Product Description
The Fourth Way is the most comprehensive statement thus far published of the ideas taught by the late P.D. Ouspensky. Consisting of verbatim records of his oral teaching from 1921 to 1946, it gives a lucid explanation of the practical side of G. I. Gurdjieff's teachings, which Gurdjieff presented in the form of raw materials, Ouspensky's specific task having been to put them together as a systematic whole. Just as Tertium Organum deals with a new mode of thinking, so The Fourth Way is concerned with a new way of living. It shows a way of inner development to be followed under the ordinary conditions of life -- as distinct from the three traditional ways that call for retirement from the world: those of the fakir, the monk, and the yogi.

The Fourth Way is a guide for those who seek a true way of inner growth under conditions open to the men and women of today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

excellent
Thank you for your business. It was excellent. I received a book in the promised condition and promised time.

Super Boring!
Hi All,

I have read P.D. Ouspensky-The fourth way a few years ago...
I see here lots of 5 stars comments, so I just wanted to add my opinion.
This book is among the most boring you can read on spiritual path and awakening!
Actually is basically useless. If you really want to know more about these subjects, surely you'll find better books out there. Before buying it, try to go and read a few pages in a library, and this will convince you!
Dix it!

A Very Good Book on the Subject.
Much "spiritual" literature is written in an emotional-devotional-mystical mode which relates strongly to our Atlantean (emotional) heritage that dominates still about 70% of our world population, although that percentage is slowly shifting downward as the more mental, Aryan (nothing to do with diabolical Hitler!) fifth race emerges strongly. Put away belief-attachments and stilted belief-biases and you will gain a great deal from this book. It is an excellent treatise on the Fourth Way. As a researcher I refuse to be shackled by any belief system (religious, cultish, political, economic, psychological, philosophical or otherwise). Also, I refuse to be attached to any particular "Master" or "Guru" simply because all approach the many topics from the language and social elements of their own period. Only an open mind and a broad base of research can overcome all biases. This excellent text is one that should be approached alongside others of similar focus and even broader content. That is necessary to maintain the 360-degree point of view when venturing into what is called esoteric, spiritual, or positive (as opposed to negative and evil) occult literature. Enjoy.

Has some value but is not worth the effort,,,,
I read The Fourth Way some twenty five years ago. It is not an easy book to read. For the most part, it contains highly esoteric teachings which are largely unimportant. This notwithstanding, some of the topics covered are noteworthy. These include the sections on negative emotions, identification, and the need for sincerity.

Anyone interested in studying and learning about highter consciousness should read a book entitled, "I Am That," by SRI Nisargadatta Maharaj. This book is the most insightful and comprehensive volume on mysticism I have ever read. Another excellent resource on the same subject is, Handbook to Higher Consciousness, by Ken Keyes. This is another truly exceptional work. Both are well worth the effort!

my perspective
great introduction to the fourth way by the questions of the students to the answers from Ouspensky. ... Read more

Product Description
This book analyzes three previous major change efforts, outlines their strengths and limitations, and offers a successful and sustainable fourth way to integrate teacher professionalism, community engagement, government policy, and accountability. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

