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Official Press Body of the LA TECA Associations
THE FOURTH WAY www.gurdjieff.es
Study notes
ENG // English version
#02
LaTeca Institute for Harmonious Development
Students of today
A light in the darkness The Christianity of the Origins
From here to the Absolute
The Language of the Essence
The Prophets
Homosexuality on the spiritual road
Homosexuality in the Fourth Way
LaTeca Institute for Harmonious Development
La Teca Brotherhood in Italy and abroad ROME CENTRAL AND NATIONAL OFFICE Viale Gottardo, 66 00141 - Roma (RM) Contact: Alessandro Albanese +39 (333) 4763495 Access by invitation only LEGNANO Via Carlo Cattaneo, 95 20025 - Legnano (MI) Contact: Giuseppe Rossetti +39 (347) 8277354 Access by invitation only
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THE FOURTH WAY EN // English version Number 2 Study notes // Official Press Body of the LA TECA Associations
Chairman Giovanni M. Quinti From an original idea by Luigi Di Sante and Sonia Iacoangeli Publisher La Teca Association, Barcelona - SPAIN Graphics José L. García Muedra Printing
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BARCELLONA Gran Via, 204 bis, local 4 08004 - Barcelona - Spain Contact: Giovanni M. Quinti +34 (630) 618422 Access by invitation only
APUNTS - Barcelona Contributors to this edition Eva M. Franchi, The Nag Hammadi Library Translated by Thomas O. Lambdin, Andrea Bertolini, Gisella di Palma, Sonia and Luigi di Sante, Giovanni M. Quinti.
"The Fourth Way" study notes are an international publication produced by the La Teca Association, Barcelona - Spain. For information on prices and subscriptions, visit the website: www.gurdjieff.es. On the same site you can purchase back issues, subject to availability, and with a surcharge. You can also take out a subscription and receive our study notes at home each month. Manuscripts, photographs and drawings sent to us will not be returned, even if they are not published. Please inform us in good time of any change of address, being sure to specify your old address as well as the new one. La Teca Association - Any reproduction, even partial, is prohibited if not authorised in writing by the editorial office. Registration n°. B-32081-2008
Other Study Groups are operative in the following cities: AREZZO, VICENZA and CATANIA For information on the headquarters of each Study Group, contact one of the Central Brotherhoods.
THE FOURTH WAY _Contents
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CONTENTS
page 5
3
Sufi Tales
Two Angels from Jalal ud-Din Rumi Our section of stories related to our teaching.
4
page 10
Editorial The obstacle is within man‌
An invitation to consider the "Divine" concept with a feeling of intimate affinity.
Study
5
Homosexuality on the road of the search
Gay in the Fourth Way
"The dynamics of sexuality do not have sex, do not have logic, and cannot be enclosed with preconceived opinions." Study
10 The Christianity of the Origins From here to the Absolute
An analysis of the influence the laws of conservation have on the mechanical man. Study
14 The language of the Essence The Prophets
The study of the Man who has found the essence: the fountain of deep instruction.
18 Today's students
page 14
A light in the darkness
page 18
Personal experience of a student of the Fourth Way.
20 Unknown text
The secret words of Jesus
Second part of the ancient apocryphal gospel of Thomas the apostle.
23 A metaphorical Story
The King's two daughters
A story whose ending has yet to be written.
25
Letters to the Founder Correspondence with the searchers
Our Founder's replies, and a new column summing up the fundamental concepts of the Fourth Way. page 20
Study
The indicated Articles have been read, studied and analyzed by the Study Groups La Teca, present in Italy and in Spain. If you wish to participate, send a request to: LA TECA - Gran VĂa, 204 bis (local 4) - 08004 Barcelona or email to: info@gurdjieff.es We will send you as soon as possible the address and the hours of our Study Groups meetings.
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THE FOURTH WAY_Sufi-Tales
Stories from the heart: lessons from the teacher
Two Angels from Jalal ud-Din Rumi
Two pure angels, named Harut and Marut, were condemned to the bottom of a well at the centre of the universe. They were known for their ability in the art of magic and this reputation attracted many people. Yet they revealed their science to no one. To those that insisted, they said to them: "We only display the magic to test men." Desires are like sleeping dogs. The good and the bad that are within them are hidden. Although they are as unmoving as a wooden board, the trumpets of desire ring as soon as their interest awakes. Hundreds of dogs wake up in this manner. Many hidden desires resurface; every hair of these dogs becomes a tooth, as in the case of a burning fire obtained from dried wood, or like the hunter that does not give warning to his prey. The sick man who has lost his appetite desires only to recover his health. But if we show him a loaf of bread or a fruit, he immediately forgets the need for his diet. If he can accomplish never losing patience, the presence of food would be useful because it would make him strong. But if he has no patience then he will lose everything he has ever gained!
Illustration by JosĂŠ L. GarcĂa Muedra
THE FOURTH WAY _Editorial
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editorial The obstacle is within man Welcome my friends! We continue to deliver some important articles that give evidence of many aspects of our cultural tradition. We have tried to emphasise the importance of centring our view to our interior, toward the centre, "that narrow road that leads us to rebirth". This is the condition needed to begin reaching a great objective that is a great window for us all. On the road to Understanding Self in our age, we have to admit that our inner self is justifiably what we know less of, even if we stubbornly believe that we are aware of it. As we work on our search, our comprehension and elevation of human nature, we have hundreds of preconceived opinions, judgements and acquired cultures that divert us. This type of educational baggage puts us in a difficult place with respect to the road we must choose. Our nature leads us to old roads, once considered correct, "We should not even though they have long not been. The high price to pay, to liberate oneself from the pretend to understand the illusions, is to renounce the stubbornness of a world only by the intellect; we real vision. This leads us to confirm that what was once true, perhaps no longer is. apprehend it just as much by feeling. Even here, we feel we are close to considering the concept of "the divine" Therefore, the judgement of the intellect is, with a feeling of intimate affinity. This at best, only the half of truth, and must, if it term, taken from Gnostic concepts of mediaeval mysticism, brings us back yet be honest, also come to an understanding again to a vision of God extremely close to the life of men... The notion of relativity of its inadequacy." in reference to the divine is marvellously expressed in these verses by the philosopher, preacher and German mystic, Meister Eckhart: "He who is honest, truly has Carl G. Jung God in him; but when you do not hold God within you and you look for him outside in this or that thing or you look for Him in an imbalanced way through works, people or places, then you do not possess God. The obstacle is within man, because within him God has not become all things, because to man the world has taken God's place". This open and total perception of God, considered as an intimate dependent relationship, necessary and absolutely separated from man, reminds us of a forgotten truth. This leaves us, again, in awe before the great reality that human nature, inevitably, tends to settle in obliviousness. We remember once again that God is a vital and divine force that can be considered in a personal way, represented as an image to become, at last, received by man to interpenetrate him and fill all his life. We conclude this editorial by leaving you these moving verses from Teacher Eckhart: "When they ask me: Why do we pray, why do we fast, why are we baptised? I answer: So that God is born in your soul and your soul is born into God. To this end the sacred texts have been written, for this God has created the world: so that God may be born in your soul and that your soul may be born in God. The intimate essence of every grain is wheat; of every metal, gold; and of every birth, man". Luigi and Sonia Di Sante
THE FOURTH WAY_Gay in the Fourth Way
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GAY IN THE FOURTH WAY Study JUDAISM "If a man lies with a male, as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."
