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RELIGION and the ARTS
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“The “T he Rea ead dines inesss is All” ll” Gurdji Gurdjief’s ef’s Art of the “Prepa “Prepara ration tion” ” *
Joseph Azize University of Sydney
Abstract The most important of Gurdjief’s still little-known contemplative techniques was the daily exercise his pupils called the “Preparation.” No notes or recordings of a Preparation given by Gurdjief himself are known to exist. exist. The chief aim of this article is to publish a transcript of the Preparation as given by George M. Adie (1901–1989), according to indications he had received from Gurdjief. Other personal pupils of Gurdjief have attested to the accuracy with which Adie passed on the tradition of the Preparation. Further references to the Preparation are examined, clarifying its various aspects. The study closes by by tracing the roots of the Preparation in Gurdjief Gurdjief’s ’s thought, and its almost almost comple complete te disapp disappear earanc ancee from from the Gurdji Gurdjief ef tradit tradition ion;; a victim victim,, as it were were,, of close secrecy and a shift in practices in many Gurdjief groups.
Keywords G.I. Gurdjief – P.D. Ouspensky – G.M. Adie – H.B. Ripman – Jean de Salzmann – Jean Vaysse Vaysse – the Preparation – meditation – contemplation – Western Western esoteric practice
Introduction
“The readiness is all,” wrote Shakespeare ( Hamlet 2. 2. 218), and Gurdjief’s technique of the “Morning Preparation,” often simply the “Preparation,” exemplies in nuce his entire system of methods and ideas. If “poise” and “pause” are critical in Gurdjief’s practical approach to “human self-perfecting” (as contended by Applebaum 113–114), then the “Preparation” was his appointed
* This study is respectfully respectfully dedicated to my my friend Dr. Greg Connor. Connor.
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means for pausing before the hurly-burly of the day’s activities begins, collecting oneself, and making a plan for the conscious use of his method in the circumstances of daily life. In two previous articles I dealt with the intellectual foundation of Gurdjief’s contemplation-like exercises, and two of his exercises in some detail: the “Four Ideals” (Azize, “Four Ideals” passim), and the “ ” (Azize, “The Practice of Contemplation” 151–154). In the present article I shall assume the background background to Gurdjief’s Gurdjief ’s exercises exercises presented there (see especially Azize, “Four Ideals” 190–194). Reference will also be made to how these exercises were signicant in Gurdjief’s later practical work, but are relatively unknown outside the circle of those groups that follow his ideas and methods (“Four Ideals” 175–176). In those articles, I indicated that of especial importance in Gurdjief’s practical methods was a daily contemplation-like exercise called the “Preparation” (“Four Ideals” 187, 189; “The Practice of Contemplation” 146, 149). This is the study of the Preparation foreshadowed in those articles. The question is not of purely academic interest: interest: the picture of Gurdjief and his system is rather more weighted towards theory than it should be. While Beelzebub’s Tales Tales to his Grandson) and Gurdjief’s writing of a massive tome ( Beelzebub’s fashioning of the Movements or Sacred Dances are well-known, and even his “Toasts to the Idiots” have been freely mentioned, there has been reticence when it comes to to the Preparation Preparation and the the exercises. exercises. I examine examine the Preparati Preparation on in this manner: rst, I supply the complete transcript of a Preparation; second, I ofe oferr some some comm commen ents ts on that that part partic icul ular ar tran transc scri ript pt;; thir third, d, I mak make sund sundry ry comcomments on selected aspects of the Preparation, drawing from the few available sources within the Gurdjief tradition; and nally, I search for the roots of the Preparation in one of Gurdjief’s talks from 1923, and note how and why it has almost entirely disappeared from the Gurdjief tradition. tradition. Further, by producing a comprehensive psychology and cosmology, extensive sive bodies bodies of liter literatu ature re,, music, music, and dance dance,, andan and an applie applied d method methodolo ology gy includ includ-ing the internal exercises, Gurdjief stood to his tradition as not only the founder but even something of a “culture hero,” comparable to the position of his near contemporary Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) in Anthroposophy. If Steiner’s Anthroposophy “inhabited the entire cultural life of its adherents” (Cusack 174), so too did Gurdjief’s “Fourth Way” for his pupils (Ouspensky, Miraculous 48–50). Intended as a contemporary alternative to the three traditional ways of the fakir, monk, and yogi, the Fourth Way was, like those vocations, vocations, inculturated . This is too large a topic to give it full justice here, and in any event, since the Preparation and Exercises are so little known outside of the Gurdjief groups, the rst desideratum is to make them better known.
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What then, is Gurdjief’s “Preparation” “Preparation”?? It is a contemplati contemplation-like on-like technique that aims to induce self-collectedness at the beginning of each day. Gurdjief stated that, in day to day life, people chiey relied on three brains or centers which organize organize their functions: these he termed the intellectual, intellectual, the feeling, andthe and the movin movingg cente centers rs,, direct directing ing though thought, t, emoti emotion on and motor motor activi activity ty (inclu (includding sensation) respectively ( Early Talks 250–252). However, in most humans, Gurdjief said, the three do not work in tandem as they should, and as a result the human organism operates wrongly and far beneath its proper level. “One centred activity,” he averred, “is hallucination, two centre (sic) activity is semihallucination—three centre (sic) is none” ( Early Talks 388). The Preparation was designed designed to allow allow the practitioner practitioner to to experience experience three-centered three-centered activity activity in quiet quiet seate seated d condit condition ionss each each mornin morning. g. The aims aims of the Prepa Prepara ratio tion n are are reali realize zed d both in the exercise itself, for the value of the balanced state which it facilitates; and also as a platform for planning and readying the practitioner for the day day ahea ahead. d. Alth Althou ough gh I shal shalll not not expl explor oree it here here,, the the Prep Prepar arat atio ion n may may also also have have a role role in “rep “repai airi ring ng the the past past,,” and and in form formin ingg “hig “highe herr bein beingg bodi bodies es”” (for (for Gurd Gurdji jie ef’s f’s concept of “repairing the past” see Adie and Azize, especially 273–281, and for higher being bodies, see Ouspensky 40–42). It is central to the Preparation to become aware of one’s own impulses and attitudes in a state of balanced (that is, three-centered) quiet, and to “separate out” and arm a conscious aim for life. This is the concept of “Djartklom,” which Adie mentions in the transcript below. By always giving the Preparation in slightly diferent forms, yet following the one set of principles, Gurdjief obliged his pupils to deduce a consistent framework for a contemplative exercise which would always vary, albeit sometimes slightly. He told Annie-Lou Staveley (1906–1996) that when he taught them any exercise, he gave them a skeleton, and it was for them to place esh upon it (oral communication from a personal pupil of Staveley’s, April 2016). That is, Gurdjief provided a paradigm that then had to be applied or renewed, as it were, each time the exercises were attempted. It is perhaps analogous to the way that every tennis player will have an individual style, yet all will recognizably be playing tennis. Further, each player will learn a technique, and consistently apply it while playing so that an observer can identify that play as being expressive of that player’s style, yet each stroke will be unique. Hence, on 17 September 1980, Adie said of the Preparation: “It can never be repeated.” So far as I am aware, Gurdjief never committed any of these exercises to writing, or made made recordings recordings of them, although some of his pupils certainly did make their own notes or record themselves giving exercises, notwithstanding the strictures against committing such matters to writing in the Gurdjief tra-
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dition (a prohibition prohibition expressed, for example, by Vaysse Vaysse 168). Ouspensky notes this this requi require remen mentt as dating dating back back to Gurdji Gurdjief’s ef’s rst rst years years of teach teaching ing,, in Russi Russiaa in 1915 1915,, bu butt adds adds that that Gurd Gurdji jie eff acce accept pted ed that that secr secrec ecyy coul could d be a tempo empora rary ry poli policy cy:: it was not not an aim aim in itse itself lf,, bu butt serv served ed the the pu purp rpos osee of ensu ensuri ring ng that that the the teac teachi hing ngss not be “trans “transmit mitte ted d in disto distort rted ed form form” (14). (14). Gurdji Gurdjief ef agree agreed d that that there there could could be “no better formulation” of the secrecy requirement than that: “… no one would have the right to speak of or describe any experiment unless he is able to carry it out himself” (Ouspensky 14). I return to this question, from a diferent perspective, in Part below. below. As stated, no transcript or recording recording of the Preparation Preparation as given by Gurdjief survives, to the best of the author’s knowledge. However, I have personally veried with four personal pupils of Gurdjief (Annie-Lou Staveley Staveley,, Dr John Leste Lesterr, Med Med Thring Thring,, and Solang Solanges es Claust Claustre res) s) that that the Prepa Prepara ratio tion n in the manne mannerr it was taught by Adie was faithful to Gurdjief’s teaching. George Mountford Adie (1901–1989) was a personal pupil of Gurdjief. For Adie’s Adie’s relevant relevant history, history, see Adie and Azize passim. Adie’s wife, Helen Cradock Adie (1909–1996) gave substantially the same Preparation; that is, she followed exactly the same form or template, even if, like Adie, she never repeated herself, but always resp respon onde ded d to what what she she sens sensed ed was dema demand nded ed righ rightt then then to serv servee the the aim of the Prepa Prepara ratio tion. n. Availa vailable ble to the author author are are not only only his own own recol recollec lectio tions, ns, but also also a number of tape recordings made at Adie’s Adie’s instructions of the Preparation as he gave gave it at four four-w -wee eekl klyy meet meetin ings gs of all all his his pu pupi pils ls (var (varyi ying ng in numb number er betw betwee een n 85 and 100) in Sydney from 1977 to the time of his death in 1989. The author personally knew Adie from 1981 to his death. Of particular importance as a supplementary source to Adie, is the legacy of Hugh Brockwill Ripman (d. 1980), who, like Adie, was a pupil of Ouspen Questions ns and sky, Gurdjief, and Jeanne de Salzmann (1889–1990), seriatim. In Questio Answers along the Way (2009), a posthumously published collection of Ripman’s answers in group meetings, which were held in Washington .., the anonymous editor or editors include a fairly lengthy chapter titled “Collection” which deals in some detail with the Preparation, although not by that name. The indications in Jean Vaysse’s Toward Awakening (1979) are as signicant as they are clear, although Vaysse only addresses preliminary matters. Vaysse (c. 1917–1975) apparently met Gurdjief in 1947. A prominent Paris cardiologist, he played a leading role in the groups before his untimely death. This article also draws upon to some unpublished transcripts of group meetings in London from the 1950s and 1960s taken by Maurice Desselle and Henriette Lannes (as to whom see below). Adie also sat in front of these groups with them (the people who “sit in front” respond to the questions). Desselle and Lannes had enjoyed even greater access to Gurdjief than Adie had, having been with Gur-
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djief djief thr throug ough h World orld War . Adie Adie consid consider ered ed them them author authoriti ities es on the authen authentic tic Gurdjief method.