summary and critical notes
This fairly short book is split into four chapters. The first chapter is titled the three ways of change and aims to set out a recent historical overview of trends in educational policy, what their goals were, and how they changed. `The first way of innovation and inconsistency' is characterized as having occurred between the end of the Second World War and the mid 1970's. Then, according to Hargreaves and Shirley, there was `the second way of markets and standardization,' which began in the late 1980's and continues to characterize education today. Finally, the `third way of performance and partnerships' is described as beginning somewhere in the mid 1990's and continues through the present.Though the trends are presented clearly, the evidence is not really satisfying. Events in the United States and Great Britain are the trendsetters and further evidence for the so called innovation, inconsistency, complexity, and other adjectives to describe the periods, are based on longitudinal research titled `change over time'. The `change over time' study is used to characterize the further three chapters and forms the primary inspiration of what should characterize the fourth way. Given the important role of the `change over time' study, it is surprising that no attention is paid to describing the length, scope and depth of the study.
As the third way ideals in effect were meant to bridge the gap between the first and second way, the second chapter, `the three paths of distraction' seeks to address three reasons why the third way failed. Firstly, the path of autocracy is said to have occurred when the people in control have sought to impose the third way with no room for schools and teachers to implement the third way in a context appropriate manner. I think the path of autocracy is historically a problem that all states have faced and continue to face: how much to interfere and prescribe in education.Secondly, the path of technocracy is described as the data collecting phenomenon where moral and social economic issues are converted to statistics and schools held solely responsible for `closing the gap'.Technocracy is a problem well described by the authors in this chapter and easy to identify with.Thirdly, the path of effervescence is described as a situation where schools and teachers are encouraged to share good practice, but the solutions found are usually short term and of a euphoric nature.Overall, this chapter has some good insights, but does not stand strong as three ways distracting from implementing the third way, as these reflect wider and more historical problems in society as a whole.
The third chapter `the four horizons of hope,' includes four case studies from which the authors have derived their inspiration for the fourth way for educational change. The first case study reflects on the education policy in Finland, considered to be the best education system of the world. Among the many lessons the authors derive from the Finnish example, two primary ones are that the state has a steering, not prescribing role, and that in Finnish society education is considered a collective responsibility and thus the teaching profession as a whole is greatly valued. The second case study is the `Raising Achievement Transforming Learning' initiative in the United Kingdom which involved networking and peer support between schools. Key lessons the authors derive from this approach is that development, professional responsibility and energetic involvement were key factors leading to change in schools in contrast to negative characteristics such as a focus on delivery, administrative accountability and bureaucratic alignment. Thirdly, though not a specific case, `democratic movement' is given as a horizon of hope, which shows examples of how community organization in the United States has supported educational improvement. Finally, `the turned around district' is the case study of a suburb in London which, due to demographic changes, became a low performing education district. This situation changed when the local education authority began to employ community development methods affecting the wider community, leading to educational improvement. The chapter's title, presents these four horizons of hope as if they were something novel. However, community development and community organization, lead to social cohesiveness which improves the whole community and this is not and should not be a novel realization for education and for the broader realms of policy making. Neither should the primary lessons from the RATL as derived by the authors, come as surprising, unique, new lessons for educational practitioners. The case of Finland is great, but obviously will not be directly applicable in other contexts. Thus the third chapter, though interesting, does not contribute strongly as a foundation for a new fourth way in educational change.
Finally, the last chapter describes the authors answers to the failings of the first, second and third way in educational policy. This is done by outlining six pillars of purpose, three principles of professionalism and four catalysts of coherence. After the numbers and lists that were used as frameworks in the first three chapters, it is difficult to add these six pillars, three principles and four catalysts to the overall framework. Instead of presenting a clear picture of the fourth way then, this chapter is the most difficult to read and comprehend. Inspiring vision, public engagement, investment, corporate responsibility in change, students as partners in change and mindful learning and teaching, are not at all new pillars of purpose.In all the trends in policy from first, second to third way, these have all played a role, if not at the policy level then definitely at the individual school level. Which school has not aimed or wanted to include these six pillars of purpose?That students are seen as agents of change, is interesting as the first three chapters do not lead to this conclusion because they are focused on teachers. Though, maybe it was included precisely for that very reason.High quality teachers, powerful professional associations and lively learning communities are deemed the new three principles of professionalism.It sounds appealing with the recent trends towards `life long learning', but seriously, which country or school has not aimed to have good quality teachers? Finally the four catalysts of change are described as sustainable leadership, integrating networks, responsibility before accountability, and differentiation and diversity. Overall, in my opinion, the fourth way presents nothing novel for educational policy but attempts to recreate the ideals which have stood at the core of education throughout history.

Picking your way through the educational change mine-field
Hargreaves & Shirley: The Fourth Way.
Change in schools is generally not well done. Principals and School Boards often are so impacted by the press of the present that they cannot see the "big", strategic picture, so they resort to the few well-tried strategies that have served them well in the past.Andy Hargreaves is a highly credible researcher on change in education. In this book (The Fourth Way) he joins with Dennis Shirley to provide a new, alternative way of re-examining change in schools.

The first three change genre are:
1. Innovation and inconsistency (1945-1975circa) and Complexity and contradiction (1975- late 1980s);
2. The way of the markets and standardisation (to 1995, neoliberalism); and
3. Performance and partnership (1995- present, modified New Public Management).
The authors examined aspects of the first three ways of change and decided that it was worth keeping: inspiration, innovation and autonomy (from the First Way); urgency, consistency and all-inclusive equity (from the Second Way) and balance and inclusiveness, public involvement, financial re-investment, better evidence and professional networks (from the Third Way).
Six pillars of purpose and partnership characterise the Fourth Way:
1. An inspiring and inclusive vision;
2. Strong public engagement;
3. Achievement through investment;
4. Corporate educational responsibility;
5. Students as partners in change; and
6. Mindful learning and teaching.