by Giovanni M.Quinti
(Leviticus 20:13)
BUDDHISM
ISLAM
ZOROASTRIANISM
"…For Buddhism he coupling of man with man and woman with woman is considered bad sexual conduct." (Dalai Lama - June 8, 2000)
"When a man mounts another man, God's throne trembles", "Kill who does this, and also who allows it." (Hadith of Muhammad)
"The man who lies with another man, as if he were a woman, is a demon." (Vendidad of Avesta, The Zoroastrian equivalent of Leviticus)
CATHOLICISM "Marriage is sacred, while homosexual relations go against natural law and are harmful for the correct development of human society." (Cardinal Ratzinger in the "Document about homosexuality", while explaining the Catholic Church's position)
PROTESTANTISM "… In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters…" (St. Paul-Romans 1:27-30)
OUSPENSKY "… But it must again be remembered that only a person who is completely normal as regards sex has any chance in the work. Any kind of 'originality,' strange tastes, strange desires, or, on the other hand, fears, constantly working 'buffers,' must be destroyed from the very beginning. Modem education and modem life create an enormous number of sexual psychopaths. They have no chance at all in the work." (P.D. Ouspensky - Fragments of an Unknown Teaching page 264 English version)
THE FOURTH WAY_Gay in the Fourth Way
Study
Does a homosexual have the possibility of growing spiritually?
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Giovanni M. Quinti
It was July 8, 2000. In Rome, more than half a million people were marching in the streets for "World Gay Pride". On March 12, John Paul II makes a pronouncement in San Pedro, admitting culpability by the church, asking for forgiveness for all social injustices brought by the church during two thousand years of history: except to gays. This removes the massacre of the "sodomites", initiated by Roman Catholic emperors Valentino II and Justine and culminating with tens of thousands of sodomites brought by the inquisition to the civil tribunals to be burned at the stake. On April 8, an article by Gino Concetti, in the Roman "Observatore", remarked about the omission's justice. "Homosexual acts are intrinsically disorderly, are against the natural law‌ in no case may they be approved". In addition Concetti adds "in reference to the manner the inquisition tribunal acted, it is exaggeratedly attributed, by error or in purpose, an exorbitant number of victims".
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What do you think of homosexuality? What is your point of view on the subject?
On the same date of July 8, the Pontiff visited a Roman jail to ask for amnesty or a reduced sentence to all prisoners, ignoring (or slighting) the events developing in the plazas. The message is interpreted by the sensible as "better to be a delinquent than to be gay".(1) I was indifferent to all this. I had never participated in a gay parade, but convinced by friends and out of curiosity, I reached the Pyramid plaza. The sun's rays reached all heads, and around me I could listen to techno music, a great multitude, colours and sensations. Some cars, similar to those in the summer carnival, had dancers on top, masks and slogans. However, only two things caught my attention: two faces, two looks. One, of a boy who shouted: "Let us be free from religious phobias", his voice ranging between anger and fear. The other, of a woman. She was on top of an Agedo (Association of Parents of Homosexuals, which looks to help families in the 'coming out' phase) car. She turned toward me to hug me, with a look of infinite sadness. I was struck, for a moment, by a range of emotions that were not mine: yearnings, pain, love. That woman was projecting to me someone, in that instant I reached to her like a son. The son, who, I found out later, had died of AIDS the previous year. That hug was an initiation. Her perception of me, of my body, hit me and left me mad. It lasted an instant, an instant of infinite presence. It was an acceptance of a mother; a profound and unconditional acceptance. I had already experienced these sensations when, for example, I remained for many hours beside a sufi teacher. Without doing or saying anything, a profound love enveloped me completely, as if every atom of my body was being caressed. And from this blast of love, a new horizon of change came up, the possibility of creating a new man.
THE FOURTH WAY_Gay in the Fourth Way
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Does a homosexual have the possibility of growing spiritually?
Study
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Without this "love energy", any effort would be in vain. The objective of the study group, of those "called upon to free themselves" from the mechanical prison (EKKLESIA in Greek), is to produce such a "fundamental fuel", without which the Fourth Way's method, for example, would turn into a useless carcass. (2)
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For you personally, is acceptance of who you are a prelude for change? And in what way can the group contribute to such a process?
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From this point of view, the traditional Christian EKKLESIAS should revise its programmes and methods. Not only on those points surrounding homosexuality. They should attempt what the Armenian teacher G.I. Gurdjieff did, who attempted to reconcile orient with occident, the spirituality of the biological and scientific discoveries. If we tried to find references within them, we would be surprised at how this demonstrates the absolute backwardness over these issues of the great religious leaders and of P.D. Ouspensky himself. (3)
Xq28 Xq27.1
Xq27.3 Xq26.2
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What science subjects do you think religions should learn from? And vice versa?
Xq25 Xq23 Xq22.2 Xq21.33 Xq21.31 Xq21.1 Xq13.2 Xq12 Xp11.22 Xp11.3 Xp21.1
Cytogenetic Location: Xq28 Molecular Location on the X chromosome: base pairs 153,717,259 to 153,904,191
hypothalamus
Giovanni M. Quinti
Xp22.12
Xp21.3 Xp22.2
Xp22.32
The search group headed by Dean Hamer, of the National Health Institute, affirms to have found in the X chromosome region, called "xq28" that contains hundreds of genes, the determining gene of homosexuality. Studying the genealogical tree of 114 homosexual men, he has proved that 13.5% of their brothers were gay. 7.5% of male cousins and uncles from the mother's side also were gay. This is a much higher percentage than the population mean... Homosexuality may have, in 30% of all cases, a genetic base and be hereditary. The Italian geneticist Giovanna Camerino has discovered the gene for femininity. It is called DSS and it is very potent; it is capable of changing a mosquito with the male sex chromosome into a female mosquito. Ralph Greenpan, a geneticist from New York University, has recently created a bisexual mosquito in the laboratory by inserting feminine genes into male areas of the brain, in the areas that dominate the sense of smell, very important in animal sexuality. To reinforce the genetic hypothesis, there are other studies in the neurobiology sector done over homosexual brain patterns.
