Dementia - Some Gurdjieffian Thoughts

With dementia reaching epidemic proportions today, most of us know someone with this terrible disease. And we would all wish to avoid succumbing to it ourselves. While there's some limited medical advice on the subject - the usual exhortations to a healthy life, including eating a sensible diet, exercising, learning new skills and so on - scientists really don't know how to prevent it.

As with most diseases, there seems to be both a genetic component and an environmental influence. We can do nothing about our genes - yet - but we can certainly change other factors.  And I wondered whether Gurdjieff's advice on the use of centres could help here.

As you'll recall, he warned that if we overuse one centre, whether it be the intellectual, emotional or instinctive/moving, that centre would "burn out" faster than the other two. He called this "dying by thirds". Might this apply to the development of dementia? Are dementia patients those who both have the relevant genes and who have also relied too much on the use of the intellectual centre?

As far as I know, no studies have been carried out with this idea in view.  Although Gurdjieff's ideas are still considered "fringe science" by some, the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), based on Jung's concept of the four psychological functions, certainly has credence in most circles. Why then should scientists not study the course of dementia in a longitudinal survey, focussing on those who identify as mainly "Thinkers" in the MBTI?  Such studies could be very fruitful.

In fact, a few years ago, one such study did conclude that those who had apparently "overused their memory function" in youth (the study's words) were more likely to develop dementia than those who did not. And this bears out Gurdjieff's theory. But more work needs to be done to confirm these results. The patients concerned all had one of the dementia genes, and so did those of the "control" group, but it was only those who had studied particularly strenuously in their early years who developed the disease.

Of the three people I know personally who have developed dementia, all three seemed to me to be intellectual centre types, though this sample is far too small to be of general use.

But another Work idea seems to me to be of great importance in the progress of dementia. That is: if personality is stolen by this horrible disease, what is it that will be left behind?

The answer would appear to be: either False Personality or Essence.

Can this be borne out by observation?

I think it could. But we would have to know the subjects very well to be able to judge what has happened. In the three examples I'm about to give, I was able to watch quite closely what happened to their psyche as the disease worsened. And the results surprised me.

First, the "good" example, the patient whose Essence seemed to emerge as the disease stole away the other parts of their mind.

This was my maternal uncle, a very bright, intellectual-centre person (an Enneagram 7), who remained alert and intelligent into his 90s. In his mid-80s, he learned to use a computer and mastered the Portuguese language sufficiently well to be able to oversee his sister's estate and negotiate with her Maltese and South American lawyers. That he was able to do this at such an advanced age astonished everyone, but throughout his life Uncle R. had shown great initiative and intellectual capability.

Although he didn't believe in a traditional religion, my uncle was the finest example of a Good Householder that I've ever known. Along with his second wife, he faced many reversals of fortune due to circumstances beyond his control. The family had to relocate and my uncle find new work while in his 50s, and while raising a family in difficult conditions, yet he managed to do so with good will and without ever becoming depressed or resentful.

He simply did his best in every situation to take what life had flung at him, to bring good from difficulty, and to support his family as well as various charities that were dear to his heart. I often stayed with him, and I never once heard him express a negative emotion. He was, to me, exactly what a Good Householder should be, and I have no doubt that he will reach enlightenment very quickly in his next life - or even sooner.

Dementia struck when he was 92. He began to forget names and events, and got lost when driving close to his home. Eventually, as the illness continued, he stopped recognizing some old friends and family members. He began to need help with the simplest tasks of living, and because my aunt could not cope alone he had to have nurses and carers come in each day to look after him.

All through this he has never once complained. He smiles frequently, seems quite content with his very limited state, and expresses gratitude to all around him. Like a contented child, he allows others to care for him and relishes the company of his wife and children, even though he doesn't always remember their names. He is one of the most loving, compassionate people I've ever known.

And what I see in him now is his Essence. His personality has vanished, there is absolutely no False Personality left, and he is pure, childlike Being. But he radiates a Presence that a child does not possess. You know you are in the company of an adult, even though he cannot express adult thoughts, and you also feel you are in the presence of goodness. Everyone remarks on this.

On the other hand, both the other people I've known well deteriorated emotionally as well as intellectually when dementia took hold.

One woman, who'd experienced severe depression as an adult, was in her pre-dementia days a model middle-class housewife. Brought up in a large house with servants, she often complained about the lack of help she faced as a married woman, but nevertheless kept her home immaculate. Her children were well-dressed and well-fed, her husband's clothes were always beautifully ironed and pressed, and her manners towards all were impeccable.

