Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff

Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff (January 13, 1872 - October 29, 1949), the Greek-Armenian mystic and 'teacher of dancing' born in Alexandropol, Armenia (then of the Russian Empire, now Gyumri, Armenia), traveled to many parts of the world (i.e. Central Asia, Egypt, Rome) before returning to Russia and teaching in Moscow and St. Petersburg in 1913. Young G.I. Gurdjieff. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... October 29 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 1949 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Alexandropol (or Gyumri) is a city in western Armenia. ... Gyumri, formerly known by the following names in chronological order: Alexandropol, Kumayri, Gyumri, Leninakan, and Gyumri (again), is the capital of the Shirak province of Armenia, and a fortress of great strength. ... Saint Basils Cathedral and Spasskaya Tower of Moscow Kremlin at Red Square. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland...

In the midst of revolutionary upheaval in Russia he left Petrograd (St. Petersburg was renamed Petrograd September 1, 1914) in 1917 to return to his family home in Alexandropol. During the Bolshevik Revolution he set up temporary study communities in Essentuki in the Caucasus, then Tuapse, Maikop, Sochi and Poti, all on the Black Sea coast of Southern Russia where he worked intensively with many of his Russian pupils. In mid-January 1919 he and a group of his closest pupils moved to Tbilisi remaining there until late May 1920 when political conditions in Georgia deteriorated. Then, by foot, they walked to Batumi on the Black Sea coast embarking for Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) where Gurdjieff rented an apartment on Koumbaradji Street in Péra and later at 13 Abdullatif Yemeneci Sokak near the Galata Tower. The apartment is near the tekke (monastery) of the Mevlevi Order of Sufis (founded by Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi) where Gurdjieff, Ouspensky and Thomas de Hartmann experienced the sema ceremony of The Whirling Dervishes. Gurdjieff also met John G. Bennett in Constantinople. Essentuki or Yessentuki (Russian: Ессентуки) is a city in Stavropol Krai, Russia at the base of the Caucasus Mountains. ... The Caucasus , a region boardering Asia Minor, is located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea which includes the Caucasus mountains and surrounding lowlands. ... Tuapse (Russian:Туапсе́) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, on the northeast shore of the Black Sea. ... Maykop (Майко́п), capital of the Republic of Adygea, Russia. ... Sochi Coat of Arms, adopted on 15 June 1967 Sochi (Russian: Со́чи) is the most popular Russian resort, situated in the Krasnodar Krai, near the Russian border with Abkhazia, Georgia. ... Poti is a city in the Samegrelo province in the west of the Republic of Georgia. ... Map of the Black Sea. ... View of Tiflis from the Grounds of Saint David Church, ca. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Shows the Location of the Province Ä°stanbul Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul; contraction of the citys previous Greek name Constantinople) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... Galata Tower The Galata Tower (Turkish Galata Kulesi) is located in Istanbul in Turkey to the north of the Golden Horn. ... The Mevlevi Order or the Mevleviye are a Sufi order founded by the followers of the Persian Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi in 1273 in Konya present day Turkey; also known as the Whirling Dervishes due to their famous practice of whirling as a form of dhikr (remeberence of Allah). ... Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ... Mawlana Rumi Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi or Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi (also known as Mawlawi or Mawlana, meaning our guide or our lord in Arabic and Persian, or Mevlana meaning our guide in Turkish) (September 30, 1207 - December 17, 1273 CE) was a Persian Muslim jurist, theologian, poet... Thomas and Olga de Hartmann were students of G. I. Gurdjieff. ... SEMA SEMA is the Specialty Equipment Market Association of automotive aftermarket, which is a $29 billion-a-year retail industry (2004 numbers). ... The Mevlevi Order or the Mevleviye are a Sufi order founded by the followers of the Persian Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi in 1273 in Konya present day Turkey; also known as The Whirling Dervishes due to their famous practice of whirling as a form of dhikr (remeberence of Allah... The oldest of three children, J.G. Bennett was born June 8, 1897, of an American mother and an English father. ...

