4,600 years ago, a brotherhood of wise men in Mesopotamia discovered the cosmic secret for continuous renewal.*
The wise men understood how the drama of life offers the means to build an eternal soul.
This esoteric knowledge remained hidden until 1916 when the Russian mystic, G.I. Gurdjieff revealed how the Octave and the Enneagram offer the possibility for perpetual self-renewal.
Bruce Miller uses ancient knowledge, recent history, and compelling personal stories to show how waves of adversity provide the energy for his book:
“UPLIFT: How to Harness the Hidden Engine of Continuous Renewal.”
Bruce encountered this knowledge in 1975 at age 24 while helping English author, Reshad (Tim) Feild establish the Institute for Conscious Life in Los Angeles. Reshad had performed with Dusty Springfield earlier in his career. When Bruce encountered Reshad’s sorcerer-like gift to heal the sick, open the heart, and banish gloom, Bruce became a student of this movement of energy called the Octave. In effect, Bruce became Reshad’s Octave apprentice.
Fifty years later, this knowledge became useful when Bruce’s business went bankrupt on the same shocking afternoon that his wife Karen collapsed from a brain tumor.
“The implausible timing gave us hope, that we could navigate the rollercoaster intensity of events by trusting the hidden currents of our journey,” Bruce recounted.
Karen added, “I saw how the doctor’s seven-month prognosis was not more powerful than the healing energies available to me. It was like riding a wave, so rather than getting pulled under, I got on top and rode it to the end.”
It was like riding a wave, so rather than getting pulled under, I got on top and rode it to the end.”
REVIEWS: Uplift
“This is a very fine read. Each page resonates with a lived-in truth and wisdom. This is going to be one of my favorite “work-books” along with Madeline Gold and Roger Lipsey…each writer with their own bean row in the same garden. Nothing wrong with that.”
James Farrelly
Author: The Memory Tapes of John I. Pearl and Dust of Butterfly Wings
“Spolier alert. I loved it. So many delightful images and stories it evokes. I have to say, I love Bhagwan. There is joy in his words. I have received so much from the bits you have shared of his teaching. Jeff Black, Aikidoka at Aikido Center Sacramento
If I like a book, I will underline passages and dog ear pages, and for this book, I typically underlined several passages on a page, and dog eared almost every other page. Not because the information was new to me, but the way that it was presented was so fresh and natural that I knew I would want to review it over and over again. ~ D. Radick
“Thank you for your glances behind the curtain of our daily pains and stumbling blocks, for outlining the octave and the law of three, for all those stories as well as the courage and humour they are conveying. You surely gave me a lot of new seeds I can plant and continue to water.” ~ Victoria from Germany
“What a delight! The book is! It’s easy to read, easy to understand. It seems to have arrived at a perfect time on our little planet. I was out for lunch with two of my friends today, singing its praises, and they are ordering five copies…The narrator of “Uplift” shares amiably – funny, entertaining, interesting. Having gone down so many rabbit holes listening to J.G. Bennett, he seems easier to understand now as well. Love the book!”
C. McLeod, British Columbia
“The humor is delightful. This book helped me understand how to survive and thrive after life’s disasters, heartbreaks, illnesses, accidents, or losses.” ~ Eleanor
“Well written as a narrative non-fiction work but in the easy style of a novel with much humor.” Virginia Finnegan
Chapter summary
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- Introduction: “The Giant Wooden Hammer” — Your life deals Wild Cards from the Deck at precise yet unexpected intervals.
- “The Dramatic Universe” — The arc of our character swings from hubris to humility to advance the story. Even though the script is written, we get to make it up as we go along.
- “Katabasis” — Whether you call it the dorsal state, katabasis, or garden variety depression, we grow our wings on the way down.
- “The Energy Must Go Through” — You are basically a tube through which subtle energies are transformed. Life is “evergreen,” ever-reaching toward self-renewal.
- “I am the Octave” — Your desire for freedom bumps into the denying force, yet a mysterious third force dissolves this resistance. The Octave describes the inner force of the pianist who makes the score come alive.
- “Different Worlds” — It’s easier to go down than up, so watch that first step. A single step can take you into a lower world, but you can’t know that world without stepping into it.
- Was the source of this knowledge from Gurdjieff? Pythagoras? The mystery schools of Egypt and Mesopotamia? The Sarmoun Brotherhood? Or back to Gilgamesh, 2700 BCE?
- “The Two Trains” — When unexpected (yet predictable) events come into our lives, the outcome is uncertain. This is Hazard. Each chapter of our lives unfolds from the future with the promise of transformation.
- “The Engine of Continuous Renewal” — The human lifetime functions as an enormous transformation engine – also called the Enneagram. Like the glider pilot who seeks out thermals, we can use our lives for transformation and Uplift.
- “The Inner Lines” — Like the chef who envisions an entire banquet to the final toast, we don’t have to be trapped in linear time. We see the entire road map with the help of angels.
- “Swimming with Angels” — Angels form the infrastructure of the spiritual world. They offer a full-contact sport where they place their bets on risk, action, and follow-through.
- “Why Not Now?” — The ultimate life-extending therapy is Uplift. By reducing drag and breaking through the waves of resistance, the body and mind cease to be a burden. Miracles are waiting in the wings.