Esoteric Talks: Recent Episodes
Esoteric Talks
Esoteric Talks are about learning to apply the universal truth of esotericism to ourselves, where we find ourselves in the Universe. Applied anything is more difficult than theoretical anything. Our quick fix, instant access society doesn't well support these efforts. All the more reason for this spaced repetition of Universal Principles.
Here we examine man's duty to the Truth realized and accepted as the only way to fulfill his destiny and complete his being.
Dr. Nicoll cites different examples of higher states of consciousness available to man that transcend time. Our ordinary states of consciousness block our access to these higher states.
When Jesus says, "I am the truth" what kind of understanding do we have concerning this interesting statement? Pilate said, "What is truth?" It's a good question. MacDonald explores the idea of truth in depth.
Continuing with the examples of states of consciousness induced through anesthetics a pictures is drawn of a universe within man.
MacDonald exposes us to an interesting study of a well known verse that opens new meaning to us if we're willing to receive it.
Dr. Nicoll notes some interesting experiments in altered states of consciousness where Time, as we ordinarily perceive it, is changed. The result is higher states of consciousness and a different reality from what is ordinary to us.
MacDonald asks how many people today would recognize Jesus if He were to show up in our town. He answers the question himself, and it’s very interesting indeed.
Dr. Nicoll brings in others to help bend our minds to a higher reality concerning our Time psychology and its limitations. It can be tough going so hang in there.
MacDonald addresses the primary relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son and how affects man and the universe of which he is part.
We begin to bring together the many different ideas about Time and our imprisonment in it as well as the ideas about Eternity as a way out of our current condition.
This second half is blistering. People dedicated to their church more than to God and His Christ are going to feel the heat. As if they'd be listening to this in the first place.
Changing, or raising our level of being is a Herculean task complicated by our current condition of sleep and imagination. Gaining new meaning concerning Time is a crucial step in raising our level of being.
Sometimes I think the reason these sermons were unspoken is because MacDonald knew they would fall on deaf ears. This one challenges the would be Christian to obey, one of the most difficult areas for the "churched" Christian to comprehend.
Esoteric literature is full of illustrations of how the phenomenal world is a shadow of a higher world of which we are not presently aware. Our task is to become more aware of the world behind our perceived world.
The biggest problem with self is self-love. It's like a cloud in front of the sun. It keeps so much that we need to be happy from getting to us so we may benefit from it, and benefit others.
As we labor with ideas that don't fit in our limited view of the world Dr. Nicoll gives us examples to help us get some foundational ideas from which to extrapolate.
MacDonald tackles possibly the most misunderstood idea in Christianity. That of self-denial and its ramifications. The self about which he writes must be properly understood before he can be put aside.
Dr. Nicoll continues to address our limited conceptions concerning time while building the groundwork for us to be able to extract new, higher meaning from the idea of Time.
MacDonald finishes up with the justification of Job and his proper alignment with his new knowledge of God's love, mercy and justice. Job's prosperity is more than just physical as he comes to better know the ways of God are far above the ways of man.
Dr. Nicoll discusses the impermeability of the Life in Time. It's taken us a while to get to this point because of the need to deconstruct our illusions and limitations about Time as we perceive it.
If Job was righteous, as the prologue states, what was his shortcoming? When God speaks to him out of the whirlwind, what is the meaning. Is it a rebuke or a reminder?
The fact that our ordinary consciousness is so limited by pride, vanity, self-love and imagination makes Living Time tedious. Through spaced repetition and analogies Dr. Nicoll drags it up bit by bit. Let's cooperate with higher ideas.
Part two has MacDonald giving the traditional churches a spiritual spanking for their heresy of hiding the Father's love for His children. Instead they ignorantly teach of hell and torment.
Dr. Nicoll brings the full force of ancient teachings to bear on our erroneous, limited conception of Time. The result is an exercise designed to blast the wrong concept to pieces so we can move into a higher state of awareness concerning the reality of Time outside the third dimension.
MacDonald addresses himself to the book of Job with a passion. This first part treats Job fairly compared with how poorly the story is misunderstood by many today.
Dr. Nicoll continues to hammer the idea of Time as a dimension above the third, in which we live. A dimension, if we are able to conceive it, that has the ability to liberate us from the spiritual restrictions of the third dimension we call home.
MacDonald vindicates God of blood sacrifice in every form by shedding light on the nature of our spiritual ignorance. Those who have ears to hear, and hearts willing to understand will find this Unspoken Sermon touching.
Because we are Time blind we must have parables, analogies and allegories to help us grasp the ideas that can help us understand the fourth dimension, Time. Only in this way can we begin to develop a new level of being.
MacDonald assault the idea of sickness, decay and death with life, life and more life. He makes a powerful argument for the old saying, "Down seven, up eight."
Dr. Nicoll traces higher ideas regarding time from ancient texts to recent authors showing a common thread running through all of them. He also gives some excellent examples to help us grasp, what for us, are difficult concepts.
For some the idea of being adopted by God is a stumbling block. MacDonald was one of those. He tears into Scripture to represent God as a loving Father and not just some nice guy who picks up strays.
We explore some images to help us grasp the, invisible to us, fourth dimension of time. Giving our attention to the ideas may help us begin to see our world in a new way.
If the universe will allow us to get away with something, the real fool is the one who does what he could get away with not doing. If not, we must pay what we owe, even to the last penny.
We begin to explore the idea of Time as an invisible dimension connected to the three dimensions which we can perceive through sense. Though the idea is simple it opens the way for greater meaning of our relation to higher states of consciousness.
MacDonald hammers out an image of prayer as revealed through the story of the Wedding Feast at Cana. His perspective is so refreshing and heart felt it is remarkable in its loveliness.
Dr. Nicoll overlays teachings and experiences from Pythagoras to Tennyson to show us the consistency of the teaching of man's potential and primary errand while trapped on the time line.
MacDonald addresses himself to the parable of the unjust judge, and reveals a delightful angle to an often poorly understood, or misunderstood story. He brings light without compromise.
Dr. Nicoll continues to explore the older teachings about man, the universe and our ability to change our feeling of I.
Spiritual stupidity is pandemic in our world today. It's so prevalent we don't know when we suffer as a result. MacDonald goes after the cause rather than the symptom, which is simply brilliant.
Dr. Nicoll shows the similarity of Plato’s and Augustine’s philosophy arising from their experience of states of consciousness higher than our ordinary states. These states of direct experience through internal senses, apart from our five senses, are the object of esoteric teachings.
MacDonald spanks the rich in this one, but before you gloat it would be a good idea to understand what is meant by rich and just how much we fall into the category.
Dr. Nicoll continues to painstakingly build on the foundation of ancient wisdom to bring us closer to an understanding of the universe and our place in it. His aim is not difficult to guess. He wants individuals to awaken to and manifest their innate potential.
There has been much talk about the way, the path and the like for a great many years. I've never heard anyone talk about to what the way or the path would lead one. MacDonald makes it very clear in this Unspoken Sermon, now given a voice.
After dismissing an outer, scientific method of transformation as impossible, Dr. Nicoll begins to sketch out a scientific system found internally. He touches on esoteric Christianity as a viable alternative.
If God is a God of the living and not a god of the dead, then we have every right to expect a resurrection. The question is, what is, what kind of resurrection? MacDonald explores the idea.
You might think after all Dr. Nicoll has had to say about materialism there wouldn't be much left unsaid. Not so. He continues to elucidate the trap in which we will find ourselves if we continue to work at it.
Probably the most difficult Christian concept to practice. More would be Christians become unconscious liars or self-righteous hypocrites around this than any other admonition. MacDonald brings the foundation of this practice into sharp definition.
Dr. Nicoll continues to hammer at our materialism in an attempt to break up some or our sense based notions that block our path to inner evolution. If we can crack the granite like blocks some light could enter our inner darkness and begin the process of setting us free.
The second part of MacDonalds Unspoken Sermon based on, love your neighbor as yourself doesn't conclude as much as lead us into the next challenge.
Dr. Nicoll digs deeper into our ingrained materialism and shows how it limits our development as long as we cling to it unaware.
Billed as half of the fulfillment of the law, we are faced with, the sometimes difficult task, of loving our neighbor. MacDonald treats the subject with the same persuasive power he meets any spiritual challenge.
The idea of consciousness as light is explored as not simply a matter of quantity but also of quality.
After the last temptation comes either victory or failure, depending upon the choice that was made during the temptation. Here MacDonald deals with the final words of Jesus.
We look at how we take our consciousness for granted as we take the way we see the world for granted. This prevents us from realizing inner growth and development.
A verse that has troubled some for generations is brought under the light of MacDonald's spiritual understanding. Sooner or later we feel forsaken by God. It would serve us well to remember this Unspoken Sermon.
The best way to know what the outcome of what we're doing will be is to understand why we're doing it and follow it to its natural end. If naturalism is leading us true can be known by understanding upon what is rests.
Part two of George MacDonald's Unspoken Sermons, Temptation in the Wilderness, addresses the last two temptations recounted in the parable and brings light to their meaning then for Him and the world as well as for us here and now.
To develop properly we must understand the two worlds in which we live and how they are related to one another. With this is mind we can make an aim that will help us to reach our ultimate goal more efficiently.