Teacher professionalism, which took a nose-dive in the desperate push towards national standards, is re-asserted in the Fourth Way. Importantly, Hargreaves does not forget the important work that he did on sustainable leadership, and he reminds us of the need for responsibility before accountability.

This book provides a useful sense of direction to everyone imbedded in school change, and it is an important reference for all school leaders. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on notebooks kept by G.I. Gurdjieff's closest follower, this book offers new insight on his spiritual teachings—a way of gnosis or "knowledge of belonging" passed on from remote antiquity. It is a complete and uniquely authoritative guide to the great teacher's ideas and to his methods for liberating ourselves from the state of "waking sleep" in which most of us live our lives.

Gurdjieff respected traditional religious practices, which he regarded as falling into three general categories or "ways": the Way of the Fakir, related to mastery of the physical body; the Way of the Monk, based on faith and feeling; and the Way of the Yogi, which focuses on development of the mind. He presented his teaching as a Fourth Way that integrated these three aspects into a single path of self-knowledge. Progress in the Fourth Way comes through conscious effort toward a quality of thinking and feeling that brings a new capacity to see clearly and to love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

An alternative to The Phylokalia for western christians.
Madame de Salzmann's book puts a missing link between occidental christians and their God.She tells how and what it is to live spirituality in the daily life and that it is possible.

Her testimony in in perfect harmony with this exerpt from The Phylokalia.

"We should strive to preserve the precious gifts which preserve us from all evil, whether on the plane of the senses or that of the intellect. These gifts are the guarding of the intellect with the invocation of Jesus Christ, continuous insight into the heart's depths, stillness of mind unbroken even by thoughts which appear to be good and the capacity to be empty of all thoughts . In this way the demons will not steal in undetected, and if we suffer pain through remaining centered in the heart, consolation is at hand."

This is the book a Beelzebub's grandchild, in exile alone on a remote planet, need the most.

A slog
The Reality of Being; the Fourth Way of Gurdjieff is not as the dust cover propaganda claims a "complete" guide to the teachings of Gurdjieff. The book, however, does explain the teachings as seen from the perspective of Madame de Salzmann and therefore is an important book for one seeking to understand Gurdjieff. I'll strongly suggest that prior to reading this book one should read Heart Without Measure, Ravi Ravindra's book on Madame de Salzmann. My one star rating is a reflection of that opinion and my experience that reading The Reality of Being is a slog.

An Extraordinary Book Unlike Any Other
This is perhaps one of the most powerful and extraordinary books I've ever read in the field of transformation or the Fourth Way.

I was introduced to the Gudjieff Work as a teenager forty some years ago and have read all of the most important published books. My favorites have always been "In Search of the Miraculous" by P.D. Ouspensky and "Beelzebub's Tales" and "Meetings with Remarkable Men" by Gurdjieff. A few months ago I read "Heart without Measure" by Ravi Ravindra about his several-years work with Madame de Salzmann. I found it especially profound and moving.

So when I heard about the publication of "The Reality of Being" I ordered it immediately. I am almost finished reading it (the first time). I notice that I am reading rather quickly so I can get a gist of the content but plan to start re-reading it again much more slowly to let in sink in deeper. I expect this is will be a book I'll be re-reading for the rest of my life.

The essence of the book is actually very similar to Ekhart Tolle's "The Power of Now." It is about presence, being in the now, seeing one's "ordinary I" from a higher perspective and tapping into higher energies. Tolle's book is excellent. However, "The Reality of Being" goes ten times deeper. Every sentence, every paragraph, every chapter is permeated with profound substance. The Power of Now is a good primer. This is the the advanced course.

Of course, no book can, by itself, give you the depth of experience and understanding that working directly with "a teacher who knows" can. But in every single part of the book Madame de Salzmann calls on us to do the inner work necessary to awaken. And her instructions are in no way vague or ambiguous. However they are so deep that it may take a good degree of attention and focus to grasp their meaning.

This book is quite like any other I've read in my life. It has more transformative power packed into a single page than the average library of self-help or spiritual books.

If you are a follower of the Fourth Way or seriously interested in personal transformation, this book is a must.

Words of Truth
Real words from someone who has gone on far ahead down the path of self-discovery. With the fragments Gurdjieff has left towards a science of Being, Madame De Salzmann has put it togetherfor herself and has left us helpful indications, and clues. Words that inspire us and urge us towards greater wholeness and consciousness are here for the serious seeker of truth.

