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 Uplift.
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 and Bruce saw how Reshad had a sorcerer-like gift to heal the sick, open the heart, and banish gloom. This movement of energy was called the Octave. From this, 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 the Octave and Enneagram,” 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
“Thank you for having written this book. It IS something precious.
As to the inner meaning of your writings I can say, your book came to me at the right time.
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
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” — All the world’s a stage. The arc of our character swings from hubris to humility to advance the story. Paradoxically, even though the script is already 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 according to harmonic proportions. Life is “evergreen,” ever-reaching toward self-renewal.
- “I am the Octave” — Your desire for freedom bumps into fear and refusal – the denying force. A mysterious third force dissolves this resistance when you rise above the stalemate. The Octave is not a set of notes on a piano or a musical score. It 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 – it’s a Lulu. A single step can take you into a lower world, but you can’t know that world without stepping into it.
- “The Two Trains” — Unexpected (but inevitable) events come into our life story to be wrestled with. 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” — While it appears as a random stream of thrills and spills, 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. The inner lines expand our present moment to let angels enter our awareness. Th ey travel on avenues One, Four, Two, Eight, Five, and Seven. We see this entire road map with their help.
- “Swimming with Angels” — Angels form the infrastructure of the spiritual world. Swimming with angels is more than wishful thinking. It’s a full-contact sport where angels place their bets on risk, action, and follow-through.
- “Why Not Now?” — The dramatic 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 occur.