Here we delve into the Gospel account of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness after fasting for forty days. MacDonald leads us into a deeper understanding of what must either be a parable or a fiction.
We continue to explore the devolution of thought since being based on the reality the senses give us, relegating man to the place of a visible, measurable piece of matter in a universe that can only be known through the senses.
The loss of our goods can be a devastating event. There is a way to avoid it and that may be good, but there is something far worse that can befall us which is of far more importance to be sure to avoid.
A scientific examination of the data the five senses send to our brains for translation and interpretation. When we step back from our ordinary state of consciousness and look more objectively it becomes clear the five senses are not worthy of the trust we put in them. This is a transforming idea.
The New Man will have to have a new name. It's spoken of in the Revelation but not always well understood. MacDonald gives us the opportunity to dig a little deeper into its important meaning.
More exploration of the idea that the most real part of us, the most real part of our life, is invisible. Not only are we invisible, but everyone else is invisible to us. Our sense formed mind will not readily accept this idea. The idea has the power to help us transform.
Many people have tortured themselves thinking they had committed the unforgivable sin. MacDonald sheds what light he had on the subject and does a fine job of helping us to a fuller understanding of the text and our relationship with our Creator.
Some very powerful ideas are discussed from unusual perspectives that give us an opportunity to reap fresh meaning from ancient esoteric ideas with which most students are familiar. There's a difference between knowing about an idea and direct cognition.
As we progress spiritually we move from basic faith that believes what we hear about, read about and experience to a different kind of faith. The higher faith is the faith that doesn't have to be explained and cannot easily be explained.
Fire represents purification, perfecting, cleansing. Fire also burns that which is impure, not like itself. MacDonald treats the subject brilliantly. If you are able to understand there is much to be understood.
The Child in the Midst is the first unspoken sermon, now spoken, in George MacDonald's series of Unspoken Sermons. He's interested in showing us a portrait of God based on the teaching Jesus offers his disciples after discovering them bickering over who is the greatest.
The poem reiterates the need for a guide to cross the ocean of this world and reach the Ocean of Love, our real home and final destination. Somehow it's easier for us to understand our need for a guide on a safari than it is for us to grasp the need for a spiritual guide.
The purpose of esoteric teaching, in every epoch and area, is to sow the seed of truth into humanity. The purpose of this truth is to make us think differently. To raise us from a lower level to a higher level.
The poem continues with Kabir rebuking and restoring Dharam Das for his lack of faith in the Word. Dharam Das is still worried about his son, Narayan, who has rejected the path of liberation. Dharam Das and his son both represent the two main aspects of our configuration.
We've heard so much about the end of the world, the Mayan calendar, the second coming that we've lost our perspective. What's it all about? According to esoteric teaching there is some sense to be made of all this.
The poem continues to warn of the pitfalls that will befall those who seek liberation in the future. We're warned about unhealthy attachment to family and other relationships when they become dark attachments. It's the light that heals us.
Literal meaning can be a lock on the door to understanding. Wine, clothing, vineyards are all physical things that can be taken literally. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you wish to develop you must get beyond the literal to the esoteric meaning behind those things.
It's tragic how much of the esoteric literature known as the Gospels is overlooked because it's mistranslated, misunderstood and taken for granted. The parable of the man entering the wedding feast without a wedding garment has great meaning for us.
Kabir, who represents the Master Power, tells Dharam Das, who represents us, what the future will hold for his family. It becomes clear that the world has come increasingly under the power of the negative force. The web of illusions are revealed.
John the Baptist is more than just a character in a story. His meaning, esoterically, is vital to our understanding of the Truth. He represents a side of truth that can be violent and must be replaced by another.
At the threat of souls being liberated from the physical world, Kal sends his own masters into the world to entrap the souls, keeping them imprisoned in the Ocean of the World. The poem gives us some of the paths that people follow which lead back on themselves.
We continue examining the Parable of the, mistranslated, Unjust Steward. The extremely profound esoteric meaning takes a high degree of understanding to grasp, but it's well worth the effort for those willing to make it.
The poem relates the story of the establishment of the false paths set up by Kal's gurus to mislead the souls and keep them imprisoned in the Ocean of the World. A very interesting perspective that needs to be understood is that Kal thinks he's saving the world.
One of the most complicated and confusing parables is our subject. The parable of the "Unjust Steward" is confused by a poor translation and lack of esoteric understanding. It's about turning failure to our advantage.
The poem continues with the establishment of the lineage of the Masters and the path of Sant Mat established by Sat Purush through Gayani, or Kabir. Daram Das being the first in this age. Hold this lightly so your intellect doesn't trouble you too much.
The bread in the parable of the prodigal son and the Lord's prayer is not literal bread. It has an esoteric meaning. If we wish to develop we must learn to nourish that which can develop.
The poem relates the story of the line of Masters descending from Kabir. The Opposing Force, or Negative Power is always mentioned and calculated. Something we usually fail to do as we make our way back home.
Esoteric teachings tell us there is a side of ourselves that we have lost. The essential part of us that has been forgotten but can be remembered. This is the aim of development.
An esoteric explanation of the negative power, opposing force and the ways it works to keep us imprisoned in illusion. There is a path through the many deceptions but it takes a pure heart to find it.
How is it that the disciples who followed Jesus didn't understand what he taught even after three years? How much more difficult must it be for us to understand the esoteric truth hidden in the parables?
The poem continues to relate the tale of the Master's appearance in the fourth age and the establishment of the path of liberation. Remember the poem uses parable and allegory to convey eternal truth to minds trapped in Time.
The literal, sense based mind hinders spiritual progress. This is why metanoia and new birth are required to develop beyond the animal mind and body given us at birth.
Welcome to the dark age. The Kali Yuga is the age in which we are living. Life is short and violent. The redeeming factor is we have greater access the the Truth and therefore the possibility of liberation is greater.
Understanding the parables in the Gospels doesn't come naturally. It takes study, but it also takes application so that we can begin to experience metanoia, change of mind, so crucial to new birth.
This section of the poem explores the idea of Grace, unmerited favor, and how it can affect our lives.
We examine types of people and levels of truth. There is a truth that the outer man can understand. There is a higher truth that the outer man can never understand. Guess which one leads to transformation.
The story of Kabir's Incarnation in the third age is related. The difference in language forces us to wake up and think in a new way about the things we think we know. This offers us the opportunity to extract new meaning to feed an expanding consciousness of Truth.
We tidy up loose ends with Nicodemus and launch into another story that illustrates the differences between the sense based mind and the transformed mind. The Samaritan woman finds that the well is a great deal deeper than it appears.
The poem continues to tell the story of the different incarnations of the Master Power through the ages and the different disciples along the way. Gradually more and more is learned about how to be liberated from the cycle of misery in which we are found.
We continue with our examination of the story of Nicodemus and Jesus in part three. If new meaning was easy to get everyone would get it. Since it's not, they don't. What will you do?
The poem tells the story of how one is liberated from the ocean of the world and gains the Ocean of Love. The different eras have different Messengers, Saints, Prophets and Holy Men, sent to bring the Knowledge of liberation. How few show interest.
Dr. Nicoll continues with the explanation of the story of Nicodemus and Jesus. The misunderstood or not understood meaning of New Birth is explored in detail and applied to our possible evolution, transformation.
The Ocean of Love lays out the plan to liberate the souls from the bondage and torment of Kal. Of course, Kal will not take this lying down, and his deceptions are explained with which he counters the will of the Absolute. Recognize the traps and avoid them.
The story of Nicodemus and what it means for those who wish to apply the esoteric meaning to their own lives. Inner development isn't easy, but it's impossible for those who cannot, will not, open their consciousness to new meaning.
An explanation of the suffering of the world, how and why it repeats throughout the ages. The poem also explains the way a soul can be guided across the ocean of the world to the ocean of love by One Who knows the way.
An eye opening look at the real meaning of the parable of the prodigal son. The parable is so well known it takes a psychological hammer to break through our preconceived notions and old associations.
The poem explains how the different types of people who walk the earth came to be as they are. Some are born wise and gentle while others are born violent and beastly.
What is your supreme meaning? How can the obvious real meaning of popular esoteric writings be so consistently misunderstood? Why can't we understand our way of seeing things is the problem?
The poem addresses a modern misconception about the creation and ownership of the world in which we live. Cause and Effect is explained as the active law binding us to the Wheel of Eighty-Four.
Continuing with the idea of Metanoia as a state of understanding as a starting point for the further development of what a man can become. We begin to touch on the idea of what opposes this development and why it is so here on this earth.
The poem continues with the story of creation. We continue to peel away the veils that hinder our understanding of its esoteric meaning. Sex, lies and no video tapes are introduced. Given the course society has run it will take a little longer for video tapes, the internet and rampant porn sites.
The meaning and significance of metanoia in esoteric writings. Because the word has been mistranslated for so long it's extremely difficult to blast through the wrong meaning embedded in race consciousness.
Coming to terms with esoteric ideas as relating to our internal world takes some time and effort. We're so turned outward that we ordinarily think in the language of the outer world. What's out there is only a reflection of what's inside us.
A startling look at the creation of our seen world and the two unseen worlds above our physical plane. The trap into which the soul falls and is kept, bound by the laws of virtues and sins.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed seques surprisingly into the phrase in the Lord's Prayer, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The meaning, at first shocking, becomes crystal clear as we begin to understand in a new way.
