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In Search of the Miraculous (Harvest Book) Paperback – Bargain Price, September 28, 2001
- Print length399 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMariner Books
- Publication dateSeptember 28, 2001
- Dimensions1.25 x 5.25 x 7.75 inches
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Editorial Reviews
Review
A very provocative book that can lead to a complete reassessment of what a reader takes to be his knowledge."-Saturday Review
About the Author
Marianne Williamson is a philosopher, speaker, teacher, and author who lectures regularly about the application of spiritual principles to daily living. Her highly acclaimed and bestselling books include A Return to Love, A Woman's Worth, and Illuminata. She lives in Michigan.
Product details
- ASIN : B005K5NOVM
- Publisher : Mariner Books (September 28, 2001)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 399 pages
- Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 1.25 x 5.25 x 7.75 inches
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Customers find the book's philosophical content profound and esoteric. They describe it as an incredible, fine read that is well worth the effort. However, opinions differ on the readability - some find it clear and concise, while others find parts incomprehensible or unreadable.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book profound and insightful, with personal insights and pedagogic clarity. They describe it as an esoteric teaching that needs careful study. The book provides a fine introduction to the ideas, with thought-provoking concepts and psychology.
"It takes you to completely different levels of understanding yourself and life…..." Read more
"...This seems indeed a good forum in which many views on the subject can be expressed, and through which a general gist for a variety of reactions to..." Read more
"...value (maybe 30% of the book), but what is straightforward is so poignant and powerful, that it more than offsets the more vague and every "far out"..." Read more
"...It also is a historic work, describing the dangers of life in Russia during the Russian Revolution, and the methods of the communists and others in..." Read more
Customers find the book an easy read and well worth the effort. They describe it as a brilliant piece of work that serves to awaken. The content is carefully written, making it easy to absorb knowledge and wisdom from each chapter.
"It can be easy to read book after book, soaking up knowledge and wisdom, convincing ourselves that more readings and more information will equal a..." Read more
"Long read, great group to read with.....gurdjieff foundation. Abtuse and sat on shelve for years. Fin ally finished it. Inter" Read more
"...out the Gurdjieff work today under the influence of Ouspensky's extraordinary book...." Read more
"...This is a great read for one who is on the path and would like some literature to read in regards to the 4th way...." Read more
Customers have different views on the book's readability. Some find it clear and concise, with straightforward information and practical advice. Others mention incomprehensible parts, errors, typos, and a lack of user-friendliness.
"...I do have at least 2 criticisms. The book is at times incomprehensible...." Read more
"...It's simply laid out for all to see, without pressure or games, confidently resting on its on laurels. That alone was refreshing...." Read more
"...The psychology is what grips most people and it can be very disorienting...." Read more
"...For me at least, not a user-friendly edition." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2024It takes you to completely different levels of understanding yourself and life…
I would recommend to read it couple times and avoid parts where it goes too much into explaining how cosmos works, focusing more on how humans work :)
- Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2012I have made it a point to read all of the reviews of this book, and most of the reviews of the books by this author and many of the others in the Gurdjieff-Ouspensky line of Teaching or System.
This seems indeed a good forum in which many views on the subject can be expressed, and through which a general gist for a variety of reactions to the subject can be discerned.
Almost all those exposed to the whole pantheon of literature on the Fourth Way (as the system is known) agree that this is the most profound, objective and complete account available. It is almost a necessity in order to begin the process of understanding The Work, The Fourth Way etc.
First let it be said that Gurdjieff was The Teacher, not the other way around.
Although in this book Ouspensky candidly explains why he departed from his teacher (as a result of Personality differences really), Ouspensky never denied Gurdjieff as the source of the ideas he put forth and from the beginning (as this account makes clear) fervently embraced his remarkable synthesis of Eastern and Western religious traditions.
At the end of his life it is said that he told his followers to pursue other approaches, but that was just because he felt The System like all ideas do had run its course, at least for him).
During the lifetimes of the two teachers Ouspensky had far more followers numerically. And his books are far better known and thought to be more "accessible", tho "difficult". This accounts for the confusion as to whom is the primary teacher.
Thousands attended his lectures in Moscow on "Theosophical" and "Esoteric" subjects and read his newspaper columns on the same subjects before he was ever exposed to G. This was just prior to the Bolshevik Revolution, which began just before 1915.
He then attracted a similar following in the 1920's (when he first came to England) until his death in the late 40s.
But now upon his arrival in England (at the invitation of a wealthy sponsor, who had read his best-selling book Tertium Organum in its English translation), after years of study under G., he had a more or less complete body of impressive ideas and methods to present.
Ideas that rang truer to many than those available in conventional approaches to psychology, science and religion.
These contemporary and better known ideas were represented by "cutting edge" thinkers like Einstein, Freud and various religious teachers of the day (from Theosophical circles for example).
Included among his followers were many prominent "intellectuals" at that time who attended his well-received lectures and who saw something within them deeper and more resonant than the usual.
