Gurdjieff: The Key Concepts

This title offers clear definitions of Gurdjieff's teaching terms, placing him within the political, geographical and cultural context of his time. Entries look at diverse aspects of his work, including: 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 laws and Ennegram; and the passive form of "new work" teaching introduced by Jeanne de Salzmann. An accessible and cross-referenced A-Z guidebook, this is a useful companion for both the newcomer and those more versed in Gurdjieff's thought and teachings.

'For both seekers and academics, Gurdjieff: The Key Concepts is a valuable, even-handed, organized and thorough guide to the considerable and ever growing Gurdjieffian corpus.' - Lynn Quirolo, Stopinder: A Gurdjieff Journal For Our TIme'Sophia Wellbeloved's Gurdjieff: The Key Concepts is an essential guide for students of Gurdjieff. It will also be of serious interest to students and scholars of all the Western transformational traditions. This book breaks new ground and further serious analysis of Gurdjieff's contribution to the Western cultural trajectory cannot be far in the future.' - Lynn Quirolo, Stopinder: A Gurdjieff Journal For Our TIme'This book would be an essential addition to any library maintaining an intrest in esoteric traditions or contemporary alternative spirituality.' - Kevin Tingay, Journal of Theosophical History'It is well referenced and places Gurdieff in the context of other esoteric teachers and groups of the 20th century.' - Kevin Tingay, The Christian Parapsychologist'Given the generally unsystematic and occasionally chaotic nature of Gurdjieff's teachings, Wellbeloved's book serves as a very useful introduction to Gurdjieff, offering an orienting structure that is not found in Gurdjieff's published works.' - Nova Religio'All in all, this book, which portrays the ideas of the eccentric Gurdjieff with exemplary thoroughness and clarity, and which in many respects provides important contributions to the study of Esoterics, is recommended to anyone interested in this area.' - Julia Iwerson, Zeitschrift fur Religions- und Geistesgeschichte 2004, 'Sophia Wellbeloved'sGurdjieff: The Key Conceptsis an essential guide for students of Gurdjieff. It will also be of serious interest to students and scholars of all the Western transformational traditions. This book breaks new ground and further serious analysis of Gurdjieff's contribution to the Western cultural trajectory cannot be far in the future.' - Lynn Quirolo, Stopinder: A Gurdjieff Journal For Our TIme'This book would be an essential addition to any library maintaining an intrest in esoteric traditions or contemporary alternative spirituality.' - Kevin Tingay, Journal of Theosophical History

Sophia Wellbeloved