Heart of the Path: Gurdjieff's Teachings in Guided Meditations
Authors: Anatoly Arlashin, Tatiana Orbu
Heart of the Path invites you to the hidden part of the Fourth Way, previously available only to adepts. It is a comprehensive textbook on working in altered states of consciousness. Eliminate fear, hidden negative emotions, and constraints. Master lucid dreaming, heal yourself, learn how to pass an exam, and find your true love–all that in the magical world of deep meditation practices.
Learn the key concepts of the Fourth Way using the techniques Gurdjieff employed with his close students in Russia.
The book contains 27 guided meditations and their detailed descriptions.
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Foreword
This book is unique in that it offers the reader not a theoretical introduction to the ideas of the Fourth Way, but a special method of mastering them through meditative practices performed in altered states of consciousness. Unlike the formal study of dry theory, the principles of the Fourth Way are conveyed here through vivid imagery that is quickly and deeply absorbed by the emotional center, bypassing habitual intellectual barriers. Typically, an altered state of consciousness is associated with the influence of psychedelic substances such as LSD or DMT. However, this book explores psycho-techniques that enable a person to independently enter such states without external stimulants—methods akin to self-hypnosis. In this immersed state, a person gains access to their emotional center and hidden programs that remain inaccessible in an ordinary state of consciousness.
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, the founder of the Fourth Way, asserted that a person must study their "machine"—that is, themselves. He also stated that, ordinarily, a person is incapable of "doing," meaning producing real changes in themselves and their life. In the altered states of consciousness discussed in this book, a person not only studies their "machine," identifying its hidden flaws, but also gains the ability to make changes to it, improving its functioning. Gurdjieff actively used this approach in his Moscow group in the early 20th century. Unfortunately, in Western sources dedicated to the Fourth Way, this method is presented in a heavily shortened form, and Western students of Gurdjieff rarely discuss work in altered states of consciousness. In Russia, this approach has not only been preserved but also developed by Gurdjieff's students and their followers. It is these meditative practices, based on this method, that form the foundation of this book.
The experience of Gurdjieff's groups shows that the path of the Fourth Way is often hindered by powerful negative emotions: depression, fears, guilt, resentment, aggression, and so on. These emotions block development, depriving a person of the energy needed for self-remembering and the formation of subtle bodies. Therefore, the first step for a student is to eliminate these oppressive emotions and restore internal energetic integrity. To this end, the book presents the "TWIN" and "Phoenix" practices, which help overcome emotional blocks. Only after this can one proceed to a deep exploration of the ideas of the Fourth Way. It is not enough to read about them in books—one must feel them with one's entire being. This is precisely the aim of the practices described in the book. By performing them, you will discover what lies behind the formal concepts of Fourth Way theory and be able to experience these ideas on a profound level. This is how Gurdjieff taught his students in his Moscow group.
In addition to negative emotions, personal development is often hindered by an unsettled personal life and health problems. The book includes practices aimed at finding harmonious relationships and using them for the development of consciousness. It also presents methods of self-diagnosis and self-healing that help restore physical and mental health. Special attention is given to psycho-techniques for developing lucid dreaming, which open new horizons for self-knowledge.
Finally, the book offers practices aimed at the growth of consciousness, the awakening of the spirit, and the development of essence—the heart of the Fourth Way. Words remain mere words if they are not followed by practice. Only practice can lead to real change, transforming you from within. May this book serve not only as a source of knowledge but also as a guide to the world of profound internal transformation. We wish you to become true practitioners who not only study the Fourth Way but live it with every fiber of your being. May your path be filled with discoveries, strength, and harmony!
About the authors
Tatiana Orbu embarked on the Fourth Way of consciousness development in May 1995, after attending a seminar dedicated to the theory and practice of the Fourth Way. From that moment on, her life changed completely. She realized she had found the Knowledge about humanity and the world she had been seeking her entire life.
Tatiana actively engaged in group work and committed her life to self-development. Over time, she revealed her talents in exceptional narration and the creation of spiritual audiobooks. As she practically mastered the theory and practice of the Fourth Way and her Essence grew, she became a recognized teacher of G.I. Gurdjieff's teachings. The next stage of her spiritual growth was the creation of remarkable guided meditations to aid in mastering the challenging themes of the Fourth Way. These audio practices help individuals rise above the world of "A influences" and experience spiritual depth. Without a doubt, Tatiana Orbu's works are "B influences," according to the terminology of the Fourth Way.
Anatoly Arlashin is a distinguished figure in the Gurdjieff tradition, representing a lineage that remained in Russia after G.I. Gurdjieff brought his teachings to the West. Anatoly's journey with the Fourth Way began in 1965 when he joined a group led by Fyodor Veryovin, a direct student of Gurdjieff. Anatoly is also an accomplished expert in Hatha and Raja Yoga, blending these disciplines with his deep understanding of the Fourth Way. He participated in research exploring clairvoyance and psychokinesis in the "Bioinformation" Laboratory at the Moscow Society of Radioelectronics and Telecommunications named after Popov. Since 1996, Anatoly has been leading a Fourth Way school in Moscow, guiding students in the practical application of Gurdjieff's teachings to foster self-awareness and conscious development.
List of Practices
Core Practices
Core practices form the initial framework of meditations to be followed in a specific sequence. Each practice represents a stage of self-work. The other practices in this book complement these stages.
