George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff was born in 1870 close to the Russian border in the Armenian city of Alexandropol to Greek parents. Details of his early life are obscure but some of these are related in his later writings. Apparently from an early age he was intrigued by the mysteries of life and later formed a specialised group whose intentions were to investigate many aspects of the paranormal. Gurdjieff had travelled extensively throughout the Middle East, across Siberia and the Gobi desert to Tibet and India in his search for answers to questions that orthodox beliefs failed to give him. On his travels he became acquainted with several esoteric brotherhoods, while he led or organised several archaeological expeditions into the Gobi desert to search for a lost civilisation and into Babylon to rediscover the arcane truths of an ancient brotherhood which had been established in 2,500 BC. Despite the turbulent events of the Russian Revolution and the 1st. World War he was able to gather around him a number of influential "intelligentsia" who assisted and funded his numerous researches and expeditions which would fundamentally alter the traditional views of mainstream theological thought.

He began his work among a select group of individuals in Moscow and St. Petersburg around 1919 giving seminars and talks and even staging theatrical productions as he considered himself to be both a mystic and teacher of dancing. His chief disciple then was Pietr Ouspensky who was prone to intellectualise and formalise much of what Gurdjieff saw as an oral, almost secret form of instruction and initiation. Ouspensky's contribution to Gurdjieff's system was defined in his work "In Search of the Miraculous" but his later attempts to encapsulate his teaching appeared to fall short of the mark. When Gurdjieff was asked to give some critical pronouncement of Ouspensky's later book called a "New Model of the Universe" Gurdjieff described it as "A New Muddle of the Universe". Needless to say their relationship came under considerable strain at this point.

Gurdjieff returned to the West with a uniquely reworked system of individual self development which encompassed the ancient truths contained within all religious and metaphysical doctrines and established a school entitled -"The Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man" at Fontainebleu in Paris in 1923.

Between the 1920s' & 30s' he travelled to various European cities where his notoriety and fame was well known to the radical middle-class who were then in a stage of personal transformation brought on by the conflict of science, contemporary culture and the dogmatic attitudes of the old religions.

Gurdjieff claimed that his system was fundamentally Esoteric Christianity and did not challenge orthodox views on Faith or the Grace of God. However, he wrote several books which were meant to fundamentally alter the ideas, and beliefs which many traditional faiths had treasured as indisputable. "Beelzebubs' Tales to his Grandson" was meant to act as a purgative to those "human diseases" or personal misconceptions which Gurdjieff mercilessly and vehemently attacked, while "Meetings with Remarkable Men" was partly biographical and subtly instructive in its' approach. The final work, "The Self is Only Real - Then, When I Am" was to provide his readers and students with new material for constructing a new model of the Self in relation to others and the Universe at large. The relevance of these works to his teachings is discussed below.

He also travelled to America where he drew much media and press attention, although he did criticise strongly the American obsession with material concerns and lack of true spiritual insight. In England he was admired by the scientist J.G. Bennett who formulated much of Gurdjieffs' teaching into esoteric Christian doctrines, scientific and philosophical truths. Towards the 2nd. World War he became something of a recluse and later died of injuries sustained in a tragic car crash.

Author's Note: Beelzebub is derived from the Philistine or Canaanite God BAAL-ZEBUL, The Lord of the Mansion of the North. The Canaanites worshipped him as a kind of Northern God of the otherworld. He is a god of Prophecy & Fertility, a type of autumnal Dionysus who prophesied when intoxicated with a concoction made of hallucinogenic mushrooms - most likely amanita muscaria or  "fly agaric" and the idea that Beelzebub was the Lord of the Flies. Much later in Judaeo-Christian era he became associated with Satan or the Devil. Strictly speaking he was in fact a type of Lucifer or "fallen angel".

One important factor relevant in understanding the sophistication of Gurdjieff's System was the language he employed to write these literary works. All of them were originally written in Armenian and contained numerous esoteric word ciphers which required a knowledge of the keys to the cryptic clues required for deciphering their real meaning. The Armenian language is derived and partly based on the Georgian Language which was in turn largely a combination of the Indo-Iranian and Caucasian languages. The Georgian language strangely enough is like the Greek in that numerically it is an isosephic tongue whereby all its' letters contain the number range from 1 to 1,000.

Two distinct writing styles developed within the Georgian alphabet - the "Khutsuri" or priestly letters which are somewhat square in shape and the more cursive "Mkhedruli" or warrior letters developed around 1,000 CE. As a direct result of the development of the more cursive script the Georgian language itself was reduced from 39 to 33 letters. This mathematically reflects the symmetry contained in the number 9 and the number 11 - these two numbers reoccur within Arabic and Sanskrit esoteric number symbolism (See 99 Names of God).
In Sanskrit cosmology they re-emerge as the 33 consonants which represent the 33 joints of the human spine, the sum total of 25 Varga letters & 8 Avarga letters symbolically represent the 33 Gods of Heaven (Sura) and the Goddess Kali herself. They can also be found within Cabalistic doctrines where the 33 degrees represent the entire range of Masonic levels of initiation.

