Work of Inner
Development, an Intro
by Cal Janos
T
he Work begins with a realization: “I about. These are the ‘escaped prison-
am asleep”. This is not a poetic state- ers’ of Mr. Gurdjieff’s allegory. In their
ment. Although most people will argue presence, and possibly for years after
that they are in fact, fully awake and alert, their death, men and women would
walking around and conducting business, gather, learn, and eventually awaken for
this is an illusion. The fact that we are themselves. These groups or schools have
walking around and conducting business existed under various names in every part
only shows that we have learned to do of the world at various times. They have
these things while asleep. used different languages and techniques,
Once in a great while, a person may always adapting themselves to the culture
wake up for a moment and notice the dif- and people.
ference in his state. Often this occurs in Gurdjieff searched for and found
a moment of great danger or stress, such one of these schools in Central Asia at the expressing negative emotion.
as an accident, where time seems to slow beginning of the 20th century, and there Inner Development means, first,
down and we see things in a different he learned the ideas and techniques the development of our functions. A
way. Occasionally, a person may experi- which we study and put into practice. man or woman can be seen as having
ence ‘déjà vu’ and ordinary events may The ideas he taught did not originate four ‘centers’ or ‘functions’: Instinctive,
be filled with great meaning. In any case, with him, but are part of a continuous Moving, Emotional and Intellectual.
the moment quickly passes and we are living tradition, thousands of years old. Exercises are given for each of these
left with only the memory. Gurdjieff died in 1949, and his work aspects of ourselves and we attempt
This state of ‘sleep’ is unnatural. We was carried on by his students: P.D. to make a study of ourselves from the
each have in ourselves the possibility of Ouspensky, Maurice Nicoll, Rodney point of view of our functions, through
being awake – of living in a state in which Collin, Beryl Pogson and others. They self-observation along definitive lines.
every thing and action is filled with mean- have put the ancient ideas of Man’s hid- The first thing we notice, if we try
ing and in which we see things as they are. den possibilities into a language which to observe ourselves, is that we can-
The reason for our sleep is, on one level, is suitable for people of our time, which not hold one thought, idea or feeling
quite simple. We are only half-developed is sometimes called, simply, the Work. for more than a few seconds or several
beings. Nature has brought us to a certain Work groups exist now. Many are minutes at most. We realize that we
point of development that is suitable for the philosophical or theoretical in nature, do not have one ‘I’ as we have always
purposes of Nature. We have the potential studying ideas and books. A few are assumed, but many different and often
for further development, but humanity has practical, learning practically how to contradictory ‘I’s’, each expressing itself
forgotten that this potential exists. develop, how to awaken. Like any and then disappearing. We are con-
The Work also begins with an aim: “I organization, the Work is made up of stantly forgetting ourselves. To be awake
wish to awake”. Mr. Gurdjieff used an al- people. Some have been working on means to remember oneself, and in
legory – that of a man in prison. First, he themselves for many years, others have order to be able to remember oneself, it
must realize that he is, in fact, in prison. just begun. Each helps the other in is necessary to develop something solid
Secondly, he must wish to escape. Third- some way to achieve his aim. When I in ourselves, to make order out of the
ly, in order to escape, he must cooperate am asleep, someone else may be awake chaos in us. This can be accomplished
with other prisoners who also wish to es- and can act as an alarm clock, remind- only through consistent and regular ef-
cape, because one man cannot escape by ing me to be more awake. forts to control our conflicting thoughts,
himself. Finally, he must have help from The Work is psychological – the feelings and desires and to keep coming
people who have already escaped, who study of yourself. It begins with observ- back to the realization: “I am asleep,
can send him tools and instructions. ing the inner world of thoughts and and I wish to awake.
Throughout history, there have emotions, understanding what must be
existed people who have achieved their changed if you are to be on the path Weekly meetings of this school for
aim and have awakened fully, developing to awakening. We each have habits of inner development are held through-
themselves to their full potential as hu- thinking and feeling which waste our out the southeastern United States. If
man beings. Some are historical figures. time and energy, and keep us asleep. you are interested in attending, call
Yet most of them we will never hear One of our most useless habits is that of 877.285.7142 for more information.
November 2008 49
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