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'..P.,, :.uestingand.h?& ~~@va~,q)'I~;$~ty:'sd&&<:r&&&ch. at ,'&. ,on . ii;;..;;~;,r~.':..may! be dn,:,.... bet .. - ,:&-:.... ~dj,~?...~h.2~; is;ieti for ;gPray&~A.fg&uindy~.j&en~pc.., ,. (.& . "' ';""',' - .. e,A,ued"cat&, '?Who n~~~sup~ti-posed toic.scientistic) -atti~de toward ; . ., .... ...... , ...... .:... ... ....... slon of Harper G Row, Publkbers, Inc. Continued on page 48 NEW REALITIES 3 1 CONSCIOUS PRAYER the promise never to sin again fades cles stronger. I have to push and pull (ContinuedfLom page 31) away. and strain, pushing myself to and a lit- , This lack of control over emotions is tle beyond my iimits over and over also related to the uncontrolled altera- again: then I get stronger muscles. I or not. The man who thinks about get- tions in what Gurdjieff termed our Why should psychological growth be ting money all the time is in effect "false personalities," or subselves, what any different? Prom this view it seems praying for money with unwitting I have called identity states. Most "false clear that wishing and praying are fan- prayer, whether he thinks of himself personalities" have specific emotional tasies that divert us from what we ac- I cores, so when a situation evokes differ- tually need to do, so we are better off as a religious person or not, whether he gets down on his knees and for- ent emotions it can cause a change to just get on with the work. mally asks God for money or not. The from one "false personality" to an- Yet Gurdjieff also said to pray as if woman who constantly Imagines trag- other. The "new on-stage subself isn't everything depended on prayer, to be- edies befalling her is effectively pray- interested in the same things the previ- seech help from a higher level, recog- ing for them. Our habitual attitudes af- ous one was. The thing that-makes these nizing that our work efforts wiU come fect our life in many ordinary, psycho- subselves "false" personalities is that to nothing unless we are helped from logically understandable ways; but un- we unwittingly identify with them at above. After all, the ordinary self that witting prayer is another way in which the time they are active and thus mis- makes efforts is somethjng of an illu- we aeate our life, sometimes.%ith take them for our whole personality, sion from the mystical point of view, tragic (even if wished for uncon- our whole self. so it is the higher self that really sciously) consequences. As Gurdjieff Effective petitionary prayer would works. In his practical teaching he em- frequently expressed it, your being at- be possible for a person who was gen- phasized work effort, not prayer, tracts your life: uinely cohaous; who, at will and for probably because he found that his stu- , ;Effective petitionary prayer in Gurd- extended periods: deliberately sum- dents had so'many distorted and in- jieffs hew: then, is intense and consis- moned up hls'or her intellectual and correct ideas about ideas like prayer tent desire and thought. Most petition- emotional intensity to consciously that there was' no point In teachhg ary prayer, however-formal or unwit- pray; and who prayed "from" his or much about it until they had done ting-has almost no effect. There are her more integrated and constructive enough psychological work on-them- several reasons for this, given Gurd- subpersonalities or from his or her es- selves to clean out the aspects of false jieffs view of ordinary consciousness. sence. personality that would otherwise sab- First, because ordinary people are otage most efforts at genuine prayer: by shifting identities with dis- Is Prayer Magic? parate and often conflicting desires, Some might object that this empha- %onsclous Prayer the unwitting prayers of various iden- sis on controlling the quality of con- Gurdjieff dismissed most prayer as tities contradict and largely cancel one sciousness' and - emotion to achieve useless fantasy, but he described a another. GurdjieFf argued that we all more effective prayer smacks of magic process of mnsdous prayer that was have many different identity states, or some sort of power play: If I am de- effective. Conscious prayer is a proc- and some of them are at odds with one liberately intense, if I aeate an emo- ess of reuzpituhffon, in which you another. Random alternations of "I de- tion, then can I force God (or some- consciously remind yourself of your sire X," and "I'm not interested in X, thing at some higher level) to give me knowledge and intentions. The effec- give me Y," and "I hate X," and so on, what I want? Am I at least