Approaching the Gist

Reading Gurdjieff’s The Arousing of Thought with Trent

Five Tuesdays, January 5 to February 2, 2027

9–11 AM Pacific (5–7 PM GMT), live on Zoom

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The patterned Penguin Arkana cover of Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson by G. I. Gurdjieff

What happens when we return to a sentence we thought we understood?

Over five weeks we read The Arousing of Thought, the opening chapter of Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, slowly and closely, in the company of other readers. Meditation and reflection help us notice our own experience as we read.

Why begin here?

Gurdjieff gave exceptional care to the doorway into his writings. His German translator, Louise March, recalled that he wrote and rewrote The Arousing of Thought as many as twelve times. As the opening of Beelzebub’s Tales, it asks us to notice not only what we read, but how we read. In Approaching the Gist, we give this carefully worked beginning the time and attention it deserves.

Sources: Louise March’s account (1950) and Chapter I in the 1950 text

Portrait of G. I. Gurdjieff
G. I. Gurdjieff. Library of Congress.

The course

The heart of this reading circle is learning how to read Gurdjieff: ways of approaching his writing that you can keep using long after our five weeks, so that you come to your own insights. Along the way, Trent will offer context from Gurdjieff’s teaching, drawing upon his study of ancient literary tools and structures. Trent will provide frameworks, insights, and charts as a guide, with plenty of room for questions and discoveries from participants.

Syllabus

Five Tuesdays, January 5 to February 2, 2027.

  1. Session 1 · January 5

    Introduction and Literary Structure

    How we approach the chapter: notice patterns and develop a practice of close reading. Exploring ancient literary techniques.

  2. Session 2 · January 12

    How to Begin

    Gurdjieff’s opening, his difficulties in beginning, and the relationship he establishes with his reader. Meditations on languages and translation.

  3. Session 3 · January 19

    The Kurd and the Red Pepper

    Desire, persistence, suffering, and the encounter between an allegory and its reader. Meditations on suffering.

  4. Session 4 · January 26

    Gurdjieff’s Birth Narrative and Formative Experiences

    The birth narrative and formative experiences, exploring habit, individuality, and conscious action. Using our own origin stories in doing our Work.

  5. Session 5 · February 2

    Karapet of Tiflis and Gurdjieff’s Signature

    Awakening, resistance, and the chapter’s closing encounter with its author. Tuning into subtle levels of knowing.

Three readings

In the “Friendly Advice” that opens the book, Gurdjieff asks readers to “read each of my written expositions thrice”:

  1. “Firstly, at least as you have already become mechanized to read all your contemporary books and newspapers.”
  2. “Secondly, as if you were reading aloud to another person.”
  3. “And only thirdly, try and fathom the gist of my writings.”

We will let these successive readings run through all five meetings, noticing how attention changes as we return to the same lines.

The practical details

DatesTuesdays, January 5, 12, 19 and 26, and February 2, 2027
Pacific9–11 AM
Eastern12 noon–2 PM
UK and Ireland5–7 PM
Central Europe6–8 PM
Eastern Europe7–9 PM
WhereLive on Zoom. The link comes with your confirmation.
Group sizeA small group of 12 to 16 participants
PreparationRead the entire chapter before the first meeting. Optional: read P. D. Ouspensky’s In Search of the Miraculous as background. Between meetings, allow an hour or two to reread and reflect.
The textBeelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson in the original 1950 translation. The 1999 Penguin Arkana paperback (ISBN 9780140194739) reprints it with small corrections, and the earlier E. P. Dutton editions carry the same text. Please avoid the 1992 revised translation, which differs substantially.

Our time together is mostly facilitated discussion and close reading, with brief talks on key topics. Conversation and personal sharing are never recorded. Details are in the shared commitment below.

Who this is for

This reading series is for sincere seekers willing to spend time with a demanding and sometimes puzzling text. You are welcome if you are new to Gurdjieff.

If you are unfamiliar with Gurdjieff’s teachings, consider reading P. D. Ouspensky’s In Search of the Miraculous as a companion. Pupils present in Gurdjieff’s final year recalled that he praised the faithfulness of Ouspensky’s record and approved its publication. Read the recollections.

Register

$175for all five sessions (USD)

If you need assistance, you are welcome to choose the supported rate of $150. If you are able to offer more, the supporter rate of $200 helps make the supported rate possible. Every rate includes the same sessions, teaching and materials.

The first sentence

Registration begins where the book does, with the opening sentence of The Arousing of Thought.

Among other convictions formed in my common presence during my responsible, peculiarly composed life, there is one such also—an indubitable conviction—that always and everywhere on the earth, among people of every degree of development, of understanding, and of every form of manifestation of the factors which engender in their individuality all kinds of ideals, there is acquired the tendency, when beginning anything new, unfailingly to pronounce aloud, or if not aloud, at least mentally, that definite utterance understandable to every, even quite illiterate person, which in different epochs has been formulated variously and in our day is formulated in the following words: “In the name of the Father and of the Son and in the name of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

G. I. Gurdjieff, Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, Chapter I, The Arousing of Thought (original 1950 translation)

In 150 words or less, please share your first reflections on the opening sentence of The Arousing of Thought, whatever your first impressions are. There is no correct interpretation, and no prior study is expected. Everyone is welcome to join, regardless of their response. This reflection offers a first taste of the material and helps Trent get to know the people joining. It stays private, though Trent may share a few short excerpts with the group without names.

0 of 150 words

About you

Your rate

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The shared commitment

Read the shared commitment

We approach this reading as spiritual work, with care for one another and respect for the discoveries each reader must make for themselves.

We keep other participants’ personal stories and comments private. We do not record sessions, take screenshots, use AI note-takers or share transcripts without prior agreement from those involved.

We keep the group’s shared interpretations, discussion notes and teaching materials within the group unless permission is given to share them. This leaves room for others to meet the text themselves, rather than receive our discoveries as an answer key.

You are welcome to speak about your own experience and to discuss the published book independently. This commitment never prevents anyone from seeking support, raising concerns or reporting harm.

Selected lecture recordings

The facilitator may record clearly announced portions of his brief lectures for later educational use, including future courses. These offer context, reading tools and questions, not the group’s findings. Discussion and personal sharing are never recorded, and any identifiable participant voice, image or contribution needs that person’s separate, explicit permission.

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Your guide

Trent J. Thornley

Trent J. Thornley has spent many years in close study of G. I. Gurdjieff’s life, writings and teachings, and has practiced the Gurdjieff Movements on retreat. He is especially drawn to what a sacred text reveals when it is read slowly, with attention to its underlying structure. His master’s thesis at the Graduate Theological Union traced the mirror-image literary structure of the Buddha’s Discourse on the Noble Search.

A teacher, chaplain and certified CPE educator, Trent is a past president of the International Enneagram Association and a student of the Enneagram since 2013. He lives in San Francisco.

More about Trent

Portrait of G. I. Gurdjieff: Janet Flanner–Solita Solano papers, Library of Congress (95507085), via Wikimedia Commons. No known restrictions on publication.

Book cover: Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, Penguin/Arkana, via Penguin Random House.

Approaching the Gist is offered independently by Living Enneagram. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Gurdjieff Foundation or any other organization, and it does not carry CPE credit or certification.