Simple Explanation of Work Ideas

Dr Maurice Nicoll (1884-1953) was a leading exponent of the 'Work' of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky - I read his books The New Man, The Mark and Living Time many years ago, and this volume was passed on to us by a neighbour. The title reflects the content, so it is a good place to start, where the Work is defined not as a building, a place, a book, a system, dogma or tradition, but rather something that lives in our hearts if we find it. The main Work is self observation so that we become more conscious. The book describes the four states of the human being, observing that most of us are asleep and that we need to pursue self-observation in order to wake up and raise our level of being. It explains the nature of intellectual, emotional, motor and instinctive centres and the path of understanding and being towards a more complete state - a balanced or number four person. Self-development is achieved through activating the Essence so that the personality becomes passive and the Essence active. This result is only achievable through work on oneself.