When she began to exhibit signs of dementia, however, her behaviour became quite shocking. She would swear at friends and family, hit her husband in public, wander confusedly around the neighbourhood, and hallucinate.

When she could no longer be cared for at home she was placed in a very good nursing home, but her behaviour grew even worse. She had to be restrained because she would physically attack or throw objects at the staff and other residents. She cursed her nurses and doctors with real venom, and in her rare quieter moments would curl up and whimper on her bed.

She had regressed to early childhood, but she was a "not OK child", in Transactional Analysis terms. What was left of her seemed to be her False Personality and a very under-developed Essence.

Likewise, I watched another woman, of similar background, undergo identical deterioration as she became more and more unwell. She too hit out at the people caring for her, cursed and insulted everyone within hearing range, and exhibited only False Personality I's. And what was most worrying was that this 85-year-old lady had been a Movements Teacher in the Work. As her mind was gradually taken from her, I would have expected her Essence to emerge, as has happened with my uncle, but no: there was still so much False Personality left that it completely swamped whatever remained of her Essence.

I don't think these cases are due to gender differences; I merely have a very small sample, so it's very hard to draw any conclusions from it. But we all know of the state of Iris Murdoch, the philosopher and novelist who became the "poster lady" for dementia. In her last stages it appeared as though she, like my uncle, became pure Essence.

So what, if anything, can we say about the possible influence of the Work on dementia? With a sample of this size, very little, unfortunately. But it does seem that people who live as Good Householders and who as a result become more balanced may have a smoother descent into dementia, if they are unlucky enough to experience that disease.

In the case of the Movements Teacher, I did not know her full state of health. It's possible that cancer, from which she also suffered, had begun earlier to steal her mental health; that it was this illness, and not her dementia, which had "stolen" her brain, and by pressing on the areas associated with negative emotions had reawakened them after many years of dormance.

As for the other lady I have described, I don't think she ever undertook any psychological or spiritual work. She was unhappy in life, and remained so. She made no efforts to change her state, and her dementia revealed the full extent of her troubled mind. No trace of her Essence could be seen as she gradually lost her reason.

I only wish we had more studies so that we could better understand the illness.

In their absence, all we can do is to try to become balanced men and women, avoiding the overuse of any one centre, and never letting a day go by without working on ourselves. If we are to suffer dementia, perhaps it will a part of our Fate - a very unpleasant one, perhaps, for all concerned, but nevertheless in some way conducive to our own development.

Or perhaps our illness will provide the occasion for our families to develop compassion. It could even be that this is a task we accepted before we were born, so that others might be helped through our sacrifice.

The two ladies whom I mention above have since died, their deaths coming as a release. We cannot know the state of another's spirit, but we do believe in a loving and merciful God.  We can be sure that He has them in His care now, and that they no longer suffer.

Why We Should All Celebrate An Awesome Jewish New Year

Today, September 13th, is the first day of the Jewish New Year. Why should this matter to non-Jews?

Because I believe everyone, especially those of us in a Twelve Step Programme or in the Work, can benefit from observing the New Year customs that Jewish people will practice during the next ten days. At the end of that period, which are known as the Days of Awe, Jews observe Yom Kippur, the annual Day of Atonement, and it marks the final stage of the most important spiritual period in the Jewish Calendar.

 During these special days, Jews believe, we're all being closely watched by God. He will base the events of the coming year on how we've behaved during this time. Those of us whose good deeds outweigh the bad will be inscribed in the Book of Life; the reverse will happen for those who've committed more sins than good deeds.

This is the basis for Leonard Cohen's song title "Who By Fire". For God will decree that everyone will meet their just desserts as well as the tests they will need for their spiritual development during the year to come, and He will set us various trials and rewards according to our state of Being.

"Prayer, repentance and charity" are the prescribed good deeds, to be performed throughout the year, of course, but with especial emphasis during the Days of Awe.

And the ten-day period offers all of us, Jew or Gentile, a time to meditate on our conduct and to seek to make amends whenever possible for any harm we've done to others, as well as to examine our beliefs and our behaviour in regard to the Almighty, or our Higher Power.

 The Days of Awe are a concentrated period of time in which everyone is to practice what we Twelve-Steppers know as Steps Eight and Nine; the listing of all those we've harmed, including our neglect of God, and the practical making of amends that must immediately follow.

