Spiritual Survival in a Radically Changing World-Time

William Patrick Patterson's book is incredibly valuable to a sincere seeker. It is the most concise formulation of basic transformational experiences that I have ever read! The book is a powerful, compelling invitation to the Fourth Way! He probes deeply into behaviors that I had never noticed or always taken for granted -- cuts me to my heart! The Gurdjieffian view provided by Patterson of current issues evokes a deep re-evaluation of my own opinions and values!

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Consciousness

In Arnold's encyclopedia of body building he has some general tips. One that I recall is that he stressed the importance of sending the attention, flowing energy, into the muscles being exercised. I need to find the precise quote.

Impeccability and Gurdjieff

The Life and Teachings of Carlos Castaneda by William Patrick Patterson is informative, intriguing, and it led me to further reading of the books in the extensive bibliography. William Patrick Patterson provides the links between the history of esotericism and Carlos Castaneda. The additional historical essay included in the book, gives the historical context of Don Juan's sorcery from the perspective of the Catholic Church.

After I read this book I researched further and found unmistakable parallels of Gurdjieff's words in Carlos Castaneda's works. For example: See the chapter titled "The Measurements of Cognition", page 119, in The Active Side of Infinity, and then the last page, page 1183, of All And Everything. Both books talk about complete, embodied awareness of our personal impending deaths as the source of our salvation. Castenada had introduced the idea of "Death as an advisor" in Journey to Ixtlan, but I hadn't made the connection to earlier teachings until I read William Patrick Patterson's new book.

Count Alfred Korzybski

"The map is not the territory."

I first came across the Count in A. E. Van Vogt's "World of Null-A."  I ordered his "Science and Sanity" from the state library system. I built a structural differential and presented it to my 8th grade english class, thereby earning the remark in my year book from my english teacher, Mrs. Murphy, that I was "... the first student to teach her a new word, epistemology."  

Recently it occurs to me that the "null-A pause" to allow cortical-thalamic integration to occur sounds like bringing the cerebral cortex into connection with the sensations of the body?

I need to go back and re-read "Science and Sanity" 

Conspiracy Advocates

I've been wondering what is the fascination of conspiracy theories for some people.
Could it be that they have a sense that the world isn't real?
Then conspiracy would be an attempt to rationalize this underlying sense of unease about reality.

Literature of the Fourth Way

The remarks about Many "i"s below were elicited in part from a recent re-reading of Ouspensky's "In Search of the Miraculous."

From a literary view point, I noticed his fore shadowing of the publication of the discussions in his "Fourth Way."  He said he would discuss the details of the centers that he had learned from Gurdjieff later.

Many i's

Yes, small "i" vice Real "I", capitalized.

I was talking with a friend. I told him that I was on the edge of an experience of more than one "i"...distinct from remembering actions of more than one "i".  My friend thought this was ridiculous. "It's all the same 'I'. You were frustrated and just overcome by a desire for chocolate!"

To come to some of these ideas requires doing the experiment, not just reading or talking about them. The flavor cannot be conveyed by description or analogy.