J.H.Reyner was a well-known electrical engineer, managing director of a firm of scientific-instrument makers,
and the author of a number of standard text-books.

    In 1938 he met Dr Maurice Nicoll and he studied 15 years with him. He said of this contact: "Dr Nicoll, with
great patience, showed me the much greater delight of thinking in new directions. He constantly emphasised to
those of us who knew him the need to see more connections in what is pre-eminently a universe of relationships,
and many of the ideas in my books are the result of his inspiration."

    J.H.Reyner wrote in the introduction of the 1980 edition:

    "It is all too evident that mankind has lost its way in a miasma of strife and discord; but there is a way out if man's
consciousness can be placed in something higher than himself. How this can be achieved is the theme of the now
well-known philosophy of G.I.Gurdjieff who maintained that man's behaviour is not conscious but can become so
if he can discard the shackles of habitual associations.
    "However, Gurdjieff's Ideas must not be regarded as abstract speculation. They have to be applied in everyday life,
and if this is done they can immeasurably enrich the meaning and enjoyment of existence. Moreover, the conscious
participation in the events of the day has a value beyond purely personal considerations because it contributes to the
pool of cosmic consciousness and so helps to offset the forces of evil which are evoked by man's greed and self-will."
   
    The selection of talks in this book, given at Amersfort House in the 1970ies, provides pratical interpretations of some
of the eveyday aspects of conscious living.