Gurdjieff
Dominican Group
THEME: NOTICING
Small Group:
January Seminar 2004
The Work tells us
about sleep and how it is necessary to awaken. We first must notice our sleep
then experience a taste of what is like to be awake.
Noticing is my first step towards
observation. As a child first learns of the world through noticing, so I may learn about myself
and the world by noticing one piece
of information then another until I have a more complete picture.
Yet noticing can be involuntary as when I
become distracted or noticing can be voluntary when I use my attention.
As I am, my
attention is weak and untrained. I am possessed by many different
occurrences. Do I become what I notice or do I notice what I
become?
First I must ask
what is noticing and also what is
not noticing. Both can be an internal or external experience...a physical
sensation, an attraction or repulsion, related to a shift or movement,
trainable and can be educated.
But not noticing
or involuntary noticing is sleep...lack of opportunity. Noticing is connected to attention...an
invitation to wake up.
Noticing leads to observation,
observation can lead to understanding and change, but I must start small with
simple noticing.
The Exercise for the day:
Upon hearing the
bell, stop and return to total body sensation as experienced in the morning
exercise.
Quietly and non-judgmentally
ask: What is noticed?
Conclusion:
We
are offered many opportunities to notice. We can notice and continue
mechanically or simply not notice. Both of which offers no
opportunity. At a moment of noticing
there is a chance for freedom or change. Noticing is a door at which point we are offered two paths, to
continue mechanically or make an effort, a struggle which can lead to another
world, a different state of being, at least for a time.