Ibn al 'Arabi knew it was true that there are only two forces in the universe to be reckoned with: the Lord, and that which serves the Lord.
We are all servants, and the hierarchy of intelligence within the universe is measured by how aware we are that we are servants. The servant who is more aware of his servitude is of greater use than the one who is less so. Every servant is measured on such a scale; and indeed, those who read the New Testament will see that many of Christ's parables were aimed at explaining exactly this fact. Not only that, Gurdjieff's
enneagram, which has had any number of questionable interpretations applied to it, is ultimately a map of the evolution of energy according to the principles of service, because all energy must and can
only evolve to the extent that it serves. This lawful principle inexorably applies to the nature of each note in an octave, and its potential for moving to the next level of vibration.
We can understand from this that all inner work, all work to understand ourselves, is first an effort to become aware of the nature of service. This needs to be a conscious awareness, not a casual thought that passes through us from time to time. In other words, as
Brother Lawrence would have us know, it must inform our every action.
The measure of a man is taken strictly according to his understanding of service. Only to the extent that a man understands this question does he have any real Being. Being that perceives itself as existing independent of service is not real Being; it is divorced from the Lord. Ego itself, as we generally experience it, arises from a failure to perceive and understand service. There may be ten thousand explanations for ego, but they are relatively useless unless they address this radical issue.
The idea of service is equivalent to the idea of offering oneself. The servant offers his services to his Lord. He never does so with the expectation of reward; a servant and his Lord have agreed on wages before hand, as the servants of the parables, laboring in the fields, do. So during his tenure of service — life — the servant does everything the Master requires. It is no more and no less than his job.
This touches very closely on Gurdjieff's idea of Being-Parktdolg-duty: duty, duty, and duty. The very concept itself is one of service. Why labor consciously; why suffer intentionally? What is the purpose of it?
It is service. It is an offertory. And this concept of offertory is essential. The servant
offers himself to his Lord. He makes himself available; he is there in case the Lord needs him. He is available for service; and he waits. His services may be needed now; they may be needed later. It's not for the servant to question when the services are needed, or what services are required. The servant must first be
prepared.
There is nothing else to be available for. Only service matters; and when we speak of being
available to a higher energy, we are not available just for any old reason. We are making ourselves available in order to serve.
The service I need to be available for is not an outer service of works in life. All of life is constructed to force me to believe that my service is an outer service; yet that's not the case. An inner service is necessary.
With the right work,
this inner service puts me into relationship with my life; then, and only then, do I work outwardly.
I respectfully hope you will take good care.