As many students of the Gurdjieffian system are aware G.I. Gurdjieff was well travelled and studied the components of esoteric Arabic mathematics, the tenets of Sufism, Buddhism, Christianity and the Greek "Soma Sophia". He no doubt aligned much of his work along the lines of the abstract numerical symbolism contained within these particular occult systems. It is therefore a subtle blend of Eastern Mysticism, Gnosticism or Esoteric Christianity.

It should be noted that the First Book or section contains 27 chapters which correspond to the 28 Lunar Mansions or "manzils" of Arabic astrology defined by al-Arabi's astrological scale. The major calendrical and cosmological systems of the world have corresponding asterisms each with various names or titles. These lunar asterisms usually contain an additional intercalary "month" thus bringing the final total to 28. Based again on the laws of the octave, there are 4 Palaces representing the four cardinal directions, each one containing 7 asterisms. The Chinese Compass Plates used in Divination and Feng Shui are also relevant to this form of geomantic division of the 360 degrees of the Celestial Sphere where conveniently 4 x 9 = 36.
 

The Chinese Lo Shu Magic Square and the talismanic seal of Saturn is composed of 9 cells arranged in a manner that contains a series of four numbers: 3, 9, 15 and 45.  The first number 3 is the number of squares of any given side. The second number is 9 - the total number of cells which correspond to the nine points of the Enneagram. The third number is 15 - the sum total of any 3 cells read vertically, horizontally or diagonally. The fourth number 45 is the total sum of the entire nine numbers of the magic square. These 4 numbers therefore govern the symbolic arrangement of the Magic Square acting as metaphors. Before the discovery of the outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto the planet Saturn was the "King" or ruler of the other six planets Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter.

The Second Book contains eleven chapters which accord with the 11 degrees of the Cosmic Ladder of Consciousness.
See also Orphic Ladder.

Finally, the Third Book contains 8 chapters which accord with the Geomantic Ogdoad. The last chapter entitled "From the Author" is a subtle addition and can be set aside from the entire three volumes thus totalling 45. "From the Author" contains a description of the automatic or mechanical nature of the human psyche analogously expressed as a Horse and Carriage.
Therefore each chapter of "Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson" is symbolically and mystically linked to one of the 28 letters of the Arabic, Hebraic or Greek alphabets.

One simple starting point in the analysis of the Enneagrams' qualitative and quantitative attributes in understanding the human psyche was to represent the 7 cardinal sins Pride, Greed, Lust, Anger, Gluttony, Envy and Sloth and include 2 further indiscretions Fear and Deceit to the list to form a complete compendium of the human condition. These were viewed as compulsions or addictions which human beings were inextricably drawn towards and which had to be firstly observed and then later transformed into divine qualities.
 

People who work in advertising or politics for example are in effect psychopathic liars who have a sublime talent for persuasion, hypnotism and on the whole distorting the truth. Lying is good for business, I do not doubt the efficacy of this tactic. Everybody is susceptible to greed and prefers to believe the lie, that is everybody wants something for nothing.

Advertising moguls are skilled at placing any number of suggestions in people's minds and with the additional use of the media they can induce people to buy products they have absolutely no use for. The same phenomena can take place during the complete or passive hypnotic state, but persuasion occurs during the waking states when we are in effect semi-conscious and requires the juxtaposition of words and images on the part of the "hypnotist". Often the advertisement appeals to the lowest common denominator - that it will improve their sex life, make them popular with their peers, improve their financial status, make them appear intelligent, sensitive, aware, original, and even down to earth.

When people lie their bodies do not like it - it is inhuman to lie, in fact it is an abhorrence but modern man tolerates this psychological disease. The body hates the dichotomy of falsehood, that's why when we observe ourselves when lying our body reacts abnormally. That is why lie detectors work with the GSR (galvanic skin response) and are so successful in detecting whether or not people are really being sincere with their fellow man. In time and with practice many of these physiological responses can however be blocked although the body has its own field of integrity and resists these egotistical anomalies by for example blushing or sweating. The reason is that in the hidden depths of our soul we all personally know what is false and what is true. As we grow up and develop, this faculty begins to conflict with our conscience as we encounter pretension, hypocrisy, and deceit in others.

In this respect the human psyche is two-fold, as a companion and guide it helps us remeber who we are until the higher intuitional qualities have been developed and channelled. It is both masculine and feminine, perhaps even androgynous in some circumstances in its' sexual orientation. In this sense it has both a passive, active and neutral function within the human psyche.

Before any individual "lies" to others they must convince themselves of the so-called truth ie: construct an alibi using pieces of reality and mould them into a plausible reality. Having done this they are then able to present others with this imaginary tale or set of circumstances.

