The Growth of Essence

Essence can only grow through the weakening of the Personality. From the ordinary state of an adult person where the Personality is active and the Essence is passive a new state must be eventually reached in which the Essence is active and the Personality passive. You can understand that this is a very long journey and you can also understand that you cannot understand it right away. But it is very useful to remember it very often, especially in moments of struggle.

Now for the Essence, or inner, part of us to grow and become gradually active, you must be able to be utterly sincere with yourself when the occasion arises. Essence cannot grow from anything false.

Maurice Nicoll, “The Meaning of Evolution in the Work" in Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Vol. 2, p. 445)