Interestingly, the Jewish religion teaches us that God can't forgive the sins we've committed towards other people unless we've first tried to make amends to them. We need to ask their forgiveness first of all, and to be ready to forgive all those who've harmed us in any way.

Jesus emphasizes the need for us to forgive others in the Lord's Prayer, when we say, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us". In other words, God's forgiveness depends on our reciprocal forgiveness of others.

He also tells us in the Gospels that it's no good going to the Temple (or anywhere else where we try to meet God) if we are carrying a grudge against someone else. First, we have to reconcile with them, or at least do our level best to achieve reconciliation; only then are we in a fit state to approach God.
Of course, our Higher Power knows how hard this is for us, how easily and tenaciously we cling to our resentments, so our first effort is often to ask Him for the willingness to forgive.

In the Twelve Step programme we're also advised to be constantly on our guard for any form of selfishness or resentment, because these can ruin our recovery. Unless we deal with them promptly, they will cause us to lose sobriety and become dry drunks. Actual drinking might then follow, with the usual disastrous consequences.

In the Work, of course, observing and disidentifying from negative emotions is essential in order to purify the Emotional Centre. We can't hold on to negative thoughts or feelings about other people, and must be always ready to forgive, even before we're asked. Everyone, no matter their type, must take part in this purification, and there's always more to observe the deeper we look.

As we know so well, any spiritual practice can quickly become mechanical. We can so easily go through the emotions of taking our inventory, glossing over the hard parts; in Work meetings we may make only superficial, formatory observations.  We may think we're working when we're just coasting along.

Our Work teacher or our Twelve-Step sponsor, if we have one, may call our attention to our lack of sincerity here.

But how wonderful, how awesome, for an entire nation, an entire religion, to build into its calendar a special yearly period of repentance! It's part of the genius of the Jewish religion that it was the first ever to do so, and it's influenced Christianity in this, as in so much else. Christianity, after all, grew out of Judaism, and if we are Christians and want to understand our faith we absolutely have to learn about Judaism too.

The Christian religion also commands us to repent and make amends during Lent, the period before Easter, and to a lesser extent during Advent. But these are longer stretches of time. Forty days of repentance and self-denial can seem very daunting, whereas anyone can practice the Ten Days of Awe - it's only just over a week, and it seems much more manageable. And because it's a shorter space of time, there's less chance of its becoming mechanical.

So why not have yourself a Jewish New Year? It needn't be September; it could be at any time you choose; but if you make your Ten Days coincide with those of the Jewish New Year itself you'll have the spiritual support of knowing you're acting in concert with a large group of people. There are some excellent articles on the subject on various websites, especially Aish.com, which specializes in Jewish spirituality and is popular among Christians and others who want to learn more about it.

The great religions were transmitted by conscious Beings, working through schools, and they selected certain times of the year as most propitious for various festivals and practices because they knew the energies of the cosmos reaching the Earth at these times would help the individual to carry out these practices.

At the time of the Jewish New Year, the earth is approaching its equinox. The energies of summer, which impelled us out into the world and emphasized the physical life in nature and in man, now begin to withdraw. The inward-looking energies of autumn and winter start once more to influence us. It's time now to look at our spiritual condition, to see what needs to be changed so that we may draw closer to the Absolute at the time of the Winter Solstice.

This year, New Year's Day - Rosh Ha Shanah in Hebrew - coincides with a solar eclipse at 22 degrees Virgo.  Two weeks later, on the Feast of Tabernacles, there will be a Blood Moon, a lunar eclipse, at 3 degrees Libra. If you know your birthchart, you may like to see where these highly important events fall in your own chart.

During the Days of Awe a popular custom is to go to a large body of water, such as river, a lake, or the sea, and throw small stones into it. Each stone symbolizes a particular sin, or addiction, from which you'd like to be free. Acting out this desire for renewal can be a powerful experience.

Have an awesome Jewish New Year!

The Queen from the viewpoint of the Work: a Tribute

Yesterday, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-serving monarch in the history of the British Isles.  The line of succession into which she was born is more than 1,000 years old, and although there have been some pretty dreadful kings and queens in that time, our present Queen is a fine example of what it means to be a Good Householder.

We know that being a Good Householder doesn't necessarily entail owning a house. But Queen Elizabeth does, and not just ordinary houses at that, but a cluster of royal palaces. Nevertheless, the criteria for GH status are the same, whether we live in a rented student flat or a Highland castle. Do we use our resources wisely? Do we live according to our conscience? Do we see Life as an end in itself?

