The Fourth Way And Esoteric Christianity

Four in-depth lectures on the essence of the Fourth Way ideas, their practical application for psychological and spiritual development, and their relationship to Christianity. An extensive glossary is also included. The Fourth Way was developed by G.I. Gurdjieff, P.D. Ouspensky, and Maurice Nicoll.

Most of us think there are only two possible answers to the question: Do you have a soul? Either we have a soul, which will live beyond death, or there is no such thing as a soul, and when we die, nothing of us remains. But what if neither of those answers is correct? What if, instead, we are not born with a soul, but we have the possibility of growing one? Our potential for growing a soul was recognized by early gnostic Christians who practiced esoteric Christianity, which dates back to and originated in ancient pre-sand Egypt. It is a sacred science of being, a long hidden, esoteric teaching that G. I. Gurdjieff brought to the West early in the last century and is called the Fourth Way.How do we grow a soul? Gurdjieff tells us, The whole secret is that one cannot work for a future life without working for this one. We must learn how to be present to ourselves in each moment, to integrate body, senses, mind. The techniques and practices Gurdjieff brought in the Fourth Way can show us how. Is there life after death? Thats the primordial human question. Yes, you have a soul. How do you know? Isnt it just societal belief? If you have no soulokay, heres how to live after dying. (William Patrick Patterson, author of Georgi Ivanovitch Gurdjieff: The Man, The Teaching, His Mission) For those who have felt the wish or recognized the need to grow in themselves something higher, the Levitans introduce Gurdjieffs authentic way of self-transformation to do so. They also explore other ways stemming from the same source, throughout centuries and millennia up to the present time, showing how Gurdjieff presented methods that completed what had been mostly lost, forgotten, or left out. (Mary Ellen Korman, author of A Womans Work with Gurdjieff, Ramana Maharshi, Krishnamurti, Anandamayi Ma & Pak Subuh) Essential reading conveying with unique clarity and directness a distillation of the deep spiritual ideas contained in Gurdjieffs Fourth Way teaching. Faced with the question of soul, Ron and Claire Levitan lead us to the deep esoteric meaning of that word and the responsibility it carries in giving significance to our lives, the Earth and beyond. Gurdjieffs language of neologisms, often inaccessible, is presented in a straightforward manner, explaining the direct path to higher consciousness and conscience. If youve ever wondered what soul is or what is meant by growing a soulthis is the book youve been waiting for. (Teresa Adams, instructor, Haida yoga, the Online Fourth Way School)

Detailed, practical application of the Fourth Way system of psychological self-awareness and the process of living from higher levels of consciousness. The Teaching is a specific methodology for the perennial wisdom from Christianity and other religions on the "purification of the heart". Based in part on actual teaching transcripts, this book offers a rare opportunity for readers to apply.

Jiddu Krishnamurti Was One Of The Few Philosophers Who Deeply Influenced Human Consciousness. Enlightened By A New Vision Of Life, He Broke Away From Religions And Ideologies And Traversed A Lonely Path Talking To People More Like A Friend Than A Guru. This Book Contains Extracts From Krishna Murti S Talks Juxtaposed With Extracts From P.P. Ouspensky And Gurudjieff; And A Commentary On The Subject. The Latter Two Are Considered Sources Of Krishnamurti'S Teachings.

Insights in to the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff known as the Fourth Way, including their application for personal change and their roots in early Christianity.From the Preface: The discovery of esoteric truth is our birthright as children of the universe. No teacher, no book, no system has the final word. Spirituality is meant to awaken the Higher Self who guides us onto a road of purpose, fulfillment and service. However it is packaged and marketed, the only true value of the product is the extent to which it leads us into the intimate depths of our own being where we can each verify, assimilate, and become the truths underlying all authentic wisdom teachings.A special Appendix features exceptional insight from author Reijo Oksanen and his studies connecting the Gurdjieff Work to the spirituality of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Also included is a rare translation of the observations of Boris Mouravieff and his relationship to Gurdjieff and Ouspensky.

"Beyond the Fourth Way" is an exploration of aspects of the Fourth Way, a methodology whereby an ordinary person can be awakened, developed and transformed so that they become a harmonised, conscious being. It explores selected principles and techniques contained in Fourth Way material with a particular view to how valuable their application is for each person in daily life. This very rich teaching system is then blended with the profound spiritual understanding of the Christian mystic Emanuel Swedenborg, to provide a deeply meaningful and practical approach to inner development and soul growth.

Over one hundred years ago in Russia, G. I. Gurdjieff introduced a spiritual teaching of conscious evolution—a way of gnosis or “knowledge of being” passed on from remote antiquity. Gurdjieff’s early talks in Europe were published in the form of chronological fragments preserved by his close followers P. D. Ouspensky and Jeanne de Salzmann. Now these teachings are presented as a comprehensive whole, covering a variety of subjects including states of consciousness, methods of self-study, spiritual work in groups, laws of the cosmos, and the universal symbol known as the Enneagram. Gurdjieff respected traditional religious practices, which he regarded as falling into three general categories or “ways”: the Way of the Fakir, related to mastery of the physical body; the Way of the Monk, based on faith and feeling; and the Way of the Yogi, which focuses on development of the mind. He presented his teaching as a “Fourth Way” that integrates these three aspects into a single path of self-knowledge. The principles are laid out as a way of knowing and experiencing an awakened level of being that must be verified for oneself.

An important book on liberating ourselves from the state of “waking sleep” in which we live our lives, as taught by one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the 20th century As the closest pupil of the charismatic spiritual master G. I. Gurdjieff (1866–1949), Jeanne de Salzmann was charged with carrying on his teachings of spiritual transformation. Known as the Fourth Way or “The Work,” Gurdjieff’s system was based on teachings of the East that he adapted for modern life in the West. Now, some twenty years after de Salzmann's death, the notebooks that she filled with her insights over a forty-year period (and intended to publish) have been translated and edited by a small group of her family and followers. The result is this long-awaited guide to Gurdjieff's teaching, describing the routes to be traveled and the landmarks encountered along the way. Organized according to themes, the chapters touch on all the important concepts and practices of the Work, including: • Awakening from the sleep of identification with the ordinary level of being • Self-observation and self-remembering • Conscious effort and voluntary suffering • Understanding symbolic concepts like the Enneagram • The Gurdjieff Movements, bodily exercises that provide training in Presence and the awareness of subtle energies • The necessity of a "school," meaning the collective practice of the teaching in a group Madame de Salzmann brings to the Work her own strong, direct language and personal journey in learning to live that knowledge of a higher level of being, which, she insists, “you have to see for yourself” on a level beyond theory and concept. De Salzmann consistently refused to discuss the teaching in terms of ideas, for this Fourth Way is to be experienced, not simply thought or believed.