The leading suspect would be a zone in the hypothalamus, the inah-3 nucleus, which apparently is responsible for sexual behaviour. The inah-3 nucleus assumes different forms and dimensions, while the brain (during foetal development) changes to either masculine or feminine form. Said section of the hypothalamus in male homosexuals is very similar in form and dimension to females. But this is not the only similarity between both brains; in effect, the supraquismatic nucleus in the hypothalamus, which has the job of regulating some biological rhythms, is 70% larger in homosexuals.
THE FOURTH WAY_Gay in the Fourth Way
Study
Does a homosexual have the possibility of growing spiritually?
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Giovanni M. Quinti
The ignorance of the apostle Paul, justified by the historic period, and the ignorance that has continued throughout Christianity's history, may then be summarised in the Pauline clause : "‌In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women (or with men in the case of female homosexuality) and were inflamed with lust for one another". (Rm 1:27)
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Why do you think religions have difficulty accepting homosexuality?
The description of an intentional activity, of a deliberate choice of being gay, also appears in the Ouspenskyan view: "Any kind of 'originality', strange tastes, strange desires‌ must be destroyed and abandoned from the very beginning". (Ouspensky page 263 - emphasis is mine). However, a homosexual does not choose to be one, only simply follows his or her natural biology. Homosexuality is not accepted by the vast majority of western religions, be they Jewish, Christian or Muslim. (4) Also some "fundamentalist" Fourth Way groups, who are closer to Ouspensky's view than Gurdjieff's, solicit from their students a certificate of "healthy and robust heterosexuality". A young man from Rome wrote to me (Fabio B.): "I felt that my difference was not well looked upon by the other group members. Only later did I receive a document from the guide where homosexuality was openly condemned. I have asked for explanations and they have told me that being gay I would never have any possibility of evolving. At least until I resolve my psychological problems". The problem is that no psychologist could have "cured" him of this. I wish to remind readers that the WHO (World Health Organization, the body that establishes pathologies and diagnoses) for more than a decade, has ERASED homosexuality from the list of psychopathologies. Today, no scientist could define homosexuality as "against nature". Simply because it exists in nature. It is present among many animals, from insects to dogs1.
Illustration from the 16th century of a witch being burned
1
For a more in depth presentation consult: Simon Le Vay "The roots of sexuality", Laterza 1994).
Today, for doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists homosexuality is not a sickness, or an aberrant behaviour, but instead a HEALTHY expression of the possible faces of sexuality. In reality, the problem is more cultural than scientific or medical. In other cultures, traditions, historical periods, things were different. It was accepted in ancient Egypt and privileged in the Greek and later the Roman culture. In other cultures homosexual love is a sign of communication with the divine. For the shaman it is indicative of election, a signal of a privileged relationship with the transcendent.
THE FOURTH WAY_Gay in the Fourth Way
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Study
Does a homosexual have the possibility of growing spiritually?
Giovanni M. Quinti
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Spiritually, is it possible to be developed individuals while being homosexual? While being heterosexual?
Beethoven
Pope Sixtus IV Solita Solano
Kathryn Hulme
Michelangelo Walt Whitman
Cellini
Homosexuals include Michelangelo, Tchaikovsky, Oscar Wilde, Julius Caesar, the emperor Adriano, Leonardo da Vinci, Pope Sixtus IV, Giacomo Leopardi, Bienvenido Cellini, Walt Whitman, Beethoven and many other historical figures.
Homosexuality is not a prejudice that prevents the Work on the self; it certainly is not a factor for members of our Work groups. If it were we would be unable to comprehend for what motive Gurdjieff founded in 1936 a Fourth Way group of the name "The Rope", whose access was reserved exclusively for homosexual women. Part of the group was made up of Elizabeth Gordon, Solita Solano, Kathryn Hulme and many other intellectuals of the period. (5)
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Do you have a homosexual friend? Do you know of the problems society makes him or her live every day? Have you taken an interest in him or her, because of their personality?
What is important in the Work on the self is how to use the energy of sexuality, how much it dominates the other centres, how much and how does it control us. In future articles we will touch upon the Conscious Development of the sexual centre that has nothing to do with the election of the sexual object. We will discover that sexual dynamics have no sex, do not follow logic, have no moral or immoral attitude, and possess no feeling of "naturalness", as it is generally understood. In our groups no one is discriminated against on the basis of their sexual preferences, since we are close to the origins of Christianity (today hidden) it is true that: "…nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean". (Romans 14:14) (6)
THE FOURTH WAY_FROM HERE TO THE ABSOLUTE
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FROM HERE TO THE ABSOLUTE by Eva Maria Franchi
After the study of the 3 Forces the author guides us on our trip‌ In the most common field of human manifestations it seems evident that the conservative force tends to prevail. We intend to go on a diet or to quit smoking and, as in the majority of cases, we fail in favour of the old traditions. (1)
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Can you give other practical examples where the conservative force manifests itself?
At the global level, in the field of the history of human evolution, it is easier than on a personal level, that we are aware how the force that tends to maintain the status quo of all things prevails. In effect, it is not easy to maintain an impartial and distant attitude when the subject of study is our own selves. There is no doubt that it is more comfortable to read the books of history that remind us how after a revolution, often, there follows a uniformed dictatorship with a different name. Let us think of the French revolution, which was followed by the Napoleonic dictatorship, undoubtedly controversial, but daughter of illustrious ideas. Social justice is still protected, ghettos and the Inquisition are abolished, and then it falls back to the Restoration with Louis XVI's rise to the throne and returns to obscurity. In addition in our emancipated civilisation, the same conquests and social rights that seemed to be rights already granted threaten continually to be placed, once again, under judicial review.
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FROM HERE TO THE ABSOLUTE
by Eva Maria Franchi
All of this is expressed, justly, by the Law of Three that is always present, whether the evolutionary or nonevolutionary principle prevails... In the work toward the self, by evolutionary principle we mean that conscious force that permits us to get closer to our inner world, so we may make contact with the divine Will within us.
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By nonevolutionary we mean that mechanical force that distances us from our inner world.
To you, what does it mean that man is incapable of doing?
The Law of Three in its highest expression allows "doing". Gurdjieff constantly insists on the capacity for "doing". He sustains that a man's greatest conquest is his capacity for "doing". In addition he reaffirms that the ordinary man cannot do anything, even when he believes he can, everything that happens to him in reality is of accidental nature. (2) Let us look at the example of a successful actor.
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Has your life been influenced by events similar to this?