The Preparation
As an example, then, of how the Preparation Preparation could be applied, a verbatim verbatim transcriptof aPreparationgivenbyGeorgeAdie,on14August1985tohisgroups in Newport, Australia is presented. This is a relatively short presentation, but not so brief that the outline does not appear reasonably completely. For the sake of the commentary given later in this article, I have numbered each paragraph: .
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How How to unde unders rsta tand nd mor more the the sit sitting ting that that we have have,, the the prep prepar arat atio ion? n? Some Some-thing to help me move from a passive state to an active one. I think I’m awake, but I’m not, I still sleep. But But by cust custom om,, by trad tradit itio ion, n, at the the impa impact ct of some some exter xterna nall in inue uenc nce, e, lik like now when we’re together, I close my eyes and go within. But I need to know that I have this sensory envelope—I have the actual body—but I have the sensory envelope around me, and I try to withdraw inside that, and maybe I close the eyes in order to shut out external impressions, and I go within. And from inside, I am not troubled to the same extent with external external lights and sounds and so forth. And fro from m that that inner inner conditi condition, on, I dire direct ct my att attent ention ion to to my body body,, its extremities, to my feeling, to my breathing, to what’s happening. But I am still still at the mercy mercy of of turning turning thought thoughts, s, I am still still at the mercy mercy of of turn turnin ingg thou though ghts ts,, bu butt I stru strugg ggle le.. I see see I’m I’m lost lost.. I try try agai again. n. I noti notice ce.. I pu putt my attention on my foot. A little bit later I know that it’s … disappeared, and I am again doing something. But I still still struggle, struggle, and by virtue virtue of that, that, at a certai certain n moment moment,, I recognis recognisee a clearer impulse, I’m connected with a higher idea. And now with that, that, which which sort of—it of—it sort sort of consolid consolidate atess a certain certain inner inner wish, and now I can direct my attention attention quite clearly to my foot, and to the other foot, and eventually my breathing, my head—there’s no doubt.
It will become apparent that I have benetted benetted from access to unpublished unpublished transcripts, in the author’ author’ss posses possessio sion, n, of meeting meetingss in Newpor Newport, t, Sydne Sydneyy Austr Australi aliaa with with G.M. G.M. Adie, Adie, and in London London with Maurice Desselle, Henriette Lannes, Lanne s, and G.M. Adie.
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And there’ there’ss that that exper experience ience of the three three centr centres, es, and thought, thought, more more or less less,, shou should ld be not not trou troubl blin ing. g. In the the very very dist distan ance ce it’ it’s goin goingg on, on, bu butt it’ it’s not not concerning me. I can centralise my force. And then I have have a little little while while in my orator oratoryy or Hrhaharh Hrhaharhtzaha tzaha,, or whatwhatever you like to call it, I have a little time to experience whatever I can experience there, what I can understand there. And aft after er a certa certain in time, time, I hav havee to come come out out again again and and live live my my life. life. It’ It’s very signicant, signicant, the kind of movement I make make to to open. Is it already being being dragged open, or do I from a balanced position decide to open? That is the exercise. Now Now we’l we’lll be quie quiett for for abou aboutt ve ve or ten ten minu minute tes. s. Peopl eoplee work work.. This This is work work.. Wee come to work. W work. I have have no time time to waste. waste. I move move.. I move move from from one part to another another.. It’s It’s fortunate I have all these diferent parts, and they are, to a certain extent connectedbypreviouseforts.IcannothangononeincaseIgetlostagain. I work, I work. As I cont contin inue ue to sens sensee mysel yself, f, I noti notice ce my brea breath th.. I noti notice ce that that it is o owing wing down. I notice its deniteness. I take in force. May be something rises from the pit of the stomach. There’s There’s a connection there, and there is this Djartklom takes place, and the product sinks down again, also lls the body while the unused portion is exhaled. I continue continue to to sense myself myself and the parts. parts. The sensati sensation on and breath breathing ing have a diferent rhythm, they go together—it is possible—my head is getting clearer—I follow. I realize realize that that I am being helped helped by higher higher ideas, ideas, higher higher—n —ner er matter matter ente enteri ring ng thro throug ugh h the the cent centre re of my head head,, join joinin ingg with with the the air air that that’’s comi coming ng in, helping it. Now it’s the whole whole of sensation, sensation, peripheral peripheral and also internal internal as as well, well, and the breathing, and the force lling me, and the stomach down, the potshaped, and the head balanced, and the eyes without any crows-feet. No tension on the forehead: the eyeballs completely completely limp and passive in the sockets of the eyes. As long as as I am watchful watchful,, as long as I am careful careful,, I’m relat relative ively ly safe for for a short time. I feel feel mysel yselff getti etting ng mor more str strong ong with with the the entr entryy of this this for force … more more soli solid. d. Now Now I manife manifest st myself myself innerly innerly.. Silently Silently I say, say, with all the force force of my feel feelin ing, g, “I” “I”, and and with with all all the the forc forcee of my my sens sensat atio ion, n, in my spin spine, e, “.” Thre Threee times quite silently, on the in-breath, “I”, and on the out breath, “.” I feel how material material that is. I feel the quality quality of the material material within within me— the certainty of it.
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. And now I breathe breathe it. I don’t don’t allow the vocal vocal chords to vibrate, vibrate, but I do it on the breath, three times. I have to open my mouth for this: . — … — — … —. —. . And now now to to the minimum, the minimum minimum dynamic dynamic I can in order to make it the truest, in a low voice, I murmur: — … — … —. . Ah- h-.. . I observe observe how I open my my eyes, eyes, move move my hands, I come awak awake. e.
