Friday, February 11, 2005
WAS GURDJIEFF - CREATER OF THE CONTEMPORARY ENNEAGRAM -
a follower of Aleister Crowley?
That's the question. Here are the results from a web search.
Ordo Templi Orientis website dedicated to the music of musicians of interest to OTO members:
GURDJIEFF, G.I.:
Gurdjieff was contemporary with Crowley, and one of the true spiritual tricksters of his day (with AC). Besides choreographing his famous dances, he composed music and drank. This is a recording of some of his very beautiful music, played by one of his present followers, the famous jazz pianist KEITH JARRETT.
1. Sacred Hymns. ECM, 1980.
QuartaVia.org was linked in a Golden Dawn website. It isn't OTO, but it's certainly interesting. Dante? Not the first time he has come up in this research.
A booklist on esoteric systems mentions both Crowley and Gurdjieff.
The Gurdjieff Sacred Dances website is interesting. Is this where the push for liturgical dance is coming from--Gurdjieff? Anyway, down at the bottom of the website is a section of links which also includes Crowley. It includes Benedictines and Bede Griffith as well.
Oh my! This is an excerpt from a website about Jack Parsons--Jet Propulsion Lab scientist and follower of Crowley:
Isn't the Great Work, the cosmic perfection of mankind, the final goal of the alchemists? Just as the rocket scientist Parsons was willing to play dice with heavy explosives, Parsons, the nuclear age warlock was willing to play with fire of a very different sort. Parsons rests firmly in the tradition of the fraternity of Western Magi who include Moses, Solomon, Jesus Christ, John Dee, Adam Weishaupt, Crowley, Gurdjieff and Timothy Leary - great revolutionaries and liberators all.
Parsons wrote in his Manifesto of the Anti-Christ: "An end to the pretence (sic), and lying hypocrisy of Christianity. An end to the servile virtues, and superstitious restrictions. An end to the slave morality. An end to prudery and shame, to guild and sin, for these are of the only evil the sun, that is fear. An end to all authority that is not based on courage and manhood, to the authority of lying priests, conniving judges, blackmailing police, and an end to the servile flattery and cajolery of mods, the coronations of mediocraties, the ascension of dolts."
Someone sure didn't like Christians.
The Book Forum offers:
On the mystical front Rene Guenon, Gurdjieff, and Aleister Crowley run the spectrum of esoteric-metaphysical-occult-black magic of the region, as well as the skills of the ashokh (G's father was one) who holds druid-like clan memory. I've read just about everything these three wrote, though Gurdjieff above all likes to obfuscate and make things seem more mysterious than they really are.
I wasn't able to find any direct connection with Crowley. It does seem, though, that Gurdjieff and Crowley were operating in the same venue.