The position of Mercury in the natal chart for example reveals the nature or manner in which individuals are likely to mislead others. In Fire Signs people are likely to attempt to bluff, brag or extemporise upon the truth and although people suspect a yarn is being spun decline to break its' spell in the listening audience. In Water Signs people lie to avoid embarrassment, to protect theirs or others feelings and to elicit sympathy - in this way they feel that they are justified in their subtle deceptions. In Earth Signs people lie most clearly and perceptively by hiding or obstructing the truth from others and make every effort to provide convincing alibis and visible proof of their mendacity. Finally, in Air Signs people are downright pretentious, smug and diplomatic in most cases social or political etiquette and protocols are the means by which they collude with others and hoodwink their victims. They are by far the most likely to be addicted to gossip, scandal and contractual "small print" which they use to manoeuvre people into their snares. In our well-meaning attempts to be honest to others we often become innocent victims of other peoples' lies and fabrications of the truth. For example when someone asks how such a person is doing at work - are they subversively probing for information which you foolishly provide - not realising its' potential to discredit, deceive or even blackmail your best friend!

The system that Gurdjieff employed was essentially a synthesis of several other psycho-spiritual techniques taken from the Eastern esoteric schools and applied to meet the demands of western lifestyles and psychology. It became known as the "Fourth Way", the other traditional spiritual paths being the Way of the Fakir - Hatha Yoga or Asceticism that is - physical training, The Way of the Monk - Bhakti Yoga (Service & Devotion), while the Third way was the Way of the Scientist or intellectual - Gnana Yoga (Knowledge). All these three methods were rejected by Gurdjieff because he thought they eventually led to imbalances, in fact he rejected the whole idea of adopting lifestyles as such and instead recommended altering one's attitudes to life. However, alongside the idea that energy was in a state of change or rather modification Gurdjieff also compared the Human body to that of a factory that took raw materials and then processed them into products. Some people criticise Gurdjieff for reducing human beings to their mechanical functioning, however this form of objective observation of oneself and the striving to overcome the vagaries of human nature is a necessary prerequisite to understanding oneself.

Gurdjieff used the analogy of a "Factory" to describe how the 3 centres functioned within man. This factory had three floors, each floor had one manager and numerous workers at each level. These 3 managers could not communicate with each other directly and relied entirely on their secretary to pass on memos. Each of these floors housed the activities of the Body, Heart and Mind. There was also a receptionist - which symbolised the persona, and the secretary who dealt with communications and everyday duties - she represented a formatory apparatus or ability not a centre as such. The role of the receptionist was to greet visitors and generally give them the false impression that everything that occurred within the factory was organised to their liking and proceeded as if on perfectly "greased wheels". As each manager communicated in their own unique "language" the job of the secretary was to decode messages, decide who to send it to and translate that into a language that the next recipient would understand. This is a bit like sending encrypted emails really, so that each message was decoded, then re-encrypted and finally passed to the relevant managerial department. The channels of communication between these centres were like pipes and the diameter of these pipes tended to vary according to certain conditions like for example the weather, consequently the level of understanding between these centres or brains also varied. The secretary represented a specific apparatus in our mind, not a centre as such. She acted mechanically, and had numerous automated or standard procedures to fulfill, such as receiving messages or visitors, attaching labels to things, mailing reports, sorting through the manager's diaries, and arranging meetings. At times however, the secretary became distracted, confused or simply negligent in her duties. Perhaps a situation arose in which she was uncertain or she was ignorant of the correct response, in these cases information might go astray or not quite be intelligible for one or other of the managers or centres. As simple as this analogy sounds, one should bear in mind that the interaction of these three centres, the involuntary responses, subconscious feelings and memory of an individual are extremely complex operations. Moreover, the languages required of each of these centres may not encompass every situation, the secretary may not have the right education or knowledge, she might spend too much time looking at herself in the mirror or have an extra half hour for lunch and so forth. In this set of circumstances it is easy to see why things may go drastically wrong both within human beings and their relationship to each other.

The Enneagram is an ancient symbol of spiritual development whose 9 points were arranged in such a way as to define both the nine basic human personality types in their relationship to the divine principles of Faith, Hope and Love. The study of this talisman was integral to many esoteric schools in the East and West whose teachings advocated both spiritual and dynamic psychological techniques to curb the destructive tendencies of human egocentric behaviour. Records of its' existence go back as far as 4,500 years from the theological sanskrit mathematicians of India, to the Tibetan Buddhist philosophers, the Sufi Mystics of Persia and to the Gnostics of the early esoteric Christian church. Its' abstract number symbolism was well-known to the Greek Philosopher Pythagoras who travelled extensively in these regions compiling his own comparative study of the essence contained within all religious doctrines.
Gurdjieff said with regard to the Enneagram:

