Heads up...the hard cover edition is missing the introduction...the self cover edition has a wonderful introduction that should have been included in a hard cover...especially considering the price. Was this a mistake or what. I will have to get the paper back edition....what a drag....

If you struggle with reading Gurdjieff's books due to his style and the often unsatisfactory result of translation, you will find these very different. The format very easy to digest, the situations very easy to follow. A reading of things pertaining to Gurdjieff's ideas is improved by having a relatable setting and group of people, and ideas presented in the Question and Answer format which was his preferred and more appropriate method. Instead of a linear and often rambling lecture on ideas, we have a discussion of ideas, prompted by genuine questions from his guests. Like those in the room, you may take away points according to your needs and according to your nature. I personally found more applicable ideas in these conversations than in his self authored works, and at the same time found it more interesting and engaging. Understanding the situation under which these conversations took place in occupied France at a time of immense upheaval, anxiety and deprivation makes them all the more pertinent to mankind's confused and perilous condition.

And you have to know about Gurdjieff

Kathryn Holmes just wanted to show us a glimpse of the master who taught her the ‘Work.’ What she unveils about Gurdjieff is astounding. The many places they visit in Europe and the many restaurants where they dine together create a place of excitement for his teachings. She really was a crocodile and led an incredible life that helped many people. I will always remember this book. MW

Extraordinary. Unlimited in it's scope to bring man back to his rightful relationship with himself.

Preserving and disseminating this book in audio form is a valuable service to humanity. The reader’s voice was of good timbre and well-paced. I wish that either the reader or whoever directs the reading could have studied the correct pronunciation of the words in the text. Because this is a book about Gurdjieff, I used the mispronunciations as an opportunity to self- remember, but just a little practice on the narrator’s part could have cleared up many of these errors. Perhaps they were included on purpose to deter those without persistence and commitment to the teachings. With a Gurdjieff-related book, who can say?

So after all the turmoil, he taught his system and fed the people of Paris

I have mixed feelings about this book. In one respect it's an important read for any serious student of Gurdjieff as an eyewitness first hand account. But it's boring and confusing to actually slog through. The writer/s reproduce G's accented pidgin English. Indeed one gets the feeling the whole group started talking this way. It's an interesting approach that brings the reader closer to the experience of living and studying with G. But it's tiresome to read. I get no sense of who is talking and often feel lost in the lingo. Long meandering descriptions of the food they ate ... yet precious few details of their spiritual work or personal struggles. Perhaps they were forbidden to write about the spiritual work? I'm about 75% through the book. I keep falling asleep b/c it gets boring. The Bennetts' diaries give a more thorough account that touches upon the actual spiritual struggles they faced. Women of the Rope seems like it was written by food critics rather than spiritual seekers. Energetically, the book connects me with the 4th Way current ... so there is magic here. But it's missing something. I can't connect with the writers and wonder why they were there?

The form of the publication is more readable than other editions. Chapter layout, font and page size, make it worth the price. This is a serious study document in book form. Students of the 4th way system understand these lectures as the psychological formulary we are all built on. A lifetime of observation and study needing the form of a publication able to support and stand up to frequent use. I was quite pleased to learn that some awake beings went proactive to improve accessibility.

Another tough to understand piece from Gurdjieff, but a necessary read to try and understand his ideas and what his task at large was here

The words of a man who perceived and sensed more than others.

The words of a man who perceived and sensed more than others.

This book is loonng overdue. Thank you for publishing. Notes from Mr. Gurdjieff's meetings.

I never leave reviews but this book was fantastic.

Who could possibly distribute accurate information about Gurdjieff's masterpiece better than the coworker and editor who gave the world the original edition, the 1950 English edition. Every page surprises with depth and breadth of understanding and many of those shock by bringing insights that would almost be impossible to discover from reading Beelzebub's Tales itself or any of the many other commentaries. This edition is more and better in many ways than anything previous available.

Fast delivery! Amazing quality!!

Hell of a book (pun not originally sourced from a particular intention but left behind now as residue in order to take part in a holy process your three-brained favorites know as "joking" --- hahaharzta!) Try reading a section that really upsets you. For me, it was the man cursing the town at dawn. Then tell the story to a friend. You might be surprised. An incredible achievement of functional psychology -- the book works on you as you read, as part of it's own source-duty -- and world literature as well. Read, read, read. Strive to perfect your being. Fulfill the work in all beings. Amen.

For students of the Work, this is straight from the horse's mouth, the fundamentals without alteration.

