---

This book explores the life and ideas of the enigmatic twentieth century philosopher, mystic, and teacher of esoteric dances George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, performing a hermeneutic textual analysis of all his writings to illuminate the place of hypnosis in his teaching. Foreword by J. Walter Driscoll.

---

Foreword; J.Walter Driscoll Introduction: Gurdjieff, Hypnosis, and Hermeneutics Philosophy: Ontology of the Harmonious Universe Philosophy: Psychology of a ´Tetartocosmos´ Philosophy: Epistemology of ´Three-Brained Beings´ The ´Organ Kundabuffer´ Theory of Human Disharmonization The Practice of ´Harmonious Development of Man´ Life is Real Only Then, When ´I am´ Not Hypnotized Meetings with the Remarkable Hypnotist Beelzebub´s Hypnotic Tales to His Grandson Gurdjieff´s Roundabout Yezidi Circle Appendix: Textual Chronology of Gurdjieff´s Life

---

"Tamdgidi sets a benchmark for Gurdjieff Studies in relation to two recognized but insufficiently explored areas, his writings as a unified field and his exploitation of hypnosis in its broadest sense. His compact interpretation of Gurdjieff emphasizes - for the first time - a search for meaning based on recognizable keys within about 1,800 pages of Gurdjieff´s four texts as a single body of work, with particular focus on subliminal and subconscious dimensions of impact and interpretation, an approach which might be termed the ´Hermeneutics of Gurdjieff.´ Thus, Tamdgidi´s work is an important original contribution to the constructive, independent, and critical study of Gurdjieff´s four books. Anyone who has seriously attempted to read Beelzebub´s Tales to His Grandson or Meetings with Remarkable Men can vouch for their intentionally beguiling or ´hypnotic´ effect. These readers will appreciate Tamdgidi´s interpretive virtuosity and focus - he keeps each tree and the entire forest in sight throughout." - From the Foreword by J. Walter Driscoll, independent scholar and bibliographer; editor and contributing author, Gurdjieff: A Reading Guide, 3rd Ed.; contributing editor, Gurdjieff International Review (1997-2001); co-author, Gurdjieff: An Annotated Bibliography

"A wondrous odyssey and extraordinary argumentation! Nothing in the corpus of writings on Gurdjieff´s works goes near to matching this masterful reading. Each time one looks back into the text, one finds more gold, no dross." - Paul Beekman Taylor, Professor Emeritus at the University of Geneva, and author ofG. I. Gurdjieff: A New Life; Gurdjieff´s Invention of America; The Philosophy of G. I. Gurdjieff; Gurdjieff & Orage: Brothers in Elysium;andShadows of Heaven: Gurdjieff and Toomer

"In the ocean of literature on Gurdjieff, the brilliant book of Mohammad Tamdgidi has a very special place. It is the first serious academic attempt at a hermeneutics of Gurdjieff´s texts, taking as key the core of Gurdjieff´s teaching - the enneagram. Of course, Gurdjieff´s teaching cannot be understood apart from its practice. But it is also true that this teaching cannot be understood without a rigorous study of the writings of Gurdjieff himself." - Basarab Nicolescu, author of Manifesto of Transdisciplinarity

---