I've been looking into a writer. He was a Russian Greek / Armenian mystic called Gurdjieff. His ideas were then developed and published by one of his followers called P.D. Ouspensky. I'm just sort of trying to examine it to see what its about without getting into it.
Can anyone help me with these writers, are they occultists? What was their relationship if any with Christianity?
Gurdjieff differentiates his system from other Eastern ways of self-development that he studied during his travels in the East. He said there are three ways of development traditionally understood in Eastern Religion - the way of the Fakir (physical), the Monk (emotions) and the Yogi (mind). But each demand complete seclusion from the world. His system (called by various names eg. the Work, the Fourth Way etc.) he claimed can be applied within in the midst of ordinary life.
I haven't looked into it beyond reading a bit about it on Wikipedia.
But as to my original question, there are many writers more clearly within the Christian Faith, who write and speak on spiritual formation and there is the christian mystical tradition too. And then there are the self-help books and the various new age books.
With Gurdjieff he says we are only half awake, so he was obviously trying to awaken people more fully by his system of thought. But I don't think this necessarily corresponds to what christians would mean by a spiritual awakening.
Now years ago, I was exploring some of these spiritual paths, including some christian writers and i had an absolutely awful experience that I am not sure how to describe- whether it was what some call a "kundalini awakening" I don't know, but it was some sort of spiritual crisis or emergency. I don't want that to happen again.
Can anyone help me with these writers, are they occultists? What was their relationship if any with Christianity?
Gurdjieff differentiates his system from other Eastern ways of self-development that he studied during his travels in the East. He said there are three ways of development traditionally understood in Eastern Religion - the way of the Fakir (physical), the Monk (emotions) and the Yogi (mind). But each demand complete seclusion from the world. His system (called by various names eg. the Work, the Fourth Way etc.) he claimed can be applied within in the midst of ordinary life.
I haven't looked into it beyond reading a bit about it on Wikipedia.
But as to my original question, there are many writers more clearly within the Christian Faith, who write and speak on spiritual formation and there is the christian mystical tradition too. And then there are the self-help books and the various new age books.
With Gurdjieff he says we are only half awake, so he was obviously trying to awaken people more fully by his system of thought. But I don't think this necessarily corresponds to what christians would mean by a spiritual awakening.
Now years ago, I was exploring some of these spiritual paths, including some christian writers and i had an absolutely awful experience that I am not sure how to describe- whether it was what some call a "kundalini awakening" I don't know, but it was some sort of spiritual crisis or emergency. I don't want that to happen again.
Last edited:
