THE FOURTH WAY
INTRODUCING A MYSTICAL PATH FOR THE MODERN AGE:
Throughout history a
few great men have contributed significantly to various fields of
study. Also, a few great men have excelled in their respective fields to go down in
history as some of the best of all time. What was the secret behind some
of these people? They studied a mystical path.
The mystical path is usually invisible to most of society. It leaves no records except in the deeds of its masters. This is the path that religions generally hide from its members. Most paths to higher consciousness follow one or a combination of three ways. The Fourth Way offers a generally quicker, but not necessarily better, way. All that has filtered down into general consciousness about The Fourth Way is the enneagram:
Gurdjieff assembled The Fourth Way for our modern age from various mystical traditions. Ouspensky was his main student, and both wrote books explaining their system. However, like the martial arts, the ability to advance one's consciousness is handed down directly from teacher to student. One must find a school, or at least a master teacher—not merely a study group—to achieve mastery. It's not about sitting alone meditating in a cave; it's about striving to be more aware while living in the real world.
Still, reading their books are a good way to start:
Meetings with Remarkable Men by G. I. Gurdjieff
Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson by G. I. Gurdjieff
Best not to read this one first.
Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution by P.D. Ouspensky
The ultimate purpose of life is to work on one's consciousness.
In Search of the Miraculous by P.D. Ouspensky
As a writer Ouspensky is generally more accessible than Gurdjieff.
The Fourth Way by P.D. Ouspensky
Self-Remembering by Robert Earl Burton
Burton has a Fourth Way school in the US.
The Theory of Celestial Influence by Rodney Collin
Excellent "modern" (1950s) Fourth Way book that combines science and mysticism well. Best explanation I've found as to how the planets affect actions of humans.
The mystical path is usually invisible to most of society. It leaves no records except in the deeds of its masters. This is the path that religions generally hide from its members. Most paths to higher consciousness follow one or a combination of three ways. The Fourth Way offers a generally quicker, but not necessarily better, way. All that has filtered down into general consciousness about The Fourth Way is the enneagram:
Gurdjieff assembled The Fourth Way for our modern age from various mystical traditions. Ouspensky was his main student, and both wrote books explaining their system. However, like the martial arts, the ability to advance one's consciousness is handed down directly from teacher to student. One must find a school, or at least a master teacher—not merely a study group—to achieve mastery. It's not about sitting alone meditating in a cave; it's about striving to be more aware while living in the real world.
Still, reading their books are a good way to start:
Meetings with Remarkable Men by G. I. Gurdjieff
Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson by G. I. Gurdjieff
Best not to read this one first.
Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution by P.D. Ouspensky
The ultimate purpose of life is to work on one's consciousness.
In Search of the Miraculous by P.D. Ouspensky
As a writer Ouspensky is generally more accessible than Gurdjieff.
The Fourth Way by P.D. Ouspensky
Self-Remembering by Robert Earl Burton
Burton has a Fourth Way school in the US.
The Theory of Celestial Influence by Rodney Collin
Excellent "modern" (1950s) Fourth Way book that combines science and mysticism well. Best explanation I've found as to how the planets affect actions of humans.
LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS:
One reason The Fourth
Way rings true for me is because it claims seven levels of
consciousness, and The Urantia Book
also lists seven circles of psychic attainment, although the numbering
is reversed. As one becomes more conscious, more aware, one achieves
psychic ability and a more intimate connection with one's higher self:
God.
Typical university trained psychologists know little about this system. For them, academically writing about consciousness seems more important than actually experiencing it. Achieving a high state of consciousness cannot be proved; one must look to the person and judge their abilities and life.
Typical university trained psychologists know little about this system. For them, academically writing about consciousness seems more important than actually experiencing it. Achieving a high state of consciousness cannot be proved; one must look to the person and judge their abilities and life.
The
Fourth Way explains that what science generally considers objective is
really subjective, since science learns from the physical world and our
senses can lie. The knowledge of God is objective, not our physical
world of maya or illusion.