Intentional striving for the capacity
to understand one's own and mankind's true significance is undertaken
at Northeon Forest by applying an integrated set of practices
derived in part from ancient traditions. These practices were
introduced to western society through the initiative of Gurdjieff
and were transmitted by an oral tradition throughout Middle Asia,
Europe, and more recently America. Although these practices were
never popular, serious seekers were attracted to them, recognizing
that their force originated from a higher than ordinary source.
Convinced that mankind was destined for a transcendent purpose,
seekers took up this exploratory inner journey and began to combat
the disharmony and impediments they found within themselves.
GURDJIEFF - THE PRIME INFLUENCE
Georges I. Gurdjieff (1877-1949)
was raised in the Caucasus by a Greek father and an Armenian mother.
While still a young man, he and a group of other remarkable men
set out in search of "real universal Knowledge." For
Gurdjieff, the hardships and dangers encountered on their journeys
were the true stuff of Existence. In 1922, Gurdjieff and a group
of followers established themselves at the Chateau du Prieure
near the Forest of Fountainbleau in Central France.
Gurdjieff never disclosed the exact
source of his inspiration. It is possible to discover parallels
in various traditions, but the fundamental features of his method
have not been traced to any one source. He recommended a special
kind of inner struggle that sought to destroy complacency and
made adherents aware of the limitations of their present levels
of existence.
THE WORK ACCORDING TO GURDJIEFF
Only by what Gurdjieff called "conscious labors and intentional sufferings" was it possible to bring about inner development. "The Work," as his method came to be called, was only too accurately named. Direction was given in fragments - and his followers had to learn to put the pieces together through personal observations and experiences. An intrepid few were placed into special bands, each member depending upon the others, much like mountain climbers upon a rope. He occupied each with a different work "according to the state of their preparation and their powers." By the very nature of his search he could not have many followers, and, for many, the special nourishment that was offered was too hard to digest.
Each aspect of Gurdjieff's last days
was a reminder that "man must live until he dies." To
"live" in Gurdjieff's sense was to labor consciously
and to suffer intentionally. He practiced this in his own life
with constancy and deliberateness until the 29th of October, 1949.
Gurdjieff's grave near the Forest of Fountainbleau bears no name
or epitaph. Since his death The Search has continued under an
authority springing from the influences which The Search itself
invokes.
Paul H. Beidler, a native Pennsylvanian
of early Swiss-German ancestry, has devoted much of his adult
life to the study of Eastern systems for inner transformation.
Early in his archaeological career, Beidler had come under the
influence of Sufi dervishes in Egypt, Iraq, and Persia. For two
years, he lived among Yesidi priests in Kurdistan, where he was
admitted to the hidden mysteries of Sheikh Adi. Shortly afterwards,
he met Gurdjieff, who became responsible for the direction of
Beidler's life.
Then, impelled by the force that Gurdjieff
and his predecessors represented, Beidler set out on a series
of four distinct careers, abandoning each one after he had reached
its plateau of accomplishment. These careers were external patterns
within which the precepts of Gurdjieff were applied.
In 1949 Beidler associated himself with
the newly formed Gurdjieff Foundation. Six years later, as a member
of the U.S. Foreign Service, he left for Asia to prepare himself
for his eventual role. In 1973, after a quarter century of exploration
in selected regions of Asia, he returned to undertake The Search
at Northeon Forest. He had confirmed that "work on himself"
was best sought under the disruptive and trying conditions of
everyday life, but that the deterrent influences that normally
prevail under these conditions are powerful enough to overwhelm
even the most ardent searchers unless their efforts are reinforced
by energies generated at a focal point of higher striving. Northeon
Forest is becoming that focal point.
Beidler's approach encourages personal
verification by emphasizing that seekers must individually search,
labor, and suffer. Practices and exercises are created by the
seekers of Northeon Forest around programs, written by Beidler,
as well as their own discoveries in the search. Seminars, sacred
dances, meditation, and rhythmic movements with music complement
the work at Northeon forest.
A basic premise of The Search at Northeon Forest is that systematic inner inquiry can lead to transcendent fulfillments when pursued within the fabric of everyday activities. Efforts toward inner transformation will be especially productive when carried out around a focal point of supportive influences and sustained by the vital energy generated by individuals working toward shared higher goals. Inner tasks, performed while confronting the trials and frustrations encountered in normal vocational and domestic environments, are reinforced with new energy when parallel activities take place in the sanctuary provided at Northeon Forest. Important threefold outcomes, however provisional, can be derived while carrying out customary householding responsibilities.
Northeon Forest as a focus of high endeavor
was founded for - and is nurtured by - those who have chosen to
search for inner transformation within the normal context of their
daily lives. The seeker's efforts toward coordinated levels of
mind, spirit, and body are strengthened and invigorated by the
nurturing conditions found at Northeon Forest. No aspect of external
life is overlooked as a fruitful outer framework for parallel
inner effort. The hours spent in making a living, eating, sleep,
and home life are constantly examined for their potential to provide
opportunities for inner work.
THE SETTING OF NORTHEON FOREST
Northeon Forest, in its outward appearance,
is a tree farm and wildlife refuge. The forest terrain and turbulent
streams offer an environment especially fertile for the practice
of inner tasks. This inner work serves to reinforce the conscious
labor performed amidst the diverting influences that prevail elsewhere.
