“Because man is able to be himself the bearer of the reconciling force, he is said to be made in the image of God. He is able to represent in himself the cosmic Working whereby the spiritual and the material world are harmonized and the Divine Purpose is realized.”
– J.G. Bennett, Gurdjieff: Making a New World
In every age there are wise ones, enlightened visionaries who devote themselves to the greater good of humanity. They lead amidst the challenges and demands of their times, naming important truths and communicating how we can stretch toward our inherent human potential.
G.I. Gurdjieff and J.G. Bennett are two such individuals.
And in our own times? I join a choir of others who recognize Cynthia Bourgeault as a modern day mystic, a visionary for the 21st century. She works in service of the higher, guiding her students toward “humilitas” and “stabilitas” in an age of destabilizing change.
Cynthia teaches from a lifetime of gathered influences. Three decades of practice in the Gurdjieff Work (the Work) are part of the mix.
She says of the Work, “Here you’ll find the practices of mindfulness, non-identification, conscience, three-centered awareness, and cosmic energy exchange, contexted against a metaphysical backdrop broad enough to let you see the fuller picture of our human purpose and responsibility in the wider scheme of things.”
In December, 2022, I was considering intentions for a new year. I’d read Cynthia’s work and had attended wisdom schools. I’d taken courses online, had worked with some of the gifted of the new generation, and had explored Gurdjieff exercises. As 2022 came to a close, I wondered how best to focus my time and energy in 2023. The Work was calling. I was about to be introduced to J. G. Bennett.
Many have written about G.I. Gurdjieff; some have been called to transmit his ideas and teachings. Mr. Bennett did both. https://www.jgbennett.org.
In 2022, thirteen of Mr. Bennett’s students, active members of The Claymont Society of Continuous Education and long-time practitioners of the Gurdjieff Work, had been organizing a cooperative effort designed to present key aspects of the Work to interested seekers. The result was a three-month intensive course introducing the Fourth Way, “a way of transformation through daily life.” Their offering came to life in August, 2023.
This was synchronicity; my next steps were clear and I said yes.
“…it is necessary, if we are to appreciate the importance of Gurdjieff’s contribution, to understand that he does not simply offer us a system for improving ourselves, for bettering our lives, for overcoming the defects in our nature. He offers us, on the contrary, an entirely new outlook on life and a new understanding of the goal and purpose of human existence.”
– J.G.Bennett, Gurdjieff: Making a New World
I was among a diverse group of nineteen men and women who responded, some, but not all, from Cynthia’s wisdom community. We arrived at Claymont from Canada, Europe, and many regions of the US in August, 2023. For three months, we connected, learned, worked, and grew together, both on the ground and by way of Zoom. Our connection continues more than a year later.
“We do not know what we can become or what we can give. To know these things, we need to discover the true link between our human nature amid the universal nature. This is what Gurdjieff can help us to find.”
– J.G.Bennett, Gurdjieff: Making a New World
This experiment required a large measure of investment and commitment from students and mentors alike. But the rewards! The rewards of accepting that invitation… priceless. The impact was and is deeply felt.
In the words of my fellow Course participants:
“Working with others was like prayer in action. Praying with feet, active, mobile, powerful in the world like first century Christianity – potent, exuberant, skillful”
“The Course of Study allowed me to experience pushing past comfort and ease. It brought me into a larger place within myself. I also learned that there was help whenever I opened to it. I am still learning things about myself that I never saw before. This adventure continues to be a very freeing experience as I bring what I learned into my daily life.“
“The Course galvanized me and helped me to strengthen my resolve in exploring ways I could serve using my abilities and taking risk – deepening my trust all would unfold. For example, my decision to teach a class after the course concluded that I hoped would help benefit others, would never have taken place if I had not gone thru the experience of the course. Through working with others, grounding and applying what kept coming to me as a gift from above – I learned so much.“
“My life has transformed and deepened as a result of this course. I have a greater awareness of my three centers (moving, emotional, intellectual) and this has helped me to be more present to the conditions of my life. A consistent, daily morning practice of prayer and sitting was established during the course and it continues to bear fruit on a daily basis.”
“The structure of the Course, the introductory in-person gathering, a number of weeks on-line, then re-gathering in-person worked very well to support the process, hold the group together, and open us to new ways of being together.”
“The most rewarding part is/was/has been the most necessary: Work with a group. As much as my personality likes to ‘go it alone’, I came to understand that, with Movements, practical work, meditations, exercises, observations, all parts of the Course, and the Work, it is THE “non-negotiable.”
“It’s humbling, hard work, yet I am constantly reminded of this ‘undreamt of assistance’ that is ever-present and so very willing to lend a helping hand.”
This year, in response to the success of Course of Study 1, the Claymont Society for Continuous Education offers a second iteration of the course, designed for August 2 – November 16, 2025. It is a new invitation to go deeper into Fourth Way Work, to respond to planetary needs, create sun, and help build a new world.
The curriculum offered in 2025 will follow quite closely that of 2023. Please click below for details.
“…We are needed in an objective sense, which means that each of us has something to contribute that the Creation needs and that we alone can give.”
– J.G.Bennett, Gurdjieff: Making a New World