With what is this book concerned? "Primarily with the destiny of Man and with that of individual men, with their genuine human functions and the obstacle that prevents the fulfillment of them, and with those procedures that may hold out promise of being used effectually to alter the situation. This was the sort of thing taught in the ancient Mysteries, now mostly lost and almost entirely unintelligible because the key of those teachings has vanished. . . . But the same verities, to which they pointed, shall be our subject too; for the truth, if genuine, is unique and single. But the terms presently to be defined, will be modern terms and thus more readily comprehensible to the contemporary reader." A. R. Orage, editor and owner of the famous avant-garde magazine The New Age, met the Russian journalist P. D. Ouspensky in 1914 in London. Both men were deeply interested in spiritual matters and corresponded in the following years. During this time, Ouspensky met G. Gurdjieff and became his pupil. Driven by the Russian Revolution, Ouspensky, after many adventures, arrived in London in 1921, and began giving lectures on the Gurdjieff-system. Orage attended his lectures and realized that Ouspensky had found what both had been looking for. But, after Gurdjieff's first visit to Ouspensky's group, he knew that Gurdjieff was the teacher. Eventually, he gave up everything, sold The New Age, and went to Fontainebleau. Orage attended Gurdjieff's Institute in Fontainebleau from October 1922 until December 1923 when he was sent to New York by Gurdjieff to prepare for his first visit and demonstrations of sacred dances. With the intention to open branches of the Institute in America, Gurdjieff left Orage in New York to continue what had been begun. But in 1924 Gurdjieff suffered a serious car accident which forced him to revise all his plans. He decided to transmit his knowledge in written form with Orage as his editor and collaborator. From 1924 to 1931, Orage held regular meetings in New York to explain the nature of the Institute and its work. It was at one of these meetings in the fall of 1924 that C. Daly King first met Orage. What impressed King most, was the complete and utter rationality of what he heard. This was contrary to what he had expected-a proselytizing harangue for a bogus cult. The topics went to the real heart of what had always intrigued him, and from then on he regularly attended Orage's meetings. By the following fall, King was already conducting two groups of his own, and in his absence, Orage even appointed King as his deputy. They had formed a close friendship, which gave King the opportunity to discuss with Orage all the details of the system. All this came to an end, when between 1930-1931, Gurdjieff staged the repudiation of Orage which led to Orage's return to England. His New York groups were abandoned, and three years later, Orage died suddenly and unexpectedly on 6 November 1934. Gurdjieff made his last trip to America at the end of 1948. King attended two of his meetings, and realized that the Oragean version of the teaching no longer remained extant, and that it was upon the verge of being irrecoverably lost. He therefore resolved to set it down in accurate detail, the result of which, is the present volume. Fully indexed with over 40 redrawn illustrations and corrected errata.

This title provides a glimpse into the nature of the thought of two influential men and the origins of the spiritual path they taught. Known as esoteric teachers, Gurdjieff especially, is well-known in the West to those who follow the occult tradition.

Scores of books exist about the life and teachings of the Russian spiritual visionary G.I. Gurdjieff (~1866-1949), yet few devote significant coverage to “the Gurdjieff Movements.” These several-hundred precise and mostly asymmetrical gestures, arranged into detailed choreographies for groups of practitioners, were designed by Gurdjieff himself. This new book reconsiders the eminent role of the Movements, revealing them as a vital yet often-neglected component in the transmission of Gurdjieff’s legacy. Van Dullemen, whose first Movements’ teacher received her instruction from Gurdjieff himself, is in a unique position to offer background, theory and first-hand experience about this subject. He is a professional musician and a long-time practitioner of the Gurdjieff work who trained in these Movements and served as a master accompanist for the practice for over thirty years. “No book can teach the Movements,” the author clearly asserts. And, he makes no such attempt here. Far from an instruction manual, The Gurdjieff Movements, A Communication of Ancient Wisdom, offers invaluable insight into and greater understanding of the whys and wherefores of this fourth arm of the vast teaching that comprises Gurdjieff’s complete communication: his books, his oral teachings, his music and finally his Movements. Along with fascinating stories of his own journey of discovery, van Dullemen has skillfully integrated: – autobiographical descriptions of the master Gurdjieff – interviews with direct pupils of Gurdjieff – diligent research within a wide range of firsthand sources – descriptions of the scientific, cultural and social climate during Gurdjieff’s time, and – the relationship between these and his teaching. The book is also a rare accomplishment. While highly authoritative, it is nonetheless written in a direct style with clear language, making it accessible to the public at large who may have interest, but little background, in this esoteric science and practice.

In Esotericism in African American Religious Experience: “There is a Mystery” ..., Stephen C. Finley, Margarita Simon Guillory, and Hugh R. Page, Jr. assemble twenty groundbreaking essays that provide a rationale and parameters for Africana Esoteric Studies (AES): a new trans-disciplinary enterprise focused on the investigation of esoteric lore and practices in Africa and the African Diaspora. The goals of this new field — while akin to those of Religious Studies, Africana Studies, and Western Esoteric Studies — are focused on the impulses that give rise to Africana Esoteric Traditions (AETs) and the ways in which they can be understood as loci where issues such as race, ethnicity, and identity are engaged; and in which identity, embodiment, resistance, and meaning are negotiated.

When the circus bear, Oregon, decides that he wants to go home to the big forest, he enlists the help of a dwarf named Duke. With very little money and no luggage at all, the two set out into the night. A beautifully illustrated cross-country odyssey that vividly portrays the meaning of friendship. Full color.