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The Realized Idiot: The Artful Psychology of G. I. Gurdjieff and the "Science of Idiotism"
Becoming an Idiot... "Everyone who decides to work on himself is an idiot in both meanings. The wise know that he is seeking reality. The foolish think he has taken leave of his senses," John G. Bennett says. The famous "life teacher" and philosopher G. I. Gurdjieff (1866-1949) taught his developmental psychology for thirty years during daily ritual meals. In this book this special teaching gets published for the first time and is explained in a contemporary way. The "Science of Idiotism" puts out a challenge for those who are striving to get to the bottom of their own being - for those who want to become an Idiot in the original sense and step up the "ladder of reason" as Gurdjieff puts it. Bruno Martin found a key for interpreting the metaphorical descriptions of the 21 types of "Idiots" Gurdjieff used in the old Tarot of Marseilles and compares both teachings. Teaching stories from Sufism and Zen are further illustrating the meanings. Written in an inspiring and entertaining way the book gives an introduction in Gurdjieff's artful psychology and also instructions for conducting a ritual meal with the toasts on the idiots, which can help to win new insights into the essence of the participants.
- GenresPsychology
142 pages, Paperback
First published January 21, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 1, 2024
Worth reading for serious students of Gurdjieff - but the author's attempt to include the Tarot as illustrating each type of "idiot" is a mistake. There is no connection between the toasts to idiots, which Gurdjieff proposed after his regular feasts, and the Tarot pack. Any resemblance between the two is coincidental and does not help the reader to understand the "idiot" type in question. It is simply confusing. This said, I found the book a useful guide to the different types of idiots, and classifications into the three basic types of people - intellectual, feeling and moving/instinctual - was very helpful. If you ignore the Tarot bits, it's a good addition to one's Gurdjieff collection. Maybe the author could publish a new edition omitting the Tarot but enlarging on the relation of types to chakras and to the Enneagram. That would be truly valuable.
March 27, 2023
I deeply appreciated Martin's courage to dive head first into the Science of Idiotism, a practice forwarded by GI Gurdjieff that essentially died with him. Martin's thesis was that the science was thousands of years old and could be better understood both through the work of Gurdjieff and the tarot deck and its Major Arcana.
Recommended for those in a Gurdjieff group that are curious about the toast of the idiots or any idiots out there that want to dig deeper into their own spiritual journeys. Not recommended for anyone unfamiliar with GI Gurdjieff or those that are and are strident purists.
Recommended for those in a Gurdjieff group that are curious about the toast of the idiots or any idiots out there that want to dig deeper into their own spiritual journeys. Not recommended for anyone unfamiliar with GI Gurdjieff or those that are and are strident purists.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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