Theos-Talk Archives (October 2004 Message tt00404)

Gurdjieff: the Key Concepts by Sophia Wellbeloved
London and New York: Routledge, 2003.
Xxxi, 270pp

Routledge defines their "Key Guides" as "accessible, informative, and 
lucid handbooks, which define and discuss the key concepts, thinkers 
and debates in a broad range of academic disciplines" all of which 
are written "by noted experts." Gurdjieff and the Fourth Way 
movement (also known as The Work) have only recently become subjects 
of academic research. Wellbeloved attained a Ph.D. for a study of 
astrological meaning in Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson, 
Gurdjieff's three-volume magnum opus. In this book she accomplishes 
precisely what Routledge sought in the Key Guides series.  
Alphabetically arranged entries discuss diverse aspect of Gurdjieff's 
writings; mentioned on the back cover are these:

Possible sources in religious, Theosophical, occult, esoteric and 
literary traditions

The integral relationships between different aspects of the teaching

Its internal contradictions and subversive aspects

The derivation of Gurdjieff's cosmological ideas and enneagrams

The receptive form of New Work teaching introduced by Jeanne de 
Salzmann

After the A-Z survey of key concepts in Gurdjieff's teachings, the 
author provides appendices totalling more than twenty pages each on 
his key pupils and various groups that derive from his Work. A 
thorough bibliography takes up twelve pages of small print. Although 
the alphabetical arrangement suggests a reference book, I found it 
quite worthwhile to read straight through as a survey of the Fourth 
Way teachings.

I discovered this book through the amazon.com indexing feature, which 
enabled me to find books in which my name is mentioned. The fact 
that Wellbeloved cites my books on several occasions is indicative of 
the seriousness with which she takes the Theosophical influence on 
the Fourth Way. References to Blavatsky appear on 18 widely 
scattered pages.

While this book does not quite displace Ouspensky's In Search of the 
Miraculous as most-highly-recommended book for first exposure to 
Gurdjieff's teachings, I would put it in second place after that 
enduring classic. And for anyone with passing familiarity with the 
Fourth Way, who has read Gurdjieff or Ouspensky in the past but lacks 
an overview of the entire movement, this is the best source available 
for deepening one's understanding.

