Life is real only then, when “I am”

G. I. Gurdjieff

Welcome.

The Gurdjieff Foundation of California in San Francisco is home to the oldest group in California devoted to the work of self-development through the teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff. We are a non-profit, voluntary community of seekers coming from many backgrounds. As Gurdjieff said, “Here there are neither Russians nor English, Jews nor Christians, but only those who pursue one aim—to be able to be.” United by a call to live more consciously in the midst of the challenges of everyday life, we hope that our work might have meaning and influence beyond ourselves in the world.

Group Meetings

MOVEMENTS

Sitting

Practical Work

Study of Ideas

Family Work

Music

An elderly man with a beard, wearing a suit and hat, sitting on a park bench, petting a dog. Two other dogs are nearby. A young boy holding a stick stands in the background near trees and a house.

History

G. I. Gurdjieff emerged in Western Europe in the 1920s after more than 20 years of search for ancient hidden knowledge in Central Asia, Egypt, and the Far East.

From boyhood, he was driven to find answers to the deepest questions that a human can ask: Who am I? Why are we here? What happens to us when we die? Is humanity evolving? How to be awake, aware and present in my life?

He introduced a completely new teaching for our times and for those searching for meaning while under the influence of tectonic changes in technology, the environment, the family, and social, economic, political, and religious structures. His teaching does not depend upon faith but upon personal knowledge gained through real impressions of oneself received through a work in life on oneself and for others.

G. I. Gurdjieff, sitting outdoors on the ground with a dog and a cat, in a rural area with trees and a wooden building in the background.

G. I. Gurdjieff pictured with his pets, including his dog Philos [1940s]

Black and white photo of a large, multi-story house with multiple windows and chimneys, surrounded by trees and a lawn.

The Prieuré near Avon in the Forest of Fontainebleau, France [1920s]

Gurdjieff comes to America

Gurdjieff in America is a film illustrating the history and influence of Gurdjieff and his teaching in the one hundred years since he first arrived in North America.

A Center of Work in California

Before his death in 1949, Gurdjieff entrusted the task of transmitting the teaching to his chief pupil, Jeanne de Salzmann, and to an intimate circle of pupils in Europe and America who had directly received his guidance. Under their direction, the first centers of the Work were established in Paris, London, New York, and Caracas. Over the past three quarters of a century, many other affiliated groups have been brought into being with the help of these senior pupils.

The Gurdjieff Foundation of California was one of the first of these. It was established in San Francisco in 1955 under the direction of Lord John Pentland, who was given the responsibility for the fledgling American groups by Gurdjieff himself. Over the years, with the help of the most experienced students, our community has maintained a link to the current of ideas, practices, and energy of the original living teaching transmitted by Gurdjieff.

If you are visiting this site, you may already feel that the Gurdjieff Work could be a doorway to new knowledge, experience, and a more meaningful life.

If so, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.