To Our Friends, Present & Future: More than fifty years have passed since George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff left in our keeping an extraordinarily valuable teaching, comprised of clearly defined principles, fresh stimulating ideas, and precise practical suggestions for living them. His legacy also includes tangible materials: recordings, films, photographs, letters, Movements notations, exercise notations, music recordings, music manuscripts, teaching suggestions, and memoirs. But some of this priceless legacy is increasingly being allowed to deteriorate, become neglected or lost, and distortions of “The Gurdjieff Ideas” proliferate in the public marketplace.
A large number of people do not accept that “all this is inevitable!” As a community of like-minded individuals, we are calling ourselves the Gurdjieff Heritage Society. We are utilizing modern methods to arrest and reverse deterioration of these materials. Once properly preserved and digitized, these materials can then be accessible to Foundation libraries and sanctioned Work groups for use in their activities, and to authorized Movements instructors, pianists, and group leaders. But all in a climate of common goals, deep respect, warm humanity, and, hopefully, joy and satisfaction. As one of our European colleagues phrases it, “More glue-ing, less sue-ing.”
Almost a century ago the first written exposition of Mr. Gurdjieff’s ideas appeared in the scenario for his ballet, “The Struggle of the Magicians.” Since the climax and curtain line of this unique work is a memorable and meaningful blessing, we have adopted it as our motto and will try to live up to it.
“May reconciliation, hope, diligence and justice be ever with you all.”
Dushka Howarth, November 2006