First things first - to the person or persons that published these typescripts ... thank you very, very much. You have done a great service to the Work and to followers of Gurdjieff's ideas. Now, the review: Serious students of Gurdjieff will be seriously interested in these typescripts. As you may or may not know, the published versions of Meetings and Life Is Real were revised prior to publication. This was alluded in a few works (such as those by John Henderson and James Webb) but not widely known. I personally wasn't aware of this revision until reading Henderson's Hidden Meanings book. This is the first time I've ever seen these typescripts made available to the public. Again, thank you for publishing these. When you purchase the typescripts, a side-by-side comparison between these typescripts and the revised versions will reveal the extent to which certain passages were edited. From the severity of these revisions -- sometimes more, sometimes less -- we can then go on to speculate about how much revision occurred to Meetings with Remarkable Men. Anyhow, students familiar with the "revision problem" probably don't need to be convinced how important this text is. We now have a much more accurate, unedited, true version of Gurdjieff's exact words that he intended for inclusion in Life is Real. A final note: If you have already purchased these typescripts - it would help to leave a review. It impacts the book's rankings in Amazon search results. The more positive reviews it has, the more visible it will be to others who are searching, and who may not be aware that the typescripts exist.

Marvelous. As clear a description of inner Work as can be put in written form.

Item as described, arrived on time.

A memoir by someone who lived at the Prieuré, studied with Gurdjieff, was a friend of Margaret Anderson... Sounds promising, doesn't it? This slim volume is only 105 pages long, and only the last 9 pages (extracts from a diary she kept) are of much interest. Even so, this latter material is very weak. The vast majority of the book is pretty and creative description of the "life of an artist" struggling in New York. The substance of this book is paper thin, and does not add a jot to the rich and wide canon of fourth way literature. I paid about £6 to buy this book from the USA, and at that price I can't really grumble. If I'd paid £15 I'd have felt severely aggrieved!

These transcripts, from late in Gurdjieff's life, are helpful to someone "in the Work." Others might find them perplexing. The Gurdjieff "Work" is shown here to be only for those who can stand the sight of their own blood. His replies are always practical, useful and sometimes direct enough to cause the reader to flinch. This book ought not to be the first one reads about, by or of Gurdjieff. From my perspective, having extensively studied the brain, to a lesser extent the body and been a Work practitioner for many years, Gurdjieff was the greatest psychologist ever to set pen to paper. Not only did he understand his students, he pushed each one in a manner especially suited to that person's nature. Many of us, he said, are "candidates for a lunatic asylum" and, in my experience, that statement is truer now than when he regularly repeated it. Gurdjieff centers may or may not reflect his teachings accurately as it is an easy method to distort and to corrupt. Nevertheless, in Beelzebub's Tales, he commends other spiritual paths still available to a true and sincere Seeker. This book provides a more intimate view of him with students, "Working" under less than favorable conditions, to and for their benefit, providing they could manage to assimilate the feedback he provided. He has shown us, clearly, that "man's ego is not his friend" to quote Swami Rama. What we do about that is up to us but, he says, doing something effective is the only way out of our "prison."

Must have if you into Gurdjieff! Good that this book doesn't include Patterson's narrative as in "Ladies of the rope"

Great

Je pense depuis longtemps à tout ce qui a pu être collecté directement de toutes les paroles de Gurdjieff de son vivant d'Enseignant (1912 - 1949), matériel qui reste inconnu, non mis en forme et divulgué et à tout ce que ses élèves proches ont pu noter dans toutes les situations. En cela, il y a eu une volonté délibérée certainement justifiée chez les responsables authentiques. Voici donc une bonne surprise, un livre étonnant et très précieux, sans "auteur" identifié, avec beaucoup de matériel inédit en Français (dont les exercices à la fin). On peut s'interroger sur la motivation des "collecteurs-éditeurs", la bonne introduction de Joseph Azize éclairera : "ce travail est pour le Travail". Le premier chapitre "Reflets de la vérité" correspond à "lueurs de vérité" dans G parle à ses élèves, comme certains autres... La traduction en Français imparfaite rend la compréhension difficile. Cela demande un effort particulier qui lui peut-être très intéressant. Pour tout ceux concernés par M.Gurdjieff, voici un don précieux qui peut offrir une possibilité de "Travail" ; plus qu'une simple influence B, une nourriture possible. Il est à espérer qu'il y en ait d'autres. François

It was a remarkable event when Orage came to New York to represent Gurdjieff and this book presents the fullest picture yet available of what it was like to experience Orage. It goes into the presentations Orage made regarding the Gurdjieff work and then later Gurdjieff comes to NYC and upsets the applecart that Orage had been creating. It is a fascinating story with all the inside details.