Deep thougts

Very profound and interesting for those that follow Gurdjieff's system or to people engaged in religious studies ... Read more

Product Description
An application of Gurdjieffian principles to fully and properly activate the power of language

• Explains the relationship between the Gurdjieff enneagram and sacred geometry and harmonics

• Shows that the objective power of language--and art and music--lies in the ability to use symbols that will mean precisely the same thing to anyone

• Includes a new English translation of René Daumal’s essay “The Holy War”

In The Magic Language of the Fourth Way, Pierre Bonnasse applies the esoteric teachings of Fourth Way mystic G. I. Gurdjieff and the insights of initiate René Daumal to show how to fully and properly activate the power of language. Bonnasse shows how words can regain the strange magical powers they possessed in the first days of humanity, when words created the realities of what they described. This is a far cry from today’s world in which even writers lament the impotent nature of language.

Bonnasse uses the relationship between the Gurdjieff enneagram and sacred geometry and harmonics to reveal the power given to words by the notes of the scale. He shows not only how to discover the objective power of words but also how to apply the relationship between language and living to maximum effect. He explains that the objective power of language--and art and music--lies in the ability to use symbols that will mean precisely the same thing to anyone. The Magic Language of the Fourth Way serves as a clear and generous introduction to the complexities of Gurdjieffian thought as well as a descriptive how-to manual for Fourth Way aspirants on the uses of objective language for spiritual advancement.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Lotus Guide Magazine
The Magic Language of the Fourth Way: Awakening the Power of the Word
By Pierre Bonnasse
ISBN 1-59477-232-0 (Inner Traditions, 2008)

Being a longtime reader of George Gurdjieff and the "Fourth Way" knowledge, I found The Magic Language of the Fourth Way to be a powerful step into the world of language and music for anyone seeking spiritual advancement through exact and precise knowledge. There is a magic in words that can be found in almost any ancient tradition and magic only seems like magic until we learn the inner workings and hidden meanings. If you want to go deep into the science of consciousness and reality you will want to read and study this book.

Rahasya Poe, Lotus Guide magazine
To Believe Or Not To Believe: The Social and Neurological Consequences of Belief Systems

Not as awakening as it could be
I initially found this book to be really intriguing, particularly in terms of how Bonnasse presented the concept of observing the self as the self is reading. I think it's a good point to make because people can be resistant to what is read. However, the first half of the book didn't live up to the potential expressed in the introduction. It came off as pretentious and somewhat confusing. I've been told that the confusion is characteristic of Gurdjieff's works, so I wasn't entirely surprised to find it in a disciple's work, but I think that confusion detracts from the overall message that the author is attempting to convey.

The latter half of the book improves when the author focuses on explaining the enneagram and concepts of language and magic and how those relate to the Gurdjieff philosophy. I particularly found the focus on vibrations to be interesting and insightful.

What might've helped with this book was some exercises that readers could do in order to implement the theory into action. While I found this book interesting and a somewhat decent introduction to Gurdjieff's philosophy, I was disappointed by how confusing the book could get, as well as the occasional pretentious holier than thou attitude conveyed by the author. This book could be worth picking up if you want to learn a bit more about Gurdjieff or want to examine how language is treated in his system of philosophy.
... Read more

Product Description
2007 Expanded edition. Includes a gallery of 17 paintings depicting different stages in the journey.The search for one s real self is a sacred quest, an archetypal journey, whereby the seeker eats through the web of illusory "I's" that mask his or her real self-identity. In our times, this search has rarely been reported in such a candid and compelling manner as it is in William Patrick Patterson s book Eating the "I".Dispirited and disappointed in life, the author s life dramatically changes when he is introduced to the esoteric teachings of the Fourth Way - the way of transformation in ordinary life. Unique to this rich and practical teaching is its insistence that the student's negativity and confusion are the sources of his awakening. Life's shocks and uncertainty - that which he is most trying to avoid - are in fact that which can help him to awaken.Writing on many levels, and in the strong vibrant voice of a natural storyteller, Patterson describes his twelve-year search that takes him from secret meetings in a Manhattan townhouse, to the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico, to Dublin and the Aran Islands, to England s Lake District and a medieval Scottish chapel, to his boarding of Allan Watt's S.S Vallejo and discovery of the "Holy Fool".Into his life come many memorable and powerful people: Trungpa, a Tibetan Master of Crazy Wisdom; Vali, a beautiful and enticing witch; Casey, a Jungian painter; and Stanley, an arch-adversary. Yet by far the most remarkable and unforgettable of all remains the man chosen by Gurdjieff to lead the Fourth Way in America, Lord John Pentland.Eating the "I" shows how the pressures, conflicts and uncertainties of the technological world actively serve our awakening. Life is used to come to Life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Left me numb


In my humble opinion, it wasn't very good. It seemed that the Fourth Way teaching was present in the author's life and those around him, but that the essence of The Work did not penetrate their lives. They lived parallel to 4th Way ideas, but I can't see that anyone was able to overcome false personality and inertia enough to complete the interval and overcome our imaginary prison.

