This lost state is best described by Gurdjieff’s term, “Identification.” The yogic word “Attachment” may seem clear in its Hindu context, but has the wrong connotation to the modern Western mind.

You may be observing yourself type on a keyboard, then get completely lost in a train of thought about what to eat for lunch, then remember to observe yourself again. While driving your car, you suddenly realize you have not been observing yourself for the last mile. In the middle of an angry tirade you remember to observe yourself, then continue to talk in a calmer manner.

 If there is self observation there can be no identification. If there is identification there is no self observation.

 During identification a field of activity takes the center stage calling itself “I.” It holds center stage and runs on automatically while you are identified. When you begin to self observe again, the Observing I has center stage and predominates.

You cannot observe while identified, but after you bring your observing I back again, or later in an evening evaluation, you can think about what was going on in the state of identification. Eventually this will lead to the insight that the default state of a human running automatically without any willed direction whatsoever, mechanically like a machine.

Automatic manifestations continue by reaction and repetition because they are haphazard and unwilled. Like a runaway bus without a driver, they may end up anywhere, and often do, pointless thoughts, out of control emotions, or nervous fidgeting and tensing.

An initial awareness of mechanical manifestations can be quite discouraging, but further work with the three distinct fields of activity will reveal a person’s worst automatic patterns are usually confined and clustered in specific areas. The goal is not absolute control of all one’s manifestations. Some run very well without attention, such as learned physical movements or frequently repeated tasks. The goal is to become free of unconscious and destructive wastes of energy that prevent upward rising consciousness, to become more spontaneous and free. Ways of effectively interacting with each of the fields of activity will be explored in the following chapters of this book.

Without an observing I, events occur automatically. Emotions and thoughts run by mechanical associations, one bouncing off another, reacting to haphazard external or internal events. Life running on reactions is disorganized and dictated by circumstances, without goals or aims. Things go round and round and even eventually become their own opposites. Essentially, everything happens by accident. To live this way is to be completely at the mercy of external influences, and to live under what Gurdjieff referred to as the “Law of Accident.” The goal to be more conscious is also the goal to get completely free of this law.

 The observing I and the unconscious manifestations of the three fields that call themselves “I” oppose and negate one another. Initial work with the separate fields consists of attempting to self observe, getting lost or identified with automatic manifestations, then bringing into your awareness which field of activity you became lost in and how. After some time and effort, you’ll become more adept at distinguishing between the three fields and discerning how they try to do the work of other fields, work incorrectly, and run on automatic. Later, you will start to see major patterns of identification and specific areas to work with to overcome mechanicalness.

If the difference between self observation and identification is hard for you to grasp, think about the last time you misplaced something and couldn’t find it for a while. You tried to remember where you last put it or used it. You retraced your steps. What was going in your fields of activity when it was mislaid? Consider a time when you went in a room and then could not remember for a bit why you entered the room. During that distracted, vacant time you were so identified with something else, you forgot your purpose. On realizing that, you were self observing for a bit. Ultimately though, your true and deep understanding of these states can only come about with your persistent practice of self observation for a certain period of time.

When a field of activity operates without attention, it runs mechanically. Especially in early work with self observation you can’t stop mechanical manifestations like anger for example, but you may find it easier to switch from one field of activity to another. Taking a brisk walk can get you free of the anger. Thinking about all the reasons not to bite your fingernails can free you of mechanical movements by switching to thoughts.

When there is higher consciousness, an observing I, there is no room for accident to get in, and only then is life what a person intends. There are certain laws of nature and events caused by other people that can’t be avoided, but accidents are vastly minimized.

Getting free of the automatic activity of the lower fields of activity is the only way to build and grow the observing I, accumulate enough energy to reach higher thoughts and emotions, and attain the free and clear mind of higher consciousness. This is something that definitely progresses in stages. Initially, you can spot identification after it has happened by reviewing your day. With more work and time you’ll eventually be able to catch yourself while you are identified and then restore the observing I. Finally, you’ll be able to keep yourself from becoming identified in the first place.

The following chapters will describe the different fields of activity in more detail, their ways of operation, and tricks to use them to become more awake and free of identifying with their mechanical workings.

Identification Main Points

The observing I becomes lost in one of the fields of activity, a state known as identification.

If there is identification, there is no self observation. If there is self observation, there is no identification.

The default state of humans is unconscious, mechanical manifestations running on automatic like a machine.

Unconscious life is subject to the Law of Accident.

Initially, you can spot identification after it has happened. Later you’ll be able to catch yourself while you are identified. Finally, you’ll be able to keep yourself from becoming identified in the first place.

Identification Exercises

During your evening evaluation, find three times during the day when you were identified.

Make a goal to catch yourself while you are identified and to re-establish the observing I.

Make a goal to stop identification before it happens.

Identification Glossary of Terms

Automatic – Unconscious, mechanical manifestations running by reaction to external influences

Identification – Losing the observing I in a field of activity

Law of Accident – Unwilled reactions that happen haphazardly without conscious direction or control

Observing I – Willed attention on one’s manifestations and fields of activity to achieve permanent freedom from the mechanical Law of Accident

V. Intellectual Center