“Ancient art has a specific inner content. At one time, art possessed the same purpose that books do in our day, namely: to preserve and transmit knowledge. In olden days, people did not write books, they incorporated their knowledge into works of art. We would find a great many ideas in the works of ancient art passed down to us, if only we knew how to read them.”
—G. I. Gurdjieff
G. I. Gurdjieff (1866–1949) was a mystic, spiritual teacher, and philosopher who developed a unique system of self-transformation that reconciled the great mystical and spiritual traditions. It was known as the "Fourth Way."
Gurdjieff's life and teachings are shrouded in mystery and ambiguity, and he deliberately maintained a certain level of secrecy about his background.
Gurdjieff's teachings embody a wide range of ideas and concepts, from Self-observation and Self-awareness to the notion of different levels or centers of consciousness within each of us.