneself. We [practice] the Fourth Way which is the most difficult of all because it must be practiced in the midst of life. The Way of the Fakir - that is - the First Way - the Way of the Monk - that is the Second Way - the way of the Yogi - that is the Third Way, is not our way. We have to speak on the small scale of ourselves, but the point is that we are, even on this small scale, trying to follow the Fourth Way which comes down into external life always when there is a period of disorder and chaos."

"Now I would like to say to you all that some of you do not understand the idea of the Fourth Way - for example, you appear to me to expect that the conditions that have existed at one time must or will always exist. This is quite wrong. The Fourth Way must always be related to the varying circumstances of life and can never become fixed and habitual. Suddenly it may be necessary to alter the whole external scheme of things. I want especially at this moment to have around me people who can understand this and who understand this and can relate themselves to different conditions and still maintain in themselves all the principles and ideas of the work. We have no idea how things will go in the future. But we understand that the work must continue in the future. And that means that people must be able to adjust themselves to completely different external conditions and yet maintain the sense and feeling of the work."

"In the Fourth Way the first main achievement is to become No. 4 man - that is, balanced man or all sided man. Now if some of you have formed an idea of what the external form of the work is from past associations and you find yourselves confronted with an entirely new external state of affairs and become negative you are really useless to me in so far as the Fourth Way is concerned. You must learn that every change in the work externally is always useful to you, whatever form it takes, and all of you must be prepared to follow the work in its changing outer manifestations and at all moments maintain a clear inner attitude towards it. [....]"

"I said a long time ago to you and repeated it several times that the work does not necessarily include coming to the Farm and that the Farm was distinct in a sense from the teaching of the work. The work exists through everyone's attitude towards it and no matter what the external situation may be it should make no difference to work in this sense. I am sorry that I have to say this but it is necessary to do so. For all that I know, we may find ourselves again in quite different circumstances, which again will require a proper understanding, and then again, and then again. People must understand that they are in the Fourth Way and that they must always be able to be "all things to all people" and to develop every side of themselves, in relation to society and to all forms of external life, to a reasonable point: otherwise they do not understand the idea of the Fourth Way which maintains itself in the midst of life amongst everything that goes on, adjusting itself and yet always maintaining itself internally. The Fourth Way is and must be the most "flexible" of all, but it requires a most flexible inner understanding and unless a person can be flexible, and yet maintain the feeling of the work, he is a rather difficult subject in connection with this line of the work. Every change in circumstances provides a very useful chance for everyone to learn something. When I have sufficient people around me whom I can trust, in the sense of their being able to deal normally with every kind of person they meet and with every situation in life, I will feel that I am able to extend the work in the way I wish to extend it eventually. And here I will remind you of "mechanicalness" in the work. If you cannot relate to one side or another in life you must make this one of your aims. There is not a single thing in life about which a man in the Fourth Way should not be knowledgeable, or capable of maintaining himself in connection with it. This Fourth Way is not romantic and it is no use having romantic feelings about the Farm in Essex. This Fourth Way is quite ruthless and as soon as something is finished - that is, gives no longer real value, it is abandoned. [...]"

"I would be very glad if you would all try to understand what I mean because it is important to draw attention to this point owing to the fact that so often everyone begins to "settle down" after a time into some form of Fourth Way work which he thinks is going to go on and on just like that. Unfortunately, such mental and emotional habits can be formed"

"I once said to G.: "Why don't you build more solidly?" (We were building a theater.) He said: "This only temporary. In a very short time everything will be different. Everyone will be elsewhere. Nothing can be built permanently at this moment." So it is necessary for everybody to understand in a way what this means. Many times G. had no work "externally" - that is, no place, no habitation. Everything seemed to have been dissolved away and from the external sensory point of view to have vanished, yet, as you know the work went on and was finally transmitted to this country, and yet this had nothing to do with the external form of the work, with the actual house or the situation and so on, and in view of what G. told me privately I fancy that we can have no permanent home for the work and that we will have to adjust ourselves to every kind of situation in the future. But all of you who have heard the teaching over a sufficient time should be able now to be quite tranquil about change in the external form or the external demands of the work and to relate yourselves instantly to them from the work point of view. The trouble is that things become mechanical and it is necessary for a shock to be given so that things are no longer mechanical. But the work continues in the same way and speaks with the same voice and gives the same force to those who acknowledge and practice it."

