William Patrick Patterson is a spiritual teacher of The Fourth Way, an ancient, esoteric teaching of self-development brought to the West by G. I. Gurdjieff. Patterson is also an author, filmmaker and speaker on spiritual themes, including The Fourth Way, Being & Becoming, Advaita Vedanta

Advaita Vedanta

Advaita Vedanta is considered to be the most influential and most dominant sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedānta are Dvaita and ; while the minor ones include Suddhadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Achintya Bhedabheda...

, Self-Awakening, Self-Observation, Esoteric Christianity

Esoteric Christianity

Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a mystery religion, and profess the existence and possession of certain esoteric doctrines or practices, hidden from the public but accessible only to a narrow circle of "enlightened",...

, and Conscious-Body-Breath-Impressions.

Biography

William Patrick Patterson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was an exchange student at the University of Vienna, Austria, and graduated from Bowling Green State University, Ohio, with a B.A. degree in English and minors in Philosophy and Psychology. He worked in New York for IBM, J. Walter Thompson, BBD&O and Hartcourt Brace. He founded and edited In New York magazine and ran it for five years before selling it in 1969. Thereafter, he was the editor-in-chief of Food Management magazine and high-tech editor of Industry Week magazine. He resides in California.

Patterson was a longtime student of his seminal teacher Lord John Pentland, who was appointed by Gurdjieff to be the leader of the Work in America and was the president of the New York and San Francisco Gurdjieff Foundations. The rare-born Danish mystic Sunyata

Alfred Sorensen

Alfred Julius Emmanuel Sorensen , also known as Sunyata, Shunya, or Sunyabhai, was a Danish mystic, horticulturalist and writer who lived in Europe, India and America.- Early life :...

, who was given this name in 1936 by Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi

Sri Ramana Maharshi , born Venkataraman Iyer, was a Hindu spiritual master . He was born to a Tamil-speaking Brahmin family in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu. After experiencing at age 16 what he later described as liberation , he left home for Arunachala, a mountain considered sacred by Hindus...

, lived with Patterson starting in 1982 and introduced him to Advaita Vedanta. Sunyata died in 1984 at the age of 94, but in the previous year he introduced Patterson to Dr. Jean Klein

Jean Klein (spiritual teacher)

Jean Klein was a French author, spiritual teacher and philosopher of Advaita . Several of his disciples went on to become spiritual teachers themselves, including Eric Baret, Francis Lucille, Jean-Marc Mantel, Joan Ruvinsky, Richard Miller and David Ciussi...

, a Western Advaita master with whom Patterson studied until Klein’s death in 1998. Dr. Klein provided the foundation for a direct experiencing of the body, allowing Patterson to incorporate Work principles with Advaita Vedanta, which he has named Conscious-Body-Breath-Impressions. Dr. Klein also provided the necessary catalysis and encouragement for the writing of Patterson’s first book on The Gurdjieff Work, Eating The “I”: A Direct Account of The Fourth Way.

Teaching: The Gurdjieff Work

Patterson is the founder/director of Gurdjieff Legacy through which he teaches study groups, as well as seminars, workshops and talks on Fourth Way themes. He also founded and directs The Gurdjieff Studies Program, which allows students living out of the reach of ongoing Gurdjieff Legacy groups to participate in study through correspondence, seminars and scheduled private meetings.

Sample group meetings are found in the "Fourth Way Meetings" section of Patterson's latest book, Spiritual Survival in a Radically Changing World-Time. The section consists of 324 questions and answers arranged in 36 subsections. Group study includes weekly meetings and Days of Exploration where practical work with Fourth Way ideas regarding attention and the triadic brain functioning of the body is explored, experienced and refined.

