Exploring Advent Through the Eyes of Jean Gebser and G. I. Gurdjieff
In this groundbreaking teaching, Cynthia Bourgeault takes us on a deep dive into the profoundly Christian and incarnational mysticism at the root of Jean Gebser’s Integral Evolutionary theory. She explores how some of Gebser’s core ideas, particularly around time, transparency, spiritual generativity, and “intensification of the present” open up whole new windows of insight on classic Advent themes. She also explores the great incarnational themes of Advent illuminate and “shelter” in Gebser’s thinking, transforming it from an intellectual tour de force to a luminous offering of the heart. Finally, Cynthia weaves in the practical, attention-based “exercises” developed by G. I. Gurdjieff to help “put legs” under the whole enterprise, and offer us a way forward in our own uncertain times.
This material was recorded live at an in-person Advent retreat at Garrison Institute in December 2021. The course consists of over 15 hours of audio from Cynthia’s teaching sessions, plus a short introductory overview of each session.
Some prior familiarity with the teaching of Jean Gebser is strongly recommended, but not required. If you’re a newcomer to the Gebserian terrain and Gebser’s five-hundred page masterpiece The Ever-Present Origin feels a bit daunting, Jeremy Johnson’s Seeing Through the World offers a concise and enormously helpful overview. Additionally, you may want to begin with Cynthia’s 14-part blog series: Exploring Jean Gebser.
Also included in this course is a complimentary Advent Wisdom Retreat, led by Heather Ruce, which takes students deeper into the teachings of the original teaching through four additional sessions.