In fact, I found Eating the I to be downright depressing because it illustrated how those involved in a 4th Way school could be going through the motions, believing that evolution was taking place, yet substantial and beneficial changes did not come... a warning to us all. At least that was my impression. Mind you, I think I probably skimmed the last 20% of the book because the first 80% left me numb.

Although, the reflections on his life were interesting in their own way.But the kind of transformation that most of us are looking for in The Work?Unfortunately, I don't think so.


Awake!

Venger As'nas Satanis
High Priest
Cult of Cthulhu

A Very Personal Story
"Eating the I" is an interesting book. The author, William Patrick Patterson, writes a raw, sometimes joyful, sometimes disturbing, account of his personal search for meaning in life. The first half of the book is quite gripping, with Patterson introducing the reader to his mid-life-crisis state of "sleep", and how he sees that Gurdjieff's works may provide some answers to why he exists in such an unconscious "grey fog" all the time. He is told by a friend about Lord John Pentland, the man chosen by Gurdjieff to lead the Work in America, and makes an appointment to see him - leading to a very interesting encounter.

Patterson details his initial experiments with self-remembering and meditation and provides a reasonable description of a method. But he does not really explain the Fourth Way system in any great detail. Anybody looking for such should probably start with Ouspensky's "In Search of the Miraculous", Mouravieff's "Gnosis" series, or (for the really keen) Gurdjieff's own writings.

There are some very inspired moments in the book. His talk about the "General Law/Satan" I think was one of them, as well as a part where he discusses an "Initiation" of sorts where he moves from seeing the world in normal terms, to seeing the world in terms of synchronicity, archetypes and symbology. Certain things occur to him that have deeper meaning, like 'signposts', yet the people he discusses this with (such as his wife) are unable to comprehend the meaning that he sees in these things - they dismiss it as being an "overactive imagination" or suchlike. This change in perception - the literal "seeing the unseen" is not a quantitative thing, such as seeing thoughtforms, auras or spirits, but rather a qualitative understanding of the "deeper meaning" behind otherwise straightforward events - distilling extra information via a "sixth sense". He refers to it like moving into the "world of the psychic" at one point. Readers interested in such ideas would do well to check out Laura Knight-Jadczyk's "The Secret History of the World", a book that I think expands on these concepts quite considerably.

The latter half of the book focuses more on Patterson's family life and his efforts to reconcile his relationship with his emotionally absent father and his overbearing mother. His father's death seems to provide a catalyst for unravelling the emotional 'knots' that hinder him from seeing many aspects of himself, particularly concerning a student/'son' relationship with Lord Pentland. He also discusses the Jungian anima/animus (female/male) principle and some of his experiences relating to him trying to express the anima (female principle) within himself. This male/father/female/mother dynamic makes up a substantial part of later chapters, and provides an interesting complement to the sections more focused on Gurdjieff's material.

For me, the ending of the book was somewhat of a mystery. Patterson seems to take off on a huge tangent and becomes enamoured by the cryptic philosophy of Sunyata - an mystic of "no teaching" and "inner emptiness". He then leaves the G. Foundation, and book just sort of.... stops. I thought it was an odd note for an autobiography to end on, when it seemed there was clearly much more to be told judging from the year of publication of the first edition. Perhaps there is a follow-up volume intended? A web search yielded no clues at the time of writing this.

In any case, this is a book I would recommend that anyone interested in the "Work" read. Patterson seems to have a knack for presenting complex concepts in a more "digestable" way for the beginner, plus he creates an enjoyable page-turner of a story. Did I learn from it? Absolutely. It is an autobiography though, and thus is more about a man, than the knowledge that enabled him to become more truly "himself". Overall, my impressions are that this is a work that inspires more than it educates.

A Perversion of the Work
If you can find a copy of the first edition, then you'll find an interesting book.The author gave that printing a fresh and authentic account of his time with Lord Pentland and his time of stumbling through the Work.Unfortunately, that edition was not well received in established Gurdjieff circles and the author was forced to do an extensive re-write.This current edition is 2nd rate, at best.You'll notice many glowing reviews and high ratings here, but that is because these were written by the author's students after having been given the task as a Work assignment.You'll be much better off sticking to the classic core books written by those who do not use the Work to earn a living.The author's later books are better reading, but this one is best left behind.

