CERYS MATTHEWS: HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING? THERE IS ONLY ONE ANSWER
Want a tune to help you doze off at night? Then George Gurjieff is
your man * What musical advice do you need? Post your questions in
the thread below
Cerys Matthews The Guardian, Saturday 25 October 2014
When your brain’s so busy you can’t get to sleep, turn on George
Gurdjieff and tune out. Photograph: PR
I’m having trouble sleeping. What’s going to send me off without
getting the mind whirring or giving me weird dreams?
When the whole world is snoring, and the foxes stalk the streets, and
your candle, book and mantras fail to nudge you close to sleep, the
mind can become a little too lively: you start remembering all those
shouldn’t-have-done lists by the light of the moon. Notwithstanding
the frustrations, this is a lovely problem to solve and there really is
only one answer: George Gurdjieff. Specifically, Gurdjieff’s Harmonium
Improvisations (1949).
Who is this Gurdjieff, I hear you ask. Well, what a fascinating man.
He looked a lot like the infamous jailbird strongman Charles Bronson,
with a little Ghandi thrown in, which is quite the cocktail. But back
to Mr G. He was born in Armenia around 1870, moving to Moscow some 35
years later, by which time he’d become a spiritual leader. He believed
we humans went through life in a state of sleep, and encouraged
his followers to aim for a higher state of conciousness in order to
achieve their full human potential. His methods he called The Work
or the Fourth Way.
Stick with me if you’re starting to drop off already: the reason I
bring him up is not to convert you to a new set of beliefs, but rather
to nudge you towards this particular set of recordings – ironically
enough, they’re the perfect solution to insomnia. Gurdjieff’s
improvisations, recorded post dinner at his flat in Paris, are
the sonic equivalent of a rocking cradle with a dummy thrown in –
beautiful meandering melodies washing over you like gentle waves over
tropical shorezzzz…
* What musical advice do you need? Post your questions in the thread
below