Author Archives: Rob

Meetings with G.I. Gurdjieff in Paris 1944: Book References

In Meetings with G.I. Gurdjieff in Paris 1944, there are references to three other books.

  • Book Studio 2009: reference to Transcripts of Gurdjieff’s Wartime Meetings 1941-46, published by Book Studio in 2009.
  • Patterson 2000: reference to Voices in the Dark: Esoteric, Occult & Secular Voices in Nazi-Occupied Paris, 1940-44, published by William Patrick Patterson in 2000.
  • Dolmen Meadows 2017: reference to G.I. Gurdjieff Paris Meetings 1943, published by Dolmen Meadows Editions in 2017.

These references are included to note previously published versions of a specific meeting note. Out of the 43 meetings, 11 were previously published in the referenced books.

Differences between Paris 1944 and these books are noted as well.

I realize now that a bibliography would have been helpful to the reader when encountering these references in the text.

Atlantean Exodus Update – What’s In a Name?

I have been working on character names to be used in the Atlantean Exodus RPG setting. For the duration of the playtest, I’ve been handwaving names. Now that most of the mechanics for the game are done, I’ve been turning my attention to this important detail.

Why are names important? In my opinion, naming a mesolithic hunter-gatherer “Bob” or their tribal leader “Grug” would be lazy, would do a disservice to their descendants, and would hurt immersion into the setting.

What is the setting about? To sum up:

“North Africa, 7000 B.C., when the Sahara was still green—a caravan of survivors, who fled the destruction of the once great civilization of Atlantis, travels east. Their aim: to cross the vast savanna to reach survivors on the other side of the continent, and there establish a New Atlantis. They face many dangers—wild beasts, restless spirits, and strange peoples. But the caravan’s sacred task drives them on, even if it takes generations. You, brave explorers, lead the way.”

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Celestial Bodies in Beelzebub’s Tales

Map of the observable universe. (Pablo Carlos Budassi/Wikimedia/CC BY 4.0)

“I shall this time begin to actualize not by following the practice of all writers, established from the remote past down to the present, of taking as the theme of their various writings the events which have supposedly taken place, or are taking place, on Earth, but shall take instead as the scale of events for my writings—the whole Universe.“ (BT p. 40)

What follows is a roughly hierarchical compilation of celestial bodies found in G.I. Gurdjieff’s magnum opus, Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson. Some are simply named and not described; others have extensive descriptions (for example, the Holy Planet Purgatory, Earth, the Most Holy Sun Absolute, etc.) beyond what is mentioned here.

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English Translation of Gurdjieff’s Paris Groups 1944 – Update

After further research, I have found that these meeting transcripts are considered in the public domain. And so I have published Meetings with G.I. Gurdjieff in Paris 1944, currently in hardcover and Kindle on Amazon. [Update December 11, 2022: Also now available through Barnes & Noble.]

I have renamed the book so as to not confuse the reader into thinking that Mr. Gurdjieff wrote these meeting transcripts directly—the meetings were transcribed at his direction.

Special thanks to Synda Cadervalloo and Jan Betermieux for reviewing my translation and offering suggestions for improvement.

 

InDesign: Indexing Singular and Plural Words

I don’t usually discuss technical writing on my blog, mainly because technical writing is my profession, and I try to spend as little time and energy on my profession outside of work hours. But in this case, I’m working on a side project, and I found a solution to a problem I thought I should share.

Summary

In InDesign, when creating an index, to cross-reference singular and plural words in a single topic, add both the singular and plural words as separate topics, then rename one of the topics to match the other, and the topics will be combined.

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English Translation of Gurdjieff’s Paris Groups 1944

NOTE: THE STATUS OF THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN UPDATED.

I have completed an English translation of G.I. Gurdjieff Groupes de Paris Tome II: 1944, originally published by Éditions Éoliennes in 2019. Thanks to Synda Cadervalloo and Jan Betermieux for reviewing and correcting my translation work. Their help has been indispensible.

Altogether, there are 43 different meetings, ranging from January 6 to November 23, 1944.

Some of these meetings have appeared in other translated works (Patterson, Book Studio), but many have never been translated.

Due to copyright, my translation will not be published. It will remain private, except small excerpts permitted by fair use laws.

Like Paris Meetings 1943, the importance of Paris Groups 1944 cannot be overstated. it is summed up by an undated quote from Gurdjieff in the front matter of the book: “In these groups, at this time, I vividly inscribed the Third Series of my works.”

And in the text itself:

“It is very important, Prosecutor [the person transcribing the meetings], what I am saying. Note it. It is not for you here, who are present. It is for other people, for whom it prepares material…

I am thinking of writing my last book using the data I am giving you, after Beelzebub and the second series. You notice, among others, the responsibility that you have towards humanity. You see this responsibility, if you do not fulfill your obligations with exactness. Unconsciously, you take on your shoulders a very great responsibility.” (p. 3)

So this material was prepared for us and future generations. Why was it sequestered for so long?

 

 

“Seek, above all, for a game worth playing. Such is the advice of the oracle to modern man. Having found the game, play it with intensity – play as if your life and sanity depended on it.”
– The Master Game, Robert S. de Ropp