Gurdjieff Legacy Bookstore

Since Castaneda's first book, The Teachings of Don Juan, readers have wondered about his sources. Here, shown concept-by-concept, is the primary source of Castaneda's ideas—Gurdjieff's Fourth Way. Also explored are don Juan's true identity, the meaning of Castaneda's "jump into the abyss," the life of the Nagual and his witches. Also included in full is the first reference to Nagualism, anthropologist Daniel Brinton's essay "Nagualism: A Study in Native American Folklore and History" written in 1894.

"Although inclined to skepticism about Castaneda, I found myself reading The Life & Teachings of Carlos Castaneda with total fascination. As it tells just about everything, I imagine this will be the definitive book on Castaneda."
—Colin Wilson, author, The Outsider and The Occult

"Patterson brings original insight into the forces and influences that formed Castaneda's sorceric adventure. Particularly interesting are the role of Anaïs Nin and the revelation of the source of many of Castaneda's supposedly sorceric ideas."
—Mary Ellen Korman, author, A Woman's Work: The Life of Ethel Merston

"A must read for anyone who has followed Carlos on his extraordinary journey. The way William Patrick Patterson expounds on Carlos' teachings is astounding!"
—Margaret Runyan, author, A Magical Journey with Carlos Castaneda

"This is the most brilliant and insightful rendering to date of the 'Ultimate Impeccable Warrior,' Carlos Castaneda, my father."
—C.J. Castaneda

Long out of print, this special hardcover reissue of Fritz Peters' account of his five years with G.I. Gurdjieff ranks among the classics of Gurdjieffian literature. Only 11 years old when his aunt, Margaret Anderson, brought him to the Prieuré in June 1924, he immediately became devoted to Gurdjieff. Within weeks, however, Gurdjieff suffered a near fatal car crash. During his recovery the young boy became his "chair carrier." Other tasks included mowing the château's great lawns, kitchen boy, waiter and gatekeeper. He also was to clean Gurdjieff's room, no small task as Gurdjieff delighted in wrecking it. Peters was among the few to whom Gurdjieff gave individual lessons on the teaching. An acute observer and talented writer, Peters' crisp images and scenes, often hilarious, give a rare look at what life was like at Gurdjieff's Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man. Peters' interactions with Miss Madison (Ethel Merston), Rachmilevitch, and Gurdjieff's dog Philos, as well as A. R. Orage and Gertrude Stein are quite telling. Said the writer Henry Miller of Peters' book, "It's full of amazing anecdotes and the wisdom of life."

A renowned French surgeon, Jean Vaysse met Mr. Gurdjieff in 1947 and began to attend group meetings. He later led them. Said Lord Pentland, "This is one of the first accounts to hint at the practical approach of giving attention to the sensation of the body."

A prelude to his magnum opus, The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times, Guénon brilliantly and concisely critiques the Western deviation—its loss of tradition, exaltation of action over knowledge, rampant individualism and general social chaos—that will lead to the 'age of darkness' that precedes the end of the present world.

A new East-West approach to transforming the singing and speaking voice.

A new translation of the German philosopher's famous chapter IV on self-consciousness (the "master-slave dialectic") from his major work, Phenomenology of Spirit. Included is a review of its reception by major thinkers such as Heidegger, Sartre, Lacan and Habermas.

Shot on site in Paris, Avon, Mont. St. Michel, Lascaux, London, New York, and New Haven, the documentary traces Gurdjieff's life from his near-fatal car crash through to his giving meetings during the Nazi-occupation of Paris to his death in 1949. Examined in depth are the writing of his Legominism All and Everything and his relationships with Orage, Ouspensky and Bennett. Also included is the Rope and his final trip to the Caves of Lascaux.
DVD format, color, 86 minutes.

Follows Gurdjieff's search for pre-sand Egypt beginning with the Sphinx and Great Pyramid, to Thebes and the Temple in Man and Karnak, to the Valley of the Kings, the Temples of Edfu and Abu Simbel, and into Ethiopia where he unexpectedly discovers the origin of the ancient teaching of The Fourth Way.
DVD and VHS—NTSC/PAL formats, color, 60 minutes.

Shot on site in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Constantinople, London, Fontainebleau-en-Avon, New York and Lascaux, this documentary video—narrated by William Patrick Patterson and based on his book Struggle of the Magicians—retraces Gurdjieff's mission to introduce the teaching to the West. P.D. Ouspensky's and J.G. Bennett's enigmatic relationship with Gurdjieff are explored. Particularly stressed are the "St. Petersburg Conditions" and Gurdjieff's technique of "divine acting." The video vividly demonstrates Gurdjieff's warning to America of the rise and challenge of the East with footage recalling the 9/11 attack and its aftermath.
DVD and VHS—NTSC format, color, 80 minutes.

This is the first time the Gurdjieff/de Hartmann music has been accompanied by the singing of Gurdjieff's prayers. Recorded live at two recitals in Washington, D.C. and in Baltimore, the prayers from Gurdjieff's Legominism All and Everything are sung to original music composed by Ms. Caporaso.

"Innovative and visionary. The prayer hymns are direct, unadorned and powerful, Nancy Caporaso's voice warm and resonant. Michael Dale's assured playing conveys a heartfelt affinity with the Gurdjieff music. Deeply vital music transmitted through the musicians with a special quality of attention that calls us to listen actively."
—Mary Ellen Korman, A Woman's Work

Noted pianist and composer Laurence Rosenthal offers his interpretation of 24 Gurdjieff/de Hartmann pieces which explore a range of feeling and levels of intent. Nearly 73 minutes of music move from grave ceremonial music to the light-hearted evocations of dances and folk songs of the many peoples Gurdjieff met in his search.

Rosenthal continues his exploration of the Gurdjieff/de Hartmann music in 25 pieces for piano.

So impressed was Margaret Flinsch when at seventeen years old she first heard a reading of Mr. Gurdjieff's book that she went to the Prieuré to see him and has been a student of the Work ever since. Completed in her 101st year, she made the recording because of her belief that "listening is the path to the subconscious mind." This set of four CDs in MP3 format contains the whole of Gurdjieff's magnum opus. The CDs can be played on a computer or other device equipped to handle the MP3 format. They cannot be played on an ordinary audio CD player.

The voices of seven speakers, four of whom were present at readings attended by Mr. Gurdjieff, pronounce each of the unusual words appearing in the First Series. Of the three remaining speakers, one spoke both Armenian and Persian as a child; another is fluent in English and Slovenian; and a third speaks only English. The CD-ROM plays on either a PC or MAC.

Dr. William Welch was a longtime student of Gurdjieff and a noted Fourth Way teacher. This project, the first of its kind, was begun in 1992 and lasted three years, two years before his death. This set of four CDs in MP3 format contains the whole of Gurdjieff's magnum opus. The CDs can be played on a computer or other device equipped to handle the MP3 format. They cannot be played on an ordinary audio CD player.