HOME

Spanish

Movements

Groups

Articles

Teachers

Fourth Way

Work weekend June 2003

By M.L.

In the month of June (28 -29) we celebrated our last Work Weekend corresponding to the first period of the present year, which gives way to the summer seminars abroad. It was the first time that Group 3, formed just recently, participated along with Groups 1 and 2 in an activity of this nature. It is always gratifying to have new people among us.

As is habitual Saturday was structured as follows: during the morning with the morning exercise, breakfast, a reading and the daily exercise that takes place every half hour when the bell rings.

The reading and the theme of the day where centered on becoming aware and attention, and how it is not enough

to extract oneself from slavery and disperse attention in which we frequently live in, to achieve inner freedom.

Extract from reading:

"A man's level of consciousness can be measured by the freedom of his attention. In the state of identification he has no "freedom to attend."  He thinks he has, but this is one of the illusions which this state imposes...

Our inner space is totally occupied with the subject matter about which we are reading, the spectacle we are watch­ing.  There is nothing in the least bit voluntary about this  form of attention.  We are caught up  like flies  in a spider's web,  manipu­lated,  directed, enchained.  Look at  the faces of people at the race track,  a baseball game,  a bullfight,  a ptizefight,  any spectacle of a flamboyant or brutal kind. There is nothing behind the face. It is empty, a mask. The house is vacant. This is enslaved attention. In this condition,  inner silence and simple awareness  are lost and  the  whole field of consciousness is "occupied"

The man lost his awareness, plunged into a state of complete identification, arguments, recrim­inations, all on account of one stray impression.

Know what you are doing and why.

In large activities, in small activities, set definite limits. I have such a thing to do. I will allow myself so much time in which to do it. Clearly visualize the process, the tools involved, the mate­rials involved, the forces involved. Such preparation may make all the difference between accidental happening and intentional do­ing. To keep the watchman awake work as quickly as possible. If the watchman is awake, stray impressions will be excluded as well as wandering thoughts. If the activity does not go as planned, if an error is made, if some persistent daydream distracts aware­ness­

STOP

Stop all activity.   Return to the starting point.   Redefine the in­tention.  Start again.   Strive all the while to  keep  the inner silence,  to practice  simple awareness, to receive impressions simply and directly."

The Masters Game, By Robert S. De Ropp/pag.76

Exercise of the day:       "Every half hour visualize an action and execute it as faithfully as possible".

Until lunch time, groups were combined for practical work and movements. We also participated in a Zikr practice previous to the Ceremony which took place in the evening.

After lunch we held a meeting in which all members of all three groups spoke of  what   Being / Essence  meant for them and their goal within the Work.

In the afternoon a Movement class, along with practical work,  bath and finally Zikr,  in which  for the  first time some members of Group 3 participated (others had had their first experience during the Sufi seminar in April.) That night as a way to celebrate the end of  an octave we held a small private presentation of Movements.  All 3 groups performed similar movements although at different levels of difficulty.  Afterwards,  dinner,  followed by three toasts and a reading done by Jose of  "The Wholly War"  by René Daumal, closed the day.

Sunday, again morning exercise, breakfast and two main activities: finish practical work of the previous day including clean up and giving the last touches so as to leave everything ready for vacation as well as Movement practice for all 3 groups combined.

We parted, until September, with a beautiful exercise of  "I am".

webmaster@gurdjieffdominican.com