The Ouspensky Phenomenon

 

Path of Righteousness

The Ouspensky Phenomenon could be defined as a socially affordable Snake Oil. It might be inaccurate to call it an example of myth and politics unless it was an economy and I was a politician. Then I could confidently declare the fundamentals of Snake Oil alive and well in the Ouspensky Phenomenon. The issue of course that challenges language is a definition of the Ouspensky Phenomenon. What is it? Of the facets available to think about, two jump up and down quite loudly. The first is the Far East, somewhere beyond the Muslim frontier, some new flavor of Cool Aid had started entering fashion in the West when the Magi introduced themselves to Mary. The second facet is this. Ouspensky's second book found it's way to the United States where it was discovered by an American Archaeologist who'd found in it a theme for one of his buildings, he translated Ouspensky's second book into English and published it. The book sold well, years later when Ouspensky discovered a reputation waiting for him he was able to recoup a suggestion of his royalties. Of the two, start with the Magi.

"The Philosopher must bow down to the Microscope" John Walking Stewart

Foots etc..

The "Five Pecks of Wheat" was more likely five Pecks of Rice. It was the entry fee for an early Daoist community. It was enough to satisfy the Celestial Masters, the professionals who ran the departments of heaven like well ordered drill sergeants. Not everyone was guaranteed a reward, only about 18000 people would have the correct balance of life force to survive the apocalypse. Being good was a competitive sport. Back then, like today, there was of course no shortage of advice on how to polish the QI. In excess of two thousand years after the first Five Pecks Grand Master, a philosopher and esoteric known in English as PD Ouspensky's exploration of the fourth dimension and an extended visit to Nepal produced a sought after 1912 book called Tertiary Organum. It was a made in a lifetime Lamarkian evolutionary journey. The gist of his account was some people achieve enlightenment through an extraordinary physics and are heaven bound, others don't and aren't. Grand Master Zhang Daoling ran a small empire. Ouspensky developed a bit of cult, he died in Surrey, England, in 1947.