~ Maurice Nicoll

Be at Peace, Do no Harm, BE
Home Is where the Heart Is

Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother

~ from Transcripts: Meeting 23: Tuesday, 8 February 1944

" Giles: I have little knowledge of myself, especially of my essence. I never know how to be certain of myself. What means of investigation can I use to know if a thing comes from me or not?
Gurdjieff: Now you are philosophising. Necessary begin from something real. Now this is empty for me because you are empty. You did not start on the way of a real man. This is education. Seven factors are absent from your upbringing. I can tell you the first. You are not taught that for you your father is your God. For each man up to a certain age his father must be his God. God loves him who esteems his father. When the father dies, then there is a place where God can enter in. You have not this relationship with your father and your question springs from that. Now take as a task to put down all these factors in yourself which hinder you; establish a real relationship with your father.
Mme Dubeau: But if the father is unworthy - low?
Gurdjieff: Even if he is the worst criminal, if he is merde, the lowest among men, you must recognize your obligation. You don't know why he has become like that. Here is a law. He created you. You owe your existence to him. And he is answerable for your life in another world. If he is lowest of men in the eyes of everyone, let it be so - but inwardly you must feel your obligation. You have to pay him for your existence.
Gilles: But in order to establish a right relationship with someone, one has to be sure of what one is oneself.
Gurdjieff: You divide yourself in two parts. Inwardly you must not identify, outwardly you must play a role. Take all things as your guide. Your task now is to acquire inner freedom. This is the starting point for going further. And for that you have to do what I have told you. What does it mean to play a role? Try to understand it in a broader sense. Do everything that gives him pleasure. If he likes you to sit on his right, sit on his right. If at another moment he prefers the opposite, do it. Subjective role. With each person a different role. You accustom yourself to fulfill obligations. It is one of the aspects of a future free man. Not necessary to philosophise. After, yes. First prepare the ground. The ground has seven aspects. After that you can go as you like. In future, with each man you must play a role; for your egoism. [.....]"

Until the day Lord Pentland suggested the same task to me, I despised my father and my mother. I blamed them for everything that had gone wrong in my life. My father had already passed away and my mother was ill and bedridden. I began visiting my mother once a week after movements class. The class was held early in the morning in Manhattan at the Foundation. I would drive in from Sparkill at 7am, attend class, have breakfast at a diner across the street from Burger Heaven with some classmates and sometimes with Andre, our movements teacher, and then drive out to the Bronx where Mom was living with my older brother.

Mom and I'd had a terrible relationship almost from the time I began to talk. We were like oil and water. This one suggestion from Lord P. was the moving force behind a miraculous reconciliation between my parents and I. What I had not been able to do all my life came so easy through employing the ideas - using the tools given by the system. Mom and I soon became good friends. We were able to talk about those things that had come between us all those years and came to a place of forgiveness and love for each other. We reconciled the past before her death several years later. For this I am eternally grateful.

I also began thinking of my father in a different way. Every time I thought of him, I offered up little conversational prayers to him, and after all this time, I do still think of him almost every day. I thank him for being my dad and for being there for me as much as he could. I apologize for being such a difficult child. I focus on the good times we had - and feel compassion when I remember what he suffered here on earth. He had a very hard life. Both my parents did.

What is offered up to both of them now is a surge of love and gratitude straight from my heart. There is a nice clean light space in my heart now where there was once only darkness and poisonous hatred and resentment. This clean place is where Dad and Mom and others who have passed on live and where we visit from time to time. I write them long letters on the New Year and their birthdays and when I miss them more than usual. It is interesting that I do not remember so much the 'bad' things. It is the good things, the fun times that I remember now.

Be at Peace, Do no harm, Be Still, Be Happy, BE

About the Heart

"There are people who look at life through their brain, their head, and there are others who look at life through their heart. Between these two points of view there is a vast difference; so much difference that something that one person can see on the earth the other sees in heaven, something that one sees as small the other sees as great, of something that one sees as limited the other sees the unlimitedness. These two persons become opposite poles; it is as if one is looking at the sky, the other at the earth. No one will admit that he looks at things with his head; everyone will say, 'I look at life with my heart'. If he knew what it is to look at life from the heart, the best person in the world would say, 'I have not yet learned to look at life from the heart. I would like to know how to do it, I would like to learn it'. One might say that emotional and devotional people are flying in the clouds, while others with their reason and logic are standing on the earth. Yes, it is true...."
~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

continue reading

Listen, BE

Internal Considering

"You know that your natural state is to be very surprised that there is anything *wrong with ourselves. Of course, we often blame ourselves, as it were.We say, for example,: "Yes, I am afraid I was very much to blame for that incident."

"Yes, certainly you were." says the other person.

Are you not then startled? Why, you will be hurt and offended all at once."

"Now, self observation is very harsh and it becomes more harsh. If it is done sincerely it will hurt. But it lets light in and stops all sorts of rank weeds from growing within, and among them, all the strange growths due to internal considering and self pity and song singing. And then at last we begin to see what it means that a man must realize that he is nothing before he can begin to expect to be something"

~ Nicolle, "Commentaries', Book I, Birdlip, March 1, 1943

Perhaps, now, in 2009, the word 'wrong' and all of its ordinary associations can be softened a bit. Taken a bit more objectively wrong = incorrect - something that must be corrected if we are to move forward in inner growth. 'Right' or 'wrong' is not the point however - self observation of internal considering is. When taken with right attitude studying internal considering in ourselves is very valuable. Stand in front of what is 'wrong' in yourself, observe without identifying with and being taken by all the judgment, justification and inner talking about it for as long as you can. What can you see? Do not analyze. Breathe. What is the body doing? Keep it simple. Take pictures, take notes and keep moving forward in your day when the moment passes. Move on to the next moments.