Aldous Huxley, Gerald Heard, J.G. Bennett (the English Ambassador in Turkey at the age of 23 who had met G. in Constantinople), Nicoll (formerly a follower of Jung), Collin, Nott, Orage, Bragdon, de Ropp and many others were among them. Even Einstein was asked his opinion of certain of these ideas, on which he made a favorable comment reportedly.
One of the most admired writers at that time, Katherine Mansfield, lived in London (tho from New Zealand)became enamoured of the ideas and moved outside of Paris to G.'s magnificent Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, where under his tutelage controversially she died a short time later.
Both Ouspensky and G. traveled to America frequently. Ouspensky moved there during the worst years of World War 2, leaving his wife to instruct there when he moved back to England after the war.
G. however frequently traveled there in the 1920s, especially to New York. There he became known as a "dance instructor", staging many demonstrations of mind-reading, magic tricks and dances that were performed as meditative exercises really by his pupils. These were hypnotic, well-received by the public and well-reviewed in newspapers, including one in Carnegie Hall in 1924.
Dance exercises are still practiced by several "Gurdjieff Groups" (beware of the many phony ones).
G. instructed A.E. Orage, the most prominent literary critic and publisher in London, to move to New York and begin groups there. One of his students was the wife of Frank Lloyd Wright, who had become a pupil of G. in the Middle East, long before her marriage and residence in America.
G. and Wright met at the latter's "commune" in Wisconsin. There were also followers of the teachings in Taos, New Mexico at that time or shortly after as well.
Ouspensky and Gurdjieff maintained contact with each other through their pupils while G. was in France and Paris and O. in England. Ouspensky sent his pupils and financial support to G. during this period. Many pupils studied personally under both men. However at one time or another, it is said, Ouspensky may have imposed a temporary "moratorium" on this exchange, out of pique or whatever.
Madame Ouspensky, who was a formidable teacher of The System (The Fourth Way or The Work), made it clear that G. was the real teacher, not her husband. There has never been any report that this was not accepted by Ouspensky himself.
And yet there is a misconception that O. denounced G. if not his ideas, but this is not entirely true. He simply separated himself from G. in the sense he no longer was part of his immediate circle (starting after 1918), but generally maintained contact, especially through his pupils.
He also submitted the manuscript of In Search of the Miraculous to G. for his approval before its first publication, and he and those he trusted honored G.'s desire not to publish it until G. himself had died. As it happened, O. died two years before G., but G.'s magnus opus All and Everything was published first. The manuscripts of both works circulated among pupils, however, long before publication.
It is remarkable that negative views of this book and those of the more important progenitors of these ideas (Bennett, Nicoll, Collin and many others) are generally scarce.
This attests to the transformative, positive and powerful effect of these ideas on so many people.
I am struck by how many reviewers have revealed that the influence of In Search of the Miraculous has stayed with them for decades, so much so that many have after all these years written articulate, objective and informed reviews of this book so many years later.
Essentially, as I have said, In Search of the Miraculous is universally considered, by those on whom the book has had a lasting effect, to be the best and most profound introduction to G.'s ideas.
What are these ideas? They are not the rantings of a charlatan or "rascal-sage", as is sometimes ignorantly believed.
Instead they are designed to be a representation of Cosmology, Science and Psychology (adapted to the Western Mind and sometime in parable form), but PRIMARILY a practical method of Self-Evolution.
The parallels between the meditative practices of Buddhism and other religions are noted in many of these reviews.
Prominent pupils of both men, though not Ouspensky himself, converted to Roman Catholicism later in their life (Collin and Bennett e.g.), and others went on to follow other religions and practices (Zen, Indian teachers etc.). G. himself was buried, amidst a throng of thousands of mourners, in Paris at a Russian Orthodox Church.
There is no contradiction between G.'s "system" and those of all the great "religious" traditions.
This life is a trial, a burden, a lesson. Guidance and Wisdom are necessary, not mere Faith or Belief, to help us along the way. These ideas provide it for those receptive and ready for it.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2019It can be easy to read book after book, soaking up knowledge and wisdom, convincing ourselves that more readings and more information will equal a better life somehow. But Gurdjieff - through Ouspensky - shows that we can deceive ourselves. We fool ourselves all our lives, and will continue to do so to the end, unless we step back, see ourselves clearly for a change, and wake up. So this book is different from most in that it puts usefulness on the same level as gaining knowledge and wisdom. It shows you that you must have both, and can't skimp out on putting it into practice, and changing your 'being'.
I love how the information is presented with zero preaching and zero ulterior motive or agenda. It's simply laid out for all to see, without pressure or games, confidently resting on its on laurels. That alone was refreshing.
I was surprised to see it hitting home in many spots, and explaining matters like I've never heard before. It's like wow! so obvious and so practical, but otherwise flying below the radar in our daily lives. It's a shame this isn't better known, but Gurdjieff explains exactly why it is so. So even that now clearly makes sense.