Using materials and situations indigenous to the land, projects
such as forestry, gardening, building, woodworking, wood gathering,
cooking, and beekeeping are undertaken.
Activities that result in a useful product
are favored in preference to those that bear no useful purpose.
Competitiveness is discouraged since it does not contribute to
those higher emotional levels on which Being rests.
Existence can be seen to be organized
and leading toward the fulfillment of a higher purpose. It is
necessary to try to understand the constraints within which transformation
may be earned. By concerted inner effort, intercession from higher
powers may be sought, and there is evidence that assistance in
sincere effort is provided in tangible ways.
Enlightened messengers gifted with transcendent
insight have stressed the special benefits to be derived from
stress, poverty, humility, hardship, risk, and danger, when creatively
endured. The rigors encountered in a natural life are to be valued
as occasions to be used, rather than avoided.
Truths are revealed according to each
individual's own level of comprehension. As the seeker's Being
evolves, the perception of truth emerges correspondingly. Although
accidental patterns of life are usually fertile enough, other
alternatives are sometimes advisable to eliminate conditions too
overwhelming for the beginner. There is an implicit obligation
to use the gift of life in a manner designed to extend one's given
capacities far beyond what is expected by the accepted standards
of the day. To assist mankind toward its ultimate destiny becomes
both a reasonable goal and a compelling responsibility.
Those who embark on this journey of inner inquiry and conscious labor, accompanied by sacrifice, are inevitably confronted by these questions:
- Why are so few called upon to search for ways to inner transformation?
- Why should we try to disengage from conventional values and beliefs rooted in contemporary society?
- What is the real significance of organic life in general and of one's own life in particular?
- What responsibility do we bear for the maintenance of organic life on earth?
- What goals in life are fitting and
feasible?
These and other questions are addressed
at Northeon Forest. Answers are deemed provisional, pending the
expansion of our understanding. Then, when underlying meanings
begin to emerge, segments of insight formerly disconnected begin
to fall into place. This may then be interpreted as preparation
for a conscious function within a cosmic pattern of supreme scope
and importance.
The Search at Northeon Forest is not
intended to and will never become popular. Its integrity is preserved
by avoiding, to the extent possible, its becoming defiled by the
institutions of society. It does not court popular acceptance
but attracts those few individuals who can find no lasting meaning
in mundane goals and who find that they must search for truth
within themselves. Deeply dissatisfied with much of what is available
to them in contemporary society they must often "risk everything,"
only to find that it is mainly their illusions that were risked.
Their Search opens paths to new perception when such common pursuits
as pleasure, comfort, satisfaction, and happiness are found to
be illusory dead ends. The forces that are generated at Northeon
Forest counteract the abundant diversions in contemporary society.
The seminars and meetings are attended
not only by the resident core but also by other committed seekers
commuting from various towns and countries. They comprise an important
element in the sum of energies generated. Their individual life-styles
vary considerably, providing opportunities to search, labor, and
confirm their experiences under conditions vastly different from
those that exist at Northeon Forest. The rays of influence that
they represent extend out into the surrounding areas.
When types of inner exploration are
taking place, the reading of books concerning "The Work"
is discouraged. Participants are advised to see themselves as
the "best book," where truth is to be sought without
distortion from association with something previously read. On
those occasions when books are read, Gurdjieff's own three series
are preferred. Books by his acquaintances and "pupils"
are recognized as personal interpretations.
Conversation and social intercourse
not clearly essential are minimized in deference to higher aspirations.
Altering social behavior among participants illuminates the true
purpose of The Search. Emphasis is always upon vertical aspirations
unhampered by ordinary relationships with one another.
Only by self-generated effort within
oneself and by sincere individual service to the ultimate destiny
of humanity can genuine payment be made. In order to stress these
requisites, there is no monetary payment for engaging in The Search
at Northeon Forest. Money is relegated to a place more appropriate
to householding affairs. This discourages those who cannot recognize
intrinsic value unless marked by a definite price. It may also
temporarily attract individuals who undertake nothing that requires
sacrifice but who soon tire under the relentless pressure of The
Search. This curb on commercial enterprise closes an avenue leading
to spiritual deterioration and corruption. The absence of monetary
concerns promotes feelings of reverence for and kinship with all
mankind.
There are intentionally no commercial
or academic endeavors at Northeon Forest that require fiscal support.
Genuine payment in the form of substantive inner work - as a way
of life - is stressed. The continued functioning of Northeon Forest
is not dependent upon the support of "students" or "donors."
There is a profound obligation to respond
to the needs of those rare individuals who are genuinely drawn
to the goals of The Search at Northeon Forest. The epic quality
of The Search - with the value given to hardship and difficulty
- will challenge the hardy seeker who had the strength to persist
along the arduous path of service and sacrifice despite impediments
along the way.
Those who find themselves in this category
may inquire further information from:
NORTHEON FOREST
10 Hexenkopf Road Easton, PA 18042,
USA (610)258-9559,
Northeon Forest
or any of the following satellite groups:
Madison,
Wisconsin, USA
Wakefield,
Province of Quebec (near Ottawa/Hull), Canada
Toronto,
Ontario, Canada