The Fourth Way [Paperback]

Regardless of the usefulness or uniqueness of the methods, however, the book itself is turgid and one of the most boring of its genre. This does not make it any more "practical" than a book that is interesting or inspiring; it simply makes it more boring. It's like being given unnecessarily unpleasant medicine by a musty old aunt who imagines that she knows all anyone could possibly know about health care. Now Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous is a different story altogether. It not only contains most of the essential material, but presents it in a way that holds the reader's interest. That one's a classic, and strongly recommended.

This book is an incredible guide for people who desire self-knowledge, and are willing to put in the effort necessary to learn about their own psychology. The book is concerned with how we think, and ways to observe our self. An interesting entry point into this book is to simply observe your thoughts for a day... how does one thought lead to another? Where do they seem to arise from? When you are distracted, how much of your surroundings are you aware of? When you become distracted, do you tap your feet or unconsciously move your fingers or hands? If you aim to observe your self for one day, you will likely notice that your attention is swayed from one thing to another, and you have many unconscious habits and patterns of acting/reacting.

The scope of this book is absolutely enormous. I refer back to it all the time, and always find new wisdoms in it. Having recommended it to many friends, I've found it consistently blows away people who put the effort into reading it and observing themselves. This book is useful, interesting and in-depth, whether you have been practicing self-observation (e.g. meditation or self-analysis, body awareness through yoga or tai-chi or other disciplines) for years or just starting now.

This book is an excellent introduction to the ideas of Gurdjieff, and is written in a style that clearly elucidates the concepts of esoteric psychology (which I won't go into here, because other reviewers have and there is plenty of information floating through the internet). While Gurdjieff writes in a very challenging style that resembles that of Sufi parables (demonstrating his ideas through metaphor, storytelling or analogy) Ouspensky comes from a scientific background and approaches mysticism in a more rational and straightforward way... everything is outlined concisely and precisely, though there is still plenty of room for readers to interpret and apply in their own unique ways. The question/answer format of the book really helps guide the reader through that are covered.

This book is excellent for anybody interested in practical esotericism, psychology, contemporary Gnosticism (there is A LOT of parallel to the writing of Samael Aun Weor, also an excellent but very intense writer), mysticism and magic, or self-improvement and self-observation. The book is an immense source of information that provides foundation for self-knowledge, and its many meanings unravel more and more with every read. It is definitely the type of book that can enrich your life and make everything around you more interesting, helping you develop immensely.

[A note for people already familiar with the book... my personal opinion is that some of Ouspensky's writing is still metaphoric... for example, a few reviewers have complained about the idea of "feeding the moon". I find the moon idea very weird, but interesting when compared to writings about the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and the astral plane (e.g. Eliphas Levi, Israel Regardie, Dion Fortune). Perhaps it's a metaphor for the lunar part of the astral plane or the "gross region of the metaphysical cosmos containing the cast-off astral remnants of living creatures, the bestial and mental filth sloughed off by human beings in the ascent after death to higher spheres". Who knows? ]

Life offers numbers 1 and 2. The fourth way offers 3 and four.

Unlike most books, this one says believe in nothing, prove everything.

Read this book. Discover everything for yourself!