Questioning

Seminar with William Patrick Patterson

Seminar with William Patrick Patterson

Theme to be announced

Friday, March 2 – Monday, March 5, 2018

Redemptorist Renewal Center
Tucson, Arizona

Through guided meditation, Conscious Body-Breath Impressions™, dialogue and private interviews, William Patrick Patterson explores the theme. Open to all levels of simplicity. No previous experience necessary.

Because space is limited and past seminars have filled quickly, please make your reservation early. The total cost of tuition, lodging (double occupancy) and meals is $595. Space is reserved with a deposit of $300 received by February 21st. Thereafter, the price is $695.

To reserve a place, send your deposit by mail or reserve electronically below. There is a small surcharge when using the latter.

To reserve a place by mail, send a check made out to Arete Communications to the following address:

Arete Communications
773 Center Boulevard #58
Fairfax, CA 94978-0058

If you have questions, email us at: [email protected] or call (530) 908-2410.

Spiritual Pilgrimage Mr. Gurdjieff's Father's Grave

By William Patrick Patterson
DVD, color, 1 hour 7 minutes

Owing to the circumstances of my life not dependent on me, I have not personally seen the grave where the body of my dear father lies. . . . I therefore, bid any of my sons, whether by blood or in spirit, to seek out, when he has the possibility, this solitary grave.

     —G. I. Gurdjieff
         Meetings with Remarkable Men

William Patrick Patterson undertook a 21-day pilgrimage to visit Mr. Gurdjieff's father's grave in Gyumri, Armenia. Travelling backward in time, he revisited Gurdjieff's life:

• Gurdjieff's grave and the Prieuré in Avon, France
• Kumbaraci and Yemenici streets in Istanbul, where Gurdjieff and his students lived
• Prinkipo Island on the Sea of Marmara, where Gurdjieff often visited P. D. Uspenskii
• Tiflis, where Gurdjieff opened his Institute at 22 Nikolas Street and first named it the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man
• Kars, Gurdjieff's home in the medieval quarter and the Kars Military Cathedral where he sang in the choir
• Ani, the ancient city where the Sarmoung manuscript was discovered
• Sanahin Monastery, Armenia, where Gurdjieff served as an acolyte
• Gyumri, Armenia, where Gurdjieff was born in the Greek Quarter at 222 Matnishyan Street
• Gyumri's Old Cemetery and Mr. Gurdjieff's father's grave

To purchase, visit:
http://www.gurdjiefflegacy.org/30books/fourth.php#spiritualpilgrimage

Book Review: Georgi Ivanovitch Gurdjieff — The Man, The Teaching, His Mission

Link to Parabola Magazine Review.

When I was young and very dissatisfied with the world, and with myself, I was drawn to G.I. Gurdjieff’s  All & Everything, or Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grandson. The book was not like anything I had read before, in content, style or language. It was in a way, peculiar. And in some sections nearly incomprehensible. But it deeply struck something in me. There was presented a vast perspective of the universe that shook my preconceptions of history and humankind. Although it  presented an unflattering picture of us humans and starkly pointed out our shortcomings, it was also playful, often hilarious, and very moving. An attitude of impartial love comes through. This began my interest in Gurdjieff’s teaching.

 As I read more and became involved in the teaching I was surprised to find so many people that said they could not get through the book. “It was too hard.” “Too strange.” Too...whatever.  To me it is endlessly fascinating, invigorating, and is infused with humor and a palpable feeling of care and love.

For many years I was a voracious reader and gobbled up any and all books by and about Gurdjieff and his teaching. Many were valuable and excellent in many ways. But none struck nearly as deeply as did All & Everything.

 I was excited when I learned that William Patrick Patterson was releasing Georgi Ivanovitch Gurdjieff: The Man, The Teaching, His Mission because I knew Mr. Patterson has long practise of the teaching and had done extensive research into unpublished accounts and memoirs about Gurdjieff and would likely add both new material and incorporate the various reportings of Gurdjieff and his teaching in new, intriguing, and enlightening ways.

The new book greatly exceeds what I had hoped. My experience in reading this book comes close, though in a different way, to that original experience of reading All & Everything. It is also seemingly much more straightforward than All & Everything but much depth is there to be plumbed for those who wish to dive deeper. Mr. Patterson’s book gives a chronological reporting of Gurdjieff’s life but more importantly it connects seemingly disparate events and experiences into a whole that greatly exceeds the parts. There is information here, yes. But for me, it is an emotional experience to read this book. The teachings of Gurdjieff, presented through the experiences of those who were drawn toward his ideas, and through the inevitable life difficulties, trials, and tribulations we all face, shines with a caring and a love for all humanity.

