Remember that it is said that self-observation must be uncritical. You do not observe yourself in order to criticize yourself. If you do so it will at once stop self-observation and lead to internal considering. When self-observation begins to accompany you, you will notice that it is not critical: it is simply a slight degree of consciousness. It is not a critical consciousness, a judging consciousness, but an awareness. Through this awareness you simply see more. You recognize, let us say, something that you said before, or you see that you are doing something that you did before, or that you are behaving like this or like that, or having these thoughts that you had before or these feelings that you had before.
This awareness does not accuse you: it says nothing but merely shews you what is going on in yourself. No doubt it may make you feel uneasy but this uneasiness does not come from Observing I. The Work ‘I’s behind Observing I may make you feel uneasy. Many other things could be said here, but the main point is to comprehend that self-observation must not be critical any more than a light that you flash over a dark room is critical of what it falls on. The object of self-observation, as it is said in the Work, is to let a ray of light into oneself.
Maurice Nicoll, “Further Notes on Deeper Self-Observation” in Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Vol. 2, p. 559).
Working Note: For Today’s Inner Effort
Orientation: Observe without criticism.
What to Notice:
A mechanical reaction repeating.
Inner criticism beginning.
Justifying or condemning yourself.
The simple fact of what is taking place.
Work Effort for Today:
Observe one reaction quietly.
Do not explain it.
Do not judge it.
Keep the Work in mind while observing.
Remember: See what is there. Add nothing to it.
For Your Reflection:
How many “I”s speak through you in a single day?
One moment I’m patient. The next I’m irritated. Then suddenly I’m generous again. It’s easy to assume there’s one consistent “me” behind it all, but honest self-observation often tells a different story. The invitation isn’t to judge these shifts or explain them away, but simply to notice them.
Sometimes that quiet noticing opens the door to a deeper kind of understanding than any idea we merely agree with.
How does this show up in your own experience? Join the conversation in the comments below.