"Speaking in general terms it must be understood that the enneagram is a universal symbol, therefore all knowledge can be contained within the diagram and consequently it can also be interpreted. Only what a man is able to put in the Enneagram can he hope to understand, what he cannot place within its' structure, he will not be able to comprehend. Everything can be included and read in the enneagram and every time a man examines the laws contained within it he can learn something new, something he did not know before"

The Enneagram became a symbol for Gurdjieff's School of thought and the practical exercises he taught which were intended to free individual's from the automatic and conditioned responses to life's impressions or as he preferred to call them "accidental shocks" to the system. Gurdjieff used the analogy of a train connected to several carriages, all of which were "cushioned" from each other's runaway energies by so-called "buffers". These buffers prevented one element from interfering or colliding with the other. However, Gurdjieff also said that without the necessary or perhaps more correct amount of shocks or collisions our life became dull and stagnated into a form of psychological "sleep". Students were encouraged therefore to disentangle themselves from conditioned or automatic responses and enter into a more perceptive or enlightened state.

An interesting part of his psychoanalytic process were analogous riddles and allegories, no doubt employed after the style of the Zen Buddhists and communicated in a somewhat cryptic and eccentric way to his pupils.
Kabbalistic doctrines also correspond to the above mentioned nine points and when the whole of the talisman is added to the list - the ten sephirotic spheres are easily distinguished as planetary energies acting mutually and reciprocally within its' boundaries. See Tarot or Tree of Life.

Students at the Preurie Institute at Fontainebleu for the Harmonious Development of Man studied the enneagram from a number of perspectives. The dances or movements taught by Gurdjieff were collected from a number of Eastern sources probably of Sufi origin and are a form of Bhakti & Hatha Yoga in motion. The participants in these movements said that they felt great amounts of energy being released, a sense of euphoria and generally a feeling that one had awakened from a state of sleep. Among some of these students were some of Europe's leading bohemians and intelligentsia for example the novelist Catherine Mansfield and the dancer Isadora Duncan.

After Gurdjieff's death in 1949 some of the students dispersed into other avenues while a number of his more ardent followers sought out another teacher to replace him. Gurdjieff had apparently told a number of pupils that someone indeed would take his place in the scheme of things and that this person would appear in the East. The Dickers, Subud and the Gurdjieff Society are just some of these offshoots from the original Gurdjieff School. The enneagram was used to symbolise octaves of sound, light and motion. It could for example illustrate the sequence of events or stages in the start of a new project to its' final completion.

The Dickers are also quite shy of public exposure but have now begun to publicise their work. They incorporate the teachings of Ouspensky, Gurdjieff and Dr. Maurice Nicholl from the Jungian School. They only accommodate people who have a serious interest in the work of Gurdjieff and are prepared to make a serious commitment to its' applications.

The Subud Group or Society began in the Far East originally in 1933 and was not established in England until 1957 by Pak Subuh an accountant from Indonesia who achieved a state of grace and much later formulated his teaching and practice into a strange amalgam or doctrine. Followers of the late Gurdjieff believed he was a type of messianic figure and tranferred their allegiance to him. His initiations involve intense periods of babbling, chanting and spontaneous movements called the "Latihan" which are intended to raise awareness and unite one with the God Force.

The Gurdjieff Society was formed in England in 1955 and continues it's work even without the personal guidance of its' original founder and does not allow aspects of this work to enter the public domain.

Jeanne de Saltzmann who spent nearly thirty years with Gurdjieff from 1919 in Tiflis until his death in 1949 discussed the role of the work in relation to the numerous organisations which claim sovereignty over his ideas, principles and working methods. In this respect she made the following statement:

Essentially this put the pupil on the spot and prevented any automatic assimilation or comprehension of the material. Acquiring information for its own sake like an academic parrot was not encouraged as this did not contribute to a greater awareness of the self. It was more advantageous however to acquire the correct attitude and apply this in as many circumstances as were presented in the individual's life. Therefore in so much as it is possible to describe Gurdjieff's working methods and doctrines by way of text, analogies and diagrams it is a different matter to begin working with them and to acquire competence without the essential aid of a living teacher or guide. For example one may be able to describe the motions of swimming, but it is a totally different matter for them without previous practice and experience to get into a pool or ocean and begin a cross-channel swim. I am not personally a member of any group or authorised Gurdjieff Society or organisation, so with this in mind I have simply attempted to summarise Gurdjieff's ideas and hopefully stimulate an interest in the reader so that they may become curious enough to find out more. To begin "work on oneself" a person will need to be acquainted with someone who has fully realised the Principles of Gurdjieff, and in my own personal opinion  will also need to have the following qualities:

3 PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
1. Physical Effort.
2. Time set aside for "Work".
3. A Place to Meet.