What's to keep us from imagining that we're developing when imagination is so powerful, satisfying every center? Are we really struggling against imagination? Is there a way to test our work on ourselves to find if it's true work?
The story of creation, according to Kabir, is much like many creation stories. The names are different but as usual it shows that pride goes before a fall. The esoteric poem lines out the arc of our path from above to below and how to get out of the mess in which we find ourselves.
The three categories of man, where the teaching of esotericism is sown, and how the teaching is received.
One of the wonderful things about the Infinite is it's infinite. There's no end to it. To grasp this idea with the sense mind is impossible. Another mind is needed. A mind built by higher ideas, not data from the senses.
We begin with Kabir's story of creation and its esoteric meaning. It's still slow going as we struggle with the vocabulary and difference in culture and tradition. Nevertheless there is an underlying truth that feeds the soul of those who are able to allow it rather than resist the differences.
The three categories of man, where the teaching of esotericism is sown, and how the teaching is received.
The simply stated law of Cause and Effect is not nearly as easily understood experientially. This causes an infinite number of errors to thrive. These errors bring untold misery into our personal lives and the lives of countless others. There is a remedy.
This episode sees the inevitable cultural collision that occurs when the western mind and the eastern mind meet. We attempt to wend our way through the objections that come up for us as we move deeper into the Ocean of Love.
We dig deeper into the Parable of the Sower and the meaning of the different soils upon which the seed is sown. What is the seed? What do the soils represent in us?
Esoteric ideas necessarily fall externally on us. It takes more years than we like to think for them to become more internal to us. There are things that we can do to aid the process. There are signs that they have begun to be more internal.
We begin to dig into the necessity of discipline to move us away from our attachment to the physical world and the sense based mind. Every day we make choices that bring us closer to one of two world. The physical world in which we are imprisoned or the spiritual world that offers us liberation from the Wheel of Suffering.
An in depth look at the esoteric meaning of the Parable of the Sower. There's a lot to this. What's more important is the practical application of its meaning to ourselves.
A tour of the need, purpose and use of parable, allegory and fable in the transmission of esoteric ideas. Sadly, if this is misunderstood it can act as a barrier to the reception of these ancient ideas seeded on the earth to open the way for man's possible transformation.
Still in the Prologue, Kabir explains to Dharam Das, the reality. Using many analogies we sneak up on an understanding of what it takes for one to be liberated from the prison of the sense mind, false personality and the laws that bind us to them.
There's a key to understanding the parables given in the esoteric writings we know as the Gospels. The key parable, according to Jesus, is the parable of the sower. We take a close look at this key to understanding.
The purpose of an esoteric school, represented in esoteric literature as a vineyard, has as its purpose the production of fruit. The fruit can and must be produced in an individual. Knowing what blocks the production of fruit is a crucial study.
We begin, slowly, with the prologue of The Ocean of Love by Kabir. Most of the terms used in this ancient mystic poem are unfamiliar to us. It takes attention and study, but it's worth it to those wishing to see the common thread of truth running through all esoteric teachings from all eras and areas.
We regularly fail to discern the fact that we are not one. Because we are not one it's nearly impossible for us to understand the esoteric meaning of parables. Until we can get beyond our sense based mind we have no chance to discover our higher mind.
Ridding ourselves of identification and negative emotions is only half the job before us. There's a great danger in leaving an internal vacancy. Esoteric literature warns us of this danger but most of us don't understand the language well enough to get the message.
The Ocean of Love, by Kabir, is an ancient esoteric poem that presents the impact of Time on Eternity and Eternity’s response. Eternity is the Ocean of Love. Where Time touches Eternity it perverts it producing the ocean of this world, the only reality most of us know.
There's a reason expanding one's consciousness and getting right understanding is so difficult. It's not the fault of the teachings, but the twisted part of us acquired by our contact with life.
This Work, esoteric ideas, will never work for those who take it very heavily, very seriously. There is an eternal boy in each of us able to receive these ideas properly and be nourished by them. This is the intermediary between the two worlds.
The Ocean of Love is a ancient poem of Kabir also known as, The Anurag Sagar. It's an esoteric story of creation explaining our condition and its remedy.
We finish up the book with this episode and discuss some of the problems of predictions that haven't been accurate and prophecies that haven't been fulfilled in the time they were predicted to happen.
Why is it that esoteric stories and parables have hidden meanings? We look at some stories and parables in esoteric writings that are so familiar to us it's difficult to get beyond what we know to what we don't know but need to know.
What makes this Work so difficult? It's the lower centers we use to touch life. How can we get the lower centers to get something from the Higher Centers? We need a new force.
The Seventh Veil is so far beyond our current state that it's impractical. We discuss the aim and restoration of creation to its perfect state. Evil is discussed and understood esoterically.
The story of Lot, his wife, and the destruction of Sodom has been taken literally to our own harm. The esoteric meaning points to our spiritual development and must fall on the right place inside us to be properly understood.
The fifth veil is introduced and discussed along with the ramifications of its removal and the effects its removal may have on a person. Again, this isn't to be taken Morningrally. This is esoteric truth and must be applied internally to the individual.
The esoteric meaning of the renaming of Abram and Sarai. This leads into the story of Lot, his wife, and the destruction of the internal state, Sodom, in which Lot has chosen to reside.
We discuss the third and fourth veils, what they represent, what it costs us to remove them and what possible effects their removal might have on us. This isn't to be taken Morningrally, but rather figuratively. This is an inside job.
The esoteric meaning of the story of Lot's wife, salt and the required transitions from old states of consciousness to new states waiting above us.
As there are seven veils that must be removed before we can realize union we need to get busy. In this recording we address the difficulties involved with the first two veils.
The idea of doing good with no idea of reward for ourselves is an interesting concept. One we may imagine we live daily. Stripping away Imaginary I is a huge task if we can see through our pictures to Imaginary I.
Again we come back to the use of psychic powers in our modern world and the intrinsic dangers involved both for the individual using the powers and the world that is affected by it.
To read esoteric literature without an understanding of the technical language used is to utterly misunderstand the intended meaning. This is the condition in which we find ourselves. We must grasp new meaning behind the common words.
Many energies are explained from an entirely different perspective than the one we have based on science and the five senses. It can be difficult to change gears and think in a new way, but that's what metanoia, change of thinking is all about.
Many teachings talk about transformation, but few confront us with the barriers in ourselves that keep us from transforming. It's no wonder when we consider the Herculean effort necessary to face ourselves.
This section deals with the Trinity. The process of stripping away the skin over our understanding can be quite painful. No wonder so few wish to pay the price to gain new meaning from esoteric truth.
Dr. Nicoll presents the idea of meaning in an exciting way. He presents meaninglessness as a terrible illness. Ultimately your meaning is your god.
Finishing up with the esoteric meaning of the Eucharist as a vehicle for Grace The need for a physical conduit for Grace is based on the fact that we have become trapped in a physical world and body through the five senses and the sense based mind they have formed.
We take a fresh look at faith as a way of thinking instead of the ordinary way of taking it as belief, which it is not. A number of parables are used to illustrate the kind of thinking that can show us what the senses can't see.
The doctrine of transubstantiation is addressed and explained in an interesting, esoteric way. For most people familiar with esoteric teachings there's little challenge to their ideas. To people unfamiliar with esoteric ideas the challenge will be obvious
We touch on some stories from both old and new testaments of the Bible exploring the hidden, esoteric meaning of the stories. It's exciting when the patterns are slowly revealed and we discover a message and directions for us to follow.
A tour of how the teachings of Jesus were changed and distorted over the centuries, by whom and why. We know that we have only fragments of his esoteric teachings. This section explains why.
We begin our examination of Dr. Maurice Nicoll’s final book, The Mark. Much of the material is familiar. The difference is the subtle depth of fine points that are the result of his spiritual maturity.
A number of course corrections to Christianity are discussed and explained. For someone a little more objective the corrections are obvious and needed. To someone more subject it will probably be difficult to accept.
Dr. Nicoll gives us some more to think about concerning the Kingdom of Heaven as taught through the parables. We discuss the man who got into the the wedding feast without wedding garments. It's rich with esoteric meaning.
This part of the book lays down a new law for a new Church. It's like a new broom and it sweeps clean. Many will find this a breath of fresh air. Others will be shaken and offended.
This is one to which it is easy to object. Nevertheless, I urge you to open your mind and heart to try to receive new meaning from this ancient teaching that repeats through time.
Some additions, deletions and corrections to the Bible are included in this section. Some light is shed on some of the prophecy from the book of the revelation.
The seventh and final parable defining the Kingdom of Heaven is explained and discussed as we finish up the eleventh chapter of The New Man. Painfully, we are directed to notice that we imagine we understand when we do not.
Some disturbing prophecies are detailed. It's far too easy to misunderstand these predictions. Without a broader spiritual understanding of prophecy to temper our reactionary minds it's easy to thow out the baby with the bath water.
We look at three parables that concern selection, justice. We are directed to get rid of some parts of ourselves to make room for something new. Life doesn't well support this esoteric truth, which is why it must be esoteric.
A number of grim prophecies are revealed and discussed. Prophecy for our own time and also concerning future generations of man. Though they are grim, there are a number of signs that they have begun already.
