Synopses & Reviews
Shadows of Heaven traces the relations between the American poet-novelist Nathan Jean Toomer and the Armenian Greek savant and teacher Georgii Ivanovich Gurdjieff, from 1924 until Gurdjieff's death in 1949, as well as each man's relationship with Edith Annesley Taylor and her son Paul, the author of this book. Edith loved Toomer and bore Gurdjieff's daughter. Edith's son, who lived as a young child with his sister at Gurdjieff's Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man at Avon near Fountainebleau, was adopted into Toomer's household in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, before studying with Gurdjieff in 1948 and 1949.
Toomer's recollections of this period reveal an initial enthusiasm for a way of self-perfection under Gurdjieff's guidance, wavering under the influence of the women he loved and waning as he grew weary of Gurdjieff's financial and moral demands upon him. Edith Taylor's memoirs record an extraordinary attraction to both Gurdjieff and Toomer, complicated by a fear of full commitment to either. Gurdjieff seemed indifferent to her bearing him a daughter, while Toomer assumed a father's role for the son Edith bore another. Caught in the middle of this tense triad of interests was the English critic-publisher A. R. Orage, who was close to all three parties. Orage's wife, Jessie, was Edith's best friend. Her diary entries from 1926 to 1934 testify to the tension between Toomer, Gurdjieff, and Taylor, as well as to her own complex relationship with all three. Finally, Paul Taylor's record of his later experiences with Toomer and Gurdjieff reveal striking similarities and differences in the teaching methods of both.
This book is probably the first to reveal something ofGurdjieff's "love life" with the mothers of his children. Several new descriptions of Gurdjieff's voyages with his pupils reveal aspects of Gurdjieff's character not documented elsewhere. Taylor's portrait of Toomer adds to existing biographical studies by documenting his use of Gurdjieff's ideas in the instruction he gave Paul and his daughter Margery. No works on Orage reveal the extent to which he mediated others' difficult relations with Gurdjieff, particularly his own wife's. Excerpts from Jessie Orage's diaries in the book testify, to the magnetic attraction Gurdjieff exercised over those he felt vital to the dissemination of his ideas.
Synopsis
A great deal of mystery surrounds G.I. Gurdjieff and The Work. Today, many on the path of selfexploration find themselves drawn to the symbolism of the enneagram, and to Gurdjieff's other teachings. Gurdjieff was undeniably charismatic many famous and influential people lived in his shadow, accepting his guidance while changing and transforming their lives. Shadows of Heaven focuses on the relationship between Gurdjieff and the poetnovelist Nathan Jean Toomer, from 1924 until Gurdjieff's death in 1949, as well as each man's relationship with Edith Annesley Taylor and her son Paul, the author of this book.
Caught in the middle of this tense triad of interests was the English criticpublisher A.R. Orage, who was close to all three parties, and whose wife, Jessie, was Edith's best friend. Paul Taylor's unique life experience has made it possible for him to combine his mother's memoir's conversations between Toomer and Gurdjieff, and entries from Jessie Orage's diary into this fascinating book. It is probably the first to reveal something of Gurdjieff's love life with the mothers of his children. Several new descriptions of Gurdjieff's voyages with his pupils reveal aspects of Gurdjieff's character not documented elsewhere. Excerpts from Jessie Orage's diaries testify to the magnetic attraction Gurdjieff exercised over those he felt were viral to the dissemination of his ideas. With 16 pages of neverbefore published photographs, this book presents a fresh new picture of Gurdjieff and his teaching, adding to his legend a tangible humanity to which we can all relate.