Pushing the Reset Button

October 13, 2023

Many of us reset our lives after a failure or even after a great success. Failure is always a disappointment; therefore, we re-evaluate our capacities and re-begin. Success is also a game changer. When we accomplish something, we expect more from ourselves the next time and we have to adjust our goals as we move forward.

Shock points are the experiences in life that interrupt our regular pathway. According to Gurdjieff, shocks come in twos in the transformational cycle, which contains seven stages, like the musical octave.

“In very remote times, one of these schools found that it was possible to apply this formula to music. In this way was obtained the seven-tone musical scale which was known in the most distant antiquity, then forgotten, and then discovered or ‘found’ again. The seven-tone scale is the formula of a cosmic law which was worked out by ancient schools and applied to music” (In Search of the Miraculous., P.D. Ouspenski, Chapter 7).

One shock (or pause) is near the beginning of a transformational piece (the octave) while the other is near the end. Both have to be resolved for us to progress to the next octave.

The first shock interrupts our progress but is successfully dealt with by self-remembering. The shock awakens us from sleep. By awakening, we realize more of who we are and how much we have forgotten because we have joined the sleepy ones around us. Self-remembering is the wake-up call to return to our essence.

The second conscious shock comes when things are still not progressing. This calls for self-observation. In self-observation, we become alert to the ego and how its mechanical way of operating puts us back to sleep again. This shock point requires extra effort and frequently necessitates the influence and guidance of someone who has traveled further down the path than we have.

Inquiry: Are you aware of the need for self-remembering and self-observation?

Dear God,

As I remember myself today, infuse me with the consciousness of your love. Drive far from me any forgetfulness of mind, body or heart. As I observe myself today and see what I do, I pray for awareness of my ego”s ever-presence and your enduring spirit. Amen.

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