Macrobiotic Life

These are the thoughts of the Gurdjieff about the self-observation, self-awareness. They are from the book “Boyhood with Gurdjieff”, which is written from the perspective of one little boy, being educated in Gurdjieff’s institute.

Different personalities, working together, produced subjective, human conflicts; human conflicts produced friction; friction revealed characteristics which, if observed, could reveal “self.” One of the many aims of the school was “to see yourself as others saw you;” to see oneself, as it were, from a distance; to be able to criticize that self objectively; but, at first, simply to see it. An exercise that was intended to be performed all the time, during whatever physical activity, was called “self-observation” or “opposing I to it” — “I” being the (potential consciousness, “it” the body, the instrument.

He began by asking me about the exercise that had been given to all of us to do, and which I referred to previously as “self-observation”. He said that it was a very difficult exercise to do and that he wanted me to do it, with my entire concentration, as constantly as possible. He also said that the main difficulty with this exercise, as with most exercises that he did — or would in the future — give to me or to any of his students, was that to do them properly it was necessary not to expect results. In this specific exercise, what was important was to see oneself, to observe one’s mechanical, automatic, reactionary behavior without comment, and without making any attempt to change that behavior. “If change,” he said, “then will never see reality. Will only see change. When begin to know self, then change will come, or can make change if wish — if such change desirable.”

It’s all about consciousness, as always. Don’t underestimate these simple self-observation exercises. Try to practice them whenever you can. Because the paycheck is probably the best you can imagine. Buddha, Osho, Gurdjieff, Eckhart Tolle, Anthony de Mello, Castaneda, Jesus – no matter who you follow, they all tell you – observe yourself, be conscious, be here and now. But they use different words to pass the message to you and suggest you a little different techniques, but see unity in all of them.

Last days I am listening to music whenever I go to the city, between people.
I am playing healing frequencies music in my mp3 player. I was doing this many times before, at high school. Many of my years were lived with the walkman always on. But I wasn’t practicing consciousness before. Later, when I started to meditate, I put away the walkman completely, I was thinking that I need to hear the real sounds, not anything artificial.

But now, I enjoy this ‘artificial’ music when I am around the people again. I don’t consider it as ‘run away’ from reality anymore. It’s great fun and it helps me to be much more aware of what is happening around. I am more easily consciouss without the environment sound distractions. I am using the music as crunches, for better consciousness. I am more easily tuned to the people faces, bodily expressions, observing myself, my reactions, looking people in the eyes, seeing how they escape from the straight eye-look, how they are nervous, funny, lost completely in their minds, trapped. This helps me to realize how trapped I am many times. The mp3 player is great fun for me now. Try shopping with headphones in your ears and observe people, you can dance internaly and enjoy them.. they are crazy, we are crazy and nearly no-one is aware of it

My favorites are:

You can convert any YouTube video into MP3 at this ‘Video to mp3′ website. Choose the High quality option.

“Think of good and evil like right hand and left hand. Man always have two hands — two sides of self — good and evil. One can destroy other. Must have aim to make both hands work together, must acquire third thing: thing that make peace between two hands, between impulse for good and impulse for evil. Man who all ‘good’ or man who all ‘bad’ is not whole man, is one-sided. Third thing is conscience; possibility to acquire conscience is already in man when born; this possibility given — free — by nature. But is only possibility. Real conscience can only be acquired by work, by learning to understand self first. Even your religion — western religion — have this phrase ‘Know’ thyself’. This phrase most important in all religions. When begin know self already begin have possibility become genuine man. So first thing must learn is know self by this exercise, self-observation. If not do this, then will be like acorn that not become tree — fertilizer. Fertilizer which go back in ground and become possibility for future man.”

From the book – Boyhood of Gurdjieff

Grudjieff was Russia mystic, very consciouss person. I have found Gurdjieff firstime in the Osho’s books, he mentioned him occasionaly. Actualy, Gurdjieff was doing musical meditation before Osho, music played, stopped and people frozen on place and experienced the consciousness. I think Osho was inspired by him.

Btw. he smashed with his car into a tree, deliberately, to experience the pain. He was consciouss and wanted to observe the pain experience. Very crazy man. Very strong, direct, honest person.

Yet another amusing connection between science and spirituality has been made for me. I realize more each day, how I am based on logic. I accept things much more easily, if my brain can explain them logicaly in some way, connect them with the old thoughts/patterns I have already in my mind. Then I am able to shift my belief system very rapidly. I like this kind of thinking, make sense and is logical, hehe. Everything is vibration, think in terms of vibrations and you will see behind the veils:

The human nervous system is precisely tuned to the electromagnetic field in which we exist. Lightning strikes set up a charge between the positive ionosphere surrounding the Earth and the ground; the resultant wave is moving at 7.8 cycles per second.

We now know that the human brain emits the alpha brainwave when we enter a state of deep relaxation, and this pulsates at exactly the same frequency, 7.8 cycles per second. This is why meditation is so beneficial, because it is only when we are relaxed and still that we enter the alpha state bringing us into neurological harmony with the Earth’s resonant field. In the alpha state we are in an area of knowing just below our everyday conscious awareness. It is like fine tuning our personal radio receiver to cut through the static, so we can clearly hear the message of our inner voice.

From the Harmony again.