Gurdjieff left Constantinople in August 1921 traveling on to Western Europe visiting, lecturing and giving demonstrations of his work in various metropolitan centers such as Berlin and London. In October 1922, he established the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man south of Paris at the Prieuré des Basses Loges in Fontainebleau-Avon near the famous Château de Fontainebleau. In 1924 he nearly died in a car crash. After his recovery he began writing All and Everything originally written by him in Russian and Armenian. Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man was an esoteric spiritual school founded by G. I. Gurdjieff in 1922 also known as Le Prieuré for the name of the property that he purchased in Fontainebleau-Avon south of Paris in France. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... The central range of Fontainebleau The Royal Chateau of Fontainebleau (in the Seine-et-Marne d partement), the largest of the French royal chateaux, introduced to France the Italian Mannerist style in interior decoration and in gardens, and transformed them in the translation. ... All and Everything Ten Books in Three Series by G. I. Gurdjieff including Beelzebubs Tales to his Grandson, Meetings with Remarkable Men, and Life is Real Only Then, When I Am. In his prospectus for All and Everything, printed at the beginning of each part of the trilogy, Gurdjieff...

He stopped writing in 1935 after having completed the first two parts of the trilogy and only having started on the Third Series which had been published under the title Life is Real Only Then, When 'I Am'. Gurdjieff lived in Paris at 6 Rue des Colonels Rénard in Vichy France during World War II where he continued to teach his pupils throughout the war. He died on October 29, 1949 at the American Hospital in Neuilly, France. His funeral was held at the St. Alexandre Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral at 12 Rue Daru, Paris. He is buried in the cemetery at Fontainebleau-Avon. Life is Real Only Then, When I Am is the incomplete text of the Third Series of All and Everything by G. I. Gurdjieff. ... Presidential flag of Vichy France Vichy France, or the Vichy regime (in French, now called: Régime de Vichy or Vichy; at the time, called itself: État Français, or French State) was the de facto French government of 1940-1944 during the Nazi Germany occupation of World War II...

Timelines, facts and whereabouts regarding his early biography before he appeared in Moscow in 1913 are found in his text, Meetings with Remarkable Men. Those who had contact with Gurdjieff saw him as a master of wisdom able to practice self-remembering, external considering and work on oneself, ideas that are discussed in many of the works cited here. Meetings with Remarkable Men is G. I. Gurdjieffs autobiography. ...

He is best-known through the published works of his students, such as P.D. Ouspensky (author of In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching), A.R. Orage, Thomas and Olga de Hartmann, Fritz Peters, René Daumal, John G. Bennett and Maurice Nicoll among others. His students included Frank Lloyd Wright, Kathryn Hulme, P.L. Travers and Katherine Mansfield. In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching by P. D. Ouspensky recollects the teachings of an individual to whom he refers only as G. and the authors ambivalent relationship with G., leading to his break with him. ... Thomas and Olga de Hartmann were students of G. I. Gurdjieff. ... René Daumal (1908 - 1944) was a French surrealist writer, philosopher and poet, born on March 16, 1908 in Boulzicourt, Ardennes, France. ... The oldest of three children, J.G. Bennett was born June 8, 1897, of an American mother and an English father. ... Maurice Nicoll (July 19, 1884 - August 30, 1953). ... Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was one of the most prominent architects of the first half of the 20th century. ... Kathryn Hulme (January 6, 1900 - 1981). ... ... Katherine Mansfield served as the pen-name for Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp (October 14, 1888–January 9, 1923). ...

