The question: what does the Fourth Way (as taught by Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, and others) have to do with H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos?
Our need to Awaken is not unlike Dread Cthulhu’s. Asleep, we can only do so much, which is to say, the base level of comprehension, achievement, and understanding – nothing beyond. Cthulhu fitfully slumbers, always on the verge of Awakening, just like humanity. Of course, not all of mankind has the potential to wake up from the sleep of life. Only a few have that kind of possibility – the sensitive artists, occultists, and seekers of truth.
The terrifying unknown and unbearable revelations of our unvarnished selves is another parallel, as Brother Shawn Hartnell already mentioned. Humanity’s present and myopic view of things doesn’t reveal much. We see too dimly past the opaqueness of our being. All too often, we firmly stand in our own way. To become more translucent, like the void from whence the Great Old Ones came and shall come again, should be our chief aim. This is related to Self-Remembering.
Consciousness is the primary agent, function, or weapon (if you will) of the sorcerer. His state of gnosis, where spells may be cast and rituals performed, is virtually identical to the Fourth Way student’s state of objective consciousness, enlightenment from every angle. Furthermore, both their goals are the same – willed change! In this, they are as practitioners of the Left Hand Path: focused on the essential self and its manifestations… always with one eye open to unseen opportunities, future prospects, as well as, the invaluable and inviolate third side.
Cultists face “reality” with a healthy dose of the fantastic. Not only are we dreamers, we are also creators… forging our own truth, unwilling to let wondrous worlds die. Lovecraft did the same, and look at the potency of his magic!
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