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Are we really sure that the success and fame that he has achieved came exclusively from his will, and not, to a great extent, to casual favourable situations? How many times have we read that an actress becomes famous after taking the role rejected by another? If the actress who had first been approached for the role had not rejected the role, would success have reached her substitute in any case? (3) Taking now the example of the actor, we may find out that an actor we thought of as victorious, famous and successful is really a sad man, frustrated and alcoholic. Can a star really choose the part that he wants? In most cases he does not have this option due to the type of contract. He may place his career in jeopardy if he chose to take a role that went against the image that has been created for him. And if the greatest desire of John Wayne, American symbol of the virile and victorious hero, were to have been the interpretation of a homosexual musician who falls in love with a young man in "Death in Venice", a role interpreted by Dirk Bogarde in Luchino Visconti's movie, do you think they would have allowed him to do so? We are under the illusion of being in control of our lives when we really are slaves of the character we interpret. We are subject to the mechanical laws. Even when it seems we have prevailed against them, it is because we have found ourselves accidentally in the favourable conditions that make up the illusion of getting results, but it only takes one storm to make everything we have planted in our illusion useless. Gurdjieff constantly insists on the fact that man "thinks" he wants, "thinks" he can do, without realising he is a slave of the illusion. According to G., only a man that has reached a superior state of consciousness can do; ordinary man cannot do. (4)
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Why do you think that is so?
In order to do we must be, before anything else, capable of distinguishing what we want to do from what we believe we want to do. It is not an easy task and cannot be taken for granted.
THE FOURTH WAY_FROM HERE TO THE ABSOLUTE
Study
FROM HERE TO THE ABSOLUTE
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by Eva Maria Franchi
? What do we really desire with all of our being and what is what we think we desire, driven by the numerous conditions of our personality and external accidental conditions?
To answer this question it is of fundamental importance to be able to understand the difference between Essence and Personality. "Essence", as the word itself implies, is man's essential part, the divine sparkle, what really is yours. "Personality", whose etymological Greek root means "mask", is man's false side, what really is not his, only his attitude, tastes, culture and preferences stimulated by the exterior, by the social environment where he has developed, by friends, people he frequently surrounds himself with, etc.
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Even though the essence represents the "divine" side of man, it is not formed or created from birth. This side needs to develop and grow, like the farmer's spinach (see the first part of the article), in "hostile" terrain contrary to its nature. Personality is also an instrument that must be developed and refined, yet in most cases, in today's society, it grows in excess. (5)
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Do you know anyone with a hypertrophic personality? A hypertrophic essence? Can you state an example even if you have to make one up?
The essence is the deepest part we have that allows us, if we adequately use it, to contact what Gurdjieff defines as the Higher Centres, or as the divine side we hide within ourselves. Personality, on the other hand, allows us to interact with the outside world. Let us go back to the example stated in the first part of the article:
ยก
two friends try to decide to go either to the movies or to the theatre. There are multiple possibilities. Movies or the theatre may prevail, they could separate and each go where they wish, or they might change their minds and go to eat a pizza. In any case, a decision must be made; if not, both friends would continue their discussion forever in the context of this example. Any of the options would be casual and mechanical. Suppose, on the other hand, that one of the two, the one with the most amenable character, had an instant of conscience; he interrupts the discussion with the excuse that he has to go to the bathroom and is alone for a moment. He asks himself: "What is my priority this afternoon? Go to the theatre or be with my friend?" He understands that his character is prone to "relent", but at the same time he realises that as he becomes conscious of this, he runs the risk of making the opposite mistake: imposing his will at all costs, due to the impulse of his inner rage. As he listens to himself, he realises that what he really wants is to be with his friend, where is of secondary importance. He then decides to go to the movies. This time his choice was not dictated mechanically by his character's typology, but instead by listening to his truer self. Only the essence may make contact with this voice. This is not possible with personality. However, when talking about essence and personality, one frequently makes the mistake of considering personality as something negative that must be fought and destroyed. The truth is that man could
THE FOURTH WAY_FROM HERE TO THE ABSOLUTE
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Study
FROM HERE TO THE ABSOLUTE
by Eva Maria Franchi
not live, study in depth, nor develop if he did not also have a personality. To better understand the concept, let us try to compare personality to machines, and the essence of man that should make it work. Machines are indispensable to today's society, as it has been developed, and there is no doubt that if used adequately they improve our quality of life, and give us new possibilities of development and knowledge. But what would happen if machines rebelled against man and dominated him? Many stories and movies have been made about this! If we pay attention we may observe that science fiction is not that far away from the truth. Consumerism, a consequence of industrialisation caused by machines, is unbalancing the planet's equilibrium, and producing faster and faster lifestyles that tend to nurture personality and drown the essence. The same occurs with our personality. When personality prevails over essence, this is a symptom of imbalance; as in a society where man is dominated by machines. But it is also a symptom of imbalance when the essence prevails over the personality; as in a society that denies itself the advantages of instruments and machines, leaving it lagging behind in the technical environment and exterior relationships. The objective resides in reaching equilibrium between the protagonist's essence and the mask that represents it. (6)
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Which of the two do you find more difficult to balance?
A man who has been able to develop harmoniously, whose essence has grown hand in hand with his personality, is not a slave of his masks (the distinct aspects of his personality) and is capable of putting them on and taking them off according to different circumstances, without identifying with them, without ever forgetting who he really is. The more we move away from the masks, we are less subjected to laws, because personality is a manifestation belonging to the mechanical world and, therefore, subject to mechanical laws. By the expression "taking away the masks" one does not mean "eliminate them", but to cease being controlled by their influence, and to be capable of choosing the mask you will use. This is not possible if, at the same time, the essence has not been developed, because only the essence, if it has grown to maturity, can find the objective of its existence, and, therefore, only the essence can desire. The essence is the seed that comes directly from God, and therefore, while it grows and develops with us, the more it will allow us to be in direct contact with the essential law, with the Will that emanates directly from God.
THE FOURTH WAY_Study and examination of the Sacred Texts
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THE PROPHETS Giovanni M. Quinti
The language of the Fourth Way shows many analogies with that of the Sacred Texts of western religions. Our aim in exploring these matters together is to identify the possible parallels between Gurdjieff's system and the Old and New Testament in particular. We will find that all aspects of the Master's teachings, from the concepts of work, essence and personality to the division between the higher and lower centres, have an equivalent in the Scriptures and in the Gospels.
THE FOURTH WAY_Study and examination of the Sacred Texts
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Study
The Prophets
Giovanni M. Quinti
? Who are or were the Prophets?
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Why do you think it is important to study the lives of the Prophets?
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What do you think it means to become the very Word of God?
