The Fourth Way Up: Practical Esoteric Work in Gurdjieff Groups
Author: Anatoly Arlashin
The Fourth Way Up is a modern textbook on the development of consciousness. It can benefit both students of Gurdjieff's teachings and those on the spiritual path in other traditions.
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Book description
In the West, the Fourth Way has become overly formal and, at times, dull. It has lost most of its esoteric core. For example, self-remembering, the central practice of the Fourth Way, has been reduced to merely tracking one's actions at any given moment. Watching one's steps is helpful but hardly exciting. This book, in turn, reminds us that remembering oneself is a gateway into a different reality, where one realizes that they are a spirit, not a body.
Another aspect that has been largely omitted from the modern interpretation of the Fourth Way is the practice of techniques in altered states of consciousness. Gurdjieff gave a vital part of his knowledge to his students while they were in a trance-like state. That state of consciousness is where the real magic of internal transformation happens on the Fourth Way. Learning how to use that state is often overlooked in many modern Fourth Way schools. The only trace that is left is the so-called "morning preparation" practice. This book, in contrast, thoroughly explains how different altered states of consciousness work and which centers of the human psyche they engage. There is no empty theorizing in this book. When discussing states of consciousness, higher centers, and kundalini, the author draws on his own experience and that of his students.
The current situation with the objective laws, the Law of Three, the Law of Octaves, and the Enneagram, is equally disheartening. People with a good imagination and limited understanding have come up with absurd theories related to the Enneagram. Those individuals have written numerous books and created considerable confusion. This book outlines the objective laws as Gurdjieff presented them. A significant number of practical examples supplement the theoretical explanation.
About the author
Born on September 17, 1942, in Orekhovo-Zuevo in the Moscow Region, Anatoly Romanovich Arlashin embarked on a remarkable journey of intellectual and esoteric exploration. During his studies at MIPT (Mendeléyev Institute of Higher Chemical Technology) between 1961 and 1967, he independently mastered both Hatha yoga and Raja Yoga. His early career included working with extraordinary practitioners of telepathy, such as actor Karl Nikolayev, biophysicist Yuri Kamensky, and hypnotist Vladimir Raykov—as well as learning from other renowned figures in the domains of clairvoyance and psychokinesis.
Further enriching his path, he studied practical yoga under esteemed Indian yogis and received training in psychiatry from Professor Yuri Nikolaev. His exploration into parapsychological phenomena introduced him to ancient traditions of practical clairvoyance related to Grigori Rasputin, passed down from a monk in a Tobolsk monastery. In 1965, his involvement with the Fourth Way began with participation in a group run by Fyodor Veryovin, a direct student of George Ivanovich Gurdjieff.
Since 1996, Arlashin has led a Fourth Way school, publishing twenty-five audio practices and fifty-five audiobooks, produced together with Tatiana Orbu.
The author has also collaborated with numerous consciousness researchers, including his fellow-chemist Alexander Shulgin.
Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- Chapter 1. The Strategy and Tactics of the Fourth Way
- Chapter 2. Consciousness
- Chapter 3. The Law of Three
- Chapter 4. The law of octaves
- Chapter 5. The Ray of Creation
- Chapter 6. 28 types of essence
- Chapter 7. Man as a chemical factory for food processing
- Chapter 8. The enneagram
- Chapter 9. Control centers of the human psyche
- Chapter 10. Interaction of the centers, the magnetic center, and false crystallization
- Chapter 11. Incorrect functioning of the centers
- Chapter 12. Types and forms of consciousness
- Chapter 13. Levels of Human Development
- Chapter 14. Self-observation
- Chapter 15. Correction, development, and opening of the emotional center
- Chapter 16. Development of the intellectual center
- Chapter 17. Development of the motor center
- Chapter 18. The chief feature and false personality
- Chapter 19. Survival in the city
- Chapter 20. Intrigue: how it works and how to combat it
- Chapter 21. Magical inventions
- Chapter 22. TWIN and esoteric practices
- Conclusion
- Appendix 1. 10 Commandments of the traveler
- Appendix 2. The nine beatitudes of Jesus Christ
- Appendix 3. The ten commandments of Moses
- Appendix 4. 28 Lunar types of human essences
