Gurdjieff & Astrology

[Guest guest]

For about the last year I've kept hearing about G. I. Gurdieff and his

star student P. D. Ouspensky. Last weekend I met with a member of the

Gurdieff Foundation who suggested I continue my recently begun study

of astrology and suggested my first book in the study of Gurdieff be

" In Search of the Miraculous " by Ouspensky.

 

I found this passage toward the end of chapter one that I find

fascinating and think perhaps some readers of this list may find of

interest. This is Gurdieff speaking:

 

" What is war? It is the result of planetary influences. Somewhere up

there two or three planets have approached too near to each other;

tension results. Have you noticed how, if a man passes quite close

to you on a narrow pavement, you become all tense? The same tension

takes place between planets. For them, it lasts, perhaps a second or

two. But here, on the Earth, people begin to slaughter one another,

and they go on slaughtering maybe for several years. It seems to them

at the time that they hate one another; or perhaps that they must

defend somebody or something and that it is a very noble thing to do;

or something else of the same kind. They fail to realize to what an

extent they are mere pawns in the game. They think they signify

something; they think they can move about as they like; they think

they can decide to do this or that. But in reality all their

movements, all their actions, are the result of planetary influences.

Any they themselves signify literally nothing. Then the moon plays a

big part in this. But we will speak about the moon separately. Only

it must be understood that neither Emperor Wilhelm, nor generals, nor

ministers, nor parliaments, signify anything or can do anything.

Everything that happens on a big scale is governed from outside, and

governed either by accidental combinations of influences or by general

cosmic laws.

…

" At this moment I want you to understand one thing: it is impossible

to become free from one influence without becoming subject to another.

This whole thing, all work on oneself, consists in choosing the

influence to which you wish to subject yourself, and actually falling

under this influence. And for this it is necessary to know beforehand

which influence is the more profitable. "

 

Warm Solstice and Brightly Lit!

Liath Macha

[Guest guest]

I love that book and gave away my copy this summer; however, I can't bear to not

have it anymore so have to purchase it again.

Morgana

 

liath2macha <liath.macha wrote: For about the last year I've kept

hearing about G. I. Gurdieff and his

star student P. D. Ouspensky. Last weekend I met with a member of the

Gurdieff Foundation who suggested I continue my recently begun study

of astrology and suggested my first book in the study of Gurdieff be

" In Search of the Miraculous " by Ouspensky.