The term "prophet" comes from the Greek: prophetes, which derives from pro (before) and phanai (to say), i.e., he who foretells. The Greek term phanai is closely related to the term "logos". Thus "prophet" not only means a "foreteller", a "clairvoyant" who predicts events, but also he who is before the word, who is in contact with the Word, the Christian Logos, the Word of God, the Essential Voice. And so, in the language of the Fourth Way, the prophet is the person who speaks through the Essential Word, which is inextricably linked with the Higher Centres (H.C.). (1) The ancient sacred texts show us that this profound relationship with the Essence places the individual in a condition of unity, and allows him/her access to that inner world where present, past and future are one and the same. Studying the life of the prophets of both the Old and the New Testament, and of the various traditions, including Islam, is a source of great enrichment for the soul. The prophet, the man who has achieved Essential Unity, is as one with his words; there is no difference between what he says and what he is. The sounds emanating from his mouth flow straight from his heart. When the need arises, he can use the strength of the Word. In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, we read that John, in a mystic-prophetic vision, sees Christ immersed in an absolutely fascinating symbology: "‌His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace; and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance". (Rev. 1:15-16).
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What do you think is the meaning of being "pure in heart"?
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What facilitates the growth of the Essence? Are there any practical activities that you can list?
This sword coming out of Christ's mouth symbolises His Word, the Essential, Prophetic Word, which he uses for two purposes(double-edged): to destroy evil and to separate good from evil, the wheat from the chaff, the apparent from the substantial. In the New Testament this concept is expressed in various ways. Christ becomes the Word of God, the Word that comes directly out of Him, His Breath. (John 1:1). This is the equivalent of the person who, uniting with His Essence, vibrates with the same strength of Christ, becoming one with God. In this way he becomes the Word of God, and his Word is one with the Word of God, because HE IS that Word. (2) This is the Prophet. This intimate union between what he teaches and what he is demonstrates the importance of a reflective study on the life of the prophets. Their words were exhilarated by the closeness of the Higher Centres. In these pages we will explore their experiences and their words. Can we, from the outset, identify a single common denominator that distinguishes all the Prophets described in the sacred texts? What is their message? Adam's shame upon discovering he was naked, the courage of Daniel and Noah, the sincere friendship of Abraham, etc., teach us that the fast track to entering into "dialogue" with one's Essence, with the Emmanuel (God with us) is purity of heart. (3) By this we do not mean perfection, faultlessness, but a deep love of loyalty and intimate contact with the Essence. Their heart is a mirror reflecting a bigger face. They constantly seek to keep their heart clean, through all that facilitates the Essence. (4) Although they often fulfil roles of guidance, government and power, they do not allow themselves to be "stained" by this, indeed, they know who they really belong to: to the Great Infinite above them. Is there any greater selfremembering than this?
THE FOURTH WAY_Study and examination of the Sacred Texts
Study
The Prophets
16_
Giovanni M. Quinti
Below is a list of the Prophets we will be studying, leaving aside both the differences of religion (Jewish, Christian and Muslim) and the different classifications that distinguish them. In other words, we will try to establish a single group of "prophets" that also includes the Patriarchs, the Great Prophets, etc., in order to avoid further confusing those approaching these matters for the first time. Our study will not look into the meaning commonly understood as "religious", but above all at their "technical" and spiritual value. We are seeking tools that can provide us, searchers of the Third Millennium, with Light and Guidance for the work on ourselves. As with all sacred texts, the Bible is subject to different interpretations. We can interpret it by ascribing it an absolute historic value, or we can glimpse at "educational myths" in the stories told, designed to teach us a symbolic understanding of a far broader spiritual concept. Take, for example, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Some fundamentalist writers (fundamentalism is the movement that reads the Bible literally, and believes in the historic and absolute reality of what is written) defend the idea that a garden really existed near the Tigris River, complete with tree and serpent. Others, however, ascribe a "mythological" value to the story. A prime example is the position taken by Oswald Loretz, a professor at the University of Munster, specialising in the Old Testament: "Science has proved irrefutably that the first three chapters of the book of Genesis, regarding the creation, speak of our origins using a symbolic language". (Creazione e Mito 1974, page 24).
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What is your stance on this?
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What do you think of an interpretation of the sacred texts from this point of view?
Who is right? (5) I believe that we should leave the nature of these problems to the biblical experts and professors who deal with these matters. What searchers should do is move towards what is useful for them in practice, in the life of those who work on themselves. The historical nature or lack thereof of these events should not concern him, he pays attention to the REASON why these events are reported, their value as tools of support and growth. The Bible and the Koran are highly useful tools upon which every serious searcher should meditate, on a journey of discovery of the treasures hidden amongst their pages. In order to do this we have to acknowledge, at least in part, the historic and cultural influences that the sacred texts have been subject to. We cannot think that certain rules, ethics, morals or, for example, foods, are not conditioned by the background of those times and traditions. The man on the Way should use these tools to find information useful to the evolution of his being, avoiding rigid or dogmatic interpretations or the development of archaic formalisms. Faced with the fundamentalist interpretation and the mythical interpretation, we lean towards a third construal: a symbolic-psychological interpretation. (6) We should keep the western Holy Texts to hand so as to be able to read of each protagonist's various "adventures" directly from the source. In order to compare and contrast the different scriptural references, we need to ask ourselves: how are the chapters and verses of the holy books subdivided? Let's start with the Bible (Old and New Testament). The Bible, (from the Greek: "the books"), is a collection of books written in a historic period that began hundreds of years before Christ's time and ended during the first century AD. Each book has the style and form that its author gave it. Only later were they gathered together and considered a single book. It is believed that John Chrysostom, patriarch of Constantinople(AD 398-404) was the first to use the Greek word "Bible" to refer to the set of sacred books. Most of the books in the Bible are named after their author, or if the author is unknown, by a word that sums up its content. For example the book of Isaiah or Daniel, or Genesis (from the Greek Ghenesis - the origins) or Deuteronomy (Greek, "Copy of the Law") etc.
