In the state of self-consciousness you can have flashes of Objective Consciousness and remember them. The Fourth State of Consciousness in us means an altogether different state of being, and it is the result of inner growth and of long and difficult work on oneself. But the Third State of Consciousness constitutes the natural right of you as you are, and if you do not possess it, it is only because of the wrong conditions of your life. At present this Third State occurs in you only in the form of very rare flashes and it can be made more or less permanent in you only by means of special training.
For most people, the chief obstacle in the way of acquiring “self-consciousness” consists in the fact that they think that they possess it—that they can “do”, have “will”, and a permanent and unchangeable “I”. It is evident that they will not be interested if you tell them that we can acquire by long and difficult work something that in their opinion they already have. On the contrary they will think either that you are mad or that you want to deceive them with a view to personal gain. The two higher states of consciousness are connected with the functioning of the two “Higher Centers” in us.
Maurice Nicoll, “Notes on Different Qualities of Consciousness” in Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Vol. 4, p. 1244)
Working Note: For Today’s Inner Effort
Orientation: Notice the assumption that you already have a permanent “I”.
What to Notice:
Saying “I” as if it is always the same.
Shifts in mood, opinion, and attitude during the day.
Contradictory “I”s speaking in turn.
A moment of certainty that disappears quickly.
Taking this changing flow as one real “I”.
Work Effort for Today:
When you say “I”, pause inwardly.
Ask quietly: which “I” is this?
Do not answer.
Simply observe the change.
Remember: The “I” that speaks now will soon be replaced.