3 EMOTIONAL ATTITUDES:
4. Empathy - a sincere heart.
5. Enthusiasm.
6. Humility.

3 INTELLECTUAL FACULTIES:
7. A discriminating Mind.
8. Concentration.
9. Creative & Subtle Perception.

Development of these 6 human qualities alongside the ideas and practices outlined by Gurdjieff will result in:

3 SPIRITUAL QUALITIES:
1. FAITH - Always maintaining your Faith (A Positive Attitude).
2. HOPE  - Selfless Action, Service and non-attachment.
3. LOVE  - The Company of those dedicated to personal development.
    (Open Discussion with your Teacher, True Friends or your Spiritual Circle)

Is Your Life GOOD, BAD or INDIFFERENT?
Whether we have recognised it or not human conditioning, whether mental, emotional or physical, is usually a result of early childhood experiences, imitation of one's parents and other natural associations like friends, brothers and sisters. This all happened on an unconscious or subliminal level and its relationship to our everyday experience has now been lost to us. Instead of untying these "knots" or psychological dilemmas, we continue to react to external impressions instinctively and dump negative emotions for example into our body, or our feeling centre. This causes many blocks to occur mainly in our musculature, organs and bones which in turn affects our vital centres and stops us from experiencing life fully. In situations like this Gurdjieff maintained that a lot of bio-energy was lost or simply wasted. One of the first things pupils had to ensure was that they should attempt to relax and conserve energy which could be used for spiritual development. Untying and releasing these so-called "knots and blocks" is the aim of the numerous meditation techniques available today which are often combined with physical exercises such as Yoga and Tai Chi.

Individuals can be classified according to their inner workings and outward manifestation of personality traits. They fall firstly into two distinct groups that are commonly called introvert and extrovert. The "introvert" is essentially an extrovert working against a certain extrovert tendency or "complex", while the "extrovert" is also affected by an unconscious introversion and is attempting to balance out the two opposing qualities in their human psyche. When a certain pattern of energies accumulate in one's personality we are prone to create a certain type of psychological complex which if it is not properly dealt with will form into more permanent "psychoses or neuroses". Whether they are prepared to admit to it or not, most people are a series of dominant or passive and some indifferent or unrecognised sub-personalities. Until a real and sustainable sense of "I" is developed a person is generally victim to their subconscious hopes, feelings and fears (Emotional Centre), automatic or conditioned thought processes (Thinking Centre), and the personal animal or carnal appetites (Physical Centre).

Adaptation to environmental factors and personal phobias or inadequacies is often expressed on the instinctual and emotional levels simply with the well-known "fight or flight" response. On a mental level they will fall into the categories of identifying their impressions as “true or false”, “good or bad”  – the individual will then use their inherent skills and ability to memorise, internalise and intellectually decide what further tactics to employ. Several decisions will then become available to an individual who is confronted by both new and repeated experiences and they will respond using their experience of past events to decide their next move. The traditional game of chess is analogous to this process of learning using memory, personal experience and acquired knowledge. These tactics can further be defined as ACTIVE, PASSIVE, and NEUTRAL reactions – and manifest as positive ACTION, long periods of INDECISON or instinctive RETREAT.

Furthermore throughout this process the biological organism is attempting to cope with numerous physical and chemical processes and interactions using a natural cycle of growth and decay. We become subjected to certain states such as waking, sleeping, dreaming and require several fuels or foods to function fully in our environment. As the products of great nature go in - FOOD, AIR & IMPRESSIONS (5 senses) they are processed and assimilated, consequently further actions take place and numerous waste products are eliminated. This process can be viewed as the Yang (male principle) extending into the Yin (female principle) - the two polar aspects of NATURE and the self co-existing within a much greater cosmic principle – our solar system and the Universe beyond. Gurdjieff recognised this interaction of energy as "Holy Affirming", "Holy Denying" and "Holy Reconciling" - or The Law of Triamazikamno.
What most people fail to recognise is that they are a combination of negative and positive qualities  that need to be recognised, accepted and reconciled as mutually dependent forces. Most virtues can easily become vices, and vice versa, vices can become virtues if handled correctly. There is often some element in the psyche which is primarily meant to offset or balance out another. However, because of social or parental conditioning there might have been a tendency to view this sub-personality or social vice with some disdain and consequently to block or repress it. This effectively allows for some excess eg: charity,- the act of giving too much of oneself for fear of social alienation from others - manifests as an unacceptable notion that love and respect can somehow be bought. This of course could be true, so some considerable tension within the ego would be built up until this alter-ego is recognised and allowed to operate within the framework of ones' personal experience. Some internal and external friction is often necessary for personal development to manifest.

Human dilemmas:
The wolf, the sheep and the cabbage is just one example of Gurdjieff's teaching by way of riddles. The story goes that one day a farmer went to a market and there acquired a wolf (or guard dog), a sheep and a cabbage. On his return home he realised he had to cross a river by means of a boat. Unfortunately, he could only transport one of the items in the boat at any time and as a result would have to leave 2 of them on the river bank and make several journeys to and fro. To add to his dilemma the poor farmer also realised that if he took the cabbage first and left the wolf and the sheep together, then the wolf would most certainly attack and devour the sheep. Furthermore, if he decided to take the wolf over first then the sheep would seize the opportunity in his absence to quietly devour the delicious cabbage. How did he manage to get all 3 items across the river intact?
 

