Who am I? What am I here for? What am I meant to do?
These questions confront all of us at some point. Ordinary education and life experience provide limited answers. The view is always narrow, oriented to filling a function or achieving results in the world.
We have to study ourselves in a way that does not only yield information. To answer these fundamental questions we have to inquire and work in a way that leads to insights and understandings that are our own.
We need a practice that works in life, created by those you have come to an awareness beyond life; from an inner awareness that transcends the blind spots created by our conditioning. A study of how to awaken to the reality of our own nature and the world in which we live.
In the west, there exists such a teaching of self-study and harmonious development, brought by G.I Gurdjieff during the great upheavals of the last century. His teaching is more relevant and useful now than ever before.
Gurdjieff’s teaching of inner work, sometimes called the Fourth Way, is distinct from traditional teachings which required withdrawal from life. Instead we work at self-study and the development of consciousness in the precise conditions of our lives.
With the Fourth Way we work to develop our inner life–our attention and awareness, balance and harmony, consciousness and conscience–within the context of our outer life. The life each of us has provides the perfect conditions for the inner work suited to our individual needs.
Harmonious Development is a group working with Gurdjieff’s teaching. We study and employ his teachings and writings, techniques and inner exercises, Movements or sacred gymnastics, in a concerted way with the aim of self-knowledge and of fulfilling our possible development.
It is a school for becoming conscious of oneself, knowing oneself. This teaching leads us to become conscious of the conditioning and mechanicalness in which we live, and to work to free ourselves from them. There are various different inner exercises, dance Movements, and work on all parts of oneself, with the aim of opening out to a more complete development of being. It is learning to know oneself, and to know others. Learning to be open to oneself and others. To understand oneself, understand others, and to help them.
This in-person event will be held at 64 Plains Rd, so mark your calendars and get ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery and mindfulness. See you there!