And Queen Elizabeth definitely ticks all these boxes. I suspect that's why she is so popular, even amongst people who don't really approve of monarchy - although if they are in the Work, they should really think again, as I'll show later in this post.

The Queen gives employment and financial support to a huge group of people, from her immediate family to the enormous staff who keep the royal palaces in good shape and help her carry out her job.

She is also a spiritual beacon for millions of people worldwide.

How? Because, as Head of the Church of England, she is the supreme earthly authority for the Anglican church.

But, more than that, even to people who don't feel any particular kinship with that church, she is an example of someone who does her duty as she perceives it, cheerfully and diligently, come rain or hail, in sickness and in health.

The Queen thinks of her position as having been ordained by God. She was anointed in Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence of the peers of the realm and representatives from the different faiths of the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Consequently, she does not have the right to refuse any demand made of her as Head of State, nor may she show partiality to any one group, but must exemplify fairness and benevolence to all her subjects.

Although she's one of the world's richest women, she isn't attached to money for its own sake. She is frugal in her personal habits, going round turning off lights at night, eating her breakfast cereal from plastic containers just like the rest of us, feeding her dogs herself.

She doesn't waste, but neither does she stint on spending where necessary to show goodwill to foreign Heads of State, or on trips to demonstrate her interest in the wellbeing of her subjects all over the world.

She was not, it seems, a "hands on" mother, because that was never part of her job. Today's royal couple, Prince William and Princess Katherine, are involved in the daily activities of both their children, just as Princess Diana had been before them. But in the Queen and Prince Philip's day, child-rearing was considered the province of trained nannies and tutors, and later, of the school.

In all of this, Queen Elizabeth gives a living example of what it means to be a Good Householder on a very grand scale. And as such, her life and her work provide a focal point for all her subjects, and her emphasis on the spiritual aspects of each may actually help others to see life in that light.

Even people who don't agree with the principle of a hereditary monarchy have been forced to acknowledge that she is, in fact, a force for good in the family of nations.

This is not a political blog, so I won't go into that argument any further here. But just consider: if we had a President instead of a hereditary King or Queen, then the Head of State would be a political figure, just as is the case in the USA and other countries. And that figure would not be universally supported. He or she would become for many a source of contention, rather than a symbol of unity; and that, in a nutshell, is why most British people prefer their Head of State to be a politically neutral person, chosen not by political parties but by the "accident of birth".

People who know Queen Elizabeth personally say that she is, in fact, a deeply spiritual person who takes her role seriously and her commitment as a lifelong obligation. I can't think of anyone better to symbolize a kingdom than a monarch whose values are primarly spiritual, but who also carries out her duties in a professional, equable manner.

Mrs. Pogson had more to say about the symbolism of monarchy. She considered it a living illustration of the hierarchy of nature, and the order which should govern our own spiritual lives.

The public ceremonies where monarchs ride in golden coaches, escorted by parades of soldiers, to a solemn event, were, to Mrs. Pogson, an illustration of the way in which our different I's should be valued.

First comes the King or Queen, symbolizing Real I. The monarch rides in a special coach to draw our attention to the fact that this is no ordinary I, not "one of the crowd". He or she exists in Essence, from where life should in fact be directed.

The parades of soldiers, sailors, airmen and women, charity workers, and so on, who generally accompany the monarch to public events symbolize the well disciplined I's within us, those of Personality. They have particular jobs to do. They support the monarch and bring order to the kingdom, directed by their own leaders, always under the rulership of the King or Queen.

Finally, the crowds of onlookers symbolize those parts of Personality which are not particularly disciplined but which are sympathetic to the aims of Real I and willing to give their support to the ruling monarch, willing to accept a subordinate role in the knowledge that the kingdom is in safe hands.

And the value of watching these public processions, Mrs. Pogson would explain, was that the spectacle spoke directly to the Higher Emotional Centre.

That centre thinks in pictures and images, not in words. Hence, the regular ritual presentation of the correct hierarchical order of the kingdom is of great worth.

It reminds us both as individuals and as a nation that we are not the supreme rulers of our own world, that we must submit to the leadership of what is highest and closest to God in our inner being, and that this is the proper order of the world of Man.

Of course, this is an idealized picture. But we need such pictures to remind us of what should be, rather than what more often takes place - that increasing orderliness, instead of entropy, should be the pattern of our spiritual life, and that if this is borne in mind, then the outer life may eventually fall into into place as well.