Frank depiction of Work
I first read Eating the `I' over 10 years ago as I was very interested in learning more about Lord John Pentland, the man G.I. Gurdjieff had directed to spread the Fourth Way in America. Even with the publication of Exchanges Within, Eating The `I' remains a vibrant record of the remarkable Lord Pentland.

But I didn't quite know quite what to make of the author at the time. It was only in a subsequent reading, some years later, that I realized what had thrown me off-balance. Autobiographies generally carry a thread of commentary, explaining or justifying, whenever behavior might be considered unflattering (although I suspect more often the facts are simply `adjusted' to deliver a more agreeable accounting). Instead I was confronted with simple reporting, including thoughts and moods of the moment, with no "commentary". Could I have done this, simply reporting on my life to a wide audience? Even in a private journal entry, I either come out the "good guy" or the breast-beater crying "mea culpa". Now, I began to read with more care. Not only was Lord Pentland's dynamic teaching presented, but also this student's deep acceptance of, as well as rebellion against, this teaching.

As Mr. Patterson struggles with the ideas of the Fourth Way, as well as with "Patterson", he shares many of his hard-won insights. But it is the struggle itself that is the center of gravity of this book. As one truly opens to the way one's life is "lived", there is an inevitable collision with what one imagines about one's self.

If struggle is the center of gravity in this book, courage may well be the corresponding theme. Lord Pentland is portrayed as the courageous warrior bringing the Fourth Way to America; though Mr. Patterson does not speak of his own courage, it is only through courage that he can put this very personal account of his efforts, and failings, on public display.

Personal Search
A brilliant and `can't put down' book that shows an individual's efforts to come to something for themselves and how this can add up within the context of the Fourth Way. What does it take to be `in the Work'? We see the author against a background of family relationships, social situations, job relations and, embroidered in high relief, the archetypes that are present in everyone's life; particularly noteworthy is the `father-son' relation.He illuminates with clarity how the teaching Gurdjieff brought uses `life' to come to `higher life.'

In a wider context, William Patterson brings the Fourth Way teaching into modern times, and in particular, these modern times.We get a look and feeling of what it would be like to be on this fourth path of transformation. One also gets the sense that the Work does `stand above life.'

Given is the perspective of how a person wrestles with the questions necessary for oneself that can produce real individuality. Irresistible book for an initial introduction to the Fourth Way and invaluable for people already there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent book about John's Gospel; englightenment and the mystical way...
Enlightenment in Christ, a mystical sense of the cosmos, an exegesis of the Fourth Gospel (John's) are all some of the things that make this book by L. William Countryman a useful and imaginative text of the Bible. The full title of the work includes, "Crossing Over into God" which gives one the idea that entering into a life that is capable of following a path to mystical union and also as a writing "preserve the outward form of a 'life' of Jesus" becomes for the believer a warm and rewarding goal. Albeit more acheivable and perhaps even held by more people of the Christian faith than know it, they may be enlightened, yet interested in or wishing to be introduced to a theology that is so available.

Before writing in this review about the definition of these spiritual matters, well defined in L. William Countryman's book right from the beginning, here is a sense of the way the book is constructed. Divided into sections, the work takes on the life of Jesus as described in John with subjects like "Conversion," "Baptism," "Eucharist," "Enlightenment," New life," "Union I, II, III," and an "Epilogue." One can see that this introduction of the life of Jesus allows the reader to discover in the Christian Way that Jesus "...has already ascribed to the logos a glory far greater than that of any miracle worker--'glory as of an only child from the father'. Now he tells us that Jesus 'revealed his glory' through the sign, meaning that the same note of unique access to God is again struck here." For this reader, this kind of consideration began to lead him to recognize that there were large and enormous meanings for living life attributed in the mystical way, and that enlightenment is attainable. Something not always so common in its statement about Christianity in these times.

This quote from the introduction explains enlightenment: "...an experience of things or persons outside myself as direct and unmediated as my experience of myself is." The author, in going through the book of John, tells the story of the blind man whose site is restored. This is a world rebuilding event for the blind man, and it suggests a new understanding of the world (cosmos) and the beginning of a new life and relationship that was out of joint with God, as Christ offered. So the book exposits. Regarding the blind man who can see: "The experience of mystical enlightenment is precisely this kind of world-shattering and world rebuilding event, which grounds our view of the world no longer in tradition or intellectual or religious systems, but in the unshakeable recollection of an immediate, personal encounter with ultimate reality."