 

I highly recommend Georgi Ivanovitch Gurdjieff: The Man, The Teaching, His Mission to those interested in a spiritual teaching that faces the stark reality of our situation in such a comprehensive and caring way.

This is a book for grown-ups. Those open to the truth and willing to work for what matters. Who will take the challenge?

Related articles

The Fascinating Man Behind Much Of What We Read About Consciousness

NEW BOOK by William Patrick Patterson

The Controversial Yet Insightful Work of Georgi Ivanovitch Gurdjieff

What Secrets Are in the Body?

Some time ago I had the opportunity to attend a four day workshop exploring the F.M. Alexander Technique, which is an approach to understanding the body from the inside by learning to consciously experience movement.

During one of the sessions I was being ‘experientially instructed’ on how to stand up  from sitting in a chair and how to sit down. It’s amazing how much goes into such a “simple” movement. At one point a rush of energy went through my body. There was a feeling that something had been released. The energy was so strong that I passed out for the first time in my life. The instructors were concerned, but I felt great. Something was different.

Soon after I went to a wedding in which I had a supporting role. I had always been very nervous in such situations. But something had changed, I could now be (somewhat) present in my body, there was no nervousness, I was able to play the role, and be aware of much more of the event.

The body is a mysterious creation. The Gurdjieff Work is the only spiritual practise that I know of that gives awareness of and through the body a major significance.

An extremely good blog about the Alexander technique can be found here.

Off Guard

(You caught me) Off Guard

Have you ever said that? I have, and I hear others saying the same. But what does it mean?  When am I “on guard.”?  And what does “on guard” mean?

It seems to me that being on guard means being present to current reality. Not engaged by thoughts, feelings, or sensations of the past or future. And not talking to myself in the present. When I really examine my experience, I’m forced to come to the conclusion that I’m rarely, if ever, on guard.

So, in a way, to say “You caught me off guard” is to say, “I wasn’t here in this physical reality, with my functions of sensing, feeling, and thinking, open to the immediate. I was previously engaged, and not by choice, just by, mostly, the happenstance of associative functioning.”

This leads to a very important question, Can I see that I’m “not on guard?” Which can lead to other equally important questions, such as, What takes my attention? And How can I be present?

Examine your experience the next time you hear either yourself or someone else say “You caught me off guard”. 

 

Gurdjieff's Reciprocal Maintenance (part two)

 What is the meaning of life?  “Why do we exist?” “What is our place?” Gurdjieff’s question was “What is the sense and significance of life on earth and human life in particular?“

My guess is that most people would fall into one of three camps regarding this question.

#1. Scientific Attitude: There is no meaning to the question. Life is an accidental valueless occurrence.

#2. Religious Attitude: God made the world and we are here to serve and worship an all-powerful God.

#3. Mainstream Attitude: I don’t care about such questions. I’m just trying to get by, make a living, have a little fun.

As I grew up something seemed wrong with the world and with me. It seemed that if one really believed #1 was true, what would motivate one to do anything? On the other hand, it didn’t make sense to believe #2 either. How could an all-powerful God be reconciled with the suffering and state of the world? So, like countless others, I drifted toward the third attitude. But not with any comfort.

When first coming across Gurdjieff’s answer it struck me as a revelation. Everything is connected. Everything supports everything else. Why would humans not also have a purpose?

Gurdjieff calls it Reciprocal Maintenance. There is a universal exchange of energies. On all levels. On all scales. What does this mean for us?

(to be continued)

  

Dylan-Direct Impressions

Three friends and I had gone to a concert in Louisville. The concert was fun, but nothing special. On the way back to Lexington someone remembered that it was time for one of the local FM stations to present the "album of the week." This was 1975 and at that time it was difficult to get a preview of upcoming releases so we were happy that our timing was so lucky. The radio was tuned and shortly it was announced that Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks would be played in its entirety.

I have a direct impression of sitting in the back seat of the car as we travelled east letting the songs wash through me. My body was relaxed and very still. Everyone was silent. We were all rapt. Time slowed. I was amazed as each song seemed to be better than the last. The quality of the album was so high, there were so many impressions, that as Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts ended I was sure the album was over. It had already been an incredible "meal", and dessert was still in the offing. There were still three more songs!

