Introduction to Ancient Traditions

Location
Ancient Traditions meets weekly at the Woman's Club of Spokane, Washington, at the corner of 9th and Walnut on the South Hill. For more information, browse our site or Submit an Inquiry.

Overview
Ancient Traditions promotes the balanced development of both Mind and Heart through action in the midst of life. While religions require adherence to prescribed beliefs, we turn within to where one's own Inner Guide indwells. Beliefs have their place in human development, but hinder the unfolding of our highest potential when they do not grow and change with our evolving awareness.

It is now possible to cultivate an informed faith, rather than relying upon blind faith. The gap of the Unknown between religion and science continues to shrink. For example, quantum physicists are saying what mystics throughout the aeons have always maintained: that the Observer influences the Observed; that what we take to be "reality" is illusion sustained by selective perception and unquestioned, hidden assumptions. Scientists are beginning to admit that the ultimate nature of Reality is Mystery, an enigma so vast, so awesome that it defies quantifying by the human mind - what mystics simply call God.

Ancient Traditions is not founding a new religion, since religions are founded upon beliefs; therefore participants are not pressured into believing anything -- on the contrary, healthy skepticism is encouraged. The principles presented, universal to all the ancient traditions, must be verified through personal experience in order to have the power to transform one's life. The primary aim of the curriculum is to de-program the Mind from the prison of anxiety-based delusions and polarized beliefs. At the same time, we learn to restore the Mind's curious, open state in order to receive Wisdom from the Heart. Through intelligent cooperation between the Mind and Heart, one is no longer susceptible to delusions. One attains the freedom to live joyfully, grounded in one's Authentic Self. From this foundation of fluidity and harmony, we find God where God-Presence is closest at hand: within.

The New Age

There is a growing body of evidence that the world's oldest and most respected spiritual paths emerged from a common root in Humanity’s distant past. Shrouded in secrecy for thousands of years, amazingly these teachings are now available to the public in print. The release of previously hidden systems of transformation is evidence that Humanity has come of age: individuals now need to take responsibility for their own spiritual education and transformation. Rather than scouring the world in search of a master, or retreating into monastic seclusion, the wealth of resources now accessible makes spiritual transformation possible in the midst of modern life - but only with persistent, intelligent efforts guided from the Heart within a community of peers. The Ancient Traditions Community is a group of seekers committed to offering one another this vital mutual support.

G.I. Gurdjieff - The Fourth Way
One of earliest proponents of adapting ancient methods for modern humanity was George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, who devoted his life (1866-1949) to uncovering the teachings, rituals, and practices of remote monastic centers in the Middle East, and reformulating what he found for Western minds and bodies. Among the traditions he investigated are Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the Essenes, Mevlevi and Naqshbandi Sufism, and Tibetan Buddhism. The Gurdjieff Cosmology, Spiritual Psychology, and Sacred Dance (known as the Fourth Way) represent a synthesis of these traditions, and form the foundation of the curriculum at Ancient Traditions.

Théun Mares - Toltec Path of Freedom
Gurdjieff makes it clear in his writings that the key to transformation is a fundamental change in one's PERCEPTION. Therefore, the ancient Toltec Tradition, as brought to us by Théun Mares, completes Gurdjieff's Work, as it embodies transmutation, transformation and transfiguration, beginning with one's perception. Therefore, we incorporate ALL the Toltec Teachings into our Work. Please visit the Toltec Legacy for a complete introduction and to subscribe to his online teaching facility. Elizabeth Schnugh facilitates Relationiships Courses at international locations which embody the Toltec Teachings through a set of practical tools you can use to transform your relationship with your Self and all around you.

Murat Yagan - Building Community
A group united by a common aim generates a synergy that fuels individual efforts far more effectively and consistently than is possible when working alone. Nor is it possible working alone to effect the most critical healing and transformation: our relationships with one another. The ancient wisdom of Aleishweh, evolved from the Kebzeh Tradition of the Caucasus Mountains over 26,000 years, contains the time-tested principles of the art of living an abundant life, where One is for All; and All for One.

This work of the Heart forms the crux of the spiritual path, as echoed by our motto:

"Finding God Within"