Amazon.com: Struggle of the Magicians (9781879514027): William Patrick Patterson: Books

Sell Back Your Copy
For a $0.80 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Struggle of the Magicians
 
See larger image
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Struggle of the Magicians [Paperback]

William Patrick Patterson (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Textbook Student FREE Two-Day Shipping for students on millions of items. Learn more


Book Description

January 1997 1879514028 978-1879514027 2nd
Of all relationships, that between teacher and student is the most mysterious, most rewarding. That between Gurdjieff and Uspenskii (P. D. Ouspensky), two of the seminal spiritual figures of the twentieth century, was titanic, archetypal. By closely observing their interaction, we come to understand the pattern of discoveries, resistances, and rebellions – the deep inner and outer struggle that marks every teacher-student relationship, whatever the path.

How and why a student of Uspenskii’s caliber broke with his teacher, his slow descent, but ultimate breakthrough, offers a deep and profound study that reveals the defining moments and trigger events intrinsic to the process of transformation. The material in this book, much of it new and drawn from original sources, published and unpublished, along with the author’s insights and original reading of documents, provides a new and revolutionary dimension to the understanding of Gurdjieff, Uspenskii, and the Fourth Way work.

Gurdjieff came to the West because, as he said, "Unless the ‘wisdom’ of the East and the ‘energy’ of the West meet and are used harmoniously, the world will destroy itself". He came to establish an ancient teaching, newly formulated for our time, one specifically calibrated to the stress and uncertainties of the technological world, Unlike the traditional three ways which focus on the body, emotions, or the mind, the Fourth Way uses the ordinary world to work. A rational and scientific approach – shorn of all "religiosity" and presented in an objective language – the Fourth Way uses the shocks, negativity and suffering of ordinary life to come to real Life.


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Editorial Reviews

Review

A lucid and compelling account of conflict and charlatanism surrounding one of the most important alternative spiritual movements. -- Robert S. Ellwood, Chairman, School of Religion, University of Southern California

Quite remarkable. I have read it with great pleasure. -- Colin Wilson, author, From Atlantis to the Sphinx

[D]eals with esoteric teachings in a modern context. [Raises] universal questions about the nature and transmission of spiritual truth. -- Publishers Weekly

Product Details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Arete Pubns; 2nd edition (January 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1879514028
  • ISBN-13: 978-1879514027
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,740,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

25 Reviews
5 star:
 (24)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Illuminating Background, October 30, 2007
This review is from: Struggle of the Magicians (Paperback)
I recently finished this book and intend to go back to it after re-reading In Search of the Miraculous and The Fourth Way. Both books have many valuable insights, but I found that the singular POV plus the lack of anchoring "in time" made it hard for me to see the person behind the voice. Perhaps this was intended . . . .

Regardless, Patterson's book is a wonderful guide to the twists and turns of how the Work has manifested in the world through Gurdjieff's prodigious efforts. For me it illustrated the Law of Octaves in a way that made more sense than any other. For that alone it was worth reading. As has been written earlier in this section, Struggle of the Magicians provides a valuable link between the many books written about G. and his students.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Look at Gurdjieff and his students, October 29, 2007
By 
Lynne Grey (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Struggle of the Magicians (Paperback)
To me, this book was very well researched and written. The author has not only researched the writings of the various students of Gurdjieff, but is himself a student of the 4th Way via one of these same students.

He has brought forth a very clear picture of the interwoven threads of the different outlooks on Gurdjieff's teachings, and how very few of them even half understood what was being given to them. And just how this half-knowledge then became a distorted teaching of the pure knowledge that Gurdjieff had tried to teach them.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Clarity on a bewildering subject, April 7, 2001
By 
Steve Adams (Denton, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Struggle of the Magicians (Paperback)
As I write this, there is only one other review given of this book. It is a good review, very spirited, and I would not challenge its personal perspective. The book is certainly a major contribution. The historical chronology is both interesting and useful. Probably the greatest service the book accomplishes is its stated purpose of adding insight to the master-pupil relationship. This is done with several examples of Gurdjieff's pupils, but foremost of course is that of Ouspensky. I remember the first time I read Ouspensky's "In Search of the Miraculous," I was bewildered by the schism that came between them. People may not necessarily agree 100% with Patterson's assessment of this situation, but it is certainly carefully and seriously reasoned and offers deep and important insight. While I find room for slight variations in my own perspective, the variations are only slight and I find that Patterson has something very important to say about Gurdjieff in clarifying this issue. In spite of my enormous respect for Ouspensky, I think it is important to have a balanced perspective on this issue and come closer to a full realization of Gurdjieff's true significance. Thank you Mr. Patterson for your contribution.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews




Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
ouspensky-gurdjieff relations 0 Aug 22, 2006
See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:








i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...