Published books

Eating The "I": A Direct Account of The Fourth Way (Arete Communications, Fairfax, CA, 1992)

Struggle of the Magicians (Arete Communications, Fairfax, CA, 1998)

Struggle of the Magicians (Greek Translation, Metaekdotiki, Thessalonika, Greece, 1999)

Taking with the Left Hand (Arete Communications, Fairfax, CA, 1998)

Taking with the Left Hand (Japanese Translation, The English Agency, Tokyo, Japan, 2004)

Ladies of the Rope (Arete Communications, Fairfax, CA, 1998)

Gurdjieff et Les Femmes de la Cordée (La Table Ronde, Paris, France, 2005)

Voices in the Dark (Arete Communications, Fairfax, CA, 2000)

The Life & Teachings of Carlos Castaneda (Arete Communications, Fairfax, CA, 2008)

Spiritual Survival in a Radically Changing World-Time (Arete Communications, Fairfax, CA 2009)

Adi Da Samraj Realized or/and Deluded? (Arete Communications, Fairfax, CA 2011)

The Gurdjieff Journal

A triannual international journal, first published in 1992, now in its 52nd issue.

When the mystic/guru G. I. Gurdjieff died in 1949, he left behind a curious yet influential body of teachings loosely centered on humankind's capacity for self-awareness. Gurdjieff's philosophy, often referred to as "The Work," still resonates with present-day freethinkers, as exhibited by the continuing presence (and recent redesign) of The Gurdjieff Journal …. The profiled issue contains worthwhile articles about Gurdjieff followers John Lester and Ethel Merston, as well as book, film, and art reviews about related works.

Published Articles

"Redemption from Redemption," Yoga Journal, July/August 1990

"Silence Was His Specialty," Gnosis Magazine, Spring 1993

"Don't Force Read This Book," Gnosis Magazine, Fall 1997

"The Question of Truth," Revue 3 Millénaire, Paris, France, #81 2006

"The Profound Question of Energy," Revue 3 Millénaire, Paris, France, #82 2006

"The Question of Rebirth," Revue 3 Millénaire, Paris, France, #83 2007

"The Unheard Symphony," Revue 3 Millénaire, Paris, France, #92 2009

Documentary filmography

Seven years in the making, The Life & Significance of George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, Patterson’s documentary film trilogy, was completed in 2003. He wrote, directed and narrated the trilogy totaling over three hours of footage, much of which was shot on location, including the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid, Ancient Thebes, Karnak, Temple in Man, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Edfu, Abu Simbel, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Constantinople, London, Fontainebleau-en-Avon, the Prieuré, Lascaux, Mont St. Michel, London, Lyne Place, Hampstead, Mendham, New Haven and New York. The seven-year project provided a practical Work task for students to apply their own efforts to understanding ideas of the Work, such as uncertainty, inner-considering, imagination, knowledge, being, super-effort, common aim.

Part I — Gurdjieff in Egypt

Explores the early dating of the Sphinx with reference to Robert Schloch, John Anthony West and the research of Schwaller de Lubicz

R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz

René Adolphe Schwaller de Lubicz , born in Alsace-Lorraine, was best known for his 15-year study of the art and architecture of the Temple of Luxor in Egypt and his subsequent book The Temple of Man...

. William Patterson leads us on a tour of Egypt and explores the esotericism inherent within its key structures in terms of the wisdom Gurdjieff transmitted. We explore the Temple of Luxor and receive an introduction to the work of Schwaller de Lubicz on the Sacred Mathematics of the Temple of Man (Luxor) and true meaning of the God Min. We also explore the Temple of Karnak, Valley of the Kings and Edfu. At Edfu we come to a deeper appreciation of the relationship between Horus and Set and its relevance within our own spiritual lives. Patterson also notes the similarities between the way Gurdjieff described the Atlantean source of his teaching in the "All and Everything Series" and key inscriptions on the walls of the Temple at Edfu. As the film progresses we get deeper insight into the nature of this teaching, its connection to Esoteric Christianity and its relevance today.

Part II — Gurdjieff's Mission

Fascinating exploration of Gurdjieff's effort to bring the Fourth Way teaching to the West. While it is a lineal outline of Gurdjieff’s life and teaching through the momentous period of 1912–1924, beautifully intertwined are outlines of key Fourth Way concepts, major students and the world historical context of each period. Rather than simply presenting Gurdjieff’s life in isolation as so many biographies of esoteric figures tend to do, this film puts it in a larger context, both spiritually and historically.