Similarly human beings were subjected to three basic states of consciousness - Sleep, Dreaming and Waking. Although all these basic states were capable of extending themselves and mingling somewhat arbitrarily with each other because we are not in control of them. A lucid dream for example might contain elements of waking, dream and sleep, sleep-walking might contain elements of waking and sleep but not dreaming etc.
This totally individual yet malleable way of teaching challenged ways of seeing, being and doing that much later no doubt affected the modern schools of Psychoanalysis, Gestalt and Psychotherapy initiated by the well publicised work of Freud, Jung and Reich. In this respect Gurdjieff's system appears to have achieved notoriety, not fame or acclaim but generated insidious rumours and international scandal.

"Speaking frankly, and wholly without partiality, contemporary man as we know him is nothing more nor less than merely a clockwork mechanism, though of a very complex construction."

Another well-documented analogy which was employed by Gurdjieff to illustrate the wholly mechanical nature of human beings was that ancient Hindu or Buddhist allegorical picture of a horse-drawn carriage. The carriage represented the body of man, the horse the emotional nature, the driver the persona or intellect and the passenger the true self. In short the analogy reflects the relationships inherent between the Moving Centre, Feeling Centre and Thinking Centre. The following is a short synopsis, the full account is found in the last chapter of Beelzebub's Tales ("From the Author") and on page 96 of "Views from the Real World".

The Human Condition:
A man as a whole, together with all his separate identities or personalities is identical to the individual aspects of a horse, a carriage and a coachman. The real or imaginary self likewise is the passenger sat inside the coach. In the case of an enlightened or conscious "I" the passenger actually owns the carriage, in the case of an unenlightened man he is like a passer-by who temporarily hires the privilege or comfort of transportation. The body of the man with all its motor reflexes corresponds to the coach, his feelings correspond to the horse, and his intellectual centre corresponds to the cabby or coachman who receives instructions from the passenger and then directs the horse to where he wishes to go. In the case of the majority of human beings due largely to a poor or incomplete education the carriage is in a state of poor repair, the horse is ill-fed, poorly trained, decrepit and old, and the cabby is often lazy, half-asleep, slightly deaf or possibly drunk.
 

The general attitude or consciousness of the human self or one's individual will, which corresponds to the passenger, may vary considerably owing to its own personal spiritual training or evolution. Although the "cabby" has already undergone a period of formal education so that he is reasonably literate, much of what he has learnt or acquired beyond his preparatory age is further supported by bits of information acquired from his close associates and his various passengers. With this second-hand information therefore he considers himself fairly competent in matters of religion, philosophy, politics, and sociology. Furthermore, with his equals he likes to argue, with his inferiors he attempts to teach them a "thing or two", and with his superiors he adopts a servile, cap-in-hand attitude. However, one of his chief weaknesses, or rather distractions, is his indulgence in food, wine and an occasional sexual affair with the neighbouring cooks or house maids. To gratify these he may on occasion steal a portion of the money given him by his employer to feed his poor over-worked horse. While he only works hard when under duress, and only appears accommodating in the hope that he might receive the occasional tip. His desire for additional remuneration has taught him how best to exploit the people with whom he has dealings. He has learnt how to employ cunning, to flatter, charm and generally give his customers positive strokes. On any free moment he is tempted to slip away to a saloon bar and over a glass of beer or wine he may read the paper, daydream or chat aimlessly with anyone conveniently placed without any significant consequence.

The horse on the other hand has received little or no education, is completely "locked-in" within itself and its general attitude is one of complete, comatose inertia. Generally it is kept tied up or housed within a stable compound and feeds on the most basic of foods ie: dried straw and rarely eats anything substantially fresh or nutritious. As a result it is more than ready to adhere itself to anyone who offers the slightest caress, an item of sweet food or cooling drink. It never initiates anything independent of its owner or guide, may on occasions be flogged for failing to obey and is subject to its most basic physical and sexual urges. At times and for no apparent reason it may react suddenly and violently to imagined fears, even throw a tantrum or fit.

The cart, which was designed to carry a variety of burdens is of necessity made of a variety of materials but of a very complex construction. The designers did not provide an authoritative manual for this cart and while they had originally intended it for rough, winding country roads whereas now it is drawn over smooth, asphalt, straight city streets. For the cart to operate efficiently and without disruption it requires a regular supply of grease to all its moving parts. In the absence of any severe shocks or optimum trials the grease or oil fails to reach some of the components of the cart's mechanism. Furthermore the cabby has little or no knowledge of its general maintenance but when a fault is detected he is forced to inquire of a fellow cabby or consult with an "expert" who may suggest either an overall, a removal or replacement of some of its parts. In some instances the replacement part may indeed cost more than a completely new carriage.
 

