CONSCIENCE (theme) ~ 1974

Description

In the Fall of 1971, John Bennett inaugurated the International Academy for Continuous Education at Sherborne House, Gloucestershire, England. From that time until his death three and half years later, he worked with groups of up to 90 students who enrolled for ten month courses, in a residential school environment. The organization and the curriculum of the school was based on his experience with Gurdjieff at the Prieuré, his own earlier community at Coombe Springs and his frequent visits to a Benedictine monastery in France. A fundamental technique was the use of a weekly theme. On Monday morning the entire community would meet and Bennett would set a theme for the week, which was described as something to ponder and think about when one’s attention was not needed elsewhere; a focus for self-observation. On the following Friday evening, the community would meet back again and students would report on their observations from the week. The following article is a transcription of two sessions, which occurred during the last months of the Third Basic Course.

Ben Bennett, 2014