Compelling transcripts of years of meetings. A unique book.

A handsome book by Gurdjieff. An unexpected, a kind of tale-summary of his main ideas. Would be interesting for his "fans", as well as for others wishing to familiarize oneself with works of this famous ingenious man

Easy to read but with huge knowledge inside. If you are into GIG, this is kind of an advanced book.

Somehow Gurdjieff's Meetings with Remarkable Men has some life of its own and I have no doubt he put it there on purpose. One sunny Sunday morning I was heading back home after I had stayed with a friend. I had Meetings tucked under my arm and felt very good. The leafy maple and chestnut trees formed a natural tunnel for my walk to the bus station a few hundred meters away. The sun was shining through the leaves and I felt better and better. I arrived at the station where my bus was waiting. Some people were walking across the open square that did only have a small number of vehicles standing. Looking at these people made me shiver. They moved, all separate from their surroundings, but each as if pulled by a force, almost like being at the end of a rope, but at the same time somehow managing to use their own movement to go to the predestined direction. I could not understand why they paid no attention to me and felt that I was somehow in contact with each of them separately. One woman nearly collided with me as I seemed to be in her programmed route. I got to the bus and asked a woman standing by the door if this is the Helsinki bus. Her answer and the way it came out of her was simply too much. She did not look at me, but somehow avoided all contact. The words that came out of her mouth sounded to me more like a grasshoppers mechanical sound than what I normally heard when being spoken to. I quickly entered the bus and found a seat overlooking the station square and witnessed the same scene of people being pulled in all their different directions totally separate and with no contact with each other or their surroundings. The effect of all this was that I was filled with the energy to know more and lead me to translate the book into Finnish. This was never published as it got lost in connection with my uncle's drowning accident - but at least I had made my version!

This is the most entertaining of all the 4th way/Gurdjieffs books I've read so far. Gurdjieff was a flame thrower with his students, especially in the beginning of their education. That said, he got results and it was all supposed to happen in 6 months. What I find most hilarious is that Gurdjieff people have a reputation for being 'Spock-like,' people who do not emote. Gurdjieff was outrageous yet disciplined. There are so many hilarious and astonishing episodes. These women felt exhausted, stressed and emotionally stripped to the bone a lot of the time, but they learned and they changed for the better. It reads like a play, but actually it is taken straight from the women's notes during the months that they lived together with Gurdjieff in a French villa. Most of them were lesbians, a fact that does not make any difference in the book. Every day he assigned each one their personal thought exercises. He also dictated their health regime and aspects of their diet. One night he insisted they all had to enemas. It's not very abstract, it is mostly day to day gritty reality. He finds a thousand ways to make them see how stuck in their ruts they are and keep them desperately clawing their way toward liberation.

contains exactly the description, arrived on time as stated

great book

Gathering and sharing all these rewarding materials is a clear service. From where I sit, the book would be improved by deleting the opening essay, which attempts, in a round about way, to rise above the several lineages following Gurdjieff's death, and continuing today. A comment in the essay about "Views from the Real World"--organized and published under the guidance of Madame de Salzmann--reveals an operating bias at work in relation to her, and thus a missed opportunity to share important materials without inserting "politics." However, reading the introductory essay is not obligatory and the service performed in gathering these "Talks" outweighs any attempt to use this book, however subtly, as a divisive platform. James Opie

Yes, met expectations ......excellent background info ....

These notes taken from life – and death – have been an excellent reminder that high ideas are worth little if not stirred into the pot of daily events – our ordinary life. The words used by both teacher and pupil(s) are plainly printed on each page of human need-aspiring. That this giving-of-necessary-data even to such excellent examples of contemporary humanity could take place is not miraculous – it is utterly arresting. Of course this isn’t a good book in any conventional sense – it probably will not speak to “good” readers either. Frequent examples of “destroying mercilessly” and “providing new material” are to be found, as well as numerous apparently apt (and much enjoyed by their originator) “formulations” of Mr. Gurdjieff. It is a little surprising to note that while almost everyone mentioned in the book is “colored” in a quite specific manner, no one is ultimately painted with any undue sentimentality.