An esoteric look at wheat, tares, devils, angels and the end of the world as taught through the hidden meaning of some of the parables about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Religion takes a beating in this part of the book. If you're very identified with religion this may be a challenge for you. If you're identified with making religions wrong this could be even more of a challenge.
The key to understanding parables is the parable of the sower. If we don't understand this one we won't understand the language of parables and their hidden meaning will be lost to us.
History, as we know it, is sketchy at best. Revisionism makes it even more suspect. Some will find this look at the Exodus story from a different point of view disturbing. Nevertheless, since our aim is to expand our consciousness, raise our level of being and get new meaning, this is useful.
Two ways of looking at Truth are represented by John the Baptist and Jesus. Two ways of looking at Truth, externally, are represented by John the Baptist and the Pharisees.
An interesting history of man's evolution over the span of three million years, from harmony with Nature to our separation from the rest of the organic film coating the planet. From instinctive telepathy to spoken language and the alienating result.
To understand the esoteric idea of the kingdom of heaven taught in the parables one must see it in a new way. John and Jesus were not only cousins, but two pictures of man.
The physical and spiritual history of The Holy Grail is revealed. More importantly the spiritual significance of he Grail in the world and in our individual spiritual development.
Finishing up with the tenth chapter we tie up faith, humility and love as the ingredients necessary for opening the door that may lead us to the New Man. This is great stuff!
We look at the idea of evil, evil men and women in history, and especially Hitler and the bridge he built allowing evil free access to our world. We also look at humanity's part in the evil in our world.
We continue to explore the state of faith as described in different parables. Faith is shown as a necessary portal to a higher level of ourselves leading to the New Man.
The hierarchy of spiritual life in the Universe that leads up to the spirit that can inhabit a human body and beyond is laid out and explained. An interesting overview of the Great Ray of Creation and our long and involved spiritual evolution.
We take another step in understanding the meaning of faith as given in esoteric teachings. Here we see faith in relation to our attitude toward life and everything in it.
We cautiously pick our way through the ideas of spiritual and psychic power, the world of magicians and the dangers to which they expose themselves. Much is said of our purpose as spiritual beings and our duties to our Author.
More on faith as related in the parable of the sower. The idea is introduced that faith is a bridge that enables us to reach a higher level of ourselves. The catch? There's a cost. It's dear.
A look behind the veil of flesh with which we navigate the world in which we find ourselves. Definition of terms help us to get our spiritual bearings in a simple world made complex by our misunderstanding.
We continue with our esoteric exploration of faith as related by the hidden meaning of parables. Faith is not belief and belief is not faith.
The challenge of this section for the traditionally trained religious will be the expansion of consciousness necessary to overcome the objections that present themselves to us. Try to keep an open mind.
Chapter 10, part 1 deals with the dramatic example of faith as related in the Gospel story of the Mount of Transfiguration. What a surprise! Faith, like almost everything else, has a much deeper, esoteric meaning.
This section lays out a mind boggling plan that incorporates the entire universe and everything in it. It stretches the limits of our understanding to grasp the scale of creation.
Self-love's vice grip on us strangles our aliveness and turns us into pretentious, violent machines.
A fascinating and somewhat disturbing view of evil and how we welcome it into our world. Hierarchies of the universes are also explored. This can be a blow to the self-love so don't listen if you're full of yourself.
This episode continues our look into the spiritual and psychological meaning of the beatitudes. Rather than taking the beatitudes literally, Dr. Nicoll builds a foundation upon which our understanding may rest and deliver new meaning.
A mind boggling exposé of our relative size, strength and place in the scale of Being. Leave your self-love elsewhere if you're going to listen to this with an open mind.
We begin here to discuss the esoteric meaning of the beatitudes found in the sermon on the mount. This recording was made later than the rest to make up for a lost fragment of the recordings.
We come to a place in the book where it becomes increasingly difficult to bear the image of ourselves as insignificant as we don't want to believe we are in the seven universes.
The three levels of truth taught in esoteric writings are transmitted by three different teaching methods. Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus represent these different levels in an outer form. The teachings manifest differently and therefore must be understood accordingly.
A picture is drawn of a universal spiritual war into which we have been conscripted as soldiers. Like it or not, aware of it or not, we have a part to play and play we must. Within this framework we have free will.
We examine the esoteric meaning of the Lord's prayer, the purpose of prayer and formulating a proper request. This is very different from the kinds of prayers we acquired in life.
The first part of chapter two deals with an overview of our universe and its place in the seven universes. It's complex, but excellent examples are given to help ease our minds into new meaning.
A simple way of looking at the mystery of prayer is to see it as response to request. What we must learn is how to make a proper request that will evoke the response we desire from something higher.
Our introduction to The Seven Mansions, by Brian Cleeve. After our tee up we read and discuss the first chapter.
Prayer, as taught in the Gospels, is communication between something higher and something lower. There are requirements we must meet to open a communication with something higher. It takes specific knowledge and specific effort.
The esoteric idea of prayer, as taught in the Gospels, is very different from the ordinary meaning of prayer as taught in exoteric religions. This is a very interesting approach to a time worn subject.
We explore the meaning of faith represented by Peter in the Gospels. This is a fascinating perspective that brings new meaning to familiar Gospel stories and characters.
We discuss the strange and dangerous contradiction between truth and good. The logic of the intellect clings to truth and murders goodness because of its lack of understanding.
We finish up with the idea of wisdom in the Gospels and move on to Simon Peter and what he represents in the Gospels and, more importantly, in ourselves. This section is rich with inner meaning.
The idea of wisdom in the Gospels is explored from the perspective of esoteric teachings about the possible inner development of a man apart from his external life.
Discussion of the soul from an esoteric view. The soul is pivotal with the ability to turn outward toward the world or inward toward the things of an esoteric nature.
The idea of rebirth in the Gospels is discussed. The Gospels can be taken on two basic levels. Rebirth is dying to one level and being reborn to the other, higher level.
Why is it that the truth must be so offensive to us? We discuss the two levels in man about which the Gospels speak. The lower, outer level takes offense at the higher, inner level of a man.
The idea of righteousness in the Gospels and how it applies to us as we attempt to develop spiritually. We discuss what stands in our way and how to address our contradictions.
This section of the book discusses the idea that truth must be supplanted. After serving its purpose truth must take second place to the Good that it has produced, if it has been properly applied.
The whole purpose of esoteric teachings is not simply to gather knowledge of the truth. The truth must lead to something if it is to be any value at all. After we learn of the truth we must develop the will to do the truth for the truth.
The words Christ and Jesus have different meanings in the Gospels. The purpose of truth is to lead us to act from Goodness for the sake of Goodness. The healing of the man at the Pool of Bethesda illustrates the path from truth to goodness.
The hidden meaning of the parable of the healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda. This story is rich with spiritual meaning for those who may have ears to hear.
All truth that does not lead to goodness is no truth worthy of the name. How we can keep on track is by applying knowledge of truth to our own lives until we are in a position to act from good for good only.
For us, the truth is usually apprehended intellectually by gathering knowledge of the truth. This is only half the battle. Truth must be applied to gain the understanding that leads to acting from the truth for the sake of goodness alone.
The difference between Knowledge and Being is discussed as well as the ultimate aim of all esoteric teachings being the idea of Goodness. What part knowledge plays in either bring us closer to the aim or taking us in the opposite direction.
We continue our in depth study of the esoteric meaning of the Wedding Feast at Cana delving deeply into the characters in the story. Three levels are represented by the people and the things used in the story to convey higher meaning.
The marriage at Cana and the esoteric meaning of the transformation of water into wine.
The meaning of the Wedding Feast at Cana and the transformation of water into wine. The meaning of the relationship between Jesus and Mary and the relationship between the higher and the lower in us.
Temptation might be something with which we would happily do away. We discuss the necessity of temptation in the process of transformation.
We talk about working like a dog, being treated like a dog, having a dog's life and so on. There's something about being doggy that isn't all bad. It might not be such a bad idea for us to simplify our work by being a little more doggy.
The First Conscious Shock needs to be as regular as breathing for us to develop. Unfortunately, there's a good deal of jive talkin' that stands between us and that First Conscious Shock. We've got work to do!
A closer look at temptation and the role it plays in us in bringing the Intellectual Center and the Emotional Center under the influence of Higher Centers.
Perfection is such a frightening idea to the False Personality that we've had to change the definition of the word to get some peace so we can continue to sleep.
Our questioner is beginning to wonder if there's not more to being righteous than having moral behavior. He thinks it might have something to do with how we are related to esoteric ideas.
A fresh and interesting esoteric look at the idea of temptation in the Gospels and what it means in regard to our spiritual development.
Everyone manifests something all the time. We're all bearing fruit. The question is how can we insure what we manifest is something that will further our inner development?
Esoteric ideas don't amount to a hill of beans if they are not properly ordered in our intellectual part. We can think all sorts of things that aren't true. The ideas must be arranged properly and that is the work of our emotional part.
The idea of temptation as necessary for self-development, and ultimately, transformation. The devil, the wilderness, temptation and the three levels of truth explained and explored.
There's a reason some people stay with esoteric teachings, enter into the process of internal transformation while others fall away. This is hard and painful! It takes a long time. It can't be accomplished without a lifeline.
