The following is an excerpt from one of Maurice Nicoll’s commentaries entitled:  ON AWAKENING FROM SLEEP.  It is from his 3rd book of “Psychological Commentaries on the Teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky.” ON AWAKENING FROM SLEEP We are studying a system of ideas sometimes called esoteric Christianity and which amongst ourselves we call the Work.  This system…

I Begin With Simple Things Seeing the world, seeing humanity, the “me”, and the necessity of a total, radical revolution, how is it possible to bring it about? It can only be brought about when the observer no longer makes an effort to change, because he himself is part of what he tries to change.…

A Note on Relaxation (Maurice Nicoll, Psychological Commentaries on the Teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky) It is a long time since we spoke about relaxing.  On several occasions in the past we were told that we had to relax and to practise relaxation every day. Of course this has become a familiar word having no…

                        (from Esoteric Encyclopedia of Eternal Knowledge by Vernon Howard) “A teacher said to his audience, ‘We have been studying together for six months.  By this time our intended accomplishments should be clear.  Please give them to me in single sentences.’  The students responded:…

By watching my day and seeing how life unfolds, I notice the inner and outer world are exactly the same.  Vernon Howard speaks on this in Esoteric Encyclopedia of Eternal Knowledge: Inner and Outer ‘There is a teaching I wish to grasp more fully,’ stated Alan. ‘The inner and the outer are the same.  What…

The Light of Self-Honesty Keith stated, “All of us sense the power of self-honesty.  How can we make it work for us?” “When  a man takes an unpleasant fact about himself as a fact, and not as a hurtful criticism, it ceases to be a fact.  This is mental magic.  Suppose a deceitful man is…

Pure Observation What follows are excerpts by Jiddu Krishnamurti regarding Pure Observation:  that is, observation without the accumulation of an ‘Observer’; without the one who criticizes, holds accounts and judges. Questioner: How is one to empty the past? Krishnamurti: You cannot. You empty the past totally when there is no observer. It is the observer who…

Most always we rush through our lives, never paying proper attention to our thoughts and beliefs.  Sadly, we find ourselves tired and irritable at the end of the day.  If we’ll slow down a little, we can become aware of these thoughts before they take root in our minds and potentially ruin our lives. In Freedom…

The Single-Most Important Question Any Human Being Can Ask         (an excerpt from a talk given by Vernon Howard)   “Am I willing as a human being here on this earth to understand that I’m living in unconscious self-conceit, and do I want to go above that? Now there it is! You…

Your Five Magic Steps to Truly Victorious Living (an excerpt from Pathways to Perfect Living by Vernon Howard) Esoteric wisdom quickly defeats whatever now defeats you.  To gain this wisdom, let’s examine the five steps to victory: 1. The Event 2. The Disturbance 3. The Endurance 4. The Awakening 5. The Victory Presently, you may…

ACCEPT THE CORRECTION (Excerpt from a talk by Vernon Howard) Have you noticed how comfortable this society that you live in is with its wrongness?  Real slow now, so you can see the whole story.  Have you noticed how comfortable people are in their misery? Think of the word ‘settled’,  that will make it clear. …