Commentary on the Transcription
While much of the transcript is self-explanatory self-explanatory,, a few comments are in order order. 1. This is a prelude of ideas to orient the listeners, and to summon an attitude appropriate for the Preparation to follow. It is so closely related to the Preparation, and so instructive as to the purpose of the Preparation, that it could not be omitted without some loss of clarity. As Adie pithily indicates, the process of the Preparation is intended to be a movement from the hypnotic sleep, in which, according to to Gurdjief most of humanity lives, lives, to relative relative waking (Ouspensk penskyy 66, and Gurdji Gurdjief ef,, Early Talks 226, 226, ness nessing ing this this by refer referrin ringg to “dif “difer erent ent degrees between between our waking state and sleep”). This awakening awakening with all of one’s one’s facu facult ltie iess work workin ingg in tand tandem em allo allows ws one one “to “to be, be,” and and when when one one can can “be, “be,”” one one can can consciously formulate an aim, direct one’s actions towards achieving it, and henc hencee beco become me able able “to “to do” do” (Ous (Ouspe pens nskky 21–2 21–22, 2, 54 54,, 59 59,, 99 99,, and and 102) 102).. This This awaken aken-ing and “becoming” is essentially the same, in Gurdjief’s system, as acquiring one’s own “I” and hence moving from internal or psychological passivity to internal activity (the most concise statement of these propositions in Gurd jief’s jief ’s own words is found in the lecture “The Study of Psychology Psychology.. Man, the Machine” delivered in London in 1922, and reprinted in Gurdjief, Early Talks 123–128). The term “sitting” “sitting” was often used for the Preparation Preparation within Gurdjief groups, and Adie would also use them interchangeably. 2. Adie refers to a custom or tradition because the Preparation was to be attempted each and every morning, and so become a benecial habit. Although though,, in other other conte contexts xts,, Gurdji Gurdjief ef would would say say that that habits habits were were stulti stultifyi fying ng (Ous(Ouspensky 111–113 and 179), he distinguished good from bad habits: Adie said that Gurdjief would, on occasion, advise them to “take habit” (Gurdjief’s verbatim words), meaning, to make a conscious connection between a harmless habit and their desire to acquire real “I,” so that the habit became a reminding factor. Adie gave the example of using mustard: if I like mustard with my
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meat, then each time I reach for it, I should remember to collect myself (personal recollection of the author’s). The idea of raising to consciousness the “sensory envelope of the body” is critical in Gurdjief’s practical thought. In a lectur lecturee of 20 Januar Januaryy 1923 1923 which which is analys analysed ed in Part , Gurdji Gurdjief ef discus discusses ses sensasensation and feeling, distinguishes the one from the other and concludes that: “ For primary exercises exercises in self-remembering the participation of all the three centres is necessary” (Gurdjief, Early Talks 203–209, quoting 205; italics in the original). 3. The instruction in the Preparation was that one’s body should eventually be sensed as a whole simultaneously, while being aware of the breathing and the quality of feeling. The reference reference to “what’s happening” is to being aware aware of one’s own body, feeling and thought, and also to external impressions such as sounds. One aims to retain a thread of consciousness, despite the inevitable distractions. Adie would say: “thought proceeds.” Thought and associations cann cannot ot be stop stoppe ped, d, bu butt when when a “hig “highe her” r” mind mind is avail vailab able le,, our our ordi ordina nary ry thou though ghtt and associations are no hindrance, and can even remain passive until called upon. I intend to deal with this more fully, and to compare this with similar comments from the traditions of Buddhist meditation, in a book-length study. It should be noted that in the Gurdjief system all thought implies at least some consciousness, but there can be a consciousness which is above our ordinary thought, and which can wordlessly direct the practitioner during the Preparation and exercises, and perhaps even in life (Adie, transcript from 1979). 4. Distractions are dealt with in Part . 8. Here Adie mentions the foot only because it was one suitable place to begin the Preparation. Preparation. When Adie says, “I am again doing something,” he is warning the practitioners not to force what has to be a gentle efort. On 14 February 1979, he directed: Now I start from the head, and direct the attention in this very, very quiet way. way. Very neat. Very clean. Very denite. I place some of that attention attention on my right arm … I direct my attention simply by turning the gaze of the mind onto that arm. And I leave it there until there is unquestionable sensation in the arm. 5. Gurdjief taught that only by the struggle between “yes” and “no” can one have inside oneself the friction needed to unite the diverse parts of oneself. In Ouspensky 43–44, Gurdjief is reported as using the analogy of a retort ll lled ed with with vari variou ouss meta metall llic ic li ling ngs. s. The The dive divers rsit ityy with within in the the reto retort rt is symb symbol olic ic of
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our stated internal diversity, while the chemical fusion of the metals into one symbo symboliz lizes es intern internal al unic unicati ation. on.Tha Thatt we are are connec connecte ted d with with “highe “higherr ideas ideas,,” and “higher forces,” and that we can potentially benet more from these ideas and forces than we do, was a stable of Gurdjief’s thought (for some explanation, see see the the mate materi rial alss coll collec ecte ted d in Aziz Azize, e, “Fou “Fourr Idea Ideals ls”” 174, 174, 178, 178, 182, 182, 184, 184, 186, 186, 187 187 n. 39 39,, 188, and 190). 6. Although parts of the body are mentioned sequentially, sequentially, the instruction was alw always to add add the the sens sensat atio ion n of each each part part toth to thee one one befo before reme ment ntio ione ned, d, so that that by the end of the exercise of raising physical sensation to consciousness, one has a sense of the entire body (see . 10 below). Gurdjief considered the ability to say “I wish” with the whole of myself to be an “impulse,” which could be Lifee is Real eal 111–112 developed by exercises (Gurdjief, Lif 111–112 and 135–136). 7. The three centers Adie refers refers to are the moving, feeling and intellectual centers, controlling the body, the feeling and the mind, respectively (Ouspensky, Miraculous 55, 109–110). He is specically alluding to the experiences of physical sensation, of feeling oneself to be present, and of intellectually directing the Preparation. 8. The aim of the Preparation is not to project anything upon my experience, but rather to receive it as it is, whatever my experience may be (see .2 below). Adie refers to coming to within one’s “atmosphere,” and remaining ing with within in that that circ circum umsc scri ribe bed d area area to work work at the the Prep Prepar arat atio ion n (see (see . 5 belo below) w).. When Adie alludes to an “oratory” “oratory” he means a place of prayer prayer.. Adie, among others, often drew analogies with Christian concepts and teachings. For the “Hrhaharhtzaha,” see . 5 below. Adie’s mention of an oratory and to a “Hrhaharhtzaha,” signies that the person working at the Preparation retains a focus only upon themselves themselves within their atmosphere. 9.The 9. Thepr pract actiti itione onerr aims aims have have thein the inue uence nceof of there the relat lativ ively elycol collec lecte ted d inner inner state state during daily life, although one’s experience in life cannot be the same as it is during the protected conditions of the Preparation. Just as one was to gently and deliberately lower one’s eyelids and close one’s lips, so too, the re-opening to the world is to be intentional and without violence. 10. Gurdjief’s tradition is known among his pupils as “the Work.” A period of ve minutes would be very short for a Preparation. Ten minutes is the ideal minimum. It is said that Gurdjief himself recommended more than twenty minutes only for the specic exercises he taught, such as the “Four Ideals.”
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11. The reference to previous eforts ties in with Adie’s view that a tradition is created. Previous eforts to sense the body leave a trace, and when one comes again to sense the body, those traces become active, and assist the fresh efort. Although Adie speaks of moving from part to part without “hanging on,” he is not denying that the sensation of the parts were cumulatively added until one had a sense of the whole (see Part . 10). Rather, Rather, he means not to linger on one part of the body, e.g. an aching stomach, and so compromise the experience of the whole. 12. 12. For “Dja “Djart rtkl klom om”” see see . 5 belo below w. The The brea breath th is cent centra rall to Gurd Gurdji jie ef’s f’s exer exerci cise ses. s. Adie recommended recommended a heightened heightened awareness awareness of the breath without altering or inte interf rfer erin ingg with with it. it. The The prac practi titi tion oner erss pres presen entt on 14 Aug ugus ustt 1985 1985 were were all all fami famili liar ar with this aspect of the practice. They would have often heard things such as what Adie had said on 15 November November 1978: 1978: Now (I become aware aware of) of ) the impressions of breath … also sense impressions of breath, but not only. The signicance which begins to appear in the rhythm of the breath, and the rise and fall. The head joins with its realization of the very ne force included in the oxygen of the air, a very ne material … the witness of the senses that this enters and mingles in the breast with another force, the observation that the force ows down into the pit of the stomach, the used portion exhaled … I begin to experience the rhythm of this ebb and ow. I can discern a readjustment in the brea breast st,, a dif difer eren entt kind kind of lif lifee aris arisin ing. g. A sort sort of o ood odin ingg of a dif difer eren entt kind kind of force (i.e. from the force of the sensation). The term tanden comes from Buddhism (see Dürckheim 176, and the comments on Dürchkeim and his importance to the Gurdjief tradition tradition below). 13. The rhythm of the breath is obvious to anyone who attends to it, but Adie is saying that he also experiences a rhythm in the sensation of the body. He would refer to several several rhythms, rhythms, the circulation of the blood, the physical aspect of breathing, breathing, and also other subtle rhythms and “pulses” related to the nerves. 14. According to Gurdjief’s system of ideas, the Preparation is, inter alia, a feeding upon not only air, but also upon substances of a higher than earthly provenance.
The author author has added added the two two parentheses parentheses and their contents. contents.
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15. 15. The The “pot “pot-sh -shap aped ed”” is a refe refere renc ncee to the the bell bellyy, when when it has has been been slig slight htly ly pu push shed ed forward (Dürckheim 192). In this respect, Adie, and many others in the Gurd jief tradition, tradition, not least Jeanne de Salzmann, were inuenced by Dürckeim’ Dürckeim’ss Hara (1977 [1956]). thought, especially his book Hara 20. and 21. Saying “ ” at the end of the Preparation and sensing the reverberation is not universal throughout the Gurdjief tradition, although it was a leading feature of many of his exercises. Some who knew and studied with Willem Nyland (1890–1975), (1890–1975), one of Gurdjief’s leading pupils in North America, have told the author that Nyland did not have the full Preparation, only an exercise in sensation, yet he taught them to experience the resonance of the words “ ” at the end of that exercise. More generally however, pupils of Gurdjie Gurdjieff had the Preparatio Preparation n but not the armation armation “ ” as described described above. 22. 22. Of Ofte ten n Adie Adie woul would d use use the the “ ” thre threee time times: s: rs rst, t, sile silent ntly ly;; seco second ndly ly with with the the mouth open but no sound beyond the slightest murmur; and third, speaking the words with the minimum volume. 23. Initially, I did not at all understand the word pronounced “Ah-mon.” One day, I asked Adie what it was, and he replied that it was “Amen.” I asked him why he pronounced it that way, way, and he responded that he did so because that was how Gurdjief pronounced it. Adie had retained Gurdjief’s pronunciation perhaps because he had Gurdjief’s view that the pronunciation of certain words has a virtue if sounded in a particular way. Adie related that, he (Adie) had been reading a chapter from Gurdjief’s then unpublished Meetings with Remarkable Men . Gurdjief was listening. Adie pronounced pronounced the word “vibration” as “vībration” (with a long i). Gurdjief corrected him, saying: “ vĭbration,” (with a short i). Adie’s conclusion was that Gurdjief was alive to the fact that the long i made the word sound heavier than the short i did, and that that brisker pronunciation better corresponded to the meaning of the word. word.
