Higher Being Bodies: A Non-Dualistic Approach to the Fourth Way, with Hope

Higher Being Bodies constitutes a veritable guide or manual for the development of spiritual consciousness. The author, Ocke de Boer presents his own, and very personal, understanding in a manner that encourages his reader to follow the same path. He brings a broad understanding of sources and analogues to Gurdjieff's teaching including Gurdjieff's Eastern sources in Hinduism, Buddhism and Christian thought. His alignment of Plato's allegory of the cave with Gurdjieff's description of the illusions of truth that are stereotypical to man is graphically illustrated. For Ocke, Plato allegory reflects "man in chains."The order of presentation leads the reader clearly from definitions (such as higher being bodies, A, B and C influences, senses, feelings, thought and mind) to practical directions for self-work (conscious labor and intentional suffering, purifying thought and emotion) all of which culminate in Unity Thinking. This path is accomplished through thresholds of self-awareness. Along the way Ocke makes important observations about the human body, thought and behavior. Early on his way, he repeats in a fresh manner Gurdjieff's important contention that truth is often delivered by a lie. This remark is part of an instruction on role-playing. His comparison of one's "it" from his "I" is illustrated with the perspectives of Jane Heap and Jessie Orage. For Ocke, "it" senses while "I" feels. Ocke's description of man's seven states of being is an optimistic view of his reader's possibility to lift the self to a higher level. He encourages his reader by assuring him that he already has extraordinary possibilities in his nature. He explains the nature of negative emotions and the dangers of dualistic thinking; mistaking a fly for an elephant, or oneself for God. He avoids the scientific jargon that tends to obscure Gurdjieff s teachings in other works. Yet he treats the views of other Fourth Way writers with respect and understanding. In a many ways, he clarifies much that others have written. Ocke proclaims; "Absence of joy is slow suicide." Nothing could stir one's appetite to work on one s self more than this statement. The book contains many other straightforward, yet personal, aphorisms that speak well to the reader who is not deeply familiar with Gurdjieff's language. For example, Ocke suggests how to put meat on the skeleton of consciousness. He aims to free his reader from the prison of identification. He contrasts the head brain's radiation with the heart brain's emanation. He tells us the difference between inner and outer memory. This is a book written by one who knows and cares for those who care, but do not know yet how to work on themselves.