Three books written by Gurdjieff were published after his death: Beelzebub's Tales to his Grandson, Meetings with Remarkable Men, and Life is Real Only Then, When 'I Am'. This trilogy is Gurdjieff's legominism known collectively as All and Everything. A legominism is, according to Gurdjieff, "one of the means of transmitting information about certain events of long-past ages through initiates." A book of his early talks was also collected by his student and personal secretary, Olga de Hartmann, and published in 1973 under the title Views from the Real World: Early Talks in Moscow, Essentuki, Tiflis, Berlin, London, Paris, New York and Chicago, as recollected by his pupils. This is the first of a three volume set written by G. I. Gurdjieff. ... Meetings with Remarkable Men is G. I. Gurdjieffs autobiography. ... Life is Real Only Then, When I Am is the incomplete text of the Third Series of All and Everything by G. I. Gurdjieff. ... All and Everything Ten Books in Three Series by G. I. Gurdjieff including Beelzebubs Tales to his Grandson, Meetings with Remarkable Men, and Life is Real Only Then, When I Am. In his prospectus for All and Everything, printed at the beginning of each part of the trilogy, Gurdjieff... Thomas and Olga de Hartmann were students of G. I. Gurdjieff. ... Views from the Real World: Early Talks in Moscow, Essentuki, Tiflis, Berlin, London, Paris, New York and Chicago, as recollected by his pupils published in 1973, considered to be one of the best introductions to the ideas of G. I. Gurdjieff. ...

When asked about the teaching he was setting forth, Gurdjieff said, "The teaching whose theory is here being set out is completely self supporting and independent of other lines and it has been completely unknown up to the present time." The teaching he brought centers around the struggle of working on oneself for the purpose of awakening conscience. Gurdjieff taught that man has no soul. Rather, man must create a soul while incarnate whose substance could withstand the shock of death. Without a soul, Gurdjieff taught, man will "die like a dog."

He taught that the ordinary waking consciousness of human beings was a form of sleep and that higher levels of consciousness were possible, namely subjective consciousness and objective consciousness. The development of these levels of consciousness corresponds with the development of the higher being-bodies (i.e. the astral, mental, and causal bodies) that could be developed within the physical body in which ordinary consciousness was found. The development of these higher being-bodies required work on oneself under the supervision and guidance of a teacher. That is, under one who has himself been trained in the science and practice of the teaching. A girl sleeping Sleep is the regular state of natural unconsciousness observed in all mammals and birds. ... For information about the music group see Astral Projection (group) Astral projection is an out of body experience (OBE) technique, sometimes associated with the occult and the New Age movement, where it is said that the astral body, or double, which some believe to be one of several co-incident...

The feature film Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979) directed by Peter Brook and starring Terence Stamp is based upon the book of the same name and was made under the direction of Jeanne de Salzmann and depicts rare performances of the sacred dances taught to serious students of his work known simply as the movements. Peter Stephen Paul Brook (born 1925) is a British theatrical producer and director. ... Terence Stamp (born July 22, 1939 in Stepney, London, England) is a British actor. ... Jeanne de Salzmann was a close pupil of G. I. Gurdjieff who was his recognized deputy by many of Gurdjieffs other pupils. ... The movements is the name given to the collective body of sacred dances that were collected or authored by G. I. Gurdjieff and taught to his students as part of the work of self observation and self study the aim of which was development of a stable subjective and then...

His teachings have been called The Work or The Fourth Way which is also the title of a book by P.D. Ouspensky. It has been preserved in Gurdjieff's legominism and through various groups formed after his death including the Gurdjieff Foundations in New York and Paris, under the direction of Lord John Pentland and Jeanne de Salzmann. Gurdjieff's Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man was founded to train what he called, "helper-instructors" who could assist in the dissemination and practice of the teaching. Today, many groups abound who use the name of Gurdjieff and/or his ideas. However, many of these have never been initiated into the teaching through an authentic teacher-student relationship whose line of transmission originates from Gurdjieff. The Fourth Way has come to be used as a general descriptive term for the body of ideas and teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff, which are also sometimes called The Work or The Gurdjieff Work. When asked about the teaching he was setting forth, Gurdjieff said, The teaching whose theory... Jeanne de Salzmann was a close pupil of G. I. Gurdjieff who was his recognized deputy by many of Gurdjieffs other pupils. ... Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man was an esoteric spiritual school founded by G. I. Gurdjieff in 1922 also known as Le Prieuré for the name of the property that he purchased in Fontainebleau-Avon south of Paris in France. ...

