Just to try to remember yourself—i.e. to transform impressions—without a lot of previous work on observing different ‘I’s in you, will be purely theoretical. You have to be able to bring up the same thing in yourself as you criticize in another person. That for us, at our level, is the supreme form of giving the First Conscious Shock. The magical side of self-observation is to give yourself a little time before you react to the incoming impressions. If you can give yourself a little time you will notice that you do not take the impression so mechanically as before. This is because you have given yourself a conscious shock.
If you have been doing this for a long time you will find that you no longer need to be so negative as you were before. The energy of the impression will be transformed. Now I advise you all this week to notice when you are negative and when you are just about to be negative. If you can see a negative state coming on you, and if you can at the same time remember that you have the Work in you, you will have a moment of Self-Remembering. You will already be giving yourself the First Conscious Shock. You will be transforming the impression. I advise you to try to take your life more consciously every day and notice what events cause you to react in a negative way. The transformation of impressions so that they do not always provoke negative reactions is then one’s task, if one wishes to work on oneself.
Maurice Nicoll, “Observation of Certain ‘I’s” in Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Vol. 4, p. 1328).
Working Note
When an impression arrives, give yourself a little time to observe before you answer it, and let that small pause become your work.
Today’s Aim
Notice the beginning of negativity before it becomes your reaction.
Notice
The first tightening when something touches you.
The wish to blame, defend, or complain.
The small interval before words or actions.
The memory of your aim returning.
The same reaction in yourself that you easily see in others.
Practice
This week, make one effort each time you notice negativity beginning.
Pause for a moment. Remember that the Work is present in you. Observe the reaction without immediately following it, and let the impression pass through that moment of consciousness before you respond.
Remember
A little time given to observation can change the whole impression.
The Weekly Aim
“I will observe my first inner reaction before I explain or express it.”