Basic practice. Clearing the conscious and subconscious mind of negative emotions, such as fear. Regular mental inspection. Preparation for deeper practices.
Releasing emotional attachment to past events. Eliminating energy losses caused by ties to past relationships and events. Reassessing response patterns by the intellectual part of the emotional center to prevent energy loss in similar situations in the future.
Peace in the Soul
Activating the emotional center through admiration of nature’s beauty, awakening the essence. Developing subtle perception. Training and developing the intellectual part of the emotional center.
The Taste of Life
Recognizing the consciousness of the essence and viewing the personality from the perspective of the essence’s consciousness. Developing flexibility of consciousness, necessary for essential perception. Learning the fundamental principle of self-remembering: perception of reality from the essence. Breaking free from programmed, monotonous, depressive personality states. First conscious shock.
The World of Love
Entering a high state of the soul where we love and feel love in everything. It is easiest to reassess and eliminate all negative emotions and fears from this state of consciousness. Transforming negative emotions, leading to the transformation of the false personality. Second conscious shock.
Light of the Spirit
Achieving high states of consciousness close to the state of the Spirit. This practice paves the way for awareness of one’s higher centers. At the level of the emotional center, we set the goal toward which we will move in the process of inner work.
Conscious Self-Mastery
Learn to Rule Yourself
Three introductory audio exercises teach mastery over your inner world: the first trains you to enter and manage a special state of consciousness; the second fosters a sense of inner freedom in altered states of consciousness; the third teaches techniques to facilitate learning and remove obstacles in education.
Attention Development
This practice introduces you to the core properties of attention. In a deeply immersive state, it helps you profoundly understand the internal mechanism governing concentration, stability, scope, flexibility, and other qualities of attention. Here, you will find exercises aimed at developing two types of specialized attention: attention for self-remembering and attention for altered states of consciousness.
Program Your Attention, Memory, and Thinking
Develop key cognitive functions—attention, memory, and thinking—through nighttime programming.
Deep Rest in Minutes
Learn to fall asleep quickly and enter deep sleep on command.
Working with Dreams
The Practice of Lucid Dreaming
Learn how to induce and control lucid dreams, enabling navigation and creativity within the dream space.
Body of Time
Use lucid dreaming to enter a deep state where you can access past and future incarnations.
Health and Youth
Temple of Health
A foundational practice for self-diagnosis and self-healing. Visualize the state of internal organs and heal them by filling them with light.
Overcome the Pain!
In cases of severe pain, professional medical help is necessary. While waiting for help, this psycho-technique can reduce suffering. It also teaches precise, focused self-healing.
Elixirs of Health
Heal internal organs, blood vessels, and skin. Manage the body’s condition by achieving inner wholeness.
The Practice of Rejuvenation
Tune the body for well-being and longevity. Eliminate excess weight by managing appetite. Gain control over the body by recognizing yourself as a spirit within it.
Love and Sexual Relationships
The Call of the Heart
Seek harmonious relationships. Find your soulmate—the being incarnated here on Earth with whom you form a complete whole.
The Alchemy of Love
Elevate your intimate relationship with your loved one to a new, spiritual, esoteric level. Love is the fastest path to developing consciousness.
Mastering the Inner World
Immersion in Silence
Successful self-work requires energy, which depends on the proper functioning of our “spacesuit”—the body. During sleep, psychological and biochemical restoration occurs. This practice helps clear the emotional center of the day’s events and aids those who struggle to fall asleep to enter deep sleep more easily.
The Joy of Being
This practice restores the lost feeling of the JOY OF EXISTENCE. Only in unity with our common mother—Nature—can we rediscover our natural state of joy. Through a sequence of carefully selected images, you can gradually approach a state of oneness with nature, feeling the unifying element that connects you to it.
Unlocking Inner Potential
The Alchemy of Knowledge
Learn to move correctly along the Fourth Way. Knowledge and being are like steps of the left and right foot, essential for moving forward toward growing understanding. This practice helps you not only comprehend this process intellectually but also feel it emotionally, enabling you to develop in the right direction without distortion, with full understanding and awareness of what you are doing.
The Awakening of Essence
Gurdjieff said that true human development begins when one starts distinguishing between the manifestations of essence and those of personality. From this moment, a person’s awakening and real self-work begin. This practice helps you enter the state of essence, recognize and feel it, and create a reference point for it. This state should be accessed during self-remembering and all practices, as it yields positive results in self-work and prevents the false personality from taking a leading role, which could lead to false crystallization.
Exam? Easy!
Psychological preparation and psycho-energetic techniques for exams or important negotiations. Exam-taking strategies, practical tips, and psycho-techniques based on activating positive emotions during critical moments in your life.
Higher States of Consciousness
Angel
This audio practice, through an enhanced state of perception, allows you to reconnect with the depths of your psyche. Listening to a magical fairy tale, you will recall your childhood when you and the world were joyful and authentic, when you truly lived and rejoiced in life. It helps you remember your childhood dreams and awaken to the joy of being and creating Here and Now!
Rebirth of the Spirit
This practice allows you to experience, feel, and understand the ancient esoteric formula of spiritual development: “Awaken, Die, Be Born.” These are the sequential stages of development in the Fourth Way. Awaken to see your false personality. Die to the false personality by transforming it. Be born in a new state of consciousness with a personality in harmony with the essence in its pursuit of spiritual growth.