Difficult getting through run on sentences. This felt like a spoken monologue.. It seems a translation that wasn't edited. One can discern the gist although repetitive and a bit redundant. Three stars = disappointing.

As always pieces of real knowledge if you are able to see.

Timely arrival, very interesting book

Good stuff as an intro to the 4th Way. You could put on the play and help those around you.

Very nice and good book, must read for every who wants to know more from Belzebub Tales and the system...

If you love Gurdjieff, this is a book you'll want to read!

The best edition I have seen yet of the translations Solita Solano left in her papers at the Library of Congress. Apparently during the meetings of a group in Paris during WWII Mr. Gurdjieff allowed someone to transcribe the proceedings, maybe in shorthand. I presume, on the basis of no real evidence other than they ended up in her material at the LofC, that after 1945 Solita Solano had access to these transcripts, and translated into English for the benefit of her friends, the "Ladies of the Rope." A remarkable portrayal of Mr. Gurdjieff and his French students near the end of his life.

Some info you might find interesting.

Recommended reading for all interested in George Gurdjieff and The Fourth Way Teachings.

Outstanding autobiography of Katherine Hulme and perspective on Georges I. Gurdjieff as a person and spiritual Master.

Pure genius. Created by the master. It is a small book, but it is a gem. Many of us have wondered for decades what were the details of this rehearsed and prepared production. I got chills as I read it. An inspiring read.

A fascinating selection of entries giving snippets of who Gurdjieff was

just great

An exceptional book. Some aspects of the Work are uniquely discussed here. Gives a very clear feel of how Gurdjieff dealt with his pupils in real life situations.

Interesting insight and casual speaking about working within our lives while in occupied France

Gurdjieff is an interesting person. His writing is what or is and I think there's a lot you can take away from it. That being said, this is as good a version as any and having it in an electronic format lends to rereading periodically without having to carry a book along.

Incredible piece of work, to reassemble essentially every recorded talk from glimpses of truth which opens Views from the Real World and most of the other pieces there read done with new language much more well guided and remembered by many many people differently so that this volume was an absolute necessity. If you want to hear Mister Gurdjeff speak himself without any interference from Ouspensky or Orage or anyone else, this is the book. My only complaint is the effacement of the symbols that adorned the whiteboard which is half the front cover. It's probably because there are no written explanations in Mister Gurdjeff's words about those particular diagrams that I call the & diagrams. Oh well. Maybe an empty head and an empty whiteboard is the perfect companion to the ideas of Mister Gurdjeff pouring out his life for the world and mankind with no apologies thank you. The single most extraordinary man of the twentieth century in my opinion spare none. THE TEACHER for the new Aion

This book takes you back to paris in the 1920's and 30's while giving a glimpse of how direct work with gurdjieff changed the lifes of his pupils

Very interesting and recommended for any reader of Beelzebub's tale. This is a considerable expansion of the excerpt found in Nott's book (and published as a (short) standalone book). This appears to be the complete set of talks given by Orage.

Helpful book for anyone following the path to enlightenment.

This short book is very profound and although proposed by Mr. Gurdjieff as a prospectus for the study of his ideas, very much requires some previous background from contact with his own subsequent writings and if possible, contact with people who are already working with the ideas of the Fourth Way, also known as The Work, and The System, to have a practical application for this book.

Notes of lectures by Gurdjieff made by his pupils have been thin on the ground. We have the books: Views From The Real World and Peter Ouspensky's excellent In Search of The Miraculoius. This useful book contains notes, some of which clearly come from some of the lectures documented in those books - but documented here by a different note-taker - as well as from other lectures which have not, as far as I am aware, been published. If you are interested in Gurdjieff's teaching, It is important to own a copy of these book.

Contains the enlarged and unedited Glimpses of Truth and other talks from Views of the Real World plus addition unpublished material. Highly recommended for anyone working on The Fourth Way.

If it is possible to get in the rhythm of Gurdjieff there is much to be learned especially about the order of publication of the three series.

I do like the way that the book has been written. The writing style is somewhat lyrical and, in this way, it is one of his more accessible books. For the rest, I also found it to be one of his more superficial books, and I did not find much in the book that enlightened or inspired me. This was sad, as I was expecting a lot more from the book. Did I, perhaps, expect too much?

