Presents an overview and introduction to Gurdjieff's teaching. This title helps students to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical experience and gain a taste of what it means to work on oneself by following Ginsburg's six lessons.
"This 449-page collection of essays on the life of the famous (or infamous?) George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff could serve as the definitive tome on the eccentric and enigmatic teacher."
In Gurdjieff and Music Johanna Petsche examines the large and diverse body of piano music produced by Armenian-Greek spiritual teacher G. I. Gurdjieff (c.1866-1949) in collaboration with his devoted pupil Thomas de Hartmann (1885-1956). Petsche draws on a range of unpublished materials and data from original field research to critically situate and assess this music within its socio-cultural and unique religio-spiritual context. Focusing on the tremendous role that music played in the life and teaching of Gurdjieff, Petsche chronicles the unique relationship and collaboration between Gurdjieff and de Hartmann, analyses the styles and possible sources of their music, and explores Gurdjieff’s ultimate intentions for the music in light of his esoteric teaching.
The intimate personal journals of two occultists practising western magick to achieve “The Great Work” (also known as “awakening” or “enlightenment”). With its humour, honesty, and down-to-earth approach, extending beyond the cult following it gained after its original publication in the late noughties, The Baptist's Head Compendium has proved itself a seminal text and indispensable guide to anyone suspicious of or disillusioned by magick purely as a tool for personal power or material gain. Sharing the details of their discoveries – and mistakes – in the process of making them, Chapman and Barford demonstrate how magick is a genuine spiritual tradition leading to enlightenment. They have their minds blown and the strangest experiences of their lives! By holding nothing back, but sharing all results and methods, the reader is equipped to embark on their own exploration of magick as a path to spiritual awakening. Originally published as a trilogy, but long since out-of-print, these books are now available for the first time in a single volume, revised and updated with new introductions by the authors.
Contemporary seekers on the hunt for an overview of the Western mystery traditions often face a small selection of dense, out-of-date tomes. Alternatively, Hidden Wisdom is a fresh, coherent, and accessible work that expounds many of the teachings of Western esotericism, examining its key figures and movements.
This book opens a new interdisciplinary frontier between religion and theatre studies to illuminate what has been seen as the religious, or spiritual, nature of Polish theatre director Jerzy Grotowski’s work. It corrects the lacunae in both theatre studies and religious studies by examining the interaction between the two fields in his artistic output. The central argument of the text is that through an embodied and materialist approach to religion, developed in the work of Michel Foucault and religious studies scholar Manuel Vasquez, as well as a critical reading of the concepts of the New Age, a new understanding of Grotowski and religion can be developed. It is possible to show how Grotowski’s work articulated spiritual experience within the body; achieving a removal of spirituality from ecclesial authorities and relocating spiritual experience within the body of the performer. This is a unique analysis of one of the 20th Century’s most famous theatrical figures. As such, it is a vital reference for academics in both Religion and Theatre Studies that have an interest in the spiritual aspects of Grotowski’s work.
"If you want to pursue in a Western way the path that we follow here at Mirtola, you need to study and work with the Gurdjieffian teaching." Thus did the guru Madhava Ashish, at their first meeting, invite American businessman Sy Ginsburg on a spiritual journey that would last 19 years (until the guru's death) and include both annual visits to Sri Madhava Ashish's Mirtola ashram, near Almora, in India's Himalayan foothills, and a lengthy correspondence. Along the way, the entrepreneur/author would not only be caught up in the teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff, but also in the search for the elusive unitive vision — the world viewed from the perspective of the greater Self and not the personality. In this remarkable spiritual document, the reader shares the search, increasingly catching glimpses of the unitive vision as the book draws toward a close that is also an opening out, into the vaster dimensions of the human mind.
• Explores the archetypal and classical male ideal found in ancient societies around the world • Examines some of the problems facing men in the world today and shares practices to develop yourself in the face of these problems • Provides techniques for developing your thinking and focus, overcoming fear, relaxing tension in your body, and developing a self-image more appropriate to who you are and aspire to be Ancient and classical societies have always had an ideal of manhood. In Japan, the samurai cultivated not only the art of the sword but also poetry, calligraphy, and spiritual practice. In Confucianism, the ideal man was the Chun-Tzu (the Higher Man), who cultivated both the arts of war and the arts of peace. And in medieval Europe, the knight lived by the comparable code of chivalry. Such men, considered both warriors and mystics, exempli ed wholeness. Yet today, men exist in a chaotic world without role models, guidance, or a sense of the sacred masculine. Exploring how to reconnect with the archetypal male ideal and develop the different sides of your being, author Angel Millar offers a journey of self-development to help cultivate yourself as a whole--mentally, physically, and spiritually. He examines some of the problems facing men in the world today--lack of strong friendships, distractingtechnology, constant criticism--and shares practices to develop yourself in the face of these problems. He shares techniques for enhancing your focus, overcoming fear, integrating your shadow, developing inner silence, and creating a self-image more appropriate to who you are and who you aspire to be. He also explores the importance of relaxing tension in your body to help you break free from pattern-induced behavior and self-defeating thoughts embedded through muscle memory. Examining in uential gures both contemporary and historical like Steve Jobs and Swami Vivekananda, powerful myths from East and West such as the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, warrior and brotherhood traditions as well as literature and fine art, this guide will help you discover your inner sacred masculine, a better understanding of the world and your place in it, and ultimately how to become a confident, strong, and dynamic contemporary higher man and a leader in your own life.