In normal circumstances the cabby can be seen gossiping with his associates, while waiting for a fare, perhaps flirting with a passing maid and to all intents and purposes acquires an outer form resembling an amiable existence. Meanwhile, the horse grows up largely ignored and ill-treated both by its owners and the cabby. In many instances no attempt is made by the cabby at securing any real rapport with  the horse on whom so much depends for the safety and well-being of its passengers. The horse has acquired a limited understanding of what is required of it and understands perhaps just three or four basic instructions, namely stop, go, turn left or right. It should also be noted that the carriage is connected to the horse by means of the shafts, the cabby has some tenuous connection with the horse via the reins, and the coach has some connection with the thoroughfare by means of its wheels attached to strong springs which alleviate any potential shocks to the passenger. The passenger likewise has only a fleeting means of communicating his needs or desires from the coach interior to the cabby sat on his pillion atop the coach. Therefore much transpires between the moment that the passenger enters the carriage shouting his instructions to the cabby, and the eventual arrival at any specified destination. However, extending this analogy further, and strictly speaking at times the cabby cannot make these instructions clear to the horse because the reins are made of materials which react to a variety of atmospheric phenomena. Sometimes the reins are wet, become soft or ineffectual, at others they are dry and brittle and therefore in danger of breaking.

"You are acquainted with occult literature," began Mr. Gurdjieff, "and so I will refer to the formula you may know from the "Emerald Tablets" - "As Above, So Below". It is easy to start to build the foundation of our discussion from this. At the same time I must say that there is no need to use occultism as the base from which to approach the understanding of Truth. Truth speaks for itself in whatever form it manifests. You will understand this fully only in the course of time, but I wish to give you today at least a grain of understanding."

"I know you might understand about the unity of the laws governing the Universe, but this understanding is speculative - or rather theoretical. It is not enough to understand with the Mind, it is necessary to feel with your entire being the Absolute Truth and immutability of this fact; only then will you be able consciously and with conviction, to say "I Know".

Gurdjieff maintained that there were in actual fact 7 centres or "Brains"  in man which correspond with the 7 traditional Planetary Spheres or Rays of Esoteric Astrology. However, the majority of people only operated from the three lower ones ie Acting, Feeling and Thinking, and then somewhat unconsciously. When human beings are reduced to their basic functions or needs they amount to acquiring food, clothing and shelter, which are in a sense ancilliary functions of sexual activity, eating and social interactions such as talking.

In the following table  the 7 "cosmic rays" (Planets expressed as harmonic numbers) and their relationship to the subtle body are explored as well as their meaning and interaction. See also Chakras
 