I really enjoyed this book. It gives a clear window into day to day interactions between Gurdjieff and 'pupils'. Something that shines through is the humanity and humour and obvious egalitarian nature of his relationships with these women. It puzzles me why so many Gurdjieff groups are the opposite of humane and light hearted. Jeez......what happened? If they are all trying to emulate Gurdjieff they are way way off according to these notes. Anyways....whatever. If you are into Gurdjieff then I highly recommend this book. It's a great read and a look into how it really was after he gave up all the headbanging at the Prieure. Only criticism is there are lots of references to exercises but hardly any full descriptions. But I suspect this is more to do with the ladies' papers than the book. Gurdjieff people are soooo secretive. Love to all.

Study is required for this book. You have to work with it, digging deep and pausing long to ponder: what does this mean. And it's worth it!

This copy of 'Life is real only then, when I am' fulfills my needs. My caveat would be that its value lies in completing the writings of G.I. Gurdjieff for the person interested in understanding his teaching.

No one understood or understands the man (Gurdjieff). You must want to understand the message, not the man. Every word has meaning beyound or "ordenary" lives.

When reading C. S. Nott’s book “Teachings of Gurdjieff” for the first time, many years ago, I was fascinated by Orage’s Commentary on Beelzebub, which is a part of the book. Nott called this commentary only a small portion of the whole material. Since this time I have been waiting for the publication of the remaining stuff. Now here it is. Whoever wants to dig deeper in Beelzebub’s Tales can’t avoid to read it. But, as another reviewer already told us, first you have to read Beelzebub Tales by yourself, otherwise you put the cart before the horse and your journey will never begin.

Intriguing comments, very different from originally published Orage Commentaries. Definitely worth having both. Orage was very close to the source making his remarks valuable.

This book of over 360 pages comprises apparently complete and unabridged notes of Orages talks in New York, though edited for readability. (A small part of the notes were edited by and included in C.S Nott's Teachings of Gurdjieff, The Journal of a Pupil: An Account of Some Years With G. I. Gurdjieff and A. R. Orage in New York and at Fontainebleau-Avon.) I would say that these commentaries are essential reading for the serious student of G.I. Gurdjieff's magnum opus and are replete with hints as to the layers of meanings therein. Orage was instrumental in editing Gurdjieff's book into English and these talks clearly demonstrate his deep grasp of the scope of Gurdjieff's allegory, in a way I have found nowhere else, in such detail. It is very important that Gurdjieff's "Friendly Advice", which can be found at the beginning of Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson, is read and acted on, namely to read Beelzebub's Tales three times in the manner prescribed by the author. I cannot stress enough that this should be done before reading Orage's commentaries. To ignore the above advice could greatly reduce the impact and benefit which can be accrued by reading these books in the recommended order and manner.

The exchanges are valuable to one who follows the Gurdjieff teaching because they represent his voice and not the interpretations of others. One has to assume they were accurately recorded, and given the personal nature of the exchanges, it seems they were. A wonderful book ......

Read it and get transported. If you have read other stuff, you know what to expect. This completes much of the earlier work

The book is in a perfect shape. I liked everything about this book from the time of delivery to the last moment of opening it and going throught it. I would recommend it to everyone.

Interesting allegory.this book is a good primer to the teachings of Gurdjieff. I liked it and will re-read. anyone wishing to jump into his writings must read this book.

Historically important as an introduction, by the Master himself, to his work. Written to attract students, but fundamentally the Work, nonetheless. With the great number of books on Gurdjieff and the Work now, I tend to be rereading the words of the man himself.

... for publishing this book. I have on my bookshelf Patterson's "Ladies of the Rope", and I am very glad I got the chance to read this one first: from the diaries of the women who actually interacted and Worked with Gurdjieff. I feel that I will have a more objective understanding of who these women were, how they thought, and their relationship with G from their accounts. Of the three books Gurdjieff wrote my favorite from him - and one of my all times favorite - is "Meetings with Remarkable Men". It was the book that helped me See Gurdjieff as the man he was, through the people who influenced him in his life. And through his seeing them, I saw him. That's the only way I can express it in the moment. Later, reading Ouspensky's "In Search of the Miraculous", though I got a better understanding of his teaching, I didn't "find" the man I met in his own writings. Neither did I in Patterson's "Struggle of the Magicians", although I am not denying that both books were important in getting the "bigger picture". It was when I started reading the notes of these two women who were part of a small group among other intelligent women whom Gurdjieff taught in Paris in the years before WWII, that I Saw him again. And though for them he was their Master, through their descriptions of Work subjects for the development of an individual I, the cooking, cleaning and the magnificent dinners, the coffee dates and drives through France, the Easters and Christmases they spend with him, but above all, the intimate relationship each had with him, the spirit and humanity of Gurdjieff shines through.