No one likes to think of themselves as a piece in a cosmic game. There are many things that are true about which we do not like to think and do not wish to believe. It doesn't change the truth.
We examine the meaning of being tempted and how temptation is employed to bring us to the point of decision between the higher and the lower in us.
Annoyance is a two-edged sword. We can find people, things and life itself annoying at times. The other side of that is that we can be annoying to others with little or no effort or awareness.
We may be born awake but we don't stay that way long. There's a reason for that. It's the reason we contract a disease that both protects us and at the same time keeps us from developing into our full potential as spiritual beings.
Was Jesus born perfect or did He have to develop like everyone else? What does it mean to us and why has the truth been hidden for so long?
Esoteric teachings show us there is an opposing force integrated in all creation and says we are usually blind to it. There is also a second second. If we remain blind to this we will never change our level of Being.
"Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way." Being humble isn't anything like how it appears in the external world. There is a true humility that we can attain much more easily than we might have thought.
In this section of Chapter 2 Dr. Nicoll introduces the idea that Jesus was not born perfect but rather had to develop spiritually. This development opens a path from the lower to the higher for any who wish to follow in such a development.
Part of being the way we are is taking the most incredible things for granted. At birth we receive a great gift. One we rarely appreciate for what it is, but this is just the beginning of our journey towards what is possible for us.
We may think being indulgent is something good or not so good. Here's a different way of looking at it that may give you the opportunity to glean new meaning for your work.
The esoteric meaning of the three levels of truth as found in Biblical parables and stories.
The Fourth Way defines man in many different ways according to where they stand in relation to this Work. Good Householder, Tramp, Lunatic and Hasnamous are four classifications. There is a fifth, often overlooked but very important.
It's easy to see how offensive others can be. It can be difficult to understand how others could find us offensive. Being unpleasant doesn't take much effort. It's so easy we can do it in our sleep. This makes it difficult to observe.
Because there are levels of Being, there are three levels of truth spoken of in parables. Stone, water and wine represent these levels of truth.
Some might wish for the ability to be in two places at the same time, but it's only because they are unaware of their location in the most important place in the Universe. To those places we remain blind until we learn how to work on ourselves.
Gratitude, thankfulness, praise, valuation and appreciation all have a common root cause. They also share a common end in the consciousness of man. States of Being may be attained through proper effort.
The double meaning of parables. The literal, outer and the esoteric, inner meanings and where they fall on a man.
It's difficult to make progress when you don't have a clear, well stated, well organized aim or goal. It's like wandering in the woods when you have no sense of direction or purpose.
Just as it's not wise to judge a book by it's cover it's also unwise to judge the internal man by how the external man appears or behaves in our perception. It's up to us to adjust our own mismatch between our inner and outer selves.
Chapter one, part two of The New Man. We look at the reason for parables. Esoteric truth cannot be understood directly by the outer man. The parable is designed to penetrate to the inner man.
At the threshold of a new year is a good time to consider deeply the idea of renewal. There is much for us to do to prepare ourselves to be renewed. It's not easy but it is a worthwhile effort on the path of development.
Self-Remembering sounds easy. It may well be easy for someone who is awake. Since we're not, we need to make the kinds of specific efforts needed to move along toward something more real, more internal than where we ordinarily live.
Our first look at Maurice Nicoll’s book, The New Man. We start off with learning the ancient language of parables. There’s a deeper esoteric meaning nearly lost to modern man.
Esoteric teachings tell us we are not the body. This can make sense to us intellectually and even emotionally to some degree. It's hard to rise above body consciousness however. Here are some practical ways to assist you in this vital realization.
Not all imagination is negative, but we don't know much about the part that isn't. This doesn't mean we can't learn. Properly directed imagination can be a powerful tool helping us to bind that which enslaves us.
Pigs wallow in filth for a reason and science has shown us what that reason is. Esoteric truth shows us how and why we wallow in filth too. Pigs can't be transformed but we can. It's up to us to make the effort.
There aren't many people who wouldn't accept bliss if it were offered to them. The numbers thin quickly when the idea of making effort to attain the inner state of bliss is introduced. Nonetheless, effort is required and that effort must be of a specific kind to be effective.
One of the marks of spiritual development is tolerance. As we ripen spiritually, as we apply the esoteric ideas seeded into humanity by more conscious beings than ourselves, tolerance manifests.
Once we've seen all these things inside of us and we realize they're destroying our happiness, what are we supposed to do about it? What's the next step?
No offense to the occupy movement, but people who wish to really alter the course of our world are those who have realized that this is self-development. There's an internal world we need to occupy if we wish to develop.
All the talk in the world won't change our Being. It may help us to gather the knowledge we need to apply to ourselves. Proper application on a daily basis will bring us understanding and ultimately change our level of Being.
Why after so many thousands of years with billions of people dying is there such mystery surrounding death? Why is it so feared and misunderstood and how can we make peace with the inevitable?
Being is a difficult idea for us to grasp. Mostly we're being and only dimly aware of what that is and not very aware at all about what it means. Since "Your Being attracts your life" is such a big part of esoteric teachings we may wish to explore this fu
It's not easy to be clear when you're stuck in the mud the five senses make of life by constantly stirring things. It is possible to find clarity in one area and work from there.
Getting stuck on the hamster wheel of life gets easier every day. Getting stuck in the past will ensure you'll have plenty of company. It won't, however, establish you on a path that will lead to your transformation.
There's not much of the kind of agreement in the world that leads us to better understand and communicate with our fellow beings. The tragic result is a world at war almost all the time. New meaning is what can bring new understanding.
It doesn't matter how much you give or how much you take. That with which we must all contend sooner or later is that which is required of us. Be it justly or unjustly required, requirements are part of this life experience.
There's a great deal about the machine that life has made of us which is out of whack. There is one particular faculty that causes us and others an enormous amount of useless, unnecessary suffering. No development is possible until we begin to adjust this
No one can win all the time. When the False Personality catches you napping and pins you there are some ideas it helps to remember while you weather the storm.
Putting off till tomorrow what you can do today may seem like a good idea at the time, but it may not be a wise choice when it comes to the work of self-development. Biting the bullet and applying the work to your own being is something most people never
Why is it that life is constantly knocking down whatever it is we try to build? What is all this opposition? Where does it come from and how can we get rid of it?
Being annoyed is easy in today's world with global access to so many annoying people. Here are some ideas on how to deal with those two legged irritants.
Discussion about Gurdjieff's talk, The Last Hour of Life. It's a great daily exercise if you're looking for a way to make esoteric ideas a practical reality in your life.
This is a recording of an essay I wrote in 2007. To my mind it's one of the best that has come out of me in recent years. I couldn't not share it with you. I pray it touches your heart as it has touched mine.
According to esoteric teachings there is no difference between the mechanically good man and the mechanically bad man. The mechanically good man will have a more difficult path to development.
Being hard, bitter, sour are not signs of ripe fruit. Nor are they signs of a ripe human being. The riper we get the softer and sweeter we become. We learn simple lessons that make life sweeter for ourselves and everyone around us.
If you haven’t come to the place where you can allow people to speak into your life without having to defend yourself the door to transformation remains closed to you. Self-justification and self-defense are children of self-love.
There is a spiritual war being waged in the heavenlies. What we fail to realize is where heaven and hell are located and what our part is in the whole thing. According to esoteric teachings man is a battle ground between good and evil.
Have you ever noticed how often being angry feels like freedom? Anger can give us a false sense of power. Power over feeling hurt, power over feeling vulnerable and feeling out of control. Esoteric teachings tell us that anger is a trap that drains our force. We can only serve one master. What you believe will determine which master you serve.
Mechanical man has the nasty habit of judging others. Esoteric teachings show us how those judgments boomerang on us causing more damage to our possible development than we imagine possible.
Gurdjieff talked about the terror of the situation. For a long time these are only words. There is a time for being terrified, not for everyone, but for those who apply the ideas to themselves.
Some folks live there lives simply wishing to be happy. There's little lasting happiness when we look for it in life. Esoteric teachings train us in another form of happiness that is lasting.
Who is it causing all these little ones to stumble and go astray and what can we do about it?
Has the whole world lost its mind? It's unbelievable what people will believe when they listen to ordinary mind.
The food that we eat helps determine the health of our physical body. We've got another tummy that is much more important than the physical. What are we feeding that one?
Getting forgiveness isn't as important as one might think. It may be much more dangerous though.
There's something that spoils our happiness, peace and life. It's not the weather, at least not outside.
How can one meditate and not change their thoughts and attitudes about themselves, life and others?
What could be more annoying than getting it all figured out and then finding that we didn't really have it all figured out?
There's a rewards program that comes with work, but it's not what we might think it is.
Why is it there are so many millions of Good Householders yet so few who pursue esoteric ideas?
Can one get back to a great spiritual experience or is it an invitation to imagination?
If you're going to make the necessary effort to develop all you are meant to be you'll be doing a balancing act.
Is there a difference between self-remembering and self-observaton? If there is, what is it?
It’s probably not what you think, but you may have a choice if you can just reach a little higher. Esoteric teachings show us that raising our level is much better than meeting Leviathan on his own turf.
There are many kinds of poisons. Some act quickly while others are accumulative and slow. There are antidotes too. It’s good to know the antidote and better to recognize the poison before you ingest it.