Responses to comments on my remarks about Jane Jacobs:
Hey,
Responding to various comments about Jacobs and her thesis:
Bill asked "what time frame does Jacob contend that the "serious 
signs of decay in five pillars of our society…"
PJ: Jacobs lives in Canada so does not restrict her focus to the 
US. But here's a passage about the US that defines her timeframe of 
decline somewhat: "Theodore Roosevelt…staved off destructive 
corporate cannibalism for about a crucial half century before it was 
loosed in the 1960s and intensified in the 1980s."(p. 170)
Bill: Personally though, I am optimistic about the future. One of 
the ideas that I enjoy in theosophy is that of cycles. I trade the 
markets and I see the cycles in action at that level everyday. An 
appreciation for cycles teaches me to take a longer view when the 
near term appears pessimistic.
PJ: Actually I tend to agree, that the pendulum is about to swing in 
the opposite direction from the trends of the last few years, based 
on astrology. Whoever wins this election will have an inaugural 
chart much less warlike and confused/incompetent than that of the 
current administration.
Adelasie wrote:
This got my attention. Just observing "life" day to day, I find 
myself wondering sometimes what in the world could be happening.
PJ: My particular concern is with the drastic decline in journalistic 
standards, mostly regarding TV news but also involving radio and 
print. People's trust of the media has dropped dramatically in 
recent years, justifiably IMO. If major news media become uncritical 
purveyors of government propaganda, as some have, one pillar of our 
society collapses. 
Adelasie: In Theosophical terms, Kali Yuga is already about 6000 
years old. Are you suggesting some new version coming down the pike, 
or might this maybe be the last gasp, the dark before the dawn, so to 
speak, preparing the way for what comes next (illumination, dare one 
hope?)
PJ: Meant to suggest that perhaps what appeared to me to be a record 
of progress over my lifetime was only an epiphenomenon and that in 
the bigger picture, things might not be getting better at all.  
However, I'm cautiously optimistic that a certain illumination about 
diplomacy vs. violence might be dawning, or about to.
A: Paul, I know you are not a theosophist, but you have such an  
interesting way of looking at things, and you are, as you say, 
current with publishing/new offerings on the mental plane. Your POV 
is often stimulating. Oh dear, does that sound fundy?....
PJ-- Thank you kindly. I guess I'm an ex-Theosophist but not an ex-
theosophist. Meaning that HPB is no longer at the center of my 
conceptual universe, but I'm no less devoted to theosophia than 
ever. 
A: I'm not the first or the only to think that maybe what is 
happening is that the high and mighty USA is getting ready to knock 
itself off its privilidged pinnacle and become a bit (or a lot) more 
like the rest of the world. Of course, we presume there will be a 
habitat left to live in when the dust settles. After all, if we think 
Karma is a real thing (do you?) we must realize that the USA, and 
Western Civ generally, have some real old-fashioned hell to pay 
(Inquisitioin, Native Americans, Colonialization in general, slavery, 
to name a recent few.)
PJ-- Not sure about a real thing but we can all see cause and effect 
operating in the realm of moral choices. To be "respected in the 
world" is one of the goals of Kerry, and I think it's plausible that 
a fence-mending administration can do a lot to repair the damage so 
recently caused to the USA's image abroad. Bush supporters like to 
bash France, but I would point out that in a recent survey, 70% of 
both Canadians and Mexicans oppose a second term for the incumbent US 
president. If our long-standing friendly neighbors are that worried 
about us, that should be considered cause for some soul-searching and 
fence-mending.
A: Thanks for offering to keep us abreast...It's always good to know 
as 
much as possible about what others are thinking/writing, IMHO.
PJ—It has been a selfish pleasure to learn recently about all the new 
books in which my own are cited. But a related aspect of that 
discovery is learning about how alive the name of HPB is in scholarly 
studies on quite diverse topics, and I hope that these will be of 
interest to theos-talkers.
Regina wrote:
The East/West wall is still not down. The Browning of America is in 
full swing. All organizations and political sysmems have a cycle of 
life. LIFE goes on it evolutionary path, with or without our 
permission or liking it. God eats everyone.(if that's not too gross 
for you) IMHO it we need to simply practice what I call radical 
oneness and ride the wave, enjoy the particles, and immerse ourselves 
in what is ours to do. What makes us truly happy, even with our 
limited perceptions, projections.? Really accepting, not just 
tolerating, one another! The most comforting thing I can say or have 
said to me, is "our relationship is more important than any issue."
PJ: and one of the scariest things about the last few years is how 
bitterly divided Americans have become. I have had people spit on my 
car due to its Kerry bumper sticker; talking head TV pundits scream 
abuse at one another every day for hours on end; talk radio hatefests 
stir up terrible levels of antagonism. I hope that we will see a day 
when really accepting one another can start to take hold again. But 
fear that as Yeats wrote "the center cannot hold."
John wrote that he'd "love to see Bush win the popular vote, and 
Kerry win the Electoral vote, because then, we might finally see 
Congress willing to return us to a vote of the people."
PJ: We never had that so it wouldn't be a return, but I agree that 
reform is long overdue. As Harper's Magazine noted in the current 
issue, 1 out of 6 Republican presidents since the party's founding 
have been popular vote losers, but no Democrat has ever been put into 
office without winning the popular vote. Until the tables are 
turned, Republicans therefore will see the Electoral College as their 
ally.
John: After November 2, I'll be happy to say who I voted for, but I 
don't think we should use our list for campaigning, except in cases 
of talking about broad reforms, not specific elections.
PJ: Agreed, but I'm more interested here in evaluating the present 
moment in time from a spiritual and psychological POV than in 
advocating for a particular candidate. Whoever wins will have the 
same historical moment to deal with.
Cheers,
Paul