Our Being attracts our life, the Work teaches us. If our Being is correctly arranged, then our lives may follow suit.

And this is the public role of the monarch - to show that right order, and to draw us into allegiance with it, as our Higher Emotional Centre recognizes the truth it shows.

The Five Being-Obligolnian Strivings: (5) The Striving Always to Assist the Most Rapid Perfecting of Other Beings, Both Those Similar to Oneself and Those of Other Forms, Up to the Degree of the Sacred Martfotai, that is up to the Degree of Self-Individuality

As we approach the Fifth Striving, we are beginning to understand our place in the universe and the efforts we must make in order to cooperate with God for the good of all sentient beings.

At first, we approached the Work with a desire for enlightenment, knowledge, understanding. But over the years of practicing the Work teachings in our everyday lives we gradually discover that we no longer wish for anything for ourselves. We already have everything that we need. Our Work becomes a response to the inner call to "lighten the sufferings of God", as we have seen in the previous Striving, and our own aim is to become able to respond to that call in every possible way.

Gurdjieff advised his students to practice conscious love first of all on animals, as they would respond better. Thus, animal welfare and the informed stewardship of the Earth are basic duties for Work students. We've seen in the previous strivings that unless we take better care of the world in which we live, we will end by destroying the planet, and with it, the whole of humanity. For our own sake, as well as that of the plant and animal world, we must heed the call to evolve in consciousness and enable other beings to reach their highest possible state.

In the Work, we speak of working on the First, Second and Third lines of work. The first line is our own personal work, the attempt to remember ourselves, the purification of the Emotional Centre, the withering away of False Personality and the correct use of the Personality in order to allow Essence to direct our actions.

In the Second Line, we work with others in groups, assisting one another under the guidance of an authorized teacher.

In the Third Line, our efforts are for the good of the Work itself, by contributing to its growth and enabling it to be known by more and more of those able to respond.

Sometimes this can be carried out by becoming a work teacher, and cooperating with other teachers in assisting students. But sometimes this is not possible, and it may be that we can serve the work by writing, as in this blog and many others, or by writing books which bring the ideas before the public.

But even if these types of Third Line work are not available to us, we are still, I think, serving the Work itself by living out its principles in everything we do.

We externally consider other people, for example, treating them as we ourselves wish to be treated. We refuse to trade insults or become angry when we cannot have our way; we accept our limitations; we no longer place requirements on anyone or anything. We realize our own powerlessness, as the Twelve Step Programmes say, and we don't try to impose our will on any person or situation.

By acting thus, by remembering ourselves in the midst of our everyday life, we help other beings in the gentlest and kindest way possible. We place no blocks in the path of their own evolution. If people ask for our advice or seek our teaching, we willingly give it.

We don't mind whether people view us as wise or foolish. Other people's opinions are of no concern to us. We don't want to be powerful, or famous, or the object of anyone's excessive admiration. We take our cue from Jesus, who was meek and compassionate to the point where he returned good for evil, and from Gurdjieff, who, if he felt someone was becoming too dependent on him, could consciously shock them into sense.

We treat anyone who crosses our path with kindness and consideration. But we don't make them dependent on us; we want to foster their own growth and independence, and to help them to find the path that is right for them, the way which may lead them to become conscious and eventually to serve God.

By not reacting mechanically, by becoming aware of our own addictive I's, our own habitual thoughts and emotions, we gradually gain the ability to live more consciously.

If we are addicts or alcoholics, we put an end to the generations of suffering that have culminated in our own addiction. We free our parents, our grandparents and all our ancestors from the sorrow and concern they have surely felt as they watched us live our own addicted lives and were unable to help us.

Gradually, imperceptibly even, by accepting our own share of suffering and by our conscious efforts to live out the Work teachings, we are assisting the perfection of all other beings.

And we are living according to our Essence, our Fate.

We are now approaching Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, as Gurdjieff would sometimes say to his American students. Philadelphia, the state of living in love and harmony, begins to become a real possibility for us. We see that "hand washing hand", another Gurdjieffian saying, is the only way for three-brained beings to live, and we strive more and more to achieve that state.

In the Five Strivings, Gurdjieff offers us an encapsulation of his teachings that covers every stage of our conscious existence and shows us the way to help others.

They contain the essential teachings of all the world's true religions. It is now up to us to live them.