01/10/2025
The Parable
Gurdjieff asked his students to imagine a large household with many servants but no real master present. The servants quarrel, steal, and act for themselves rather than for the good of the house.
At times, one servant puts on the master’s clothes and pretends to be the master—giving orders, but with no real authority. This is like the many “I’s” in a man who constantly replace one another.
The only hope for order is the Chief Steward: a servant who has some real knowledge of the master’s wishes and some loyalty to him. If the steward can gather authority, he can bring the household into a state of relative order in anticipation of the master’s return. When the true master finally comes back, he can recognize the steward and confirm him in his role.
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Meaning in Gurdjieff’s Work
• The House → a human being.
• Servants → the many contradictory “I’s” that take turns ruling us.
• False masters → mechanical identifications, moods, habits that temporarily dominate.
• Chief Steward → a developed, more permanent “I” that can remember the Work, hold intention, and organize life around a conscious aim.
• Master → higher consciousness or real “I,” which is not present at the start but can appear once the house is prepared.
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Practical Implications
• Inner work begins with recognizing the chaos of many small “I’s.”
• Through self-observation and effort, one tries to form a center of gravity (the Chief Steward).
• This center is still not the true Master but prepares conditions for it.
• The parable emphasizes responsibility, order, and preparation for higher states of being.