THE FOURTH WAY_Study and examination of the Sacred Texts
17_
Study
The Prophets
Giovanni M. Quinti
In turn, each book is subdivided into chapters and verses. This subdivision is believed to date back to the 13th Century AD. In writing, the chapter is always noted before the verse, separated by a colon (:). For example, if I want to read the phrase: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" I need to go to the first book of the Bible (Genesis), in the first verse of the first chapter. I will transcribe it like this: Gen. (abbreviation of Genesis) 1:1. Gen 1:1-6 would mean that I should read the first chapter of Genesis FROM verse 1 TO verse 6. Gen 1:1,4,6 would mean that I should read verses 1, 4 and 6, skipping those in between. I may also find these two systems used together (e.g. Gen 1:1,3,5-9). (7)
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Can you find, as quickly as possible, the following verses from the Bible: Mat 12:33 and Joh 13:34-38
The Koran, on the other hand, was written by a single inspired author (Mohammad); it is subdivided into 114 suras, and each sura is divided into verses (in Arabic aya or "sign"). The name of the suras is derived from key words within the text of each one; sometimes the same sura may be known by different names. Our Muslim friends and brothers tell us that in order to fully understand the meaning of what Mohammad wrote we should read the Koran in Arabic. On the other hand, we should also be familiar with Hebrew, Aramaic and KoinÊ Greek, because the New and Old Testaments are also subject to more than a little interpretive manipulation. Until such a time as this is possible, we need to arm ourselves with a good dictionary and try, whenever something is not clear, to go back to the original text, studying the nuances that the author wanted to communicate, and that were lost in translation. For the English translation, we have used the New International Version of the Old and New Testament, and for the Koran, the Tahrike Tarsile Version, courtesy of the University of Virginia Library. (If you have any difficulty getting hold of these texts, contact our editing team). As we said, each sura is subdivided by an aya (verse), and the reference is as follows: to read sura 18 (considered by Muslims to be one of the loveliest), verses 23 and 24, I will simply write 18.23-24. Now we are ready to begin this fascinating journey towards the study of the sacred texts, in the light of the essential viewpoint for a Fourth Way searcher: the work on ourselves. We should not forget that we need to gird ourselves with patience and a pure heart, so that we can realise that the verses of these texts will be opened to us only when we open ourselves to them. We will see that, in the arduous search between one verse and another, "‌a little here, a little there", (Isaiah 28:10), we are actually searching for ourselves.
WE WILL STUDY ADAM_
Adam is the first prophet in history. What happens in his life outlines the separation, on the human pathway, between essence and personality.
JACOB_
NOAH_
The one who succeeds in getting the better of his personalities, who manages to triumph over them and govern them.
God's Great Friend. His life expresses the construction of the Stable Element, the Centre of Gravity that remains firm and saves us from the floods.
ABRAHAM_
The one who succeeds in building a deep, intimate relationship with the Essence; who becomes "a friend of the Essence".
The one who gains primogeniture through the Machiavellian cunning of the personality.
JOSEPH_
MOSES_
The one who succeeds in going beyond good and evil, who builds a true relationship with the Objective Absolute, who makes mistakes, pays for his errors, but never stops being a true friend of God.
DAVID_
The Founder of a New and Unique Nation.
JOB_
The one who rebels, in exasperation, rejecting his own essence. But then he finds it again, and is further enriched.
DANIEL_
The refugee who, with God's friendship, succeeds in triumphing over the king who imprisons him.
JESUS:_
The one who triumphs over death.
THE FOURTH WAY_A light in the darkness
18_
A light in the darkness by A. B.
An unusual experience by a contemporary Brother
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THE FOURTH WAY_A light in the darkness
An unusual experience by a contemporary Brother
I wish to write about an experience I recently lived through. Near the end of the month of August I travelled outside the country due to my work; I had just returned from a vacation where I was surrounded by people I loved. During those days, as I began to get into the work routine again, I was suddenly struck by a sense of loneliness and a sense of being away from everything and I felt invaded by a sensation of nostalgia and sadness. All of this brought me to a state of intolerable anxiety: on one night I had difficulty breathing and a sensation of oppression and anguish made me go through an infernal situation. The next day, I felt sick and tried to talk about it over the phone with my wife, who tried to help me with all forms of advice and reflections. Unfortunately, between the one who is sick and the one that tries to help him there is a distance that all of the best intentions of the world cannot cross. In effect, during the call, the symptoms of anxiety came back and I was falling back again into darkness when she suggested she practise a healing technique. I was so depressed that I remember telling her: "Do what you want"‌ Then I fell on to my bed. What follows is the experience that surprisingly brought me from the darkness to the light. I was resting on my bed and I began to cry when I saw myself on my deathbed surrounded by my friends from La Teca with whom I Work and also by him, who I consider my Teacher at the moment. I felt an unending sadness and I cried for a long time. Later I remember feeling more tranquil and I told my Guide: "I have seen the house of the Friend, the Radiant house of God, nothing else matters. I know that soon we will all meet and we will be together, in happiness!" Later the vision vanished and I slept; in that infernal night I was then blessed with a few hours of soundless sleep. I woke up rested and determined to have dinner with my colleagues. I reached the location with plenty of time left, and found out the restaurant was near the Cathedral of the city and I decided to enter for a moment into the church. It was nearly fully dark, but I could see a chapel dedicated to the Virgin that was illuminated by dozens of candles and was surrounded by many people praying. I sat down looking at the image of Mary and began to pray when a sensation of light filled me. I left the church transformed and a feeling of inner peace pushed away all the shadows of the previous night. After a moment I received a call from my wife who excitedly told me: "Something extraordinary has happened to me! But tell me, how are you?" I told her my experience and then she told me hers! As she began her healing technique, she visualised an image where I was inside a sarcophagus tied by a number of veils, surrounded by the people from the group who tried to free me with all their strength. They were successful, but in my heart there was still a shadow, a terrible black spot. The cleaning work continued through this part of the heart and at last the shadow began to disappear and in its stead a great light emerged that engulfed me completely. Listening to her story and comparing it to my experience left me shocked. In the following days no sign of anxiety or uneasiness came back. I did not wish to intellectualise the experience too much so I would not lose the feeling it had left in me. I only wish to point out a few reflections: the presence of the Teacher and the group also acts when we are not aware of it and we should remember that fact more often; in addition, it is not possible to help someone who is sick until there is a form of distance between us and him. Only listening and abandoning our idea of helping, can we activate something that overcomes this distance giving us the opportunity to really become useful to others.
THE FOURTH WAY_The Secret Words of Jesus-2
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The Secret Words of Jesus The Nag Hammadi Library Translated by Thomas O. Lambdin
2
The Gospel of Thomas These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down.
THE FOURTH WAY_The Secret Words of Jesus
21_
The Gospel of Thomas_2 (29) Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty." (30) Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him." (31) Jesus said, "No prophet is accepted in his own village; no physician heals those who know him." (32) Jesus said, "A city being built on a high mountain and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden." (33) Jesus said, "Preach from your housetops that which you will hear in your ear. For no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden place, but rather he sets it on a lampstand so that everyone who enters and leaves will see its light." (34) Jesus said, "If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit." (35) Jesus said, "It is not possible for anyone to enter the house of a strong man and take it by force unless he binds his hands; then he will (be able to) ransack his house." (36) Jesus said, "Do not be concerned from morning until evening and from evening until morning about what you will wear." (37) His disciples said, "When will you become revealed to us and when shall we see you?" Jesus said, "When you disrobe without being ashamed and take up your garments and place them under your feet like little children and tread on them, then will you see the son of the living one, and you will not be afraid" (38) Jesus said, "Many times have you desired to hear these words which I am saying to you, and you have no one else to hear them from. There will be days when you will look for me and will not find me." (39) Jesus said, "The pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of knowledge (gnosis) and hidden them. They themselves have not entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to. You, however, be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves." (40) Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted outside of the father, but being unsound, it will be pulled up by its roots and destroyed." (41) Jesus said, "Whoever has something in his hand will receive more, and whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little he has." (42) Jesus said, "Become passers-by."
