Gurdjieff used the analogy of a horse-drawn carriage to illustrate the structure of human nature and our potential for development. In this image, the carriage represents our body, the horse our emotions, the driver our mind, and the master—if present—our higher consciousness. But what happens when the driver is asleep at the reins, the horse is wild and untrained, and the carriage is in disrepair? Most of us, Gurdjieff suggested, live in exactly this condition: our parts work against each other rather than in harmony, with no real master present to direct the whole.

This evening we'll explore what it means to have a properly functioning "carriage"—when body, emotions, and mind serve something higher rather than simply following their own mechanical impulses. Through discussion and practical exercises, we'll investigate questions that touch the heart of inner development: What would it look like for these different parts of ourselves to work together? How do we recognize when we're being driven by automatic reactions versus conscious choice? And what is this mysterious "master" that Gurdjieff points toward—not as a fantasy of perfection, but as a very practical possibility for a more integrated way of living?

No prior knowledge of Gurdjieff's teachings is required—only a willingness to examine honestly how well the different parts of yourself actually cooperate, and perhaps discover that conscious development requires more than good intentions.

“The Law of Three is found everywhere and in everything. Examples of the action of the three forces, and the moments of entry of the third force, may be discovered in all manifestations of our psychic life, in all phenomena of the life of human communities and of humanity as a whole, and in all the phenomena of nature around us.”
— G.I. Gurdjieff

Is it possible that there are cosmic laws that influence our behavior and that of the world around us? Gurdjieff’s teaching asserts that all phenomena arise from the interaction of an affirming, a denying, and a reconciling force, what he names as the “Law of Three.” While we easily recognize the first two—the "yes" and "no" that seem to define every situation—the third force often remains invisible to us.  How can a better understanding of the Law of Three assist a better understanding of myself?  This evening will include both discussion and practical examples of the Law of Three.

“We say ‘I’ all day long. When we are alone, when we speak with others, we say, ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I.’ We believe in our  individuality, and this illusion supports our sense of existence. We are constantly striving to be something we are not, because we are afraid of being nothing.”
—Jeanne de Salzmann

Gurdjieff observed that we are not one unified self but a collection of different "I's"—each with its own desires, fears, and habits—that take turns running our lives without our conscious consent. Oftentimes these different selves will have contradictory agendas: one “I” sets an alarm clock to start the day early, while another “I” silences the alarm and decides to sleep in. A potent tool for recognizing these different “I”s is self-observation. This evening we will examine the ideas and practice of self-observation with the aim of catching glimpses of our many selves.

“When a man understands that he does not remember himself and that to remember himself means to awaken to some extent, and when at the same time he sees how difficult it is to remember himself, he will understand that he cannot awaken simply by having the desire to do so. He cannot awaken by himself.” 
— G.I. Gurdjieff

Gurdjieff taught that what we call "waking life" is actually a different kind of sleep, and that true awakening involves recognizing the layers of unconsciousness that govern our daily existence. This evening of discussion and practical exercises will focus on Gurdjieff’s model of four degrees of wakefulness—from physical sleep through ordinary consciousness to rare moments of self-remembering and beyond—inviting participants to investigate their own relationship to awareness and presence.