Eating the I: An Account of the Fourth Way-The Way of Transformation in Ordinary Life (In Search of the Self) - Hardcover

Patterson, William Patrick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1879514761 ISBN 13: 9781879514768

Publisher: Arete Communications, 1992

Synopsis

2007 Expanded edition. Includes a gallery of 17 paintings depicting different stages in the journey. The search for one s real self is a sacred quest, an archetypal journey, whereby the seeker eats through the web of illusory "I's" that mask his or her real self-identity. In our times, this search has rarely been reported in such a candid and compelling manner as it is in William Patrick Patterson s book Eating the "I". Dispirited and disappointed in life, the author s life dramatically changes when he is introduced to the esoteric teachings of the Fourth Way - the way of transformation in ordinary life. Unique to this rich and practical teaching is its insistence that the student's negativity and confusion are the sources of his awakening. Life's shocks and uncertainty - that which he is most trying to avoid - are in fact that which can help him to awaken. Writing on many levels, and in the strong vibrant voice of a natural storyteller, Patterson describes his twelve-year search that takes him from secret meetings in a Manhattan townhouse, to the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico, to Dublin and the Aran Islands, to England s Lake District and a medieval Scottish chapel, to his boarding of Allan Watt's S.S Vallejo and discovery of the "Holy Fool". Into his life come many memorable and powerful people: Trungpa, a Tibetan Master of Crazy Wisdom; Vali, a beautiful and enticing witch; Casey, a Jungian painter; and Stanley, an arch-adversary. Yet by far the most remarkable and unforgettable of all remains the man chosen by Gurdjieff to lead the Fourth Way in America, Lord John Pentland. Eating the "I" shows how the pressures, conflicts and uncertainties of the technological world actively serve our awakening. Life is used to come to Life.

About this title

From the Publisher

2007 Expanded edition. Includes a gallery of 17 paintings depicting different stages in the journey.

Review

"Eating The 'I' gives as full a picture of the Work as it may be possible to get without joining it. It comes from a great depth and carries much conviction. Readers will taste this teaching in action and will also get an extraordinary glimpse of an extraordinary teacher - Lord John Pentland." --Richard Smoley, Editor, Gnosis Magazine

"Patterson has two fine Irish gifts: a vivid memory and a storyteller's ear. Paced like a novel, this spiritual autobiography is certain to appeal to those who want a rare and engaging inside glimpse of the Gurdjieff Work." --Stephen Bodian, Editor, Yoga Journal

"Eating the 'I' is a delightful gem of a read. I cannot recommend it enough. Few spiritual books have captured my interest and attention with such force. Even for those who have little interest in the teachings of the Fourth Way, it is bound to entertain and enlighten." --New Dawn Magazine, November/December 2010

"I am sure Eating The 'I' will be one of the more important writings on the Gurdjieff Work, after Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous." --Miguel Serrano, author, C.G. Jung and Hermann Hesse and The Serpent in Paradise

Edition details

• Publisher: Arete Communications
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 1879514761
• ISBN 13: 9781879514768
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 359
• Editor: Allen Barbara C.