For me, this was a dramatic statement. In part, so dramatic because as I read along I read the idea that the change was not a "thunderbolt" like President George Bush had when he stopped drinking, or a supernatural healing like one might have heard about that was a miraculous kind that ended a cancer. Though there is the miracle aspect, and the healing aspect, it was more a quieter experience resulting from realization that there is new life in the living a life in Christ. Perhaps "New Life" should be capitalized.

Another note of the author's is that the universe, or even the world, are part of a larger existance than creation, a cosmos of greatest scope. Christ is the logos, the ultimate part of this scene, a creator and existant before of the cosmos. My intent in this review is to acknowledge this observation by the author, and to say it is The Reverend Countryman's theme that Christ as logos has brought the cosmos to relationship with itself and God. "Jesus is the only link between and creation..." This is the new reality. Making water into wine at Cana "...is indeed a sign of Jesus' authority--not only of the ability to work miracles but of the ultimate, creative authority of the logos who substitutes grace and truth for Law."

One must like this kind of book to read it and enjoy it, for it does take on subject and inspiration which needs to be a taste for the reader. Another taste the reader is required to have is a taste for a book that is both about the Bible and also one that is theologically oriented. L. William Countryman is a teacher at Church Divinity School of the Pacific of The New Testament. So the reader must have both an interested in and a taste for The New Testament to enjoy this book, with a special interest in John.

The writer of the book is a believer who wishes to introduce and bring others to belief, while at the same time expounding his interpretation of the Bible. Of the book of John, he writes: "The language is deliberately mysterious. There is no intention to clarify matters. Indeed, for the enlightened, there is no need. Jesus is, in the last analysis, all there is for human beings." Not your average statement, is it?

When telling the story of Lazarus being brought back to life, the writer makes a short, but important point. "The power and authority of Jesus are such that he is life--and no one associated with him can possibly be deprived of what he is..." (Here is that statement that I found so telling:) "...Death may seem to supervene, but it is not the ultimate reality."

Please note that the Bible texts are those of the writer, L. William Countryman, who translated from the Greek. This is a scholarly work. The publisher of this book, Trinity Press International, has published other works by the author. In expressing what I think of the Bible text as published here, I thought it readable and helpful to the commentary and interpretation. Another reviewer (The Living Church) has said, "Countryman offers what he calls both an 'act of scholarship' and an 'act of prayer..." I thought the book a prayerful book, but more it is one with a sense of reverence.

I like that the book ends with "Epilogue," John 20:30-31:

"So, then, Jesus did many other signs, too, in the presence of his disciples which have not been written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the anointed, the son of God, and so that, as you believe, you may have life in his name."

The theological school where the author teaches, located in Berkeley, must be pleased to have so clear a thinker as The Reverend Countryman. So I add my small voice to those of many others who believe him to be a good writer and an asset to his school, which is located in the area of Northern California where I live. Hence, I am interested in what he writes perhaps a little more than someone who would be far away. But I want to say in this review, that you as a reader will find this a worthwhile book regardless where you live, especially if you have an interest in the Bible, the Fourth Gospel of John's, or in the subject of living a life more in Christ.

The book says that believers go through a series of stages, not unlike those used as chapters to bring us through John. What "...does it mean in human terms, to 'believe'?" There is conversion, baptism, eucharist, enlightenment, new life and union. "In union...one passes beyond believing into knowing; and this knowing is everything Jesus had to give--that is, it is the same as love and everlasting life." The writer concludes his book with the statement that one may have life in his name, that returning to the father is what one does, and in so doing a person becomes one with him and with God, "...and with all who have acknowledged that they belong to him."

Do I as a reviewer believe that the Christian Way includes this path outlined by L. William Countryman? I am so inclined. Others may enjoy and learn from his interpretation of The New Testament book by John, though not so engaged by mystical union and enlightenment as their norm or ambition in living a Christian life. The book was not written as an argument to convince others to live the Christian Way in a certain manner, but as an introduction to those prayerful considerations, yet mostly as a clearly composed and interestingly presented text about the Fourth Gospel. One comes again to the book' title, perhaps unusual to many, when he says "Crossing Over into God." I think this is the consideration that the author offers us as a reader--at least for me. "Crossing Over into God:" We do this in life, we do this in death. One comes to Him and through him to the Father, which is the proposal of the book with its story of Christ's life and the human part in it.

