Ethel Merston
Encyclopedia
Ethel Merston was one of G. I. Gurdjieff
’s first students at his Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, at the Prieuré in Fontainebleau-en-Avon, France. Gurdjieff had recently come to the West to introduce an ancient esoteric teaching of spiritual transformation called The Fourth Way. She wrote a memoir based on her diaries giving a keen insight into many of the seminal teachers of her times.
Ethel Merston first met Gurdjieff in London, through P. D. Ouspensky
and Dr. Maurice Nicoll, and went to France where she lived and studied with Gurdjieff at the Prieuré from 1922–27. An energetic worker with organizational and administrative abilities, she managed the school in Mr. Gurdjieff’s absences. For some years, as Gurdjieff wrote his magnum opus All and Everything
, she was one of the principal translators. Though she left the Institute in 1927, Gurdjieff remained an important influence in her life.
Financially independent, she traveled the world, settling in India in 1934. She chanced to meet again a childhood friend, Maud MacCarthy
(later known as Swami Omananda), who arrived with her husband, the composer John Foulds
, and their friend Bill, known as The Boy. She befriended many Western seekers, among them Alain Daniélou
and his companion Raymond Burnier, and worked with Daniélou on his book, Introduction to the Study of Musical Scales. She introduced her young Scots friend, Alec Phipps, later Sri Madhava Ashish, to Sri Krishna Prem, who had founded the Mirtola
ashram with his guru Sri Yashoda Ma. The French Benedictine monk Père Henri Le Saux (Swami Abhishiktananda) became a lifelong friend, grateful for Ethel’s invaluable help at key moments in his quest. She was a friend of Sunyata
, whom Ramana Maharshi
had said was a “rare born mystic.”
She met and worked with J. Krishnamurti, Anandamayi Ma, Sri Aurobindo
and The Mother
, among others. The great sage Ramana Maharshi
was the one she chose as her lifelong guru. She first met him while living in a rural village near Benares where for seven years she managed a farm and became a trusted member of the community through her mediation skills, leadership ability and tremendous energy. She left the village for Ramana Maharshi’s ashram
, and was with him until his death in 1950. In her memoirs she gave a first person account of his death, and also the meeting between The Mother and Anandamayi Ma, with whom she traveled for some time.
Though making India and Ramanasramam her permanent home, she returned to England periodically in the 1950s, living at the Coombe Springs Institute, founded by J. G. Bennett, a former student of Gurdjieff. While there she worked on Bennett’s Dramatic Universe and was initiated into Subud by Pak Subuh. On her last trip around the world she stayed in New York, in 1959, where she reconnected with old friends from the Prieuré—Mme Jeanne de Salzmann
, Mme Ouspensky, Olga de Hartmann and Peggy Flinsch—and was introduced to Lord John Pentland.
Returning in 1959 to Ramanasramam, she built a house and lived there until her death in March 1967.
A spiritual biography of Ethel Merston was released in 2009, A Woman’s Work with Gurdjieff, Ramana Maharshi, Krishnamurti, Anandamayi Ma & Pak Subuh, by Mary Ellen Korman with a foreword by William Patrick Patterson
.
G. I. Gurdjieff
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff according to Gurdjieff's principles and instructions, or the "Fourth Way."At one point he described his teaching as "esoteric Christianity."...
’s first students at his Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, at the Prieuré in Fontainebleau-en-Avon, France. Gurdjieff had recently come to the West to introduce an ancient esoteric teaching of spiritual transformation called The Fourth Way. She wrote a memoir based on her diaries giving a keen insight into many of the seminal teachers of her times.
Ethel Merston first met Gurdjieff in London, through P. D. Ouspensky
P. D. Ouspensky
Peter D. Ouspensky , , a Russian esotericist known for his expositions of the early work of the Greek-Armenian teacher of esoteric doctrine George Gurdjieff, whom he met in Moscow in 1915.He was associated with the ideas and practices originating with...
and Dr. Maurice Nicoll, and went to France where she lived and studied with Gurdjieff at the Prieuré from 1922–27. An energetic worker with organizational and administrative abilities, she managed the school in Mr. Gurdjieff’s absences. For some years, as Gurdjieff wrote his magnum opus All and Everything
All and Everything
All and Everything is the name of a trilogy composed by ten books, all written by G. I. Gurdjieff. The ten books were further categorized into three series:# Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson.# Meetings with Remarkable Men....
, she was one of the principal translators. Though she left the Institute in 1927, Gurdjieff remained an important influence in her life.
Financially independent, she traveled the world, settling in India in 1934. She chanced to meet again a childhood friend, Maud MacCarthy
Maud MacCarthy (Omananda Puri)
Maud MacCarthy , was an Irish violinist, singer, Theosophist, writer, poet, esoteric teacher and authority on Indian music....
