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<mailto:webmaster@sun-angel.com>THE WORKChapter One: The Terror of the Situation* By James Westly </articles/pw/index.html#author> *------------------------------------------------------------------------Table of Contents <index.html> | More Practical Wisdom <index.html><index.html>George Gurdjieff and Peter Ouspensky left behind them a rich legacy ofpractical thought. The ideas they brought to the western world did notoriginate with them, nor did they originate from any man, but are,rather, universal principles that have been widely disseminated uponthis planet in a variety of languages and forms, and emanate from ahigher source. As a young man, Gurdjieff traveled to the ancient seatsof wisdom in the East in search of esoteric schools. As a middle agedman, he returned to the West, seemingly sent by his teachers to bringthese ideas back to the West where they had been lost.Peter Ouspensky, a Russian philosopher, lecturer, and journalist, metand studied with Gurdjieff in Russia just prior to the BolshevikRevolution. Together Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, along with a group oftheir students, escaped the chaos of the revolution to Western Europeand the United States. Here they both spent the remainder of their livesteaching these ideas to those who would listen.The coming together of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky was the joining of theEast and the West. Gurdjieff was a magician, a mystic, an exotic who haddeeply penetrated the symbolical, allegorical, metaphorical languages ofthe East. Ouspensky was a highly accomplished Western intellectual.Through Ouspensky the allegorical symbolism of Eastern thought wastranslated into the logical, rational, ultimately psychological languageof the West. In the process the teachings of a wide variety of Easternthought were synthesized into a single system, called The Fourth Way.This was published in three books: _The Psychology of Man's PossibleEvolution,_ containing five introductory lectures; _In Search of theMiraculous_, the complete teaching interwoven into the story ofOuspensky's eight years as Gurdjieff's student; _The Fourth Way_, acompilation, by topic, of the notes taken from Ouspensky's twenty yearsof teaching in England.Much has changed on the planet since the time of these two extraordinarymen. The minds and hearts of many people have been and are beingexpanded. Old wisdom has been resurrected and is readily available onthe shelves of Metaphysical book stores, alongside much new information,revealed through a wide variety of sources. None of these developmentsin any way invalidates the knowledge transmitted to us by Gurdjieff andOuspensky. In my opinion, what is happening now requires therevitalization of the principles given us by these two men. It isessential that the New Age Movement incorporate these principles into
 
its process in order that it remain grounded and practical.Many writings and teachings that we encounter today open us up to newideas and possibilities without giving practical methods as to how toattain such possibilities. They serve the purpose of expanding ourthought and awareness. They give us more to talk and think about. Few,though, directly address what it is within us that keeps us from adirect experience of whatever it is that is their focus,be it memory ofpast lives, the ability to focus energy through a crystal, or simplyliving in the moment.*A sincere evaluation of one's capacity to live in the moment willreveal that it is the singular most difficult thing to do.* What makesthis so? How is it that we can focus our being into the present for onlybrief seconds, that we feel connection sporadically, if at all, and whatdoes connection mean anyway?Are the people that write about such things different than we are, do weneed some genetic adjustment to experience the miraculous? Are mysticalexperiences available or possible for an ordinary person? The answer toall this is yes, if you are willing to work for it. There is no panacea,no quick fix, no instant gratification, no pill (as we discovered in thedrug years), no recipe that will permanently elevate anyone into a stateof Enlightenment.*It is possible to expand the brief moments we experience of a moreawakened state if we are willing to undertake a deep examination ofourselves and our situation in order to uncover the barriers that existin our inner world. * These prevent a more profound awareness of who weare and what our condition is. This journey cannot be lightly committedto, nor are there any guarantees. It is not a short trip, but rather onethat lasts a lifetime and beyond. Much of it is potentially unpleasant,as we each have many misconceptions about ourselves. Yet to perceivethem and release them is a profoundly joyous experience. The first stepon this adventure is to look at things as they are.HUMANITY AS WE FIND ITMuch has been said in judgement concerning the human condition. It isnot the intent of this beginning to heap more onto this pile, but tosimply state some clear facts.Our civilization now stands at the pinnacle of its development and,simultaneously, on the brink of its own destruction. We have created atechnology that has launched men into space, invented machines to do ourordinary thinking, established speed-of-light visual communicationglobally, enabled high speed individual transportation, penetrated thesecrets of the atom, fashioned artificial hearts and more. Anextraordinary list. We also face massive drug addiction, wide spreadpolitical corruption, accidental nuclear annihilation, sexuallytransmitted incurable fatal diseases, starvation, guerilla warfare,terrorism. An equally long and extraordinary list. The individual livingin this environment faces a wide range of opportunities and temptations,and it is frequently not altogether clear which is which. The ordinaryperson living in today's over-stimulated culture is driven into numbnessand cynicism by the demands of our high pressure cultural milieu.
 
Yet, in the midst of what seems to be hopeless decadence, a differentdirection has appeared. More and more people living in Westerncivilization are becoming interested in nonmaterialistic pursuits. Thisdevelopment has been called the New Age Movement, but is actually areturn to the ancient, timeless pursuit of Enlightenment. The onlydifference is that in ancient times only a few could afford suchinquiries. Now, due to our technological advances, the pursuit ofEnlightenment is something the ordinary citizen can take up. Thus it isthat there is a rapidly growing subculture that is setting aside thevalues connected to what some call "The Illusion", and is taking up thesearch for Truth.Initially this search may be driven by a fascination for the mysterious.The mind expands to accept new (old but lost) concepts concerning thenature of reality, such as reincarnation. On a deeper level, the searchis motivated by a dissatisfaction with what "The Illusion" seems tooffer, but does not fulfill. Our technology has given many theopportunity to experience some, if not almost all, of theirmaterialistic desires. For many, the realization and fulfillment oftheir dreams has left them feeling empty, and has lead them to feel thatthere must be more to life. This feeling fuels the awakening of a driveto find deeper levels of meaning in the life experience.The search may continue for some time, as the seeker wades through thewide variety of literature, techniques, and seminars available. Thesepursuits can be addictive and, unless the seeker finds a more permanentgroup of people to work with and a body of knowledge that leads deepinto his or her inner world, they may find the mind filled with newwords and ideas, but life just as empty as before. No matter where we goor what we do we take ourselves with us. We continue to chart coursesfor ourselves into new territories only to find ourselves, at a time anda distance later, right back at square one.When this occurs and we recognize it, we are profoundly struck by the"terror of the situation". Here is where there is an opening for us torealize that, although we "think" we are in control of our lives, weactually are not. When we *experience* our own helplessness in the faceof the "Wheel of Life", then we are ready to work. Then, maybe,something new can happen. Now the stage is set for the miraculous.*It is necessary to say here that everything that comes from this pointon is not to be believed.* The greatest error we humans make is tobelieve blindly what some authority proposes. Many of us, for instance,blindly believe almost anything that is published in print. It isequally imperative to not disbelieve anything that is proposed. Cynicismis as damaging to the human psyche as naivete. A third alternative isthis: to hold what is given in a neutral place within, neither believingnor disbelieving. This then leaves a space for verification. *Verifyeverything!! Believe nothing* but what has been verified. When thisprecept is followed, the ideas verified become ours, we own them. No onecan take them from us. Be open to all possibilities and growth willaccelerate.WE ARE INCOMPLETEThe path leading to the discovery of who we truly are is unknown andunknowable. Who we truly are is the unknown aspect of our journey. We
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