Gurdji Gurdjief ef paid paid a good good dealof deal of attenti attention on to words words,, and to develo developin pingg within within onesel oneselff a sensit sensitivit ivity y to the tone toness of their their soun sounds ds.. Thus Thus,, in Gurd Gurdjie jief’s f’s Beelzebub’s when the chara charact cter er Beelz Beelzee Beelzebub’s Tales, when bub speaks speaks to his grands grandson on Hassein Hasseinof of a kind kind of person person called called a “Hasnam “Hasnamuss uss,,” Hassei Hassein n says: says: “… you have already many times used the expression Hasnamuss. I have until now understood only from the intonation of your voice and from the consonance of the word itself, that by this expression you dened those three-brained beings (i.e. humans) whom you always set apart from others as if they deserved Objective-Contempt” ( Beelzebub 234–235).
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24. The nal stage is quite critical. Adie stressed that if one got up from the Preparation in a hurry, and allowed any random manifestation, it not only accelerated the dissipation of the collected state, but the benecial efects of the entire Preparation could be lost. Gurdjief believed that it was necessary to “hold,” as it were, the state for a while. As he advised with reference to the Four Ideals exercise: After that (i.e. the exercise), exercise), rest ten or fteen minutes in a collected state, that is to say, do not allow thought or feeling or organic instinct to pass outside the limit of the atmosphere of the body. Rest contained so that your nature can assimilate in calmness the results deposited in you, which otherwise would be lost in vain. , “Four Ideals” 181
Further Commentary
In this section, I deal with certain matters pertinent to the Preparation, drawn from the sparse literature on the topic, or from other of Adie’s instructions. I exclud excludee fromthis from this treatme treatment nt the chapter chapter “Meditat “Meditation ion”” from from Seymour Seymour Ginsburg’ Ginsburg’ss Gurdjief Unveiled (55–69 (55–69). ). This This chapt chapter er is a very very full full expos expositi ition on of a conte contempl mplaative exercise in the Gurdjief tradition, but it mixes Gurdjief with Theosophy and Asian traditions. It is not disparaging to Ginsburg, with whom the author has enjoyed amicable relations, relations, to observe that Ginsburg does not disclose his sour source cess for for the the Prep Prepar arat atio ion n (whi (which ch he does does know know by that that name name,, see see for for exam exampl plee Gurdjief Unveiled 57), 57), and so that book does not aid in isolating what can reliably ably be attri attribut buted ed to Gurdji Gurdjief ef,, althou although gh is undoub undoubte tedly dly of value value in consid consideri ering ng the development of the Gurdjief tradition. tradition. Other Publicatio Publications ns So far as the writer is aware, the rst published work to refer in any way to the Preparation was Jean Vaysse in 1979. The French original was published in or shortly before 1975 as Vers l’eveil à soi-même (Vaysse ix). There is also some Meetings with with Louise LouiseW Welch elch in Toront orontoo , pu brief brief mention mention of the Prepara Preparation tion in Meetings pubblished in 2012, but containing materials from fty years prior. There are some allusions to the Preparation Preparation in the posthumously published notebooks notebooks of Jane Heap (17–19 and 21), and in Lannes 2003 (cited below). In the transcripts of Gurdjief’s war-time meetings, there are several passages where he expounds certain principles that enter into the Preparation. I deal more fully with Gurd jief’s jief ’s indications indications in Part .
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The The Aim Aim of the Prepa Preparration ation One can nd almost endless formulations of the purpose of the Preparation, which are complementary complementary more than they are contradictory contradictory.. Vaysse Vaysse says that some sort of technique is needed so that one may: “… develop a strong, lucid, stable presence, one that is capable of achieving its goals, making use of the forces in life that carry us away” (158). He recommends that the process commenc mencee with with tryi trying ng to sens sensee the the phys physic ical al body body (161) (161),, in a quie quiett secl seclud uded ed mann manner er,, for: “… life is a tempest … (B)efore putting ourselves to the test or taking big risks, it is necessary to have developed patiently, in sheltered and favourable conditions, the forces and facilities (powers) which will preserve us from disaster” (162). Vaysse Vaysse states that practitioners practitioners aim to “re-establish quiet conditions inside ourselves and free ourselves little by little from all the outer preoccupations of dail dailyy life life,, the the tens tensio ions ns they they crea create te,, the the hold hold and and the the inne innerr repe reperc rcus ussi sion onss they they hav have on us …” (165 (165). ). He also also he str stresse essess that that at the the very very comm commen ence ceme ment nt of each each Preparation, one must not only remind oneself of the aim of the exercise, but also arouse the feeling of interest, and the need for that efort, since one part of us has has no int interes erestt in that that work, ork, and and would ould rathe atherr be doin doingg othe otherr thin things gs (165 (165– – 166). Henriette Lannes (1899–1980), a personal pupil of Gurdjief from France, wrote wrote of the Preparation: Preparation: “Pendant “Pendant cette tentative tentative de travail travail du calme, nous nous rapprochons de la possibilité de connaître un état d’être où il n’est pas question de faire quelque-chose mais d’éprouver silencieusement silencieusement des impressions liées à notre realité intérieure. Cet état est un état de non-faire” (Lannes 17). The notes notes of Jane Heap (1887–1964), (1887–1964), a personal pupil of Gurdjief, record: record:
In morning when doing preparation my aim is to keep myself separate from all these things: all cares of the day, all tiny things that have to be deci decide ded, d, all all litt little le grie grieva vanc nces es,, all all that that I have haveto to gh ghtt that that pu pull llss me away way from from the state that I want to be in—in my preparation. But when I come into life my efort is to be somewhere where I can observe myself at certain moments—without losing all memory of my preparation when there is a struggle. 21
Length and Frequency Vaysse Vaysse states that the amount of time required required is variable, variable, and that each person must decide: but equally, that one needs to “promise ourselves” to come to “complete relaxation” at least once or twice a day (162–163 and 165–166). As a demonstration that the time to be spent depends upon the person and the
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situation they are in, Ripman variously limits the Preparation Preparation (which he called the “Collection”) to ve minutes, ten minutes, and also thirty minutes, in the latter case to obtain a deeper sense of relaxation (68, 81–82). Ripman was even open open to the possib possibili ility ty of the Prepa Prepara ratio tion n lastin lastingg for more more than than half half an hour hour, but in the the reco record rded ed answ answer er,, he deni denied ed perm permis issi sion on to some someon onee to do so (82) (82).. At leas leastt when teaching teaching the Preparation Preparation to beginners, beginners, Lord Lord P Pentland entland recommended recommended ten or twelve minutes. Posture Posture Adie invariably invariably said something about posture, although in the Preparation Preparation transcribed, he did not, possibly because those present had already taken the appropriate appropriate posture and nothing needed to be said about it. Vaysse provides a rather detailed treatment treatment of the necessary posture, relevantly stating:
… rst of all, we have to take a position suitable to work of this kind. Any such posture must be stable in itself, comfortable, and without strain of any kind. For us, the one which is probably the best is simply sitting in a straight-backed chair … with the lower back supported or not, but with the pelvis well-balanced, the body erect and the head straight, that is, neither too low low (which is a sign of inertia and even sleep) nor too too high (a sign of running away into the intellect and ideas and even imagination) … The knees should be at right angles and the feet close together or only slightly apart, at on the ground. 163
Referring to circuits of energy that move through the body, Vaysse asserts that this posture allows: “… a free ow everywhere within within us for all these circuits of energy”(164).Hemakesanumberof othercommentsaboutthecorrectposture or placin placingg of the vario various us parts parts of the body body, especi especiall allyy the hands, hands, spine, spine, neck neck and head (163–164). He concludes that the ideal posture, if possible, is the “lotus position,” taken on the oor, with slightly raised buttocks, using a cushion of a height appropriate to each individual (164). The late Dr John Lester, who often visited Gurdjief Gurdjief between 1946 and 1949, told told me that Gurdjief himself always always sat on the oor when showing them the Preparation and various exercises. Pentland Pentland 17; Patters Patterson on 30. Pentland Pentland had suggested suggested to his pupils that after the Preparation Preparation (whi (which ch he seem seemss to have have call called ed “the “the exer exerci cise se”) ”) they they do some someth thin ingg such such as walk alk or read read for for ten ten minu minute tess whil whilee sens sensing ing the the sort sort of pres presen ence ce they they had expe experi rien enced ced (35 and and 48). 48). At the meetin meetings gs referred to, after the Preparation, Helen Adie would play some of Gurdjief’s music, with the same intention of continuing the state approached in the Preparation.