Practical Solutions: Working with the Enneagram meant identifying the predominant type to which an individual obsessively clung to as a means of bolstering their ego. This point is then fundamentally related to other points on the Enneagram - the energies which both work with it harmoniously or destructively. The points are grouped according to their description according to Gurdjieffs' terminology as denying, affirming and reconciling. A definition which many astrologers recognise as Cardinal, Mutable and Fixed personality types or in Indian mystical terminology as Rajas, Tamas and Satvas. Gurdjieff asserted that human beings were asleep and needed "shocks" to awaken them from their automatic tendencies, their complacency and robotic existence. He claimed amongst other things that man had three brains not one, but without the correct guidance he was unable to use them synchronously or efficiently for personal development. These 3 Brains correspond to the 3 vital centres in man - The Intellectual, Emotional and Physical. He strongly disputed the idea that human beings were either born with had a soul but possessed potentially the seed that could develop into a soul. If human beings did no "Work on themselves" then this quality would ossify. Alongside these he possessed a conscience which again might be directed towards liberation only if he understood that suffering was a constructive part of the process of self-realisation. Human beings had a personality but this was a facsimile created from bits and pieces. Human beings possessed an essence which could be enhanced by conscious work. The principle aim was not to acquire anything new, but to reconnect with what was already there. Through this process human beings had the choice of either consciously suffering or unconsciously suffering according to their understanding of their Fate and Destiny. In other words "being" and "doing" were inextricably linked in that one could not do anything without having "being" and one could not be without "doing". GURDJIEFFS ENNEAGRAM with LULLS' KABALISTIC ATTRIBUTES: The planetary attributes for the nine points of the enneagram vary according to which system is employed, a lot depends therefore on what it is one wishes to examine or express.The numbers 1-9 can represent amongst many other things the nine basic personality types defined by Oscar Ichazo.  The animated gifs are links to numerology, the specific titles are links to the personality types. Note: both the TRADITIONAL and modern planetary attributes are listed in this table.
One	Names: Positive Aspects:	(Planetary Sphere) *Oscar's Planets	Day of the Week Traditional Zodiac:		Auric Colour The Body:
	THE ACHIEVER  GLORIOUS + Perfection The Perfectionist	(CHOKMAH) Creative Intelligence (*SATURN)	Monday MOON/Venus		Violet Genitals
RE (K)	9-Fold Muse:	Positive Trait:	Negative Trait:		Tree of Life:
	CLIO-HISTORY	Devotion + Serenity	Resentful Anger		(YESOD)
	The Helper VIRTUOUS + Generosity	(BINAH) Wisdom (*VENUS)	FRIDAY VENUS/Mars		Green Right Leg
Two	9-Fold Muse:	Positive Trait:	Negative Trait:		Tree of Life:
MI (H)	TERPSICHORE-CHORAL DANCING -"The Altruist"	Charity Humility	Flattery Pride		(NETZACH)
1st I N T E R V A L
	EMOTIONAL CENTER:	(BHAKTI YOGA)		DEVOTION HOPE
Three	Names: Positive Aspects:	(Planetary Sphere)	DAY/Zodiac:		Auric Colour The Body:
	THE SUCCEEDER ETERNAL + Self-esteem	(CHESED) Mercy (*SUN)	SATURDAY SATURN/ Asteroids		Black Left. Eye
(D)	9-Fold Muse:	Positive Trait:	Negative Trait:		Tree of Life:
	POLYHYMNIA-SACRED POETRY The Performer	Consistency Tenacity	Vanity  Deceit		(BINAH)
Four	Names: Positive Aspects:	(Planetary Sphere)	DAY/Zodiac:		Colour/Body:
	THE INDIVIDUALIST  TRUE + Empathy "The Romantic" The Artist	(GEBURAH) Severity (*MOON)	WEDNESDAY MERCURY/Jupiter		Orange  Left Leg
FA (I)	9-Fold Muse:	Positive Trait:	Negative Trait:		Tree of Life:
	CALLIOPE-EPIC POETRY	Patience  Feeling	Melancholy Envy		(HOD)
Five	Names: Positive Aspects:	(Planetary Sphere)	DAY/Zodiac:		Colour/Body:
	THE OBSERVER  WISE + Detachment The Thinker	(TIPHERETH) Beauty (*MERCURY)	TUESDAY MARS/Saturn		Red  Left Arm
SO (F)	9-Fold Muse:	Positive Trait:	Negative Trait:		Tree of Life:
	ERATO-EROTIC POETRY/MIME "The Inquirer"	Faithful  Objective	Avarice Miserly		(GEBURAH)
	INTELLECTUAL CENTER:	(GNANA YOGA)		KNOWLEDGE FAITH
Six	Names: Positive Aspects:	(Planetary Sphere)	DAY/Zodiac:		Auric Colour The Body:
	THE GUARDIAN GREAT + Courage The Supporter	(NETZACH) Victory (*EARTH)	ZODIAC Asteroids		Grey  Right Eye
(C)	9-Fold Muse:	Positive Trait:	Negative Trait:		Tree of Life:
	URANIA-ASTRONOMY "The Analyst"	Prudent + Faith	Doubt/Fear Cowardice		(CHOKMAH)
2nd I N T E R V A L
Seven	Names: Positive Aspects:	(Planetary Sphere)	DAY/Zodiac:		Colour/Body:
	THE DREAMER  POWERFUL + Erudition The Adventurer	(HOD) Splendour (*MARS)	THURSDAY JUPITER/Uranus		Blue Right Arm
LA (E)	9-Fold Muse:	Positive Trait:	Negative Trait:		Tree of Life:
	EUTERPE-LYRIC POETRY "The Connoisseur"	Temperance + Sobriety	Gluttony  Lust		(CHESED)
Eight	Names: Positive Aspects:	(Planetary Sphere)	DAY/Zodiac:		Colour/Body:
	THE CONFRONTER  WILLFUL + Innocent The Leader	(YESOD) Foundation (*JUPITER)	SUNDAY SUN/Neptune		Yellow Heart
TI (G)	9-Fold Muse:	Positive Trait:	Negative Trait:		Tree of Life:
	MELPOMENE-TRAGEDY "The Dominator"	Hope  Honesty	Envy Vengeance		(TIPHERETH)
	PHYSICAL CENTER:	(KARMA YOGA)		RIGHT ACTION - LOVE
Nine	Names: Positive Aspects:	(Planetary Sphere)	DAY/Zodiac:		Colour/Body:
	THE PRESERVATIONIST  GOOD + Virtuous The Peacemaker	(SHEKINAH) Earth/Elements (*STARS)	1ST CAUSE: Pluto/Mercury		White Head/Crown
DO (B)	9-Fold Muse:	Positive Trait:	Negative Trait:		Tree of Life:
	THALIA-COMEDY "The Mediator"	Justice Impartiality	Indolence Passion		(KETHER)