I have not abandoned it as a system of psychological delineation. I still use it when communicating. It is the most accurate psychological system I have ever encountered. It is an example of objective knowledge, but not in the original form that I learned it.
What I am about to say refers to the teaching I learned in the Fellowship of Friends and how it was practiced based on the books by Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, Rodney Collin, and Maurice Nicoll. I know there are various other groups in that tradition, and I am not referring to how they interpreted the system, which may or may not have been correct; I have no way of knowing.
As Ouspensky aptly named his book, those were fragments of a teaching. The teachings I was exposed to were precisely that: “fragments.” Pieces of objective psychological and cosmological knowledge. Mixed with those, there was a significant amount of subjective conjectures, mixing of unrelated ideas, and, regrettably, distortions of objective knowledge.
By objective knowledge, I mean knowledge that comes from the designers of this reality through the mental realm rather than knowledge created empirically by humans while incarnated. The guys who designed the machinery also supplied diagrams and a user manual.
As far as books are concerned, one may want to consider that some, if not all, of those 4th Way books were written during the time their authors were seekers. They cannot be taken wholly as pointers to Truth.
A system bearing a non-physical origin similar to Gurdjieff’s 4th Way is currently available as part of the Michael Teachings. Called the “Overleaves System,” it contains a more complete and accurate model of psychological delineation and provides tools to neutralize false personality effectively.
I saw several flaws. Some are harmless. However, there is a major problem that, from my perspective, deserves attention.
The understanding of the meaning and place of fear and its link to chief feature in the work was unfocused, unclear, and unexplored. The psyche was not delineated entirely or accurately. Thus, the core of chief feature could not be addressed efficiently and effectively. The psyche must be known. Unconscious mental-emotional manifestations obstruct Spiritual Realization.
Fear is the root of false personality and the source of all self-centered negative emotions. However, the concept of a single ‘chief feature of fear’ is misleading. There are seven chief features, all rooted in fear, each with its unique flavor. It’s essential to identify our preferred flavor of fear.
If we think we have a “fear feature,” as commonly heard in the FOF, then our mind is fuzzy, and we cannot put our finger on the particular type of fear that holds us back. It remains non-delineated; thus, we remain unconscious of its moving parts, functions, and effects.
Other than pathological fear due to violent past trauma, what was referred to as the “feature of fear” in the FOF is an exaggerated manifestation of caution in the form of exacerbated phobia, which people who have a “caution mode” are prone to. Caution is a genuine trait of true personality, while phobia is not. Phobia is stimulated by one of the seven chief features; it is not “a” chief feature of false personality.
The 4th Way system is incomplete because it does not include fundamental psychological traits such as ‘mode,’ ‘goal,’ and ‘attitude’ (each trait is subdivided into seven types, just like chief feature). This incompleteness hinders our accurate understanding of the psyche’s structure, functions, and interactions.
I see some of those I knew in the FOF still suffering and embroiled in false personality’s defensive buffers after decades of “work.” Specific manifestations of their favorite fears remain intact and unaddressed. Thus, they cannot break free from unnecessary psychological suffering.
Entrapment in false personality can occur for many reasons and should not be judged lightly. However, using a blunt tool such as modified or distorted system ideas does not help—quite the contrary.
The Patterns page contains the parts of the system that I consider relevant to my message.
Fear is deeply intertwined with the root of suffering. Therefore, a clear understanding of fear, facilitated by an objectively correct system of psychological delineation, is not just helpful but essential. It’s the key to neutralizing false personality and the suffering it generates, paving the way for lasting peace.
Related article: Self-Remembering.