We speak of self-observation because there is a need, if we wish to develop. We can also get a boost from being observed, if we wish to develop.
The Boyscouts motto of Be Prepared is good advice and the Work gives us the tools with which we may prepare for the expected and the unexpected.
We all know people who need an attitude adjustment. What we don't usually know is that we're the people who need the attitude adjustment.
Living amongst the living dead is one thing. Not being one of them is an entirely different matter.
There's a great deal that sounds like Mumbo-Jumbo to us in esoteric teachings. We can cut through that if we wish. Depends on our aim.
It's said the Work is dangerous. What does that mean? What are the dangers of the Work?
With man's overall failure to properly understand and apply the esoteric ideas embedded in religion another system is introduced to mankind in an attempt to convey new meaning.
What's it like when you know nothing of the Work and you're plopped down in the middle of it?
How real are we? Not very. Why is that and what might we do about it? Let's hear what esoteric teaching has to say about it.
We've all heard of natural selection and evolution. It's time we heard about unnatural selection and evolution.
Some people have found their purpose, their meaning. How did they do it and what does it feel like?
There is something beyond life, but it's not evident to us from this side of life. It's not what you think.
I'm not certain, but maybe I should have called this being confused. Sometimes messing with what the Work says can lead us where we don't need to go.
The very word conjures shame, guilt and contraction. Let's have a look at the inside of confession.
Now here's a tough one. Not so much to answer but tough to realize. We need a new look at perfection.
A cover story isn't just something that sells magazines. It's something we need to decode to find the real story.
We've been absorbed without ever knowing it. We must extricate ourselves through awareness of our situation. Not so easy to see.
Time come on this journey into the Light when we are kept in a dark, quiet place. What's that about and what's the best way through it?
This one turned out to be over an hour long. You'll need patience to listen to it. It's okay to pause and take a break.
It's something you can't avoid being in this world, but it's something you can avoid being if you work.
Mary may have appeared healthy but the disease she spread was deadly. She's alive and well today spreading an old poison that's even more deadly than typhoid fever.
We've forgotten something very important. Esoterica teaching aim at making us remember what that is.
There is a line of least resistance that we follow. It's necessary, but it's also necessary to leave it at some point if we wish to develop further and in a different direction.
It's interesting how we want to be influenced by something higher but can't believe it's possible. When someone is we relegate them to the lunatic fringe.
All this talk about waking up makes it sound as if it's something we can do. Not. This does not mean however that we are without help.
If you're paying attention you've noticed that destruction crops up everywhere on our planet again and again. We need to understand what this is if we are to develop.
There's a reason the Work seems so hard sometimes. It's not the Work, it's that with which the Work has to work.
Mapping our internal world is a must if we're going to learn to navigate it. The Work has maps.
It's often quite easy to see when others are being mechanical. When we're being mechanical we often think we're working.
Just how harsh is the Work when it rubs up against us? Why does it have to be that way?
What goes up must come down, but it's got to go up first and that takes more effort than we're now making.
Disarming the world isn't going to change anything in any meaningful way. There is, however, a disarmament that will make a difference.
Trying to figure out God's will sure can be a pain. Here's a way to hold it differently. See if it works for you.
When we really begin to understand what this Work aims at we realize we're in a strip show.
We miss the mark more often than we hit it. That's not a bad thing if we know how to use it for our development.
Acknowledging we're in a bad state and need to do something about it is not the same as separating from it and the acquired thing stuck in it.
Spotlighting can help us to see through the imaginary pictures we have of ourselves that block our path to development.
The Time Body is not to be confused with the physical body. We can and must work on the Time Body to transform it.
We're keen to suit ourselves but the Work has another idea about how we may suit ourselves to work in life.
All my life I've had hope but now it fails me. Is there such a thing or is this not real?
Money is right up there with sex when it comes to the things we love to hate talking about.
Everything in our world is sucking energy at an alarming rate. What does the Work have to say about that?
How can a couple work together in the Work without making each other negative and insane?
A little bit about our condition and what we might do to improve it according to what the Work teaches.
There's a reason life can make us so dizzy we don't know if we're coming or going. Here's something to help remedy that.
Where did all these crazy people come from in life and how can we get away from them so we can lead normal, happy lives?
If it's alive and on this planet it must make effort. There is effort that leads to something else, but only one being out of all earth's beings can make that effort.
If all this is within myself what part do others play in our world? How can we do group work if it's all me?
We hear that we're food for the moon but it's not well understood what this means in our personal work. If it was we'd be working better and developing more.
Three story house? More like a jungle hut on fire. How to see this is where the Work starts.
We're all Being, but what is our level of Being and how do we change it? For that matter, why should we?
A mind is a terrible thing to waste. It's also a terrible thing to have ruling over you.
There is a time to work. That's the easy part. Knowing when that time is may not be quite so easy.
Somewhere along the line we learned how to manufacture misery. When and how do we learn to stop?
We imagine we're free when the truth is we've been bewitched and are under the power of a harmful force that wishes to keep us enslaved for its own purposes.
Why should I care about my own salvation? Why can't we all just go to the wedding feast whether we worked or not?
If we had possession of some attention we might be able to direct it. Since we don't, how can we get some?
How is it we find it so much easier to be negative than to exercise our right not to be negative?
A silver bullet for completing four years of weekly Podcasts. What is a silver bullet in our work?
In the beginning there was euphoria. Then God said let there be light and we ran like our hair was on fire.
There are signs along the way so you can get an idea of where you are in the process. It might be encouraging to know some of them sometimes.
Life is full of problem no matter who you are. Who in their right mind would want bigger problems and why?
Demons, devils and evil spirits populate myth, legend and literature. What does the Work have to say about all this and what may it have to do with us?
With so many people trying to be good you'd think there'd be more goodness in the world. What's up with that?
Sometimes it's good to step back and have a look at where we've been and where we're going.
Perhaps a different look at the idea of resurrection and what it might mean esoterically.
The question is asked all the time but we rarely see it for what it is. It's a challenge. What will you do?
There's a question here but the answer spontaneously turned out to be two-fold. Sometimes we ask the wrong question for the answer we need to receive.
We're familiar with mind over matter. It works both ways and it would serve us to be aware of them both.
Struggle isn't one of my favorite concepts but given our condition it is a fact of life.
The ideas of reincarnation and recurrence in the Work are not pivotal but now that you've heard about it you may as well know a little more.
If there's been an erosion of quality in our lives it's because we have made quantity more important. Stop it!
When you live with people explosions of negative emotions come around more often than we'd like. What's that about and what can we do about it?
Putting our best foot forward isn't about getting others to agree with our pictures of ourselves.
If I'm not working for results how will I know if I'm really working or if it's all imagination?
What? There are seven billion people on the planet? That doesn't water down our possibility of liberation.
How can people sincerely wish to awaken and eschew the things that lead to awakening while they embrace the things that put them to sleep?
Not everything has to be difficult. If it is it may well be our own doing and not the process.
There are times for all of us when what we need to continue on this path is a dose of encouragement.
What's all this about death and dying in esoteric writings? Sounds creepy but it doesn't have to be.
Every time I try to externally consider I find myself getting negative with the person. What's up with that?
We have our ups and downs. It's up to us to pull it all together harmoniously and meaningfully. Esoteric ideas are here to help us do just that and so much more.
Does there ever come a time in this Work when the possibility of transformation becomes a probability?
Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. What keeps us from connecting with these ideas?
Our internal work needs to be like espionage. It all has to happen behind the scenes. We need a spy to bring us good intelligence.
This Work, the work of esotericism, the work of transformation into a different, higher order of being is not for ghosts. Are you a ghost?
Mixing teachings often isn't a good idea. It's not to protect the teaching as much as to protect our potential progress from ourselves.
When I look at how long it takes and how much time I may have left I wonder if there's any hope.
There's always a tender nerve behind the bull's eye. This can be cause for alarm or an alarm to call us to remember ourselves.
I noticed a mechanical reaction I was having in a relationship a year ago. Now I find I'm doing it again in a different relationship. Where did my knowledge go?
Our lives are limited by any number of things. We never seem to notice them when the limiters are internal.
We spend much time studying the Work when it would serve us better to spend some time living it.
There's something in us that prevents our forward progress and development. This Thing must be recognized and rendered passive. It's not what you think it is. It's deeper than that.
There is a proper way to enter this Work. That path is rather grown over with weeds and not nearly as attractive as the way the False Personality would rather enter.
Ordinarily we don't think of ourselves as thieves and liars but a little light reveals some unexpected things when we look inside ourselves.
The idea of payment in the Work isn't well understood. How we know that is because it's not practiced much.
Practically, how do I deal with impressions that are coming in through the five senses?
Unless we can view ourselves in scale we'll not be able to think relatively. Then we'll continue to be at the mercy of Pride, Vanity and Life's purpose for us, which isn't beneficial to us.
What is the Work talking about when it says that impressions are food that we can't live without for a moment?
It's not just oil and electricity about which we need to think. We need to understand the energy that keeps us going personally and can fuel our transformation.
We know the five outer senses but we remain unaware of all the inner sense that we may develop if we are willing to make the effort.
It seems there are certain times of the day I'm more susceptible to fear. What's the about?