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Rather typical of statements about the posture of the head, is Ripman’s advice to “try to balance your head so that it rests lightly on your spine. Feel as thou though gh it were ere bein beingg supp suppor ortted by a thr thread ead going oing up from from the the crow crown n of your our head head”” (68) (68).. On 9 June June 198 1982, lead leadin ingg a Prep Prepar arat atio ion, n, Adie Adie coun counse sele led d prac practi titi tion oner erss to have: … the spine quite erect, and the head not thrust forward, not tilted up wards, wards, but as perfectly balanced as I can on the spine, easily, easily, so that the head can turn to the right, or to the left, so that it is not poked forward, because it’s a very heavy member, and if it is poked forward, a lot of unnecessary work is being done, and the apertures through which the impressions and the material has to ow become closed. This is the vertical line of the centres right there.They there. They haveto have to be open, and they have to be erect for that purpose. Not tensely rigid, but perfectly balanced, like the body of a serpent. It is signicant that Adie says that one should not aim to hold the spine rigidly but rather with the sinuous yet upward alignment of a serpent. He said that the natural curvature of the spine could be more or less straight, but that the point was to sense in the posture which was best for the individual. An upward orientation, perhaps a slight sense of lifting, is more to be cultivated than straightness. straightness. There is a question about the “posture,” “posture,” so to speak, of the eyes. Sometimes when Adie gave the Preparation, Preparation, he advised that one should keep one’s eyes open. More frequently, however, he recommended that the eyes be closed. He did not, unlike meditators in some systems, allow the opening of a slit of the eyelids, or recommend that the gaze or even the eyeballs be xed on any particular point, whether it could be seen or not. In this respect, he departs from the advice of Vaysse (163). However, Adie would also say that the eyes should not be tightly shut, lest that induce tension not only in the eyes but elsewhere as well. Rather, he would say, the eyelids were to be gently lowered not so much to shut out visual impressions as to turn inside. Conversely, he also paid signicant attention to the way in which the eyes were opened at the end of the Preparation. Helen Adie would often advise that when they had been opened, to slowly close them, and then re-open them, and then to close and re-open them. The idea was to make the return from the cloistered state of the Preparation to that of activity a deliberate one, and especially, not to reintroduce tensions.
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The Atmospher Atmospheree According According to Gurdjief, every person has an “atmosphere, “atmosphere,”” not be confused with an “aura,” “aura,” which extends extends around them for about a meter. meter. Gurdjief, believing that even thoughts and emotions have a materiality, states that it is possible to keep one’s thoughts and emotions within that atmosphere. Hence, in the Four Ideals exercise, he states: “… do not allow thought or feeling or organic instinct to pass outside the limit of the atmosphere of the body” (Azize, “Four Ideals Ideals”” 181). 181). The idea idea of sensin sensingg onesel oneselff within within one’s one’s atmosp atmospher heree was was critic critical al in Gurdjief’s methods. Gurdjief taught an exercise which involved “sucking” it into oneself. Adie sometimes referred to the atmosphere as an “envelope.” On 9 June 1982, he said:
When we prepare, we represent represent our envelope envelope for a metre around. This is the actual actual circle circle of our radia radiatio tion. n. We repr represe esent nt that, that, and we go inside inside that. that. And we go inside that with the intention of working. working. We close the eyes, and the rst thing is not to let our thought go outside that envelope. We are now now in it. It is our inne nner, it is our our hol holy of hol holies ies, it is our ora oratory, ry, it’s t’s our … our inner place. We don’t let our thoughts go outside that. This is related related to the term “Hrhaharhtzaha,” “Hrhaharhtzaha,” pronounced by Adie as “ha.rā.hat .zā.ha.” The word is used in Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grandson , to refer to an apparatus which looks like a “huge-electric-lamp” (Gurdjief, Beelzebub 154), but which is large enough to be entered. Within it, one can perceive the “dissociating” ciating” the “Unique-A “Unique-Activ ctive-Ele e-Element ment”” the “Omnipr “Omnipresent esent-Okida -Okidanokh nokh”” into into each of its “three fundamental parts,” and then, when desired, those separated parts can be “blended” back into a whole (153). One hesitates to be too categorical, but if the Okidanokh can be identied with will-power (as Bennett states, see Gurdjief 202) 202),, then then the the idea idea of refe referr rrin ingg to it here hereis is tosu to sugg gges estt that that by byse sepa para rate tely ly raising to consciousness each of the three main human faculties (according to Gurdji Gurdjief ef these these are are theint the intel ellec lect, t, thefee the feelin lings, gs,and andsen sensat sation ion,, or organi organicc instin instinct) ct),, they they can can be comb combin ined ed in the the cour course se of the the Prep Prepar arat atio ion n so that that one one can can exer exerci cise se a truly human will-power during the day. This This is inti intima mate tely ly rela relatted to the the othe otherr word word from from Beelzebub that that Adie die used used at paragraph 12: “Djartklom.” Gurdjief wrote: The concept concept of the “aura” “aura” is one that Gurdjief Gurdjief never used, used, so far as I am aware, aware, although although it had a wide currency in Theosophical circles. 3 Augus Augustt 1944, 1944, Transcripts 148–149. De Salzmann’ Salzma nn’ss “exercise … for coming to a collected state” is drawn from Gurdjief’s atmosphere exercise (de Salzmann 189). At least two authentic Gurdjief exercises were known as “the collected state exercise.”
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The The rs rstt pecu peculi liar arit ityy is that that when when a new new cosm cosmic ic unit unit is bein beingg conc concen entr trat ated ed,, then the “Omnipresent-Active-Element” does not blend, as a whole, with such a new arising, nor is it transformed as a whole in any denite correspond spondin ingg plac placee … bu butt imme immedi diat atel elyy on ente enteri ring ng as a whol wholee into into any any cosm cosmic ic unit, there immediately occurs in it what is called “Djartklom,” that is to say, it is dispersed into the three fundamental sources from which it obtained its prime arising … Beelzebub 139–140
Therefore, when Adie speaks of “Djartklom,” he is probably referring to the separating of the “hydrogens” contained in the air. In other Preparations, Adie said more about this. On 24 March 1982, for example, he stated: I sense the breathing. I sense it enters. I go down, I sense the whole of the breast, the solar plexus. I sense the pot-shaped, the belly, the tanden two inches below the navel … I sense the breathing, but it’s a diferent experience from the sensation, the peripheral sensation I’ve established all all over over:: ther theree’s a dif difer eren entt rhyt rhythm hm toit to it.. I noti notice ce how how the the brea breath th ente enters rs,, and and when it gets to the breast, breast, it seems to mingle, apart from from there it radiates radiates through me, it lls me with force. Maybe I notice something rising from the pit of the stomach to meet it as it enters, and then ows down again while the unused portion is expelled. expelled. Djartklom is exemplied in the manner that the inhaled air is broken up: some particles are assimilated, while others are expelled. But there is more to Djartklom than even this. Speaking of Djartklom, Bennett Bennett states: … it is described as a dividing of the Omnipresent Okidanokh into its three constituent parts and their striving to reblend. (This) … is the key. It amounts to saying that an opportunity is created. The forces are separated—the separated—the armative, denying and reconciling—and reconciling—and in striving to reblend they produce an action in us. Talks 115
That is, by remaining within calmly the crucible of one’s atmosphere, the three internal forces can be separated out and their operation consciously directed. The forces are, I would think: the practitioner’s desire for conscious development development as the active force, the resistance to this being the negative, negative, and then the understanding of the ideas and techniques such as the Preparation, showing that conscious development is possible and how to achieve it being
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the neutr neutrali alizin zingg force force (this (this analys analysis is closel closelyy follo follows ws one which which Gurdji Gurdjief ef ofer ofered ed of how the three forces come together, i.e. Ouspensky 77–78). This also has the corollary that the negative force, the resistance, is an integral part of the entire operation: it is not to be excluded but rather to be employed in the transformation of forces. The resistance is as essential to the Preparation as it is to a carpenter when hammering in a nail, for the resistance provides a denite object for the application of the positive force, and the entering in of the neutralizing. The three forces are always present in us, on this theory, theory, but only by not identifying with the negative negative or denying force, can it be seen with any objectivity (see Wellbeloved 103–104). Internal Channels Adie spoke of three internal channels running from the top of the head to the base of the spine and the sexual organs. These were said to be the spinal column, umn, thewin the windpi dpipe, pe,and andano anothe therr ner ner channe channell throug through h which which higher higherhy hydr drog ogens ens enter the body. On 9 December 1946, Gurdjief delivered some instructions about these channels, but the transcript is cryptic, not least because he was demonstrating the movement of energies on his own body ( Transcripts 178– 183). The Sequen Sequence ce Although Adie here gives the impression that the sensing of the body is to commence with the feet, he more often began with the right arm, taking this order: right arm, right leg, left leg, left arm, the spine, commencing with the lowest vertebra, and climbing vertebra by vertebra, over the skull, the face, the neck and throat, the chest, the solar plexus, and nally the belly. However, he might also commence with the left arm, and then the right arm, and as before. Even Even when beginning with the right arm, he would sometimes initiate initiate the the Prep Prepar arat atio ion n from from the the righ rightt shou should lder er and and then then desc descen end d down down the the arm arm to the the hand, and sometimes commence with the hand. It was not unusual for him to begin with both hands together, then climb both arms together, then go to the legs legs.. Lik Likewis ewise, e, the the legs legs coul could d be comm commen ence ced d from from the the hip hip or alte altern rnat ativ ivel elyy from from the feet. Rarely, Adie might start with the head, but in that case he might also end end with with it, it, for for he inv invaria ariabl blyy ende ended d with with head head and and face face.. How However ever,, I nev never hear heard d and have no recording in which he commences with the back or the torso. To summarize, the following broad sequence was always invariable and never changed:
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When beginning the Preparation, Preparation, Adie often advised recalling one’s one’s purpose in the Preparation. When taking a Preparation at the start of the day, which would happen on Saturdays Saturdays and Sundays at Newport when the Preparation Preparation would commence at 8.00am, he often included an intention intention for the day. day. This came towards the end of the Preparation, and was meant to be an integral feature of it when we used it at home. The appropriate posture was often mentioned at the start, but equally it was often mentioned again within the course of the Preparation, Preparation, since the very exercise exercise of raising the sensation to consciousness occasioned a greater greater awareness of one’s posture. Then, at the very end of the Preparation, when certain words such as “ ” and “Amen” are repeated, Adie often indicated that these would, if the vibration causing the sounds was true, lead to a “nal straightening” of the internal channels. Another word that Adie added to the Preparation, was “Aieioiuoa.” That word is original to Gurdjief, who relates it to the process of remorse (that is, remorse of conscience, Beelzebub 141, 142, 253, and 305). Adie stated that if one pronounced the word with a wide-open mouth, the reverberation would straighten the air pipe. Touching the formulation of one’s aim and sensing one’s intention before the Preparation, I recall Helen Adie advising someone to rst actually look at the stool on which they would sit for their Preparation, and recall why they were going to sit down. down. One might say say that it did not matter too much whether one began by coming to one’s aim, or by sitting and adjusting one’s posture, or by going within their atmosphere, only provided that one began , and then all elements could be included. Distractions and Diculties Gurdjief’s advice was to deal with distractions, with external or internal (such as the “turning” or recurrent thoughts Adie refers to) by directing one’s attention tion in a pu purp rpos osef eful ul way, ay, in this this inst instan ance ce,, up upon on the the sens sensat atio ion n of the the body body,, whic which h provides a stable focus for the attention (Vaysse 160–161). Note that although one sits quietly, there is no mantra. But Gurdjief would sometimes indicate the use of words, not least “ ” and “Lord have mercy” in some of his exercises.
