First, sly and clever, then steady and wise, on the path to spiritual development.
The Nature and Definition of Sly Man
“There are many different forms of Self-Remembering, and Sly Man was once defined as he who knows how to remember himself in different ways at different moments.” Maurice Nicoll, Psychological Commentaries, p368
“Begin to understand what it means to be Sly Man or, as the Gospels call it, wise man (wise really meaning clever). You will remember that the wise virgins were not wise but clever and this word in the Gospels meaning clever or mentally awake is the same as the word ‘sly’ used in the Work. A superficial aim will lead nowhere, especially if it is from acquired conscience which has behind it merit, vanity. These aims turned towards external life are of no use in the Work. They do not touch the esoteric level—that is, the level of Real Conscience. To begin to have a real aim you must already know that you cannot keep it and, as it were, not tell yourself what this real aim is. Real aim comes from something deeper in you, something emotional. As it is said in Matthew: “Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.” (VI 3). In the language of Parables ‘left’ is the weak side—i.e. the Personality—and ‘right’ means the deeper and more real side of you.” Commentaries, p629-630
The Method of Sly Man – Making and Swallowing the Pill
“The Sly Man sees what is wrong with him at the moment by self-observation and acknowledges it—that is, swallows it—and thereafter remembers himself in connection with it. He works personally on himself. Making the pill is only possible through seeing oneself by direct self-observation—that is, by personal work and formulating what one sees.” Commentaries, p941
“Let me talk once more of this pill that Sly Man makes and swallows in the 4th Way. Sly Man does not sit on his haunches for years with his arms outstretched. He does not starve for weeks or deep-breathe for days. He observes himself and sees what he has to do with himself now to change his machinery—his present Being. He is clever—like the wise virgins in the parable. (In the Greek the word translated as ‘wise’ means ‘clever’.) He works on what it is immediately necessary to acknowledge and accept in himself without Pride or Vanity. So he is sly, clever, intelligent. He makes a pill and swallows it. Now if he always justifies himself, how can he make this pill and swallow it? The Sly Man does not strive to keep up with himself as he imagines he is. He notices distinctly that he lies, for example. He observes it over a period and does not seek to disguise it to himself, to justify himself. He notices it, sees it, acknowledges it, accepts it, and so swallows this particular pill. Then he must digest it. It tastes bitter in the mouth. But once digested it becomes sweet.” Commentaries, p1000
Making Right Effort – The Sly Approach to Difficulty
“The Work speaks of the necessity of effort. Strictly speaking, it says that it is necessary to make right effort. The method of Sly Man is to make right effort: he sees what particular effort is necessary at a particular time, and when things are too easy for the time for him, he creates difficulties for himself, as, for example, by doing things in the most difficult way. In life, acting mechanically, we do things in the easiest way, which is always the most mechanical way. In making effort in the Work-sense, it must be understood that anti-mechanical effort is meant.” Commentaries, p971
“If there is anything in the earlier stages of the Work that characterizes the Way of Sly Man more than liking what one dislikes, I do not know it. This is being sly, this is being clever, this is being intelligent—this is right effort. Suppose a man more or less dislikes everything and everybody—what then? Think for yourselves. Will he feel his own nothingness or will he make internal accounts? He will be full of complaining. Everything will be difficult and restricted for him. He will certainly be hard to please.” Commentaries, p976
The Heart of the Sly Man
“If we want to represent a man who lives the law of the heart, who is centered in the heart and is a visible expression of the heart—the ‘wise and good father’, or the Hermit—we present him as walking, steadily and without haste. The Hermit of the ninth Card is a man of heart, a solitary man who is walking. Therefore he is a man who has realized in himself the antinomy ‘knowledge—will’ or ‘contemplation—action’. For the heart is the solution here.” Valentin Tomberg, Meditations on the Tarot, p226.
Logion 7
Yeshua says...
A lion eaten by a man is blessed
as it changes to human form,
but a human devoured by a lion
is cursed as lion becomes human.
Logion 106
Yeshua says...
When you are able to transform two into one,
then you will become a "Son of Humanity,"
and it will be possible for you
to say to a mountain, "Move," and it will move.
Page numbers for Maurice Nicoll refer to Psychological Commentaries on the Teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Eureka Editions:2020) unless stated otherwise.
Quotations from the Gospel of Thomas are from Lynn C Bauman, Ward J Bauman, Cynthia Bourgeault, The Luminous Gospels (Praxis 2008)
Valentin Tomberg, Meditations on the Tarot, Jeremy Tarcher, 1985
Read the Impression introducing the Gospel of Thomas.
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