Originally published in 1971, with an introduction by then Governor Jimmy Carter, Magnus includes Jan’s singular remapping of man’s nervous system. He called it “a Work travelogue to the dangerous edge of objective instability.” In addition to describing the machinery of thought, it includes fables (told by “Kyroot” in the Sufi tradition) and a chapter about Jan’s earliest Work activities. An essential primer for those interested in the idea of “Waking Up.” More
This book marks the solo debut of Kyroot, Jan's cosmic performer in the heuristic Work tradition of spiritual comedians and psychological assassins. Kyroot has observed human history, and has made a particular study of man's peculiar idea of somehow "Awakening" from his ordinary state of consciousness. He sings, he dances, he makes with the dangerous jokes. He is rude, tender, incandescent and always surprising…The Kyroot materials were all originally used in Jan’s several Work groups, and thus provide insight into modern Work methods of evolutionary escape. More
Jan wrote Dialogues in 1979, then immediately revised it in early 1980, adding a chapter chiding earlier readers for missing his clues as to him being the source of those “secret” G papers (he had put “allegorical” in the subtitle, after all). A section of papers prepared for his Work group in Atlanta was also added to the second edition, providing a tantalizing glimpse into Jan’s own contemporary Work activities. On its surface, Dialogues follows the figure of “G” in post-war Paris, as he leads a young American on extraordinary adventures that redefine the ordinary concept of reality and cast new eyes on traditional Sufism, Zen, Yoga, The Fourth Way, and the Work itself. More
THE DEATH OF GURDJIEFF IN THE FOOTHILLS OF GEORGIA
(Secret Papers of an American Work Group)
The Death, published in 1980, was the first American book to arise from Real Work, true to its time and place; it provides an unprecedented inside view of Jan’s Work groups and an outline of what is possible for the very, very few. As a companion piece to Dialogues, it is also a modern objective adventure that leads the reader on a conscious excursion from Paris to “the foothills” of Georgia, and beyond. More
This handbook is a privately published summary of Jan’s early talks, including drawings of his initial maps, illustrations, and glossary definitions, as compiled by his original group in Atlanta, from 1981 to 1984. This is a companion piece to Storming the Gates; together these two volumes were intended and used as an introduction to Jan’s maps and methods. More
STORMING THE GATES
(Expositions)
In this privately published complement to The Gates of Man, members of Jan’s Atlanta group describe and expand on his early lectures and maps. Thus, this handbook provides more in-depth descriptions as well as unique insights into lessons learned within a Work environment from the point of view of the participants. Together, these two volumes were intended and used as an introduction to Jan’s Work System. More
