G.I. Gurdjieff was a philosopher and mystic. He believed that most of us were destined to become “beautiful machines.” That our behaviours were automatic most of the time.
When a desciple came to him, if they were a vegitarian, he would force them to eat meat, for example. If a meat-eater came to join him, he would force her to go vegetarian for three weeks or so.
By forcing the vegetarian to eat meat, they would become hyper aware. The sensation, the act, the digestion. They had no previous memory of this.
When the meat eater was forced to be vegetarian, they also would become acutely aware of how they felt, and the act of not eating meat.
Gurdjieff wasn’t necessarily for or against meat. He was for awareness. Of pattern interruption on a grand scale.
We can practice such exercises regularly. Joining in the opposite. Seeing how things feel on the other side of our current habit.
If we do yoga every day, try strength for a month. If we are on the phone constantly, leave it in the car for a week. We can do the same with food choices, or lifestyle factors. This can be a help to find what truly serves us, rather than going deeper down the same rabbit hole.
To me, the power of pattern interruption is a way of learning, of increasing awareness of the previously unaware practice.