(43) His disciples said to him, "Who are you, that you should say these things to us?" <Jesus said to them,> "You do not realize who I am from what I say to you, but you have become like the Jews, for they (either) love the tree and hate its fruit (or) love the fruit and hate the tree." (44) Jesus said, "Whoever blasphemes against the father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will not be forgiven either on earth or in heaven." (45) Jesus said, "Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. A good man brings forth good from his storehouse; an evil man brings forth evil things from his evil storehouse, which is in his heart, and says evil things. For out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth evil things." (46) Jesus said, "Among those born of women, from Adam until John the Baptist, there is no one so superior to John the Baptist that his eyes should not be lowered (before him). Yet I have said, whichever one of you comes to be a child will be acquainted with the kingdom and will become superior to John." (47) Jesus said, "It is impossible for a man to mount two horses or to stretch two bows. And it is impossible for a servant to serve two masters; otherwise, he will honor the one and treat the other contemptuously. No man drinks old wine and immediately desires to drink new wine. And new wine is not put into old wineskins, lest they burst; nor is old wine put into a new wineskin, lest it spoil it. An old patch is not sewn onto a new garment, because a tear would result." (48) Jesus said, "If two make peace with each other in this one house, they will say to the mountain, 'Move Away,' and it will move away." (49) Jesus said, "Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will find the kingdom. For you are from it, and to it you will return." (50) Jesus said, "If they say to you, 'Where did you come from?', say to them, 'We came from the light, the place where the light came into being on its own accord and established itself and became manifest through their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?', say, 'We are its children, we are the elect of the living father.' If they ask you, 'What is the sign of your father in you?', say to them, 'It is movement and repose.'" (51) His disciples said to him, "When will the repose of the dead come about, and when will the new world come?" He said to them, "What you look forward to has already come, but you do not recognize it."
THE FOURTH WAY_The Secret Words of Jesus
22_
The Gospel of Thomas_2 (52) His disciples said to him, "Twenty-four prophets spoke in Israel, and all of them spoke in you." He said to them, "You have omitted the one living in your presence and have spoken (only) of the dead." (53) His disciples said to him, "Is circumcision beneficial or not?" He said to them, "If it were beneficial, their father would beget them already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become completely profitable." (54) Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven." (55) Jesus said, "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother cannot become a disciple to me. And whoever does not hate his brothers and sisters and take up his cross in my way will not be worthy of me." (56) Jesus said, "Whoever has come to understand the world has found (only) a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior to the world." (57) Jesus said, "The kingdom of the father is like a man who had good seed. His enemy came by night and sowed weeds among the good seed. The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds; he said to them, 'I am afraid that you will go intending to pull up the weeds and pull up the wheat along with them.' For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be plainly visible, and they will be pulled up and burned." (58) Jesus said, "Blessed is the man who has suffered and found life." (59) Jesus said, "Take heed of the living one while you are alive, lest you die and seek to see him and be unable to do so." (60) <They saw> a Samaritan carrying a lamb on his way to Judea. He said to his disciples, "That man is round about the lamb." They said to him, "So that he may kill it and eat it." He said to them, "While it is alive, he will not eat it, but only when he has killed it and it has become a corpse." They said to him, "He cannot do so otherwise." He said to them, "You too, look for a place for yourself within repose, lest you become a corpse and be eaten." (61) Jesus said, "Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and the other will live." Salome said, "Who are you, man, that you ... have come up on my couch and eaten from my table?" Jesus said to her, "I am he who exists from the undivided. I was given some of the things of my father." <...> "I am your disciple."
<...> "Therefore I say, if he is destroyed, he will be filled with light, but if he is divided, he will be filled with darkness." (62) Jesus said, "It is to those who are worthy of my mysteries that I tell my mysteries. Do not let your left (hand) know what your right (hand) is doing." (63) Jesus said, "There was a rich man who had much money. He said, 'I shall put my money to use so that I may sow, reap, plant, and fill my storehouse with produce, with the result that I shall lack nothing.' Such were his intentions, but that same night he died. Let him who has ears hear." (64) Jesus said, "A man had received visitors. And when he had prepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite the guests. He went to the first one and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said, 'I have claims against some merchants. They are coming to me this evening. I must go and give them my orders. I ask to be excused from the dinner.' He went to another and said to him, 'My master has invited you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a house and am required for the day. I shall not have any spare time.' He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'My friend is going to get married, and I am to prepare the banquet. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused from the dinner.' He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a farm, and I am on my way to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused.' The servant returned and said to his master, 'Those whom you invited to the dinner have asked to be excused.' The master said to his servant, 'Go outside to the streets and bring back those whom you happen to meet, so that they may dine.' Businessmen and merchants will not enter the places of my father." (65) He said, "There was a good man who owned a vineyard. He leased it to tenant farmers so that they might work it and he might collect the produce from them. He sent his servant so that the tenants might give him the produce of the vineyard. They seized his servant and beat him, all but killing him. The servant went back and told his master. The master said, 'Perhaps he did not recognize them.' He sent another servant. The tenants beat this one as well. Then the owner sent his son and said, 'Perhaps they will show respect to my son.' Because the tenants knew that it was he who was the heir to the vineyard, they seized him and killed him. Let him who has ears hear."
