Am I asleep?
Many people have found themselves asking this question. The great spiritual teacher G. I. Gurdjieff said that human beings are actually asleep in day-to-day life, and that we habitually walk around in a low-grade hypnotic stupor. What is the nature of this waking sleep, and what is the way out of it? Gurdjieff’s teaching, which he called the “Fourth Way,” tries to answer these questions.
Richard Smoley is a distinguished authority on the mystical and esoteric teachings of Western civilization. Editor of Quest: Journal of the Theosophical Society in America, he is the author of The Deal: A Guide to Radical and Complete Forgiveness. Other books of his include Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions (with Jay Kinney), Inner Christianity: A Guide to the Esoteric Tradition; Supernatural: Writings on an Unknown History; The Dice Game of Shiva: How Consciousness Creates the Universe; Conscious Love; The Essential Nostradamus; and Forbidden Faith: The Secret History of Gnosticism.
The opinions of all writers are their own.