A short bibliography

• Works by Gurdjieff
  • Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson by G.I. Gurdjieff (1950) ISBN 0919608124
    • In Russian: ISBN 0919608116
    • Audio recording (in mp3 format) as read by William J. Welch: ISBN 0919608167
  • Meetings with Remarkable Men by G.I. Gurdjieff (1963)
  • Life is only real, then, when "I am" by G.I. Gurdjieff (1974)
  • Views from the Real World Talks of G.I. Gurdjieff (1973)
  • The Herald of Coming Good by G.I. Gurdjieff (1933, 1971, 1988)

• Videos/DVDs about G.I. Gurdjieff and the Fourth Way
  • Meeting with Remarkable Men

• Books about G.I. Gurdjieff and The Fourth Way
  • In Search of the Miraculous by P.D. Ouspensky (1949)
  • The Oragean Version by C. Daly King (1951)
  • Psychological Commentaries on the Teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky by Maurice Nicoll (1952, 1955. 1972, 1980, 6 volumes)
  • The Fourth Way by P.D. Ouspensky (1957)
  • A Study of Gurdjieff's Teaching by Kenneth Walker (1957)
  • Teachings of Gurdjieff by C.S. Nott (1961)
  • Our Life with Mr. Gurdjieff by Thomas and Olga de Hartmann (1964, Revised 1983 and 1992)
  • Boyhood with Gurdjieff by Fritz Peters (1964)
  • Gurdjieff Remembered by Fritz Peters (1965)
  • Undiscovered Country by Kathryn Hulme (1966)
  • Gurdjieff: A Very Great Enigma by J.G. Bennett (1969)
  • Gurdjieff: Making a New World by J.G. Bennett (1973)
  • Mount Analogue by René Daumal (1974)
  • On Love by A.R. Orage (1974)
  • Psychological Exercises by A.R. Orage (1976)
  • The Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution by P.D. Ouspensky (1978)
  • Idiots in Paris by J.G. and E. Bennett (1980)
  • The Harmonious Circle by James Webb (1980)
  • Toward Awakening by Jean Vaysse (1980)
  • The War Against Sleep: The Philosophy of Gurdjieff by Colin Wilson (1980)
  • Who Are You Monsieur Gurdjieff? by René Zuber (1980)
  • Gurdjieff; An Introduction To His Life and Ideas by John Shirley (2004)

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about:

G. I. Gurdjieff

• Gurdjieff Books & Videos
• Gurdjieff Reading Guide edited by J. Walter Driscoll
• International Gurdjieff Review
• Gurdjieff Studies U.K.
• Gurdjieff Internet Guide
• Gurdjieff’s Teaching In the Groups of Willem A. Nyland
• The Dog: Theological Harmonistic Exercitations into the Discoveries Of Gurdjieff
• G.I. Gurdjieff and His School by Jacob Needleman, Professor of Philosophy, San Francisco State University
• A Call for a New Society by John G. Bennett
• Chronology of Gurdjieff's Life by James Moore
• Gurdjieff in America: An Overview by George Baker and Walter Driscoll
• Gurdjieff Movements
• Gurdjieff Studies (UK)
• Gurdjieff: articles and links
• Largest Selection of Gurdieff related books and music
• The Gurdjieff Society of Florida - for those seeking authentic group Work
• An Overview of the Fourth Way
• Religious Movements at the University of Virginia page on Gurdjieff
• A Reading Guide
• Skeptic's dictionary on Gurdjieff as charismatic con man