A must for everyone interested in Gurdjieff as a teacher and his methods. I waited a long time for this material. A selection of it was already published by W. P. Patterson in his "Ladies of the Rope", but here you get the whole cake, complete without addition or omission. I found a lot of surprising and valuable hints in it, here is one of them - Karpenko, Dr. Ekim Bey and Skridloff represent the astral body of man. But this is not all, to read the intensive talks between these intelligent women and Gurdjieff is an vivifying experience in itself.

I am a fan of Hulme's (The Nun's Story, The Wild Place), but I felt this book was a muddled account of her spiritual journey. I heartily recommend the factual The Wild Place (her five years helping resettle Europe's millions of displaced persons after WWII)or the Nun's Story (a good nun who left her order and I suspect based on Hulme's relationship with a nun Hulme met in The Wild Place). But this is one book where I skipped here and there, hoping for some clue as to why she wrote it. Hulme evidently found her spiritual place in the universe, but she couldn't take me with her.

Of all the literature written on the subject, this is perhaps most revealing into the methods and teaching of a truly remarkable man. Here we see a warm and sensitive side hitherto unavailable to the reader of other books dealing with Mr. gurdjieff and his methods. Here we see a patient and remarkable understanding of the questions posed him. Remarkable because of his spot-on-insight of the puples real question not spoken, but kept deep inside... Over and over he repeats the essential message: Self Remembering, not accidental but consciously done.

Reading this book gave much insight into the life and teachings of Gurdjieff. It helped make sense out of the 'school' teachings giving kind of a hidden awareness that wasn't quite obvious. A deeper understanding of the man Gurdjieff was presented here exposing some of his humanness and methods of teaching.

The other review about "writing better" should understand the value of letters and journaling. Excellent book on interaction and lessons of life given and received from teacher to pupil. If you find a copy keep it and will it to your children.

Gurdjieff may have "recalled" this small book. Read it anyway. As he said, he teaches the way of the "sly man"--the one who sometimes has to "steal" the truth. What I took from the book: Gurdjieff's life prior to the closing of the Prieure was in many ways an intentionally artifical life; he was playing a necessary role. He was experimenting upon the members of the Institute for Man's Harmonious Development. The thought that occurs after reading this is that perhaps many of the "exercises" and "teachings" that pupils from that period have related were actually not intended as exercises or teachings at all; rather, they were tools to create desired experimental conditions. Gurdjieff indicates that he did not get his answers from any religious or monastic orders; rather, he got his answers from his own study of hypnotism and his subsequent experiments (including, but not limited to, those conducted at the Prieure). The book seems to de-emphasize the religious connotations of Gurdjieff's "Work" while emphasizing its psychological nature. The implications given by Gurdjieff are that he gave his "Work" a Theosophical-spiritual garb in order to attract the necessary people for his experiments (Theosophy and spirituality were very popular when Gurdjieff came on the scene). In other words, the "spirituality" apparent in Gurdjieff's teachings is just bait for the fish. Well, be as it may...my recommendation is to read the book and take what you will from it.

Gurdjieff is like so many "gurus" that use symbolism and mystical language which appears so prosaic that it becomes quite difficult to fully comprehend, much less profoundly understand. We truly need positive occult science, which is related to the more formal use of our Aryan mental faculties, as opposed to the emotional-devotional-mystical approach to comprehending what is honestly written (and generally valid, excluding the avaricious charlatans, nefarious disciples of the dark side, and ignorant but well meaning individuals) by so many writers and presenters of "spiritual" topics, but difficult to delve deeply into. The other point is that the language and idioms used are of the period that the writer lived, which is generally far from recent. The next point of difficulty relates to the language translations we encounter. Some are very literal and some are not done by those who fully dominate the two languages. The final difficulty is our own belief-biases that we need to transcend when approaching the subject of esoteric spirituality and the much more concrete POSITIVE occult science (not the same as christian science). We need to make sure that we avoid the more negative and evil occult sciences that appear to dominate 70% of this planet at this time; although that figure is being reduced slowly over time as the strongly positive occult science (of will, love & intelligence) continues to make inroads. All this unfortunately needs to be considered when reading this type of literature, and with an unbiased mind, extract our own intellectual comprehension and a modicum of intuitional understanding, Any belief biases will totally ruin the effort. Gurdieff gives a great deal, but you will have to work to comprehend it all.