Be Still, Be at Peace, BE

Ostrich

a conversation between King Snake and Lalo
from Lalo the Snake Catcher

"S: Lalo
L: Yes?
S: Is it true that ostriches bury their heads in the ground when they are afraid?
L: No, Snake, it is not. When an ostrich suspects danger is near it drops to the ground and stretches it neck straight out on it. From there it watches the perceived danger very intently and when it thinks the danger is too close, it runs away with great speed.

S: Hmmm… I wonder what an ostrich tastes like.
L: Probably like chicken my dear."

~LaloBean

"Pick a fear and run straight at it." ~ Steve Pavlina

Be at Peace, Be Still, BE

Where Does The Impulse to Gossip Come From?

So, what is gossip after all? For the gossiper isn't it: a form of manipulation, a convincing, a way to get what you want, a way to direct traffic in your own life and control others lives, a way to be to be 'better than', etc. And for the listener: a way to be one of the 'in' crowd, a way to be 'in the know', a way to be important, a way to gather 'ammunition', etc. Where does the impulse to gossip or to listen to gossip come from in yourself? Can you see from what part of yourself this gossip thing emerges and grows. Can you hear your 'accounts keeper's' voice; know it is the mischief maker's tool, the power mongers weapon, the cowards way? Do you hear the inner justifications and rationals you tell yourself to make spreading gossip - rumor, lies and innuendo a guiltless act to yourself? Do you see your self calming mechanisms at work? Is it like a morphine drip for those addicted to gossip?

The next time you are about to speak about someone or listen eagerly to someone who is doing so, look inside, observe yourself - where is the impulse coming from? What is the intention? How do you feel? Is there an edgy eagerness there? Is it real or part of the inner scripts? Can you see what your real purposes and intentions are when speaking about another person or entity?

The idea in the work that there are myriads of little "i's" that are not I (all of myself - together at once) is verifiably true, but as so many practitioners of the method seem to think, this reality does not get me off scott free from paying the bills they run up when I am not paying attention - not awake. At some point in your inner work you must step up and begin to be responsible. Paying these big bills keeps you on your toes - attentive more and more often - blaming others for the bills does not. "The devil made me do it" excuse does not work here. You can do something wrong once, not knowing it is wrong; when you finally do have an organic sense that it is wrong and not from that which is higher in you, and do it again knowing it is wrong, then it is a sin. Knowingly sinning in your work with others repeatedly is to muddy the work of everyone and you are responsible for it.

What is your real intention for engaging in this inner study? What do you wish for - truly? This is not an easy method. There is tremendous resistance to seeing how you really are. You must learn everything you can about the mechanism of resistance to seeing in self observation. You must develop the 'muscles' necessary to stand in front of and to get past the resistance to be able to see what you are seeing to the 'roots' of its existence. How close can you live to yourself - not as a judge, jury and abusive jailer - but as a Loving Guardian of your own inner growth. Can you open your heart to yourself, hold your own (essence) hand and keep moving toward transformation?

When you are speaking to someone, observe yourself, anchor your attention in your body and plant your feet on the ground. Observe what is going on inside you when you speak about people. You will gather a great deal of information that will help you to know yourself.

Be at Peace, Be Brave, Do no Harm

Gossip

I have used this story before - Good stories serve well forever. The following is a story told by a priest to his congregation during a sermon. It comes from the film "Doubt".

"A woman was gossiping with a friend about a man she hardly knew." [I must remind you here that men gossip as much as women do and for all the same reasons. L] The priest looks up at the congregation and says: " I know none of you have ever done this." and then he continues. "That night she had a dream. A great hand appeared over her and pointed a finger down at her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt. The next day she went to confession. She got the old parish priest and told him the whole thing.

"Is gossiping a sin?" she asked the old man. "Was that the hand of Almighty God pointing a finger at me? Should I be asking your absolution Father? Father, tell me, have I done something wrong?"

"Yes!", the priest answered. "Yes! You ignorantly badly brought up [person]! You've born false witness against your neighbor! You played fast and loose with his reputation and you should be heartily ashamed!"

The woman said she was sorry and asked forgiveness.

"Not so fast." said the priest. "I want you to go home, take a pillow off your bed, take it up to the roof, cut it open with a knife and return here to me."

So, the woman went home, took a pillow off her bed, got a knife from the kitchen, took them both up to the roof and stabbed and cut the pillow open. Then she went back to the priest and told him she'd done what he asked.

"Did you gut the pillow with a knife?" he asked.

"Yes, Father."

"And what was the result?" he asked.

"Feathers." she replied.

"Feathers." he repeated nodding his had up and down.

"Feathers everywhere, Father." she said, not yet getting the point.

The priest then told her: " Now, I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out on the wind."

Well," said the woman, "it can't be done, I don't know where they went. They flew all over"

"And that," said the priest, "is Gossip!"

If you take this story in on an organic level, either as the one who is gossiping or the one who is "innocently" listening, and live with it for awhile you will really understand what it means on a universal level. I heard, when I was very young, that gossip kills. As the years passed by, I discovered it was really true. Gossip kills everything.

Be At Peace, Do No Harm, BE