We arrived at our dorm in Lexington right after Buckets of Rain was over. I don't remember anyone speaking. Maybe a few words to affirm how great the album was. Bob was definitely back. We went to our rooms. The concert had vanished. Blood on the Tracks was imprinted. "And every one of them words rang true and glowed like burnin’ coal"

The Hard Light of Day

Many years ago I spent 9 months at a Gurdjieff school. One of my closest comrades there was Rod Moss. Afterwards we travelled together through Europe, Turkey, & Iran and I later stayed with him for several weeks in Melbourne where he lived at the time. Later he moved to Alice Springs. Here is a record of some of the work he has done in the intervening years. For more images click here.

Gurdjieff's Reciprocal Maintenance (part one)

 
 At the news about the Gulf oil spill, my daughter, who lived in New Orleans for six years (including Katrina), cried out, “What is wrong with us!?”

Wouldn’t most people just say it’s a tragically unfortunate accident, or blame BP or the government, someone? Are there some, the truly callous, who consider fouling our own nest and killing untold plants and animals just the cost of doing business? I don't know.

A real question. “What is wrong with us!?” Not them, us.

Gurdjieff asserts that we, as a species, are lop-sided in our development. It's easy to see that our technological expertise, our rationality, far, far outstrips our understanding, our emotional development, our being.

But is there more to this? Is something wrong with us?

I find it surprising that I give more and more credence to historical-spiritual points of view that say that long ago something happened to the human race, something that led to our current state of affairs.

I never understood the doctrine of original sin. How could that make any sense? It still seems a little crazy to me. But could it come from an intuition that has some basis in fact?

As I wrote in a another post Gurdjieff gives a different perspective in his great mythology All & Everything. He says that for certain reasons early in our history the Higher Powers implanted a something in Mankind to make us see reality upside down… later, the something was removed, but its effect still continues in us.

How is one to take this? Crazy talk? Purely symbolic? How could one possibly verify?

But isn't it a fact that something is wrong with us?

There are many trains of thought that could leave from this station. The one I want to follow is this: One of the main problems of humanity is that we don’t know our place in the world.

We don’t know why we exist. We don’t understand our role. We don’t have a clue about our place in the reciprocal maintenance of all and everything.

(to be continued)

Scientists Now (partially) Agree With Gurdjieff About Free Will

The headline of a recent Scientific American article here is Scientists say free will probably doesn't exist, but urge: "Don't stop believing!"  Why “Don’t stop believing?” Well, the gist is: We don’t have free will. We are influenced by everything. Our basic beliefs are our strongest influence.  If one comes to truly deeply unflinchingly believe that free will does not exist, then any kind of behavior is as good as any other. The researchers in the article found that even having someone read a single article about human behavior being determined results in measurably ‘worse’ behavior, “when people believe—or are led to believe—that free will is just an illusion, they tend to become more antisocial."

Also from the article, “…the findings reveal a rather strange dilemma facing social scientists: if a deterministic understanding of human behavior encourages antisocial behavior, how can we scientists justify communicating our deterministic research findings? In fact, there’s a rather shocking line in this Psychological Science article (one easy to overlook): If exposure to deterministic messages increases the likelihood of unethical actions, then identifying approaches for insulating the public against this danger becomes imperative. Perhaps you missed it on your first reading too, but the authors are making an extraordinary suggestion. They seem to be claiming that the public “can’t handle the truth,” and that we should somehow be protecting them (lying to them?) about the true causes of human social behaviors.”

How does this relate to Gurdjieff?

According to All & Everything, Gurdjieff’s great cosmic myth, early in our history the Higher Powers implanted a something in Mankind to make us see reality upside down, fearing that if we humans saw our real role and significance, we would commit suicide. Later, the something was removed, but its effect still continues in us. So, we believe we have many things, an indivisable “I”, consciousness, free will, etc. and blithely go along living our lives based on these beliefs. But science now is saying that there is no free will, and that if we lose our beliefs, our behavior will degenerate.

Is there a connection? Maybe, maybe not. Impossible to verify.

But Gurdjieff offers more to those who can take it in. He states that we can not “do” (no free will), we are asleep, and we have no unity. BUT, that we have the potential to develop them. He offers a “science of being.” He says, to paraphrase, Free will does not exist as we are. Do not believe. Verify for yourself. The Gurdjieff Work is a path of verification and development.

Paradigm Shift

What is my point of view? 

Does it change? Why and how? 

The aim of this blog is to explore 

"the water I swim in", to see why 

I think, feel, sense and behave 

the way I do. And to work to open 

to new possibilities, to expand my horizons.....

A shift started in me when reading these words 

which stated the aim of the book I was about to begin:

"To destroy, mercilessly, without any compromises whatsoever, in the mentation and 

feelings of the reader, the beliefs and views, by centuries rooted in him, about everything existing in the world"

G.I. Gurdjieff,  All & Everything