The Gurdjieff three finger divided attention exercise

[@KevinMannix-sf5zk]

I am always fascinated how the memory remembers things No thinking is ever recorded, Like the drive does not care about any type of sound we imagine Its hard enough allowing the voices to come through The vividness of hard days over easy days Its astounding really , remembering who you are

[@hermesnoelthefourthway]

Yes. To say the least. "Learning is nothing , remembering is all." Plato. Merry Christmas 🎄 ☃️ Noel Ps , "suffering because you realize you are not what you really are is the most beneficial of all suffering , the most transformative". Michel Conge

[@hermesnoelthefourthway]

The exercise is to develop self-willed attention. As opposed to the one we currently have , which is self tenseness. And it is by the development of self-willed attention that we acquire the ability to do. And there is only one kind of magic , and that is doing.

[@hermesnoelthefourthway]

For the person who asked me to explain the difference between "sensing" and "feeling" and then removed his comment : Sensing comes from the nervous system in your vertebrae , specifically the thirty-three bones that interlock with each other to form the spinal column. Sensing may also be a pronounced psychic activity , such as clairvoyance. I , e , "by the pricking of my thumbs , something wicked this way comes." First witch , Macbeth. She is sensing. Not feeling. Both have nothing to do with feeling. When we say , "I sense something ," we don't feel it. Whereas "feeling" occurs via the brain and the neurological pathways in it , especially the pituitary gland and its release of serotonin. One also "feels" from the heart. It is emotional. Sensing is not. Sensing and feeling are very different things. If you have a look at this section of the third talk from Life is real only then , when I am , you will see that Mr. Gurdjieff goes to considerable lengths to explain the difference between the two. And says that this is the very first thing people will have difficulties with , discerning the two.

[@KP-wi6in]

I understood the difference between mere bodily sensation and things like feeling and thought at a very young age. I find it hard to relate that some would have difficult discerning the two.

[@hermesnoelthefourthway]

@KP-wi6in That makes two of us. As you know , the work reaches rather high levels of understanding and can become somewhat complicated. To have to go thru the basics with others is wasting one's time. One can get stuck there.

[@KP-wi6in]

@@hermesnoelthefourthway what do you mean about wasting one's time? Some are best left alone?

[@hermesnoelthefourthway]

@KP-wi6in Yes. Most are best left alone. If people are asking what the difference is between black-and-white , they'll never ever fathom the gist of Beelzebub's tales , will they ? Almost everyone who worked closely with Gurdjieff says that this work is most definitely not for everyone , and very few will ever get it. Someone I was working with recently , said to me , "you can read all the books that have ever been written about the work and talk about it forever , but if you're not directly connnected to influence C , you're wasting your time. " He hit the nail on the head.

[@stefanhuna641]

Great. Thanks. Very interesting exercise.

[@hermesnoelthefourthway]

To say the least. Although it does take quite a while to get the hang of it. But the results are awesome. We fully realize that for all of our lives , we have had no such thing as self-willed attention. When we realize this and develop it , the whole picture changes immensely for the better

[@stefanhuna641]

@@hermesnoelthefourthway English is not my native. Lack of self willed attention can be understood by other means too. In my case practicing three finger exercise brought me joy in the heart and amazing feeling of fullnes of me when my attention shifted to observing me doing the exercise. It helps a lot in waking up. Fullnes of the exercise is amazing. I think the difficult part is to know how to look through mind, how to by heart. I spend years learning how to discern both. But the exercise gave me new way to work upon myself. Its amazing how this rhytmic movement brings authentic joy in the heart pulsing with every move.(when keeping proper attention on both other fungers) Great thanks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and again

[@hermesnoelthefourthway]

@@stefanhuna641 May I post this in my community post section ? It would be appreciated by so many

[@marksweet6298]

Do you have any suggestions on how long, at a minimum, one should conduct the exercise?

[@hermesnoelthefourthway]

Good question. It is basically dependent on the level of attention and momentum generated during the exercise. If you designate a time for it , it will become formatory/mechanical. In the wartime meetings , Gurdjieff says that he has known people do it for five minutes , and people do it for five hours. The results of both were dependent on the amount of attention applied and the momentum generated. Attention is outside of time , completely. One must bear in mind when approaching the exercise that it is done with the aim of developing self-willed attention. To shift from our present state of self-tenseness to self-willed attention. Then everything changes beyond recognition , for the better. I would suggest doing the exercise twice per day and combining it with the holy affirming exercise for best results.

[@marksweet6298]

@@hermesnoelthefourthway that makes perfect sense. Your response is spot on and made me see my own mechanical tendency in even asking the question.

[@hermesnoelthefourthway]

@@marksweet6298 Everyone does it. Until they see it. It's due to our upbringing and schooling. Totally mechanical. Everything we do is allocated into time spans. Time that doesn't exist. How ironic

[@marksweet6298]

@@hermesnoelthefourthway my grandfather used to take his chair to the dar edge of the yard, look off into the trees and either whittle on a stick of cedar and/or (literally) twiddle his thumbs. Now that I’m 64, I’m beginning to “get it”.

[@hermesnoelthefourthway]

@marksweet6298 Your grandfather was very wise 🦉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYang3x5areGjpYsi=-eji7GS72sLA8xhF