There are parts of the book that are more abstract and of lesser value (maybe 30% of the book), but what is straightforward is so poignant and powerful, that it more than offsets the more vague and every "far out" parts of the book. Even the more odd parts of the book are still interesting, and worth reading and pondering. Maybe over time those will gain value too. The loss of one star is for those sections, and the omission of many commas needed for proper grammatical pauses.
There is some history also included at the beginning and end of the book.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2018I read this months ago. I decided to give a 3 star review. Then I went back and looked and re-read about 30% of my highlights and realized that this is a book of monumental proportions the meaning of which cannot be grasped in a single reading. It also is a historic work, describing the dangers of life in Russia during the Russian Revolution, and the methods of the communists and others in destroying the fabric of that society. I do have at least 2 criticisms. The book is at times incomprehensible. Also, I've studied other occult tomes including Franz Hartmann's Magic White and Black. Hartmann describes things while remaining discreet and responsible with knowledge that should not be available to the masses. Ouspensky does likewise, but won't even describe his experience which is frustrating for this reader. Describing what his experience was is not the same as explaining how to arrive there. Looking back at the things I highlighted, I realize that there is an extraordinary amount of merit in the material and I will have to come back to it at another time when I have more free time. It is deserving of five stars.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2018Long read, great group to read with.....gurdjieff foundation. Abtuse and sat on shelve for years. Fin ally finished it. Inter
- Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2024This is one of the most important 4th Way books--A must have! Shipped quickly. I would buy from this vendor again... Peace!
Top reviews from other countries
- Sean W.Reviewed in Mexico on October 16, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insight from over 100 years old diary of an esoteric group practice in Russia (Gurdjieff)
I did get slightly disappointed at the end when I realized that a) all of Gurdjieff's secret "work" practice involved basically Fasting and Breathwork and Exercise which is what is commonly known in modern times as a solid personal/ group Yoga Asana practice.
However I must be kind that this was written in 1916, prohibited by Gurdjieff's followers from being released until after the death of both Gurdjieff AND Ouspensky (40 years later), and then of course I am reading it a further 70 years later after a widespread endemic of Yoga and Spiritual practice all over the west from the internet at a click of a button....
More than just this however, I found the insight from Gurdjieff into the deeper "mechanicalness" of the humanity to be the very best parts. Most will tell you ISOTM to be the first book to read, before entering into Gurdjieff's work and 4th Way (Ouspensky).
I will tell you, that to really understand Gurdjieff, you need to read (preferably listen to) Osho or Bhagwan Rajneesh. He actually DID create the largest ever "group" of humans and DID "the work" as Gurdjieff had envisioned it... and not only using some of Gurdjieffs techniques, but actually bringing in a far wider array of tools and practices and philosophy from every aspect of Psychology (Jung) through to Buddhism (all the Sutras) and Tantra (Tilopa, Saraha) and Yoga combined.
Listening to Osho discourses: Tao the Pathless Path vol 1 & 2 (free on Oshoworld.com), as well as Tantra Supreme Understanding, The Tantra Vision, and the Diamond Sutra... where Osho often refers to Gurdjieff and even discusses the exact same topics such as: Emotional, Moving, Thinking centers... and the difference between those and the Chakras... and how One cannot simply chase enlightenment or freedom.
- Benny BaxterReviewed in Germany on June 17, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Close to perfect (and one of the best books in its genre ever written)
Close to perfect edition. Much better to read than the pockets with their far too small font. I say *close* to perfect as there's still too many spelling errors. Publishers shouldn't be so sloppy with such an incredible book. But... we can understand everything still. So I'd say it's alright. Probably best edition of this 4th Way book I've found.
- Karel S.Reviewed in France on January 11, 2024
1.0 out of 5 stars Very poor translation and print
I bought the KINDLE version... It's terrible, I used to own the physical book and I thought that it would be the same.
IT'S NOT! Full of mistakes, drawings and schematics are missing and text is strangely cut up...
It's a great book, but buy the real thing, instead not Kindle.
Only positive thing is the price, under 1€
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Monica F.Reviewed in Italy on June 23, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Reso perché lo avevo già
Lettura fondamentale per proseguire lo studio della quarta via.
Attenzione, si tratta dello stesso volume venduto in Italia con il titolo "frammenti di un insegnamento sconosciuto" edito da astrolabio Ubaldini!
- bonjour benjaminReviewed in Canada on August 14, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars No wonder it's a classic
I wish Gurdjieff had been able to see how we've developed his Enneagram work into today's modern psychological Enneagram. He would be elated, I think, because it would make it so much easier to express what he's trying to convey about human nature, as his primary teaching, "remember yourself" has already wound its way into our collective consciousness these days via Huffington Post articles on meditation, etc. If there's anything you take away from Gurdjieff though, only one phrase, let it be "remember yourself", no matter what type you are. Anyway, this book isn't about the types, an application of his system that really didn't come to its own till the 1970's. It's rather about the Enneagram as related to the development processes of the universe and all living things. Over my head in many places, but still brilliant and worth every penny for the wisdom that is within reach.