Gurdjieff and Hypnosis A Hermeneutic Study [Paperback]

This book explores the life and ideas of the enigmatic twentieth century philosopher, mystic, and teacher of esoteric dances George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, performing a hermeneutic textual analysis of all his writings to illuminate the place of hypnosis in his teaching. Foreword by J. Walter Driscoll.Foreword; J.Walter Driscoll Introduction: Gurdjieff, Hypnosis, and Hermeneutics Philosophy: Ontology of the Harmonious Universe Philosophy: Psychology of a 'Tetartocosmos' Philosophy: Epistemology of 'Three-Brained Beings' The 'Organ Kundabuffer' Theory of Human Disharmonization The Practice of 'Harmonious Development of Man' Life is Real Only Then, When 'I am' Not Hypnotized Meetings with the Remarkable Hypnotist Beelzebub's Hypnotic Tales to His Grandson Gurdjieff's Roundabout Yezidi Circle Appendix: Textual Chronology of Gurdjieff's Life

Tamdgidi sets a benchmark for Gurdjieff Studies in relation to two recognized but insufficiently explored areas, his writings as a unified field and his exploitation of hypnosis in its broadest sense. His compact interpretation of Gurdjieff emphasizes - for the first time - a search for meaning based on recognizable keys within about 1,800 pages of Gurdjieff's four texts as a single body of work, with particular focus on subliminal and subconscious dimensions of impact and interpretation, an approach which might be termed the 'Hermeneutics of Gurdjieff.' Thus, Tamdgidi's work is an important original contribution to the constructive, independent, and critical study of Gurdjieff's four books. Anyone who has seriously attempted to read Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson or Meetings with Remarkable Men can vouch for their intentionally beguiling or 'hypnotic' effect. These readers will appreciate Tamdgidi's interpretive virtuosity and focus - he keeps each tree and the entire forest in sight throughout. - From the Foreword by J. Walter Driscoll, independent scholar and bibliographer; editor and contributing author, Gurdjieff: A Rl£·