Peter Menkin -- Epiphany 2006

At first there was the logos
This book answered for me the question of how Christians can claim to be followers of THE Way without denigrating and dismissing those of other faiths experience with God.

"At first there was the logos, and the logos was with God, and the logos was God.This one was at first with God.All things came to be through him, and apart from him not one thing that was created came to be. In him was life, and the life was the light of human beings.And the light is shining in the dark, and the dark has not apprehended it."Logos means "word", "saying", "speech", "reason", "plan", etc.It is differentiated from God, yet identified as God.The logos is the only link between God and God's creation.Our life is only resident in the logos.Not only life, but also light, that is, it shines in the dark -- everything that is not of God.

So, any path that leads to God is in the logos.There is no other way."And the logos became flesh and lived among us... As for God, no one has ever seen him; the only-child God, the one who is in the father's bosom, that one has explained."And later this only-child God says, "I have other sheep, which are *not* of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd."

It's a message that is so inclusive it includes ALL truth, and so exclusive because there is no other reality.The truth is not Christianity.The truth is the logos.

I've probably taken this conclusion a step beyond what the author has directly mined from translating on the original author's intent in the fourth gospel, but Countryman invites you to reflect on the truth and draw conclusions.It's more than a Bible study, it's an experience with God. ... Read more

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Inspired hope for a genuine new age
Inspired hope for a genuine new age with practiced advice for living & working with others. This wonderful small book contains Bennett's extraordinary commentaries on "The Sermon on the Mount." ... Read more

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Detailed, practical application of the Fourth Way system of psychological self-awareness and the process of living from higher levels of consciousness.The Teaching is a specific methodology for the perennial wisdom from Christianity and other religions on the "purification of the heart".Based in part on actual teaching transcripts, this book offers a rare opportunity for readesr to apply and experience healing and transforming ideas that have the power to profoundly change their perspectives and their lives. ... Read more

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Excellent
Excellent work. Clarifies psychological misconceptions about the path of spritual growth. The best introduction on the net to the ideas... Clearly illustrates the inner nature of hermetic psychology. ... Read more

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Reinhardt Grossmann argues that a realistic ontology in regard to perceptual, physical, and mathematical objects can be combined with an empiricistic theory of knowledge. In the first part of the book he shows that the traditional distinction between primary and secondary qualities leads to idealism, while the common Cartesian conception of knowledge by way of ideas leads to scepticism. In order to avoid these twin scourges of modern philosophy, the authors argues for the existence of ordinary perceptual objects, and explains how we know these objects directly through simple acts of perception. The second part of the book is concerned with the way in which we know what is in our minds. Grossmann maintains that this kind of knowledge is just as fallible as perception. In the third part the author concludes that logic, arithmetic, and set theory concern matters of facts and that we discover these facts empirically. ... Read more

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The transition to market economies in Eastern Europe, considered in the light of Western experiences of seeking a middle way between classical liberalism and state socialism. ... Read more

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Consumption, Jobs and the Environment argues that the present pattern of development, based on everlasting economic growth, is completely unsatisfactory from a welfare point of view. It threatens ecological catastrophe while perpetuating poverty. Roy Carr-Hill and John Lintott propose an alternative policy framework based explicitly on welfare and suggest where cuts in consumption, working hours and ecological risks might be made most usefully.
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THIS 22 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Mystic Way a Psychological Study in Christian Origins, by Evelyn Underhill. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766101754. ... Read more

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An excellent guide to improving diction, punctuation, spelling, word usage, sentence structure, and grammar that uses extensive exercises and examples. ... Read more

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A must for students, writers, executives...EVERYONE!
How often do you need a quick answer to a simple grammatical question? Just when should you (or would you) place (or put) a hyphen between (or inbetween) words?
Is it "its" or "it's?""Shall I?" or "Will I?"Is your handwriting "legible" or "readable?"Do you "lend" money or "loan" money?Is your perfume "sensual" or "sensuous?"Did your last job interview go "nowhere" or "no place?"

A great copyeditor is a writer's best friend - and I have one sitting on my desk! His name is Harry Shaw.

"Errors in English" has a dictionary-like section that quickly provides the answers to questions like:Is Susan a "person" or an "individual?"Is that chewing gum sample "free" or "gratis?"

Shaw's book provides quick tips on correct sentence structure, word usage, spelling and punctuation. He even helps tackle the difference between the passive and the active, and so much more....(Reviewed by: Marion E. Gold, Author of "Personal Publicity Planner: A Guide to Marketing YOU," and "Top Cops: Profiles of Women in Command." Marion is a past president of the Illinois Woman's Press Association) ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more