“The Teachings and Legacy of G.I. Gurdjieff” conference

December 4-5, 2024, Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School

Celebrating the centenary anniversary of his visit and Movements performance at Harvard, the conference will focus on the legacy and teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff, a charismatic philosopher, mystic, spiritual teacher, composer, and, in his words, “teacher of temple dancing” from the early twentieth century. Gurdjieff taught the Fourth Way, which aimed to connect practices involving emotions, body, and mind as a way of reaching higher states of consciousness and awakening from the state of “waking sleep.”

The conference, planned in partnership with Carole Cusack, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney, and the Gurdjieff Society of Massachusetts, will create a first of its kind forum for practitioners and scholars from within and outside of the Gurdjieff world to join in conversations, exchanges, and reflections on the spiritual and scientific inspirations that influenced Gurdjieff, the embodied practices that were at the core of his teachings, as well as their related cultural productions.

The event will feature two keynotes: Alexandre de Salzmann, president of the International Association of Gurdjieff Foundations, and Carole Cusack, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney; four panel discussions with over 12 scholars and practitioners; and a recital of the Gurdjieff/de Hartmann music for piano.