(later known as Swami Omananda), who arrived with her husband, the composer John Foulds
John Foulds
John Herbert Foulds was a British composer of classical music. Largely self-taught as a composer, he was one of the most remarkable and unjustly forgotten figures of the "British Musical Renaissance"....
, and their friend Bill, known as The Boy. She befriended many Western seekers, among them Alain Daniélou
Alain Daniélou
Alain Daniélou was a French historian, intellectual, musicologist, Indologist, and a noted Western convert to and expert on Shaivite Hinduism.-Life:...
and his companion Raymond Burnier, and worked with Daniélou on his book, Introduction to the Study of Musical Scales. She introduced her young Scots friend, Alec Phipps, later Sri Madhava Ashish, to Sri Krishna Prem, who had founded the Mirtola
Mirtola
Mirtola, also known as ‘Uttar Vrindavan’, is a village 10 km. away from Almora, in Uttarakhand state in India, most known for an Ashram by the same name, set up by 'Sri Yashoda Ma' , a housewife turned ascetic in the 1930 , along with her disciple 'Sri Krishna Prem' , a mystic of the 20th Century...
ashram with his guru Sri Yashoda Ma. The French Benedictine monk Père Henri Le Saux (Swami Abhishiktananda) became a lifelong friend, grateful for Ethel’s invaluable help at key moments in his quest. She was a friend of Sunyata
Alfred Sorensen
Alfred Julius Emmanuel Sorensen , also known as Sunyata, Shunya, or Sunyabhai, was a Danish mystic, horticulturalist and writer who lived in Europe, India and America.- Early life :...
, whom Ramana Maharshi
Ramana Maharshi
Sri Ramana Maharshi , born Venkataraman Iyer, was a Hindu spiritual master . He was born to a Tamil-speaking Brahmin family in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu. After experiencing at age 16 what he later described as liberation , he left home for Arunachala, a mountain considered sacred by Hindus...
had said was a “rare born mystic.”
She met and worked with J. Krishnamurti, Anandamayi Ma, Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo , born Aurobindo Ghosh or Ghose , was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian movement for freedom from British rule and for a duration became one of its most important leaders, before developing his own vision of human progress...
and The Mother
Mirra Alfassa
-Early life:Mirra Alfassa was born in Paris in 1878, of a Turkish Jewish father, Maurice, and an Egyptian Jewish mother, Mathilde. She had an elder brother named Matteo. The family migrated to France the year before she was born. For the first eight years of her life she lived at 62 boulevard...
, among others. The great sage Ramana Maharshi
Ramana Maharshi
Sri Ramana Maharshi , born Venkataraman Iyer, was a Hindu spiritual master . He was born to a Tamil-speaking Brahmin family in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu. After experiencing at age 16 what he later described as liberation , he left home for Arunachala, a mountain considered sacred by Hindus...
was the one she chose as her lifelong guru. She first met him while living in a rural village near Benares where for seven years she managed a farm and became a trusted member of the community through her mediation skills, leadership ability and tremendous energy. She left the village for Ramana Maharshi’s ashram
Sri Ramana Ashram
Sri Ramana Ashram also known as Sri Ramanasramam is the ashram, which was home to modern sage and Advaita Vedanta philosopher, Ramana Maharishi from 1922 till his death here in 1950...
, and was with him until his death in 1950. In her memoirs she gave a first person account of his death, and also the meeting between The Mother and Anandamayi Ma, with whom she traveled for some time.
Though making India and Ramanasramam her permanent home, she returned to England periodically in the 1950s, living at the Coombe Springs Institute, founded by J. G. Bennett, a former student of Gurdjieff. While there she worked on Bennett’s Dramatic Universe and was initiated into Subud by Pak Subuh. On her last trip around the world she stayed in New York, in 1959, where she reconnected with old friends from the Prieuré—Mme Jeanne de Salzmann
Jeanne de Salzmann
Jeanne Matignon de Salzmann born Jeanne Allemand often addressed as Madame de Salzmann was a close pupil of G. I. Gurdjieff, recognized as his deputy by many of Gurdjieff's other pupils...
, Mme Ouspensky, Olga de Hartmann and Peggy Flinsch—and was introduced to Lord John Pentland.
Returning in 1959 to Ramanasramam, she built a house and lived there until her death in March 1967.
A spiritual biography of Ethel Merston was released in 2009, A Woman’s Work with Gurdjieff, Ramana Maharshi, Krishnamurti, Anandamayi Ma & Pak Subuh, by Mary Ellen Korman with a foreword by William Patrick Patterson
William Patrick Patterson
William Patrick Patterson is a spiritual teacher of The Fourth Way, an ancient, esoteric teaching of self-development brought to the West by G. I. Gurdjieff...
.