The Power of Impressions
Permit yourself to elevate your inner life. Realize the impact of external impressions on yourself. Make it your aim to rise above violence and ugliness.
Impressions, the continuously encountered stimuli, are not only crucial in shaping our inner growth but also have the power to transform us. They influence our perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. Understanding their power can inspire us to be more present in our lives, to be more mindful, and to shape our inner growth actively.
Peter Ouspensky, the philosopher who made the practices of the Fourth Way available to us, defined three kinds of 'food' as necessary for humans to live: food and water to eat and drink, air to breathe, and impressions to take in.
In this context, impressions refer to the sensory stimuli we constantly encounter. Ouspensky points out that although a human can survive without eating for many weeks and holding her breath for some time, nobody can survive without impressions, even for a moment. Therefore, the need to constantly receive and transform impressions must be crucial to our inner work.
I must take him at his word. I cannot verify his claim because, even in a pitch-dark room with noise cancellation and body temperature control, my impressions of sensing my body's breath, heartbeat, or the flicker of my eyelids constantly provide feedback.
However, what is of utmost importance for a Seeker is that the nourishment in the form of impressions enters our body as the most refined hydrogen available to man.
Yet, to feed our Soul, or to use the terminology of the Fourth Way—our Higher Centers—we need to transform impressions with conscious effort. It's not enough to passively receive impressions; we must actively engage with them, be present to them, and convert them into meaningful interactions. This conscious effort is a commitment to our personal growth and an engagement with the world around us.
In the Fourth Way, we call this process' Dividing Attention' or, on a deeper level, 'Self-Remembering.' Dividing Attention is the practice of not losing ourselves in what we are focusing on, but also being aware of ourselves. Self-remembering is the act of being aware of our awareness, of witnessing the impressions we are experiencing at any given moment. Peter Ouspensky has described this process as an arrow with two heads, where our Attention goes not only in the direction of what we are looking at, hearing, sensing, or feeling, but also toward our awareness of witnessing the impressions.
Refining Impressions
As a spiritual Seeker, it's essential to understand the power of refining impressions. To maintain a harmonious and peaceful demeanor, we must actively choose to distance ourselves from destructive influences. We have the power to keep our Attention away from the overwhelming negativity found in many social media posts or TV programs. By doing so, we take control of our personal development and empower ourselves to seek harmonious, uplifting impressions.
Another way to cultivate positive feelings is to keep our personal space uncluttered and clean. A minimalist environment encourages us to be present in the moment. As illustrated by Japanese culture, extravagant flower arrangements or ornate furnishings are unnecessary; the simple presence of a single flower can evoke a sense of inner harmony.
Focused Attention should permeate our lives. We can incorporate daily activities into our efforts to cultivate mindfulness with practice and awareness. Pursuing beauty should become an integral part of our existence, starting with physical well-being through exercise, healthy eating, proper posture, and conscious movement. It extends to our mental state by encouraging honest communication, staying alert, and being intentional in our thoughts and actions.
Our journey toward presence must encompass every aspect of our lives; you cannot leave any part out. When you wake up in the morning and recognize the beauty of being alive, it inspires you to embrace the day with the intentionality and appreciation that life offers.