Adie told told me that he had felt that the word word had to be pronounced pronounced slightly slightly diferent diferently ly from from how it was written in Beelzebub . Then, he added, when the French edition appeared in 1976, he found found it writt written en in a manner manner that corres correspon ponded ded exactly exactly to his pronu pronuncia nciatio tion: n: “Aïeïoï Aïeïoïouo ouoa. a.”” He also stated that it could be be that the consonance of the word objectively corresponded to the feeling of remorse.
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On 16 October 1979, Ripman counselled about thoughts “arising” during the Preparation: It isn isn’t sugg sugges estted that that you try try to shut shut thes thesee thou though ghts ts out, out, bu butt try try to exper xperiience them just as though somebody had turned on the radio in the next room … If you pay attention to the thoughts that arise in your head, it takes you away from the awareness of the sensations in the body; but if you concentrate your attention on that awareness, you will take your attention away from the thoughts. If you try and make them shut up, you draw more attention to them. 68
On 19 January 1979, Ripman had favorably described paying attention to the sensations of the body as “a counter-attraction to the pull on the attention of the thoughts that arise” (73). On the same date, he counselled against using mental counting as a “counter-attraction” to distracting thoughts (76). In a volu volume me of sel selec ecti tion onss from from grou group p meet meetin ings gs tak taken by Loui Louise se Welch elch,, a perpersonal pupil of Gurdjief, who sometimes had the assistance of Margot Dustan, there is a report of a meeting dated 22 February 1973, at which someone said: “I nd nd morni morning ng prepa prepara ratio tion n very very dic dicult ult,, yet yet it is vital vital tome to me now now.” Dustan Dustanre repli plied: ed: Madame de Salzmann suggested to someone to thank His Endlessness in the morning for being born. It seems to help me be more collected. Also it has helped me to think in bed at night about how I’m going to be in the morning. Perhaps a golden thread carries through and makes it possible to be a little present. 98
Relaxation It is axiom axiomati aticc in theGur the Gurdji djief ef tra tradit dition iontha thatt withou withoutt relax relaxati ation on there there cannot cannotbe be psychological movement. movement. Gurdjief consistently gave gave instructions concerning this (see the index of Gurdjief, Transcripts under “relaxing”). While it was considered necessary necessary to commence with relaxation of the muscles at the start of the Preparation, the very process of that exercise is thought to allow a deepening relaxation. The processes of sensation and relaxation were to go toge togethe therr. Someti Sometime mess Adie Adie would would,, in movin movingg throug through h the limbs limbs,, simult simultane aneous ously ly relax and sense. On other occasions, he might go through the entire body, method methodica ically lly relax relaxing ing,, then then revis revisit it each each part, part, raisi raising ng the body body to consci conscious ousnes ness. s. In one recorded Preparation, he rst relaxes the body in a general way, revisits it with with deep deeper er rela relaxa xati tion on,, and and only only then then comm commen ence cess the the prog progra ram m of sens sensat atio ion. n.
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Sensation Touching sensing the body, on 15 November 1978, Adie said:
I aim that the whole of the body, sensation, peripheral, the body and the inner part, shall be so relaxed and disposed that the sensation is conscious, conscious everywhere, connected. Consciousness of body … I have the impressions of the rst body in this very sensation. This is the impre impressi ssions ons of thelif the lifee of ther the rst st body body, themo the movin vingg of theblo the blood od,, the wave wavess and the nerve connections, connections, the energy passing, the interchange between between all the particles composing my body. Oral anecdotes, never absolutely reliable, and always liable to be contradicted by other anecdotes, nonetheless indicate that sensing the entire body as one whole is an aspect of the Preparation Preparation which some lineages from other of Gurdjief’s pupils do not presently have: either it has been forgotten or was never given in that manner. It was, however, a feature of the Preparation as given by the Adies and also by Solange Claustres among others. Ripman is emphatic: Becom Becomee awar awaree in turn turn and accumu accumulat lativ ively ely of the physi physical cal sensat sensation ionss from from the diferent parts of the body, starting with the feet and working up, not losing contact with the awareness of your parts of the body to whose sensations you are already open, building up until you are aware of all the sensations from all parts of the body at the same time. 67 67
The The Plan Plan for for the the Day Day As we saw above, above, Jane Heap advised that a connection between one’s one’s struggle to remember oneself in the Preparation had to be made with one’s struggle to remember oneself during the day (21). Louise Welch stated the desirability of making a plan for the day during or after the Preparation: “What comes you must acknowledge. acknowledge. That may be only a little more collectedness collectedness … and I plan my Work Work for the day. day. Maybe you only plan one thing, taking the day into account, and plan what is possible” (Welch (Welch 21). On 9 February 1960, Maurice Desselle, a personal student of Gurdjief from Paris, who was sitting in front of a group in London with Adie, said to a questi questione oner: r: “I prepar preparee my mysel selff for someth something ing or it is not a prepa prepara ratio tion. n.” ” He went went
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ontosaythatitwasimportanttoleavethePreparationwitha question,andthat “It is the same question,” question,” and that, he implied, it is always myself and my state which are in question (ibid). On 12 July 1960, Maurice Desselle, in the same circumstances, circumstances, said in answer to a question about not making the plan for the day at the end of the Preparation: Preparation: You You know it (i.e. the efort to remember remember oneself) oneself ) is more dicult during the the day day. Then Then you you have have to prep prepar aree your yourse self lf more more care carefu full llyy … When When you you try try in more more easy easy cond condit itio ions ns in the the morn mornin ing, g, you you reac reach h some some plac placee in your yourse self lf where you begin to approach this efort. You appear. appear. At the same time you know it will not go on like that. Then at this moment you have to prepare your day. You choose some moment of the day when you will try to recapture some of your attention to appear again … May be only a glim glimps pse. e. If you don don’t choo choose se thes thesee mome moment ntss it is just just hopi hoping ng for for the the best best … You have to create a conscious link between your preparation and the moment of the day when you are to appear. Henriette Lannes, taking a London group meeting with Adie on 22 March 1960 added an interesting twist to this sort of idea, saying: … these appointments with ourselves are made with an unknown person for whom we are not prepared. We can prepare that person to welcome the visit … To face this, preparation must be sucient. If you remember in preparation having received that heavy response … Have you prepared what comes to meet it? Your attention. attention. In case there was any ambiguity, the “unknown person” is oneself. Miscellaneous The idea of going into a blissful state or even of having pleasant sensations is utterly foreign to the Gurdjief Preparation. It is, rather, to begin the day by being present to what there is, including, as mentioned in . 5 above, the resistance to one’s more conscious aim. The resistance is a necessary element in what Gurdjief called the process of “Djartklom.” Henriette Lannes in the meeting of 22 March 1960, stressed the importance of being aware of any resi resist stan ance ce,, and and nd ndin ingg in it a call call to cons consci ciou ousn snes ess, s, help helpin ingg to awak waken the the wish wish
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to make eforts towards towards consciousness: “… experience it as that pull and try to know in yourself where to nd the other.” As mentioned above, I am preparing the materials for a book-length book-length study of Gurdjief’s contemplation-like contemplation-like techniques, which shall include comparative comparative references. However, it would not be amiss to record that Adie always took Buddhi Buddhist st medita meditatio tion n metho methods ds as being being relia reliable blegui guide dess in respe respect ct of posture posture.. His admir admirati ation on forDür for Dürckh ckheim eimhas has alrea already dy been been noted. noted.But Butif if a questi question on concer concernin ningg postur posturee arose arose,, he would would not infre infreque quentl ntlyy refer refer to Buddhi Buddhist st statua statuary ry.. I recal recalll that that he once spoke to me about the posture of my chin, and illustrated his point by showing me illustrations of sundry Buddhas. It would be appropriate to end this section by remarking that on 17 September 1980, Adie said: “We are immediately engaged in a possible mystery, there is a possible alchemical incident available to us if we only understand.” This of course alludes to Gurdjief’s teaching about the transmutation of “higher hydrogens” and Djartklom, but nonetheless, the iteration of an irreducible element of mystery serves as a salutary reminder that this was an art, calling for ai airr and and adap adapta tati tion on,, and and was was neve neverr pres presen ente ted d to us as a rigi rigid d scie scienc nce. e. Yet, et, man many aspects of the art are, nonetheless, nonetheless, precise.
