I am Gaga Lala (Lala to my grandson). Hudson, my grandson, is my inspiration and so full of life. He was born in 2016. His world has been filled with turbulence and great love. This blog is one of a series of letters to him as he continues his never-ending journey.

Dear Hudson,

Welcome to 2022. We are here. Still in this human vessel. Moving, rotating through space, time, and dreams. What will this new year, this new looking glass show us?

I continue to be grateful for you and all our adventures together. We are travelers in a wonderful universe. This trip is not easy, and it is a practice. To be in this vessel (the human form) on this ever-traveling earth. How do we survive all of it? 

Well, Hudson, you have taught me a few things.

Turn to nature. Go outside. Stay quiet and sense all that is around you. Even if it is a noisy city, just notice. Ours is a great big backyard with an 80-pound dog that wizzes by! Let’s take it in and feel the sensations. Engage with love and listen. 

All of this is work. Yes, work. Dang, living and breathing and taking a simple look through that glass is work. Yep.

The Work. This is the name by which Gurdjieff’s teaching is most usually known. And has its origins in alchemy where “the great work” was that of transmuting base metals into gold. Gurdjieff refers to this process in a psychological sense and the transformation of man’s [the vessel, the human form] inner substances. Additionally, the phrase “to work on oneself” includes within it many different activities. In general, it refers to the effort to awaken, to connect centers, to be able to observe the function of the machine and to remember the self, so that a process of change can begin…” *

We are that simple base metal turning into gold. And it takes work. On our journey we must expect to fall asleep and wake up. And we must be sure to be gentle with ourselves. Love for self must come first and then all will follow. Again, engage with love and listen.

Let’s look through that new looking glass together and enjoy the new journey in this human vessel. Happy New Year

In Love Always,

Gaga Lala 

Your child, ages 10 and over, can take a fun and interactive enneagram test on our website: N-1games.com

Cathryn S. Hudson (Gaga Lala) works with the Conscious Living Center, The School of Conscious Living and Conscious Dynamics. She is a certified teacher in the narrative tradition of the Enneagram from the School of Conscious Living and holds a BS degree from the University of Cincinnati from the School of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning.