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Acknowledgements My friend and personal teacher set me on a path. This path led me to a teacher named Thane Walker. Thane spent a lifetime searching for and teaching spiritual knowledge. Thane opened my eyes to many things. Thane had spent some time studying a system of spiritual transformation taught by the influential G. I. Gurdjieff. I became interested in the ancient teachings Gurdjieff had been instrumental in presenting. The foundation of the system as it was taught by Gurdjieff can be found in P. D. Ouspensky’s books, In Search of the Miraculous and The Fourth Way. Ouspensky was a personal student of Gurdjieff’s and a powerful teacher in his own right. I am deeply grateful to P. D. Ouspensky for his efforts to document his experiences with Gurdjieff and for his understanding of the system. Without Ouspensky’s documentation and understanding I probably would not have had access to this system. I am thankful for all the people and all the events that have led me to this point in my life. I am especially thankful to Debra, Oly and David for allowing me into their lives. Introduction When I was twenty-five years old my life was near an end. I was disappointed with the things I thought life offered. I found no value in my daily experience. I was drifting from place to place and job to job hoping a change in locations or occupations would change my experience. I was about to give up and accept the fact that dissatisfaction and hopelessness were conditions of life. Then I met a man who introduced me to my spirit. The taste of spirituality that my friend gave me carried an energy that propelled me into a new world. This new world is a world in which my spirit rather than my material possessions dominates my thoughts. This new world offers true peace and joy. My friend showed me that the material necessary for building spirituality can be found in the ancient systems. These systems provide a map that has been drawn by those who have gained their own spirit. We need a map if we are to find our way. Without a map we will probably find ourselves wandering lost in the wilderness of the physical world hungering for the spirit. This book contains ancient knowledge that is helping me build my spirit. The information in this book contains a map of knowledge as I understand it at this point in my life. Thane
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