This is my first dive into van Laer's work and as a fan of the enneagram through the eyes of Gurdjieff, not pop spirituality, I deeply enjoyed this woThis is my first dive into van Laer's work and as a fan of the enneagram through the eyes of Gurdjieff, not pop spirituality, I deeply enjoyed this work. The author pondered the enneagram and spiritual development through various iterations and traditions. In some ways it was simple and yet in that simplicity was so much more.
Not something I would recommend for the casual reader, but if you are familiar with Sufism or GI Gurdjieff or have pondered the enneagram or spiritual development deeply, there may be some real jewels in here for you.
I highly recommend you take your time with this and not blaze through it, but to each their own....more
What a magnificent romp! Rene Daumal created a masterpiece to sit alongside his other great work, Mount Analogue. In the latter, it is the journey of What a magnificent romp! Rene Daumal created a masterpiece to sit alongside his other great work, Mount Analogue. In the latter, it is the journey of life climbing the mountain and uncovering one's own existence along the way. In the former, it's a serious bender with friends that achieves the same results but in a much more madcap and satirical fashion.
Daumal essentially takes us through what is essentially Dante's Divine Comedy, but in this case, Hell is a bar full of mad drunks, purgatory is an attic full of the absurdity of all human roles, jobs, and functions, and heaven is what we make of life.
The madness of hell is high humor if you have ever been really drunk yourself or witnessed someone in such a state. The real gold is purgatory as he one by one meets all the people who categorize themselves in the ways we do - teachers, scientists, lawyers, religious people, laborers, academics, and on and on. He is so spot on that it hurts. That hurt is both from belly laughing and the pain in your soul of the cutting truth of his words.
This is a short tome, so accessible to anyone, but best taken in in short bursts. I read about 10 pages at a time so I could really see and ponder and revel in the people and experiences he had just conveyed. I don't think this book is for everyone, but if its for you, it is really for you! I would say if you like satire of society, the Divine Comedy, Gurdjieff, drunken mysticism, or a truly outlandish yarn, then seek ye out a copy of this delicious tome....more
For anyone that is a student of the 4th Way or G.I. Gurdjieff, I can not recommend this one highly enough. I was touched by his deep dive into the patFor anyone that is a student of the 4th Way or G.I. Gurdjieff, I can not recommend this one highly enough. I was touched by his deep dive into the pathway of self-observation....more
I deeply appreciated Martin's courage to dive head first into the Science of Idiotism, a practice forwarded by GI Gurdjieff that essentially died withI 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....more
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