Avent

"Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools." -Napoleon Bonaparte

Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily. —Napoleon Bonaparte

G.I. Gurdjieff on Magnetism, Healing, and the Astral According to Gurdjieff, man carries two substances: 1. the active elements of the physical body and 2. the active elements of astral matter. When the two blend, they create a third, mixed substance. This is 3. magnetism. It forms in certain parts of the body and creates an atmosphere around you (the way a planet is wrapped in its own atmosphere). Planets constantly gain and lose substance because of the planets around them, and as above, so below: the same is true of PEOPLE. Man is surrounded by other men, and through them he can either gain or lose this substance. When two sympathetic atmospheres meet, a connection forms and something flows between them. The total amount stays the same, but the quality changes, so what you walk away with depends on who you’ve been around. Like electricity, magnetism has positive and negative poles. In man these may be his wishes and non-wishes. Astral matter always opposes physical matter. With control, one side can be strengthened and directed like a current. That’s how ancient priests healed. They had a lot of this substance and could pass it on. The sick and weak simply had too little. Halos and auras were real. According to Gurdjieff, Franz Anton Mesmer only rediscovered what the ancients already knew. But you can’t give what you don’t have. Like attention, magnetism is acquired only through conscious labor and intentional suffering, by doing small things voluntarily, against habit. Gurdjieff called this struggle with oneself. A key part of his Work is fighting your likes and dislikes, which strengthens the will. His instruction was simple: “Make some small aim your God.” What does this mean? It sounds controversial, but the point is that whatever you focus on throughout your day is YOUR RELIGION. If you aren’t focused toward spirit during a big % of your day, then your bills, your job and your worst habits are what you worship... that is your god. Pick one small thing you’ll do on purpose every day, like waking at a set time or sitting still for five minutes. Treat it as sacred and never skip it. Each time you choose effort over comfort, you build will and attention. That effort is what creates what we call “magnetism.” Gurdjieff himself was highly magnetic, highly concentrated, charismatic and full of power. That strength comes from effort. In most people the will is asleep, and only through conscious effort does it awaken. In this way, man becomes master not only of himself, but of everything else. Beyond ordinary effort, Gurdjieff taught super-efforts: pushing past the point where you feel you have nothing left. That’s where most people go wrong. They truly believe they’ve hit their breaking point, but they haven’t. The real limit is wayyyy further than they think, but they are afraid to keep going. That is where real transformation begins. Real magnetism. What is the will to power without first a will to will?