The Basis of the Preparation in Gurdjief’s Thought
In Azize Azize,, “The Pract Practice ice of Conte Contempl mplati ation on”” ( passim), I cont conten ende ded d that that ther theree was no evidence that Gurdjief had taught the Preparation or the contemplative exercises exercises before before the 1930s. This remains the state state of the evidence, so far as I am aware. aware. As I attempted to demonstrate demonstrate there, the basis for the Preparation was certainly laid out much earlier. In addition to the references provided in that article, of signal importance to the Preparation Preparation is the lecture Gurdjief gave gave at Early Talks 203–209). the Prieuré in France, on 23 January 1923 (Gurdjief, Early Commencing with a stated desire to remember oneself, but an inability to do so, Gurdjief states that to try to remember oneself solely by means of mental associations is insucient, and that, as we are, we rely upon the intellect without trying to remember ourselves by “sensation” (203). Gurdjief then then elabo elabora rate tess upon upon the distin distincti ction on betw between een sensin sensingg and feeli feeling: ng: when when he sits sits in an unaccustomed posture it is uncomfortable. But in this posture he has a “sensation of my body, if not the whole of it, at least of some parts of my body body,, of warmt warmth, h, of the circul circulati ation on of blood” blood” (204). (204). Gurdji Gurdjief ef give givess as examp examples les
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of “feeling,” “feeling,” remembering moments connected with his mother, mother, the feeling of satisfaction he has when a certain plan he made was realized, and nally the pang of conscience he felt when he saw the disgured face of a blameless man whom he had recklessly struck in the dark dark (204). Critic Criticall allyy for the develo developme pment nt of his syste system, m, Gurdji Gurdjief ef stat states es that that sensat sensation ionss have their origins in the “moving centre” and feelings have theirs in the “emotional centre.” It is then that Gurdjief makes the statement: “ For primary exercises in self-remembering the participation of all the three centres is necessary” ( Early Talks 205), which I quoted above. He then gives an exercise that anticipates anticipates many aspects of the Preparation: Preparation: …Ibegintothinkinmymind:“Iwish.Iwishverymuchtobeableoftento recollect, in order to remember that it is necessary to remember myself. I wish! You—it You—it is me, it is my body!” I say to my body: “You. “You. You—me. You—me. You You are are also also me. me. I wish wish.. Thes Thesee sens sensat atio ions ns whic which h my body body is now now expe experi rien enci cing ng,, every similar sensation—I sensation—I wish them to remind me. I wish. You are me. I wish. I wish to to recollect as often as possible possible that I wish wish to remember remember,, that I wish to remember myself.” 206–207
Gurdji Gurdjief ef then then enjoi enjoins ns thelis the liste tener nerss to sense sense in themse themselv lves es the soundi sounding ng andthe and the sensation of the words “I,” “wish,” “to remember” and “myself.” In respect of the last word, he states: “Usually, when I say the word “myself,” I am accustomed to mean either thought, or feeling, or body. Now we must take the overall boun bounda dary ry,, the the atmo atmosp sphe here re,, the the body body and and all all ther theree is in it” it” (207 (207–2 –208 08). ). As we have have already seen, the “atmosphere” plays a vital role in the Preparation. Gurdjief then adds something that helps to explain Adie’s Adie’s step 18: “Silently I say, with all the force of my feeling, ‘I’, and with all the force of my sensation, in my spine, ‘’ ‘ ’. Three times quite silently, on the in-breath, ‘I’, ‘I’, and on the out breath, ‘’.” Gurdjief states: … our apparatuses (i.e. the centres) are so arranged that an intensive response is impossible if a man has had no rest … These apparatuses of ours, which produce a response when we pronounce each of the four words, words, must be given rest in turn, if they are to be able to print. Each
205. 205. For a treatm treatment ent of these these centers centers,, and also the the thinkin thinkingg center center,, consult consult Ouspe Ouspensk nsky y 106–108. It is not not appa appare rent nt to my how how the the anal analog ogyy of galv galvani anicc batt batter eriesthat iesthat Gurd Gurdjie jief f hasbeen using using
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of these bells (i.e. parts of the centres which will respond) possesses its own own batt batter eryy. Whil Whilee I am sayi saying ng “I” “I” one one bell bell answ answer ers, s, “wish “wish”— ”—an anot othe herr bell bell,, “to remember”—a third bell, “myself”—the “myself ”—the general bell. It is mentioned that Gurdjief then gave an exercise, which was omitted from exercises we have done so far, far, without excepthe transcript, and stated: “ All the exercises tion, are designed to harmonise harmonise feeling, thought and movement movement ” (208). This is true also of the Preparation although it could be added that the purpose of harmonizing those three faculties is not only to achieve an intrinsic good, but also to absorb the “higher hydrogens” absorbed in such a harmonized state, and to assimilate them so that “higher being bodies” might be formed, that is, to make permanent one’s soul (see Azize “The Practice of Contemplation” passim). In a meeting 18 March 1943, Gurdjief tells someone that her efort is only theoretical, and that she must “establish a contact between (her) head and (her) body” by placing her legs in ice water ( Transcripts 8). This reects the principle, exemplied in the Preparation of making a conscious connection between the intellect and the body, and then with the feeling. Everything An Allusion in All and Everything While Gurdjief never directly refers to the Preparation Preparation in Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grand Grandson son, he wrote there:
… do not not forg forget et one one thin thing, g, name namely ly at your our age age it is indi indisp spen ensa sabl blyy nece necess ssar ary y that every day, day, at sunrise, while watching the reection of its splendour, splendour, you bring about a contact between between your consciousness and the various unconscious parts of your general presence. Try to make this state last and to convince the unconscious parts—as if they were conscious— that if they hinder your general functioning, they, in the period of your responsible age, not only cannot full the good that bets them, but your gene genera rall pres presen ence ce of whic which h they they are are part part,, will will not not be able able to beco become me a good good ser servant ant of our our and and by that hat will ill not not even be worthy worthy to pay for your your arising and existence. existence. 78
leads to a question of “print” rather than “response.” There may have been an error in the note-taking. 208. The two two bracketed bracketed clauses clauses introdu introduced ced by by “i.e. “i.e.”” are are my my own own interpr interpretation etationss of GurdjiGurdjief’s meaning.