In our story the One Ring is firmly attached in our noses and we blindly serve our own worst interests thinking how happy we are.
All this talk about transformation and we still have trouble understanding it. It's because we take ourselves for granted as well as everything around us.
People speak of one world government without realizing the world is already being governed by one world government. We're convinced we're free the whole time we're enslaved.
It's not bad enough to have a monkey on our back. We have hundreds, perhaps thousands. Learn how to deal with them.
What if people don't understand? What if they misunderstand what I say? What if they get angry or hurt?
Though faith may be greatly misunderstood there comes a point in our work when we cannot move forward without its force.
Why are you wearing that silly hat? It may seem like a rude question but it's valid if properly understood.
When we come to the realization of how screwed up the machine is we have the opportunity to be devastated. What to do?
Like the clerk in the shop the Work asks you what you want. Do you know or do you just think you know?
When I try to go from Mi to Fa I end up going from depression to lame self-observation.
Why can't I keep my attention on something for more than a few seconds? What's behind that?
Moving from the man in the moon to the moon in the man is something we each must do along the way to self-development.
Is it possible to attain real peace and real happiness while we still have False Personality?
Our perception is always askew. Until we learn to see it can be more or less accurate based on our understanding.
How can we know it's possible to develop beyond what we see everywhere around us in the world?
Defining truth, beauty, virtue and goodness are things upon which we find it difficult to agree. There's a reason for that.
When I get into better states I find I can't hold on to them. How can I keep from losing them?
If we can't do why should we concern ourselves with non-action? Shouldn't that just come naturally?
If all the knowledge I've acquired is suspicious how can I trust the knowledge I've acquired about the Work?
There's a song that is singing us and a song that could sing us. Can you get to the place where you can let the new song sing you?
This Work isn't about making our lives easier, neat and clean. At first it gets very messy and may stay that way for a long time. There is a way out of this quandary.
Order is heaven's first law. There's a specific order to internal development just as there is to the unfolding of a rose.
Esoteric work doesn't require a piano mover but rather a piano tuner. It's the fine adjustments we need to learn to make to move us forward.
We're born real and not so gradually become something else. We can get back to our reality if we're willing to work.
Many people view prayer as a superstitious practice of the unenlightened. Most often it is but that doesn't mean there isn't something to it.
Today the gold rush is on as more people are going after the fool's gold than the real deal.
If this way is new to you or not, sometimes a jump start is what we need to help move us forward.
If we keep doing what we want to do we won't be able to change our being unless we can change what we want to do.
More about how to identify which parts of us are at work so we can bring the light of consciousness to our unconscious actions.
Parts is parts until you can distinguish the difference between the parts. We can learn to know our parts and thereby better know ourselves.
For some time the Work in us is like an infant which must be protected and nurtured. The Christmas story illustrates this esoterically.
In many ways we're like a tire that has gone flat. We look okay in most areas except for the flat spot that makes proper operation impossible. If we wish to develop we must develop both sides.
No one's best is always good enough but it's still the best we may have and it's better than the alternative.
The business of our life is run by three bosses who don't know each other but share a secretary who's not very bright. We need a work around.
There's a reason it's so difficult to understand certain people and easy to understand others.
Treating people as objects is a very unpleasant habit. There is a place in our work for objectification.
Esoteric teachings appear to contain an enormous amount of contradictions. If we wish to develop something's got to give. If we desire to change we're going to have to understand things differently.
Life is made a mystery because of the ignorance in which we live our lives due to our inner blindness.
Becoming aware of the higher energies moving in and through our bodies is a worthwhile practice.
If we wish to develop we're going to need to be able to experience a whole set of new emotions.
Unless we begin to see in greater scale we will remain imprisoned at our current level.
Sometimes we have to reach the end of our rope before we learn that life is a balancing act for those who wish to develop.
Word definitions can be helpful or harmful. It's how we use them that matters more than what they are.
Just because we make ourselves bulletproof doesn't mean we've made ourselves foolproof.
Without knowing it we defy the laws of physics every day. We're in two places at once. Get to know your neighborhood.
Turning the other cheek is a stupid idea if it's taken literally. There's so much more to esoteric truth than the surface interpretation.
Magnetic Center, just like all the other centers is an arbitary intellectual concept. Getting the Work out of our heads and into our Being is simple.
What are we supposed to do with the residual negative feelings that we accumulate living life?
The third line of work doesn't have to be a mystery. You can participate from where you are.
Awakening, enlightment, transformation are all words pointing to the esoteric idea of a reversal that can take place with an individual.
When negative feelings run wild with us is there anything we can do in the moment to slow the flow?
When the more you work the worse things get there may be a positive reason for it. Take heart!
A cartouche is hard to read without a Rosetta stone. You can get off the hamster wheel and get some real movement in your life with the right tools.
Sometimes we realize we're all bottled up. There's always a reason and there's always a way to uncork.
If we can create some space between our internal world and the external world we'll find we have time to respond with inner awareness rather than automatically.
We get so wrapped up in this world it takes something from outside it to remind us there is another world.
A crowd can easily turn into a dangerous and unpredictable mob. It's valuable to know how to control a crowd.
There's much struggle that we pass off as effort. It doesn't move us forward. There is an efficient way to advance.
It's not really that hard to realize we're awake. The hard part is that we're constantly being tripped up by something that keeps us out of the Now.
Accepting what we attract is a good step. Embracing is a fuller acceptance at which to aim.
There's a wall separates us from who we really are. We've helped the world build it and built ourselves into it in the process. We can deconstruct it.
Within each of us is a buried treasure that links us with the infinite and will work for us as we seek to separate our feeling of I from that which we are not.
What is it that sucks the happiness, joy and peace out of our lives and what can we do to stop it?
How can I stop a song that gets stuck in my head and keeps looping over and over again?
The difference between Essence and Being can help you navigate your internal world more easily.
There's a difference between blind obedience and obedience that comes as a result of understanding.
Be it death, the hereafter, growing old, falling down or being poor the problem is the same. Fear.
If we can remember ourselves we can do. If we can't remember ourselves we can't do. If we can't do we'll have to be. Oh, how sad.
It might not be a bad idea to miss the train sometimes. We don't have to ride every train that comes into the station.
If you are what you eat . . . Oh, let's not even go there. Let's just say we could do better than we do when it comes to our psychological diet.
The visible Work has a secret. The horrible truth becomes a beautiful thing when we understand it.
One good way to know if you got the point is whether or not it hurt. If it didn't you didn't. If you only got it once you didn't.
Our proclivity for judgment hinders our ability to get to know the I's we're attempting to observe.
To what inside ourselve we choose to listen can mean the difference between life in prison or living free.
Identity theft is most damaging when we don't know our identity has been stolen. Awareness mitigates the damage. Get some.
With everything there must be a place to begin, a starting place. With the Work this is a good place to start.
Have you had a recurring dream you felt was trying to tell you something but you didn't know what that something was?
Sometimes it takes a hammer to crack the hard shell of attitudes that have grown up around us.
Some people don't make sense when they talk. Some people don't make sense of what others say.
Can we be influenced by others? Are we in danger of being brain washed? How gullible are we?
Our species has an annoying habit of making mountains out of mole hills. Don't let it undo your work.
When we realize the need for separation we begin to value the tool that makes it possible.
With the special language, diagrams, secrets and sacred dances this Work can sound like gobbledygook. There's a reason for that.
Going on a journey may involve maps but it doesn't mean the journey is walking on the map.
There are different ways to juggle as there are different ways to deal with what the Work shows us about ourselves. Choose wisely.
I'm beginning to see I don't really understand what you're saying. Can I precisely understand what it is your saying?
The last few episodes have been connected by a general theme. This one is designed to wrap up the ideas presented and give a practical exercise for making it ours.
There comes a time when we must have a clean enviornment in which to practice this work internally.
The Psalmist wrote, You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness. He also said you would look on with your eyes. The terror is real. The fear is not.
When the discomfort of doing this Work becomes personal we have choices. Sometimes they're not pleasant. Do you still want to be Real?
Life isn't a dress rehersal. If you've realized that and you desire to work it's time to put on your Work Shoes.
After becoming masters in the art of suffering we're asked to give it up. Is it any wonder we struggle so much?
Sometimes the truth hurts and sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately the times it seems to hurt most is when it's about us.
If our level of Being is our level and we can't do how can we change our level of Being?
We've got a number of centers which need to operate in harmony with one another to get our machine in proper order. Where to start?
This is a lot of effort. Why should I work? And, how the Fourth Way and Vipassana meditation may work together.
I used to be so nice. At least I thought. This work is uncovering the truth. A rude awakening for the rude!
For a number of years the Work is small and fragile within us. It must be nourished and protected. That's your job.
We all know better and act worse. What we wish to do we don't do and what we don't wish to do we do. What's up with that?
Imagination plays a large role in our level of unhappiness. Seeing it is the first step toward freeing ourselves from it.
We live in a violent world. There is a way out, but it's not the direction we are accustomed to look.
There are life aims and Work Aims, life efforts and Work Efforts. How will we keep them from mixing?
It's been said what we don't know won't hurt us. The truth is different. It's what we don't see that has power over us.
Something in me wants to cancel debts but something else in me has all kinds of reasons why I shouldn't. Can I cancel a debt and have it be done?
