top of page

Beingfulness:

Why "The Book of 'Little Things' "?

As it's right to ask, some friends have asked why the book is titled, "The Book of 'Little Things' ", and here's the answer which is also included as an explanation in the bookSome time ago, my friend, Joyce Allen,  shared a note related to the following quotation,  motivating me  to revisit texts written one year before, which had to be part of a book that otherwise could never be written. 

 

                                                                 

                                                                      *****

 

 

During a meeting at Fontainebleau (1923-5) someone asked  Gurdjieff: “How can we gain attention?“

He said: ... “In general, few people have attention. It is possible to divide one’s attention into two or three parts. In this work you must try to gain attention. Only when you have gained attention can you begin to observe yourself and know yourself. You must start on small things.”

“What small things can we start on?”

Gurdjieff: “You have nervous, restless movements which make people think you are a booby and have no authority over yourself. The first thing is to see these movements and stop them. If you work in a group, this may help; even your family can help. Then you can stop these restless movements. Make this your aim, then afterwards, perhaps you can gain attention. This is an example of doing. Everyone, when he begins in this work, wishes to do big things. If you start on big things you will never do anything. Start on small things first. If you wish to play melodies and begin to play them without much practice, you will never be able to play real melodies, and those you play will make people suffer so that they will hate you. It is the same with psychological things. To gain anything real, long practice and much work is necessary. First try to do small things. If you aim at big things firs,t you will never do anything or be anything. and your actions will irritate people and cause them to hate you.”

 

This practical handbook is dedicated to these 'little things'.

This book is not strictly related to the system shared by Gurdjieff, even if the title was inspired by the words of this teacher and some practices are very similar (if not the same) to what he taught. But these practices, as he alone said, were not invented by him, as they existed far before his coming on this Earth. Our task is eventually, to make them last into the future, for the future. 

 

With Love,

Andrea

 

We live in an age of deep shifts, where a connection with our Intimate Self, our Essence, our Being, seems to be increasingly difficult to attain.
"The Book of Little Things", suggests that there is a path that leads to the core of every human being - a "safe place", which can be experienced in the "here and now".
This synthesis of practical exercises, which are aimed to develop the quality of "Beingfulness", can be more than useful on the path of Inner Research.

bottom of page