[MD] God is dead.

[Peter Corteen]

Hi Joseph Maurer,

it  sounds as if you had a very close call out there in California. I don't
think the Gurdjieff people are as dangerous as the likes of Jim Jones and
Manson but nevertheless when you have that kind of virus your resistance is
weakened and you can easily fall prey to another.

Many of the Gurdjieff people have a kind of fanatical attachment to quality;
their attention to precision in their 'Movements', their emphasis on inner
and outer work; I think their primary exercise of sitting and becoming very
aware of the body is one of the few I would retain. But the organisation is
very heirarchical and demands a massive commitment and a subtle obedience to
rise up the ranks or get any respect.

My first reading of Gurdjieff was 'Herald of the Coming Good' which I came
across accidentally in a library just before I joined 'the work'; I saw in
that a megalomania but was told that Gurdjieff had attempted to withdraw
that book. His 'All and Everything' is tantalising but in the end just so
much gibberish; he grabbed tidbits of esoterica from here there and
everywhere and made up his own words for them to claim them as his own; 7,
the Enniagram and 'heptaparaparshinok' which underpins so much of their
'system'  has no foundation in common sense.

I suppose it  is obvious that I am still very angry with them all even
though I broke away about 10 years ago; that is because my wife is still
religioused up with them; she loves dancing and so her bonds are all the
more tight - to give up Gurdjieff  she would have give up her favourite
occupation.

Regards

Peter