George Ivanovich Gurdjieff was raised in the southern Caucasus, where he encountered phenomena that convinced him a real knowledge of man and the universe had existed in the past. The conviction that it must be possible to find this knowledge and make it accessible to people of our time gave direction to his entire life.

Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, Gurdjieff’s magnum opus, is a vast epic ranging in scope from the creation of the universe through the unfolding – at all levels – of life on earth. It conveys Gurdjieff’s understanding of the purpose and meaning of human existence. The narrator and central character is none other than Beelzebub himself, the fallen angel who, now transformed through his conscious labour and intentional suffering, is returning, forgiven, to his home near the centre of the universe. Gurdjieff’s aim in writing this book, he asserted, was “to destroy, mercilessly and without any compromise whatever, in the mentation and feelings of the reader, the beliefs and views, by centuries rooted in him, about everything existing in the world.” To hear chapter 7, “Becoming Aware of Genuine Being Duty” (6 min.) click here.

Margaret Flinsch – Peggy, as she is known to many – was born in Glendale, Ohio, U.S.A. in 1907. Around the age of seventeen, she heard an early draft of Beelzebub’s Tales read at the home of friends in New Jersey. It made such a deep impression on her that she felt impelled to travel to France to meet its author.

Peggy has said that this book is meant to be read aloud. And Gurdjieff states that his book is designed to reach both the waking consciousness and the subconscious. “For me,” Peggy has said, “listening is the path to the subconscious mind.”

The present recording of her reading of the book was completed and published in her 101st year.