Welcome to the Gurdjieff Foundation of Florida

Welcome to the home of the Gurdjieff Foundation of Florida. Reflecting South Florida’s cultural roots, we hold ongoing activities in both English and Spanish.

You can switch languages in top strip above, or simply choose to stay on this page if it’s your preferred language. Enjoy browsing and learning more about us, and please reach out through the contact form or email at the bottom of the page.

The Gurdjieff Foundation of Florida is a conglomerate of Groups working together towards the goal of self realization within what is widely known as The Fourth Way, the path founded by G.I. Gurdjieff.

If you are here it's because there is already within you a thirst for knowledge, an important aspect of every quest. Perhaps as important is to seek to experience this knowledge for yourself, making it part of your every day life. At the Gurdjieff Foundation of Florida we provide a spring board to embark on this journey together with fellow seekers. If you have the hunch that you are in the right place, don't hesitate to reach out.

Welcome! And we hope you enjoy the contents of this website.

Remember yourself always and everywhere

G.I. Gurdjieff

Who is G.I. Gurdjieff?

GURDJIEFF, G. I. (1866-77?–1949), Georgii Ivanovich Gurdzhiev; was a Greek-Armenian spiritual teacher who remains an enigmatic figure and an increasingly influential force in the contemporary landscape of new religious and psychological teachings. Resembling more the figure of a Zen patriarch or a Socrates than the familiar image of a Christian mystic, Gurdjieff was considered by those who knew him simply as an incomparable “awakener” of men. He brought to the West a comprehensive model of esoteric knowledge and left behind him a school embodying a specific methodology for the development of consciousness.

Read the whole introduction by Michelle de Salzmann, here.

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“Little by little, something appeared in me which brought me entirely to the absolute conviction that apart from the agitations of life there exists something else which should be the aim and the ideal of every man and that only this thing can make man truly happy and bring him real values, instead of these illusory “goods” which are always and everywhere lavished on him.”

G. I. Gurdjieff, Meetings with Remarkable Men

The Teaching

Mr. Gurdjieff passed on his teaching to small groups of students so that everyone could share their experiences. Presence, listening, and silence, characterize the times of exchange. Manual, artistic, and intellectual activities are also important components of this teaching. The presence of the other is a constant reminder to pay attention, a help to escape, for a moment, from habitual automatic reactions.

The Work in Various Expressions

We live more and more of our time taken by the digital realms, and less of it being aware of our current situation. To change this, we can undertake efforts individually, however, when we do it alone, we have fewer chances of relating to the finer energies that correspond to a higher level of life. Working with a group of people creates conditions so that we can more easily get to see the truth about ourselves. The knowledge of our most essential nature will be necessary for an inner transformation, which only intensifies when a group shares the same search. Below you can find some of the activities in which we embark together to to aim towards this aspiration.

Practical Work

We rely on one another. Embracing the timeless wisdom of self-discovery entails understanding both ourselves and those around us. Within each of us lie potentialities deeply connected to our core. Yet, our internal barriers are most effectively examined and dismantled through collaborative efforts, where listening and mutual understanding prevail. As Gurdjieff aptly stated, “One cannot attain mastery of oneself by confining oneself within the confines of solitude.”

Movements

Throughout his journeys across the Near East and Central Asia, Gurdjieff bore witness to a variety of dance forms, from temple rituals to Sufi brotherhood performances and even dances in secluded Christian communities. Observing the profound integration of body, mind, and emotion in these dances, he recognized their capacity to facilitate and invigorate practices of attentiveness, presence, and self-realization. Leveraging his innate talent for choreography, Gurdjieff seamlessly incorporated these movements into the fabric of his teachings, establishing them as an indispensable component of the Gurdjieff tradition.

Music

During the 1920s, Gurdjieff formed a collaboration with the highly skilled Russian composer Thomas de Hartmann. Their initial objective was to craft music that would complement the Movements, and later, they expanded their focus to create compositions intended solely for listening. The outcome was an exceptional repertoire, now accessible through recorded performances and printed scores. This music possesses a profound resonance with the human spirit, evoking its mysteries, potentialities, and existential inquiries.

"Awakening is possible only for those who seek it and want it, for those who are ready to struggle with themselves and work on themselves for a very long time and very persistently in order to attain it."

“Man’s possibilities are very great. You cannot conceive even a shadow of what man is capable of attaining. But nothing can be attained in sleep.”

“Awakening begins when a man realizes that he is going nowhere and does not know where to go.”

– G. I. GURDJIEFF

Contact the Gurdjieff Foundation of Florida

Group Locations

English: Hollywood, FL
Spanish: Hollywood, FL y Doral, FL

Email Us

info@gurdjieff-foundation-florida.org