I've observed what I call thinking isn't thinking at all. How does one learn to really think?
Parables have been used in esotericism to teach inner meaning for millennia. To properly understand what they teach we need to know who represents what.
There's not much of value can be accomplished without some form of obedience. The idea is not that you obey but rather what you obey.
It seems what the Work means when it says change is different from what we may mean in ordinary life. What's the difference?
There is a psychological country as vast and varied as the outside world. Whether we choose a country club or a slum will determine our experience.
There's much talk about being present. Unless we deal with what prevents us we'll never experience it.
A listener's question about how to deal with his father under difficult circumstances is addressed.
Emotions sap an incredible amount of energy. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to conserve some of that energy and be free from certain unwanted emotions?
If we're so inclined to deceive ourselves how can we ever know if we're on the right path?
If we work with the Intellectual Center properly will the Emotional Center come along later?
Learning to read body language can be helpful in relationships but learning to read your own can help you to adjust what causes it. That can help you to harmonize your centers and move closer to the freedom you desire.
One of the problems with the concept of so many I's inhabiting our inner world is seeing them. Here are some tips for how to Observe those I's.
The idea that we attract the circumstances in our life is a difficult one to accept. If we can see it we can change our fatal attraction.
What are the criteria for which parts of Personality should be worked on first and why are you so flamboyant?
Like a ghost who doesn't know he's died we walk through life unaware of our condition. Learn how to see your ghost.
Here's a can of worms question and answer. Does God have a purpose for our lives and if he does, what is it?
The world has seen the effect of dangerous ideas. Have we seen what makes ideas dangerous is where we mix them with ourselves inside?
Without some kind of a goal it's far too easy to lose our way. There is a standard we can use.
How do we get impressions to land on our emotional center rather than the intellectual center?
Life demands decisions from us but it also teaches us how to make those decisions. We'll keep doing what we always do if we don't learn a new way to make decisions.
How will I know the difference between real external consideration and something imaginary?
How much responsibility do we have for how other's perceive us? From the perspective of this Work the answer may be somewhat surprising.
If we're healthy and have our bills paid our biggest problem is other people. It's also our greatest opportunity for real work on ourselves.
Peace and happiness are easily confused with one another. There is a difference and which you choose could make your life heaven or hell.
The internal chatter that goes on almost unnoticed can suck the life out of us. Here's a way to begin to deal with it that works.
It's so difficult to catch ourselves sleeping because we're dreaming about how awake we are. There's a way out!
There's a difference between ordinary effort and intelligent effort. The quality of the result is different as well.
If we wish to move from point A to point B we must know where point A is first. No matter how horrible that knowledge may appear.
There are times when success looks so much like failure we can't seem to tell the difference. Learn how to distinguish between the two.
Self-poisoning is much more prevalent than we are aware. If we want to live healthy, productive lives. Develop as we may. We must become aware of how we poison ourselves so we can take steps to stop it.
We've got to isolate ourselves from the Life forces that drive us, not isolate ourselves from the Work forces that show us what we don't want to see about ourselves.
We can get so bogged down in the details of the system we miss the simplicity of the big picture.
Yes, it's easy to say but it's not easy to do. There are ways we can use to help us remember ourselves.
Living unconsciously is so easy we can do it unconsciously all the time thinking we're conscious. There is a way to do it differently.
You talk about big I's and little I's but I still can't see the difference. What does it matter?
Changing our Being may not be easy but it's also not impossible. Though we can't do in life we can do the Work. Just do it!
This Work is such a burden. I'll never make it with all that it wants me to do. Am I to expect less help as I go along?
We've got to build something in us that can see us, as we are, without going crazy with what it sees.
No matter what we wish from life it's going to take some kind of force to realize it. Learn which kind of force to use when and where.
Suffering is as inevitable as our desire to avoid it. A better use of energy might be to learn how to do it to our benefit.
You wouldn't want to live in a toxic waste dump if you knew what it was. We're living in one and we don't know it.
There's an invisible law active in all things. It would serve us well to be aware of this law and learn to employ it to our benefit.
One of the problems we have in this Work is getting discouraged because the road is so long. What can we do to balance this?
Why is it so easy to see what others do to harm themselves and so difficult to see what I do?
Whether we know it or not we are each stuck someplace. First we need to find out we're stuck. Then we need to learn how to get unstuck.
We’ve a very powerful asset within us but it’s out of our direct control. Here’s a way to gain some control.
Our final presentation in the series of Unifying Opposites deals with the practical application of the ideas in our everyday life.
To find balance is to find a place between the opposite poles of our current personality.
We think we're here all the time. Some careful inspection shows us we spend a lot of time out to lunch.
It's effortless for us to think in terms of opposites. We do it mechanically. When we make right effort our internal world benefits greatly from the joining of opposites.
We hear a great deal about our inability to do, in this Work. Some things we can do with a proper understanding of the principle of Yes and No.
We have the ability and the right to change, but only in certain ways. Ultimately, it's why we're here and what we are supposed to be doing.
Learning to say no to ourselves, after a lifetime of saying yes to anything and everything "It" demands, can be quite the challenge.
We don't all live two lives. Not everyone can but it is possible for some and this Work shows you how to make one two and then one again.
Learning how to think in a new, balanced way can turn the events of life into stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks. It won't just happen though.
Negative emotions are usually upon us before we have the chance to stop their expression. Here are some ways to handle some of them.
A crucial part of the Fourth Way is joining in ourselves the science of the West with the wisdom of the East. It's not always pleasant but it can be extremely fruitful.
The road is long and difficult with little hope of reaching the final destination in the time we appear to have. Why bother?
We have so many mouths for a reason. Each has its own food.
You may not be what you eat but what you eat profoundly affects your internal world.
Just as there are different stages of sleep there are different degrees of being awake.
Few of us realize how much pleasure we take in negative emotions. Boy, are we in for a shock! If we learn how to observe ourselves properly and then begin to practice it.
Our final meditation together joins all the elements of our practice to form a complete meditation experience.
We exist in two worlds at once. One has the power to change the other. Mostly we're aware, if it can be called awareness, of the wrong one.
Metta meditation is the technique we use to end our meditation times. It's more relaxed and directed outward rather than inward.
When thinking of freedom we must know what keeps us from being free as well as what freedom may be. Would you rather have a picture of freedom or freedom?
Our next and longer practice time narrows the area of focus as the mind sharpens with practice.
Part two on making a Real Work Aim that will take you where you wish to go. Even if you don't know exactly where that is right now.
A brief introduction to a meditation practice designed to support the Work of the Fourth Way. First in a series.
If you're going to hit the target, it's a good idea to take aim. As with everything else in our dualistic paradigm there are two kinds of aim. Real aim gives you a better chance of spiritual success.
Two kinds of conscience are discussed. Acquired conscience and Buried Conscience. Real conscience is what we need to realize the philosopher's utopia.
Let your conscience be your guide. It's a good idea if you know which conscience to let guide you. Like most everything else we've got more than one.
Different groups of I's lead us under the influence of different laws. To be under fewer, better laws results in more freedom.
If love makes the world go round, why does the world seem to have a flat tire? There must be another kind of love.
Further discourse on the Fourth Way teaching of the doctrine of I's and how you may apply the ideas to your own life. The application of these ideas help one to realize deep inner healing of our fragmented personalities giving us the ability to discover our true nature.
The Doctrine of I's revisited with an emphasis on the possibility within man and how it may be realized.
Answering the question, What's the difference between these ideas and other ideas I may have heard before?
Answering the questions: What is esoteric? Why should I study anything esoteric? What's the point?
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see this world is violent. Discover what makes us that way and you've got the keys to preventing yourself from being part of the violence of our planet.
Third presentation in the series on Self-Remembering. This one gets a little rough so you may wish to fasten your emotional safety belt before you embark.
We can't be rich enough or powerful enough to make life do what we want all the time. Eventually we'll need the tools to deal with what life gives us which we did not expect and which we do not want. This spiritual system gives us the opportunity to make a way to insulate ourselves when the road gets rough.
The second talk in the series on the spiritual state of consciousness known as Self-Remembering in The Fourth Way system.
Our pride and vanity are often offended by the idea we're machines reacting rather than conscious beings responding to our environment. To change our lives we've got to be willing to give up some precious illusions about ourselves.
The first discourse in a series of three discussing the state of consciousness necessary to practice Self-Remembering. We also touch on what Self-Remembering is as well as what Self-Observation is.
The Doctrine of I’s part two is the completion of our recent discourses on Gurdjieff’s teaching about our fragmented personality. To attempt to affect inner change without an understanding of this fundamental fact is like trying to lift a bucket in which we’re standing.
We're influenced in life. The way to have a better life is to get ourselves under better influences. A good place to start is knowing what influences are available to us. Consciousness means choice.
An email question from a listener leads us to talk about the Four Ways to awakening or enlightenment. The Way of the Fakir, The Way of the Monk, the way of the Yogi and The Way of the Balanced Man.
This is the first of six talks discussing one of the basic teachings of the Fourth Way system. We’ve got to start some place and this is where we’re starting.
This is a brief introduction to the principles of The Fourth Way. It’s aimed at people who know little or nothing about this ancient system revived by Gurdjieff. A good place to start before launching into the more complex concepts of the system.