The Gurdjieff idea of Making Moon is an illustration of being steadfast.
“Making Moon in myself is really about making sure that consciousness is not left unattended.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Rebuilding Trust WS 3.2 Crucible of Struggle 02:25
“To behave as you always do, and expect to rise, is impossible. One must, to begin with, sacrifice one’s suffering. All self-pity, all self-cradling, vanity, secret, absurd fears, all self-sentimentality, all inner accounting, all pitiful pictures, all sighs, inner groans, and complaints, must be burned up in the fire of increasing Consciousness. Remember there is no justice under higher laws such as we understand justice. Higher justice, heavenly justice, is to work on yourself so that when you die you have no accounts.” Maurice Nicoll, Commentaries, p1090
“The darkness is the best kind of preparation for the light, the only possible one.” Annie Lou Staveley, The Plan Is Good, p247
Quote of Jacob Boehme: “Here now is the right place for you to wrestle before the Divine Face. If you stand firm, if you do not bend, you will see and perceive great wonders. You will discover how Christ will storm the hell in you and will break your beasts.” Basically the making-moon practice in a nutshell. Cynthia Bourgeault, Rebuilding Trust WS 3.2 Crucible of Struggle 10:05. Cynthia goes on to say that this friction point between the finite world 48 and the spacious world 24 is where we can work. Our part is to hold the tension, stand between two opposites. It’s a 3rd Force situation—the pushing force is the discomfort of the friction, your determination to stand firm is the denying force, and Christ or the Teachings are reconciling force.
“The influences of the Sun are of a higher order. For Man there is the possibility of making a choice, passing from one influence to another. If we struggle with negative emotions, we begin to pass out of the influence of the Moon. When we live mechanically we are under far lower influences. You must understand one thing: it is impossible to become free from one influence without becoming subject to another. All work in oneself consists in choosing the influence to which you want to subject yourself. By long observation you must know what you want in this respect.” Maurice Nicoll, Commentaries, p127
“Early in the Work, Mr. Ouspensky said to us: ‘It is necessary to make Moon in oneself. Try to see what is meant.’ “What can this mean? It means that we must make something in ourselves that will resist the influences of life.” Commentaries, p1089
“If we could change our responses to daily impressions, if we could resist the customary effects of daily life upon us, we would be creating ‘Moon in ourselves’. We have, therefore, as it is taught, to isolate ourselves from the effects of life on us—not from life. If we do not, if we live mechanically—and by now some should really know what is meant by that and understand that one can sit in a chair doing nothing and yet think and feel mechanically—if, I said, we live mechanically, then ‘Moon eats us’. It takes all our energy, especially when we are negative. Notice it is your way of taking life you have to work against. That requires long self-observation.” Commentaries, p1090
“Now in the supreme sense, when we begin to make Moon in ourselves we are making a Work-Centre of Gravity distinct from life. Only a third force different from the third force of life can do this for and in us. This is the first and greatest idea about forming centre of gravity in oneself. Only with this centre of gravity can a man reach that level of being called No. 4 Man—a man in whom all centres begin to work and who is given the unique insight and revelation to see that things appropriate to each centre are not contradictory any more than Autumn is a contradiction to Spring.” Commentaries, p1091
“View your burden as a gift. It’s the theme that has been given you to work with. Accept that, and lean into it. This is the only life you’ll have.” Anne Tyler, Saint Maybe
A side note … in the 1960s during the Apollo moon missions, sometimes the astronauts would fly by the moon and capture energy from its gravitational force to slingshot back to earth. Seems like the physics of space travel mirror the forces of transformation!
Logion 2
Yeshua says...
If you are searching, you must not stop until you find.
When you find, however, you will become troubled.
Your confusion will give way to wonder.
In wonder you will reign over all things.
Your sovereignty will be your rest.
Logion 58
Yeshua says...
Blessed are the troubled.
They have seized hold of life.
Page numbers for Maurice Nicoll refer to Psychological Commentaries on the Teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Eureka Editions:2020) unless stated otherwise.
All quotations from the Gospel of Thomas are from Lynn C Bauman, Ward J Bauman, Cynthia Bourgeault, The Luminous Gospels (Praxis 2008)
Page numbers for Annie Lou Staveley refer to The Plan is Good, (Two Rivers Press: 2023)
Read the Impression introducing the Gospel of Thomas.
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