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When Gurdjieff compiled The Work discipline, Gurdjieff did so with the full knowledge that in the not-too-distant future, the planet was going to encounter a magnitude of planetary crisis impossible to meet. Gurdjieff knew, all too well, just how difficult it was to develop consciousness in peacetime conditions. Gurdjieff foresaw the near impossibility of continual spiritual development in times of global crisis. During planetary periods of relative peace as well as calm, ‘doing’ The Work is extremely difficult. During times of planetary chaos, only the most advanced Work student will be able to grow as well as develop. Crisis equals distractions. The more complex the crisis, the more debilitating the distractions become, for the student trying to non-identify as well as to self-remember. Making life our teacher coupled with learning how to use life as a means of working upon ourselves, is a hallmark of a Work student. Any ascending octave of spiritual development will become extremely difficult within times of planetary chaos. Work teachers might fare better, but life conditions could become so crushing that even teachers would be hard pressed to find time to even ‘impart’ The Work. Even if the teachers were able to teach, the numbers of students would fall dramatically. One has only to contemplate, in depth, what the immense effect would be, both immediately as well as over time, if our access to electricity were suddenly removed. Electricity has become the lifeblood of the various planetary nations. Every faction of human life on earth is monitored as well as maintained through computers using electricity. If our electrical source were to suddenly disappear, many, if not all, planetary systems, on earth, would grind to a halt, causing another element of planetary chaos to ensue. Some of the pending potential crises could have been averted, but many of the future problems required a solution a long time ago. Many unavoidable crises are merely time bombs waiting to explode. From a Work point of view, many of the global problems could have been solved many years back if the level of being of the politicians had contained even a fraction of honor, foresight or integrity. Clearly to equate the concept of honor with our current political system is a venture into futility. Modern mankind has the level of being of a gnat. Everywhere, people justify as well as nullify their actions. Few individuals ever accept responsibility for their own behavior, much less serve, anything higher than their own estimation of themselves. The ever-present egotism of sleeping humanity has almost successfully turned this planet into its own toilet bowl. Pollution exists in every form as well as in all centers, intellectual, emotional, physical and sexual. Our physical as well as our psychological work is toxic, ending in a gradual perpetual state of decay. As our government rushes forward to meet the crisis of pollution through enacting ever more laws to curb waste removal, little, if anything, is being done to address our consumer credit, planned obsolescence consciousness. Self-discipline, long known to include real work, is no longer a value. AIDS is a perfect disease from a spiritual perspective. Everyone, everywhere, knows how AIDS is spread yet poll after poll reveals that this foreknowledge has done little if anything to change human mechanical behavior. Funding for AIDS is declining because not all of the planet can afford to fund perpetual denial. The truth is that the government as well as health care professionals know full well that there is no hope for a cure before the planetary plague dissipates by itself. Many students/individuals, in general, assume that the knowledge as well as the practices of The Work are The Work Itself. The Work teaching is derivative from The Work Itself. There is a higher spiritual dimension to The Work. There is a spiritual causal level of The Work, which the successful Work student will meet before as well as after death. The ultimate purpose of The Work Itself extends beyond the confines of one lifetime. The teachings as well as the practices of The Work Itself transcend time. The Work has always been a source of wisdom for this planet. Consciousness contains foresight. The more consciousness the students have acquired, the more they will be able to see into the future. The less consciousness the students reflect, the less likely they will be able to see beyond the ground upon which they stand. A lower level of being causes the students to always play psychological catch up. Beginning students are forced into a game of infinite regression. Because the students lack the prerequisite consciousness at the time of their present behavior, they are forced to look backwards for any measure of self-observation. The awakening students usually manage to stay within present time. The awakened students take in impressions consciously, as well as digest them properly, through the various Work principles along with the various Work practices including self-observation. The awakened students are able to look into the future, while consciously assessing the various possibilities, thereby becoming able to prepare themselves in advance. Only those individuals that are able to get beyond denial as well as delusion have an even chance of continuing their self-development once any world conditions begin to change. As
students and/or teachers of The Work, we form a conscious, planetary
spiritual community. At no other time could our contribution be
of better value that when various crises begin to befall us. We
can, and we must, set an example of a conscious response to the
multifaceted incoming impressions. One reason that The Work knowledge
was released through Gurdjieff was to enable all interested Work
members to band together in order to form the ark of conscious living.
By remaining conscious and awake throughout the future trials, we
can form a conscious remnant, which will enable us to transform
tragedy into overflowing manifestations of conscience coupled with
enough consciousness for all. © Sojourner Pass Press 1998 |