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Vaysse Vaysse undoubtedly undoubtedly regards regards these words as applicable to the Preparation, Preparation, for alth althou ough gh he does does not not quot quotee Beelzebub, he writ writes es:: “We “We mu must st con convinc vincee this this othe otherr part part for for one one mome moment nt to help help us, us, or at leas leastt not not to int interfe erferre with with us, us, even even if it has has to be given what satisfaction it needs later” (166). The similarity between the ideas expressed is too great to be accidental. Secre Secrecy cy and the Near Near Disappe Disappear aranc ancee of the Prepa Prepara ratio tion n The thesis of this article is that the discipline of secrecy in which Gurdjief’s techniques have been shrouded meant that the Preparation was rarely recorded or noted, and even when it was, those materials were barely distributed. tributed. This had, inter alia, the result that when Jeanne de Salzmann substituted tuted new metho methods ds for the Prepa Prepara ratio tion n and Gurdji Gurdjief ef exer exercis cises es,, they they all but disdisappeared without a trace. It may well be that the culture of reverential respect for group instructors induced many in the Gurdjief groups to passively accept and even approve the changes. First, the secrecy as to methods did not lack any rationale. Vaysse explains explains it by stat statin ingg that that the the work work he desc descri ribe bess goes goes thro throug ugh h stag stages es:: rs rst, t, it is chie chie yy tak taken up with with relax relaxati ation on and sensat sensation ion,, but then then later later,, with with “self “self-r -rem ememb emberi ering” ng” (167). (167). The fact that the stages are not rigidly xed is, he avers, one reason why these exer exercis cises es are are not writt written en down, down, or if writt written en,, only only made made access accessibl iblee to: to: “… people people who already already have have enough experience experience of the exercises exercises and have practised them them long enough under the direction of their elders to understand what they stand for within the line of work of the particular school” (168). Fundamental here is the assumption that the exercises exercises would be kept alive by means of such a person-to-person transmission. All the evidence available to me indicates that there are slim grounds for condence in this assumption. Fundamental, too, is condence in the “elders.” James Moore, who was present in the London group at the time, dates the change from the original Gurdjief dispensation to what is called the “New Work”, at least for London, to the very moment of the death of Lannes in 1980. He states:
Fronting the new doctrine was a oligarchy-led modulation of idiom from acti active ve to pass passiv ivee voic voice: e: the the pu pupi pill no long longer er ‘rem ‘remem embe bere red d hims himsel elff ’ bu butt ‘was ‘was remembered’; no longer ‘awoke’ but ‘was awoken’. Pupils did not, need not, could not, work: they were ‘worked upon’ (even while they literally slept!). 4
Moore makes a vague reference to the replacement of the Preparation and Gurdjief Gurdjief exer exercises ciseswith with“sit “sitting tings” s” of Asian Asian inspirat inspiration ion (5), butW but Wellbelo ellbeloved ved,, who
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was also present in the London group at the time, provides more details. Under the heading he ading “New “ New Work Terminology, Terminology,”” she s he writes: The exercise of the attention, which used to be referred to in English as ‘morning preparation, preparation,’’ has been changed in process and aim, and is now referred to as ‘meditation’ or ‘sitting’ (terms probably taken from the Zen zazen). Sitt practi practice ce of zazen Sittin ingg is also also used used to refe referr to grou groups ps of pu pupi pils ls medi medita tatting ing toget ogethe her; r; in Lond London on this this beg began in the the 1960 1960ss and and was know known n as ‘spec specia iall work.’ work.’ … This receptive receptive mode may have been part of Gurdjief’s late teaching in the 1940s, though there is no sign of it in the group meetings held during World War . Receptivity is not referred to in benecial terms in Gurdjief’s writings, nor his pupils’ memoirs, all of which emphasise the necessity for struggle and efort. 156
I have been told that Lannes used and taught the Preparation to the end of her teaching, and had never accepted the “special work.” When, after her death, the new sittings were introduced into the London group, it was on the basis that they were for advanced pupils, but later on all pupils were taught them to the exclusion of the original Preparation and Gurdjief exercises. And so, an authentic Gurdjief technique, vulnerable vulnerable to loss because of the observance of secrecy, disappeared when those charged with teaching it were instructed to teach something else in its place. This This is the the best best dire direct ct evid eviden ence ce for for the the subs substi titu tuti tion on of the “New “New Work” ork” for for the the original. However, William Segal (1904–2000), a personal pupil of Ouspensky and Gurdjief stated—his very word is that he confessed —to —to having been instrumental in the introduction of the New Work “sitting”: I must confess that I was a great proponent of meditation, which I felt was lacking in the Gurdjief Work in the 1940s. I was in Japan in 1952 … I felt that the practice of formal sitting of Zazen was lacking in the Gurdjief Work at the time. Then Madame de Salzmann did institute it. She probably had that practice going in its own way, but I felt it needed a more formal adherence. We needed more “sittings.” Trying to speak from the moment, as we do in our practice and in the groups, leads one to the same place. 196–197
The practice of “trying to speak from the moment” is one of the New Work practices.
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I rst raised the question of the disappearance of the Preparation with James Wy Wyckof ckof in New York in 1993. I had already found that the “sittings” he gave were much vaguer and less well-structured than Adie’s Preparations. I described to him that Preparation as Adie had given it, and he stopped me, somewhat testily, saying: “Adie was not the only person who knew that. Others had it, too.” Wyckof’s irritation reected, I believe, an impatience with what he saw as an interest in former and less advanced methods. The point is that it would appear that the introduction of the “New Work” has led to the almost complete disappearance disappearance of the Preparation Preparation as it was initially taught by Gurdjief. In April 2016, I attended an international conference, the “All and Everything Conference” in Salem. The audience was made up of attendees from various lineages or none. I delivered a paper which was in substance on Gurdjief’s Preparation and exercises: nothing I then heard would lead me to change changemy my opinio opinion n about about the loss loss of the Prepa Prepara ratio tion, n, especi especiall allyy in those those group groupss aligned to Jeanne de Salzmann.
Conclusion
The Prepa Prepara ratio tion n hada had a centr central al role role in ther the rst st gener generati ation on of the the Gurdji Gurdjief ef gro groups ups before the advent of the “New Work.” Henriette Lannes said, in London on 23 November 1959: “Your rst obligation is always to try and maintain that morning efort. This is the corner stone, the thing without which nothing will ever happen.” It has efectively been replaced in most Gurdjief groups, and the knowledge of it has almost entirely completely disappeared. The chief aim of this article was to make available a record of it in its authentic form. It can be seen from the analysis of even the concise instructions given by Adie on 14 August 1985 that a good deal of thought lies behind the Preparation. It is hoped that this efort has helped to present a more balanced picture of Gurdjief’s ideas and practices, one which is less reliant upon philosophy. This study also conduces to future research that might examine how Gurd jief’s jief ’s contemplation-li contemplation-like ke exer exercises cises exemplied exemplied what what the culture culture of his “Fourth
James or “Jim” “Jim” Wy Wycko ckof f was, for a period, period, one one of the members of “Group “Group 1,1,” the directing directing circle circle within within the NewYork NewYork Found Foundatio ation. n. He wasnot was not a person personal al pup pupil il of Gurdjie Gurdjief, f, butwas but wasof of the second second “gener “generatio ation” n”:: that is, his teacher teachers, s, Christ Christoph opher er Freman Fremantle tle,, Jeanne Jeanne de Salzman Salzmann, n, Michael de Salzmann, and Henri Tracol among others, were were themselves personal or “rst generation” pupils. Page Page 3 of an unpubl unpublishe ished d transc transcrip ript. t.
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Way,,” and how, Way how, being inculturated, they were changed as the Gurdjief groups were inuenced inuenced by the winds of change blowing in the 1960s. 1960s.
Works W orks Cited Adie, George M. and Joseph Azize. George Adie: A Gurdjief Pupil in Australia. 2nd revised and expanded edition. Waukee Waukee : : By the Way Books, 2015. Applebaum, David. “Time “ Time and Initiative.” Initiative.” Gurdjief: Essays and Relections on the Man and his Teaching. Ed. Jacob Needleman, and George Baker. New York: Continuum, 1996. 107–115. Azize, Joseph. J.G. Bennett’s Talks on Beelzebub’s Tales . Compiled A.G.E. Blake. Sherborne, England: Coombes Spring, 1977. Azize, Joseph. “The Practice of Contemplation in the Work of Gurdjief.” Gurdjief.” International Journal for the Study of New Religions 6. 2 (2015): 139–158. Bennett, John G. “‘The Four Ideals’: A Contemplative Exercise by Gurdjief.” 13 (2013): 173–203. Gurdjief: f: Making Making a New World orld . New York: Harper & Row, 1973. Bennett, John G. Gurdjie Cusa Cu sack ck,, Caro Carole le M. “ ‘And the the Buil Buildi ding ng Beco Become mess Man Man’: Mean Meaning ing and and Aest Aesthe heti tics cs in Rudo Rudolf lf Steiner’s Goetheanum.” Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production . Ed. Carole M. Cusack, and Alex Norman. Leiden, The Netherlands and Boston: Brill, 2012. 173–192. Hara: The The Vita Vitall Cent Centre re of Man Man. London: Unwin Paperbacks, Dürckheim, Karlfried Graf. Hara: Paperbacks, 1977. Ginsburg, Seymour B. Gurdjief Unveiled . Lighthouse Workbooks, 2005. Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grandson. 1950 Gurdji Gurdjief ef,, George George I. Beelzebub’s 1950.. Auro Aurora ra : Two Rive Rivers rs Pres Press, s, 1993. Gurdjief, George I. Gurdjief’s Early Talks. Anonymously edited. London: Book Studio, 2014. Gurdji Gurdjief ef,, George George I. Life Is Real, only then, When ‘I Am’ . 1975 1975.. London London:: Routl Routledg edgee & Kegan Kegan Paul, 1981. Gurdjief, George I. Transcripts of Gurdjief’s Meetings 1941–1946 . Anonymously edited. 2nd edition, London: Book Studio, 2009. Heap, Jane. The Notes of Jane Heap . Ed. Michael Currer-Briggs. Private publication, London. New edition. Aurora : : Two Rivers Press, 1994. Lannes, Henriette. Retour à maintenant . Anonymously compiled. Lyon, France: Editions de Tournadieu, 2003. March, Louise G. The Gurdjief Years 1929–1949 . Ed. A. McCorkle. 2nd edition. Utrecht, The Netherlands: Eureka Editions, 2011. Moore, James. “Moveable Feasts: The Gurdjief Work.” Religion Today 9. 2 (1994): 11–16.
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Search h of the the Miracu Miraculou louss. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1949. Ouspensky, Piotr D. In Searc Patters Patterson, on, William William Patrick. Patrick. Eating the ‘I’ . San Anselm Anselmo o : Arete Arete Commun Communica icatio tions, ns,199 1992. 2. Exchanges Within Within. New York: Continuum, 1997. Pentland, John. Exchanges Ripman, Hugh Brockwill. Questions and Answers along the Way . Washington ..: Forthway Center, 2009. Reality ty of Being Being:: The Fourth ourth Way of Gurd Gurdjie jief f . Boston: Shambde Salzmann, Jeanne. The Reali hala, 2010. Awakening. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1979. Vaysse, Vaysse, Jean. Toward Awakening Welch, W elch, Louise. Meetings with Louise Welch in Toronto . Anonymously edited. Toronto: Traditional Traditional Studies, S tudies, 2012. Gurdjief ef:: The Key Key Concep Concepts ts. London: Routledge, 2003. Wellbeloved, W ellbeloved, Sophia. Gurdji
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