getting bet- tiveness of such recapitulation is a do not give any consistent message to ter odds by my actions? In one sense function of the degree of conscious- ness we bring to it. higher levels of the universe. ~ yes, in another no. Another obstacle to effective prayer Gurdjieff made a somewhat para- Suppose you decide, "I want to be is our inability to be consciously in- doxical statement on this subject: serious." Merely praying this over and tense. Ordinary emotions, triggered by "Work as if everything depends on over mechanically, while daydream- external events and reacting predict- work. Pray as if everything depends ing about other things you'd rather be I ably and mcchanially with our per- on prayer." What did he mean? doing, is a waste of time. To be effec- ) sonality patterns, may tempo&y Gurdjieff felt strongly that we must tive, when you say "I" you must un- produce strong desires, strong formal work on understanding and trans- derstand what you know about "I." or unwitting prayers; but external forming ourselves with no expectation For Gurdjieff this would mean: events change and the instigating de- of receiving any sort of outside help, realizing that you had many "1's" sires disappear. A person in a life- natural or supemamd. Only I can rather than a single unLfied "I" threatening situation may genuinely transform myself, only my efforts realizing that many of the identity and intensely pray, "Dear God, save count. The strength I have is the states we accept as "I" when they are my loved one's life and I will never sin strength that comes from making ef- active have mutually contradictory de- again!" The loved one recovers (which forts. I cannot grow stronger muscles sires and perspectives may or may not have any relation to by just wishing for them, nor can feeling your desire to create a sin- this prayer), the stress disappears, and someone else, magically make my mus- gle, unified "I" 48 NEW REALITIES When you say "want," you have to better than the definition of petition- it &cult for many of us to seriously recall, for example: ary prayer. Indeed Gurdjieffstates that try it. My own psychological. parapsy- how these many "1's" in you have the focused, conscious attention and chological, and altered-states studies, many wants recapitulation in consciously praying as well as personal experience, have how these wants come and go something Wre, "God have mercy convinced me that prayer is a valuable with your moods upon me!" may well have the effects avenue for our growth, and I intend to what you know about creating a that God ,is being asked to provide. spend more time in prayer. The "sci- want that carries more weight than This throws us back to the paradox: entific psychologist" part of me ,* ..xthese'mechanical wants Work & ,$'everything depends on ef- winces as I write the above statement: I *. When you say "to be," what does fort. Praf'as if everything depends on Your colleagues will ridicule you for ef- "being" mean? Is *it only mechanical ptaY&<~romone point of view the saying such a thing! But tbis is what I being, in the sense of simply existing, fort of 'consdous'prayer automatically, have learned in examining personal lawfully,..produces beneficial results, psychological growth, and that is .. or is it the being of a person who can do,a "being" that has will? including'"pdssib1e connections to what I will say. I do not know exactly How exactly do you define "seri- higher levek'of our selves. From an- what we should pray for, but I think other point of view our efforts may be we would do well to pray for further .r,, ous"? How much of that definition is , pleasing to higher aspeas of being and understanding of ourselves, .and wis- . I your own and how much is your su- perego's, forced on you in the inno- attract help and ..bles~ings.Probably dom in what to pray for. " ' - cence of childhood? both and neither views are true, de- pending 'on your state of consdous- T. Gurdjieff believed that . consdous . Cbarles Tart, professor of psycbol- ness and-6'eing.t, *- .. ' ' ogy at Ibe University of Califmvaia, . prayer can be very effective, so you - DavLF, is an authority on. altered " ' -.Shall We Pray? had better be very cleq about exactly states of consdousness. He is tbe au- what it is you want. Prayer is not fashionable in today's &or of ~teredstates of conscious- In many ways Gurdjieffs descrip- modern growth circles; indeed it is ri- ness, Wamg up: overcoming the ob- tion of conscious prayer fits the above diculous given the biases of sdentism.
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