Part III — Gurdjieff's Legacy

Begins with Gurdjieff's car accident and his closure of the Prieuré. In many ways it is hard to consider it an accident. While on a material level it may seem that way, however Gurdjieff saw it in a very different manner. From this time onwards began a new level of his work. He realized that regardless of the potential of his students he could not train them to the level needed to transmit the knowledge within the short time left. He also believed that his students did not appreciate the gravity of the world situation, something which today has become all too obvious. Accordingly, he decided he needed to leave a Legominism. Gurdjieff chose to place his Legominism in written form.

Published Interviews

"The Fourth Way Teaching," Monthly Aspectarian, February, 2001

"The Making of the Gurdjieff Trilogy," Evolve Magazine, 2004

Radio Interviews

Seeing Beyond, Bonnie Colleen, February 2009

Voice America Network, Michael Kell, October 9, 2009

Editorial Reviews

Eating The "I". Library Journal, 1991

Eating The "I". Yoga Journal, November 1991

Eating The "I". Gnosis, Summer 1992

Eating The "I". Rainbow City Express, July 1992

Eating The "I". In Pittsburgh, November 4, 1993

Eating The "I". Syzygy, Winter-Spring 1993

Eating The "I". Free Press, January 26, 1993

Eating The "I". Fate, July 1994

Struggle of the Magicians. Rapport, January/February 1996

Struggle of the Magicians. Gnosis, Spring 1996

Struggle of the Magicians. Inner Journeys, Spring 1996

Struggle of the Magicians. Light of Consciousness, Spring 1996

Struggle of the Magicians. NAPRA Review, Summer 1996

Struggle of the Magicians. Mudra, Fall 1996

Taking with the Left Hand. The Bookwatch, November 1997

Taking with the Left Hand. Publishers Weekly, December 1997

Ladies of the Rope. Reviewer's Bookwatch, November 1998

Ladies of the Rope. The Midwest Book Review, December 1998

Ladies of the Rope. Abiegnus, November 1998

Ladies of the Rope. Inner Journeys, Spring 1999

Ladies of the Rope. Conscious Life, April 1999

Taking with The Left Hand. Caliber, University of California Press, George Adams, April, 1999

Struggle of the Magicians. Caliber, University of California Press, George Adams, October, 1999

Voices in the Dark. Publishers Weekly, December 11, 2000

Gurdjieff in Egypt (film). Convergence Magazine, Summer 2000

Eating The "I". Common Ground, Summer 2000

Eating The "I". Inner Words, November/December 2000

Voices in the Dark. The Bookwatch, February 2001

Voices in the Dark. Wisconsin Bookwatch, September 2001

Ladies of The Rope. Inner Words, January/February 2001

Struggle of the Magicians. Whole Life Times, March 2001

Voices in the Dark. Ralph Magazine, #88 Late Fall 2002

Gurdjieff's Legacy (film). New Age Retailer, May 2004

Eating The "I". Living Traditions, May 2004

The Life & Significance of G. I. Gurdjieff (documentary trilogy). Living Traditions, May 2007

The Gurdjieff Journal. Library Journal, November 2007

Spiritual Survival in a Radically Changing World-Time. Revue 3 Millénaire, Spring 2009

Spiritual Survival in a Radically Changing World-Time. The Bookwatch, May 2009

Spiritual Survival in a Radically Changing World-Time. Arizona Networking News, June 2009

Spiritual Survival in a Radically Changing World-Time. Small Press Bookwatch, June 2009

Spiritual Survival in a Radically Changing World-Time. Light of Consciousness, Summer 2009

Spiritual Survival in a Radically Changing World-Time. New Dawn, July/August 2010

The Life & Teachings of Carlos Castaneda. New Dawn, September/October 2010

Eating The "I". New Dawn Magazine, November/December 2010

External links

• Official Website