TO BE CONTINUEDâ&#x20AC;Ś
Illustración de José L. García Muedra
23_
THE FOURTH WAY_The King's two daughters
The King's two daughters
by Gisella Di Palma
THE FOURTH WAY_The King's two daughters
24_
There was once a King, who had two very different daughters. The first was docile and fragile, but had a big heart. The second was arrogant and bold, but not very wise. The two were so different that had it not been for the immense love the King had for his beloved wife, who had passed away some time before, he would not have ever believed they were his own two daughters! The extreme difference in the personalities of the two girls greatly worried the King, who from their adolescence, watching them grow, hoped that one could calm the other, since he saw that neither one of them, such as they were, were adequate to rule a kingdom and he asked himself what he should do, before he passed away, to leave a good heiress who would take care of the kingdom with wisdom and equanimity. Unfortunately, the relationship between the sisters was not a spontaneous one, as the King hoped. On the contrary, each stayed away from the other, each remained occupied with their own things. The first daughter was afraid of the second and the second did not appreciate the first at all, considering her weak. One day the King said to himself: "If these, my two daughters, had both good hearts, the solution lies in forcing them to live together. They will have no choice but to learn, one from the other." And so, the King began to create situations where both daughters, still being different, were forced to come together, and remain in constant contact. 1째) Although the King was wise, the two daughters were not sufficiently so. His many attempts to place upon them a condition where they would be forced to live together and share experiences were continually rejected by both. The first, frightened and fragile, escaped, and always gave way to the other, who from her corner grew slowly in confidence and thought that she needed no help against anything and thought herself to be invincible. The death of the father happened suddenly and the kingdom saw itself without ruler, in great chaos, between the dispiritedness of a kingdom that asked itself how from such a wise father could there have come such a tragedy. Many a year passed with uneasiness, disorder, and pain in the kingdom. Everyone asked if another King would come, capable of bringing back peace and equilibrium. 2째 The intuition of the caring father was extraordinary. The two daughters were forced to live together through great difficulties: many were the moments of friction and collision, but with the same force there was a desire within them for BALANCE. Each took from the other what she could, until, after their father's death, he left the kingdom in the hands of the first and gentle daughter, who, thanks to life's experiences and her continuous contact with the second and smarter of the two, learned to be in the world, and to lead, keeping her heart firm. The younger sister, already used to the gentleness of the first and in memory of her father, accepted the new government without any ill will, which passed into history as the most flourishing period the kingdom ever had.
FIN
THE FOURTH WAY _Letters to the Founder
Letters to the Founder
25_
// Answers from Giovanni M. Quinti
Send your question(s) to: informazioni@quartavia.org
L.
I'm sorry to bother you, but I sometimes feel the necessity for explanations and I think that you are the best person to answer my questions. For example it has been said to me that the ideas of Gurdjieff are not shared in the faith of the Christian religion. I am not clear where the element of rupture is, because a while back I read some articles inherent to the apocryphal evangelicalsâ&#x20AC;Ś It does not seem to me that the thought read in the words is such a contrast to Gurdjieff's ideasâ&#x20AC;Ś maybe the question may seem to be a dumb oneâ&#x20AC;Ś but please answer it. Thanks for everything. Warm regards.
Dear Friend L. Whoever told you that Gurdjieff's teachings do not share the teachings of the Christian religion has forgotten Gurdjieff's own affirmation: "My work is 'esoteric' Christianity". The concept is vast. What is esoteric Christianity? What are the differences between today's Catholicism and the origins of Christianity? We will try to give some answer, of such a vast and complex question, in a future article. Consequently, continue reading. For now I can do no more than greet you, postponing such answers to future readings. Until then.
X.
Hi, I always read your answers with interest, and this time I would like to share with you a reflection. Recently I read: "When a child is born, it is made up of marvellous Essence, the pure Being. Such an essence is not, naturally, the same essence of an adult man. It is a child essence, undifferentiated". Question: What of the ego? In the sense that if we are made incarnate, the ego is also incarnated. From what I understand, at the age of 7 the monster is ready, in the sense, that before a child has personality the ego turns around toward the child, but he cannot enter the psyche because there is no structure, no personality. As soon as this develops, the monster notices that it is ready. Unfortunately the essence, I believe it is born in prison, in addition to being undifferentiated, is it not so?
Dear Friend, In the tradition formed by monsieur Gurdjieff, the Essence is not born imprisoned, but instead it is placed into a prison in a process of adaptation that provokes the lovely wound: the personality. On the other hand, this is only a deformation of the character's adaptation, what it states is that unfortunately the essence is not able to free itself from the interior contradictions provoked by the exterior. The objective is the essential element of work over self: the freeing of the monster, or, better said, learning how to wisely coexist with this interior "chaos".
X.
I am having great trouble becoming a part of a group, but what has been said to me personally when we have met has touched me intensely. Can I avoid participating in a group yet continue to be in contact with it?
Dear Friend, I am glad to have received your letter. Your note seems to me to be sincere and sweet. Being in a group does not guarantee spiritual maturity, it is only a help to the end. However, it is indispensable because it is the group who creates the true tensions and projections useful for the Real Work. But you are no longer able to remember the energy that was established between us in our first encounter. Of what use is the group, if you have not started a preliminary work of reflection of what we are in terms of personality? The group is the box of resonance of the individual work, its magnifying glass, its projection. That is its usefulness. We in the Fourth Way do not practise by closing our doors. We live in the world, trying to place neither many nor too deep a root in it. Whoever looks for us, will be welcomed by us. Whoever distances himself from us, will be accepted with open arms when he returns.
Illustration by JosĂŠ L. GarcĂa Muedra
anti/still life
www.gurdjieff.es
LA QUARTA VIA
Le dispense di Studio Mensili “LA QUARTA VIA” è l’organo di stampa ufficiale dell’Istituto per lo Sviluppo Armonico dell’Uomo - La Teca.
"Quando impariamo, noi ascoltiamo solo i nostri pensieri. Per questo motivo non ci è possibile accogliere nuovi pensieri, a meno di non ricorrere a nuovi metodi di ascolto e studio." Londra 13/02/1922 G.I. Gurdjieff
Ogni numero contiene numerose sezioni ricche di informazioni mai divulgate pubblicamente, esercizi pratici e materiale inedito sugli insegnamenti della Quarta Via.
Tra i vari argomenti trattati troverete: -
Il significato dell’Esercizio dello Stop L'Enneagramma e l'Albero della vita Il metodo della Quarta Via spiegato punto per punto Ciò che non è mai stato detto sul 6° Centro Inferiore e sul 3° Centro Superiore I segreti della vita di Gurdjieff Gli Hassnamusses: chi sono? Lo Studio dei Testi Sacri attraverso il metodo della Quarta Via L'Alchimia e la Quarta Via L'influenza dei Centri Superiori Studio dell'Antico Testamento alla luce del Sistema La Musica Oggettiva Da dove proviene l'Insegnamento di Gurdjieff Come lavorare se se stessi Le origini della Quarta Via Dante e la Quarta Via Il rapporto Maestro e Allievo L'aspetto spirituale della Quarta Via Il potere del pensiero cosciente Cos'è il vero Ricordo di sè L’Enneagramma svelato: ciò che non è mai stato scritto sull’Enneagramma
E molto, ma molto altro ancora…
NEL PROSSIMO NUMERO VIA li TA ensi AR udio M QU di St LA dispense Le
VIAnsili RTAdio Me QUAdi Stu LA dispense Le
Cosa vuol dire che: L'uomo non può "Fare"
Adamo: la segregazione dell'Essenza
VIAnsili RTAdio Me QUAdi Stu LA dispense Le
Il VERO Significato del Natale ...E MOLTO ALTRO