Overview

Itinerary

Details

Suggested readings

Meetings with Remarkable Men
G.I Gurdjieff

Masters of Wisdom
J.G. Bennett

This trip is a pilgrimage, an inner journey into essence and contact with the “cave of the heart.” For anyone who was been in­volved in the Fourth Way, much of what we study and work with comes from Central Asia and in particular the heart of Central Asia, Bukhara and Samarkand. We will work deeply with the heart and the soul of these teachings. This is an event of potential transfor­mation; an opening of our hearts to humility, presence and a con­tact with the higher.

Inspired by one of the remarkable journeys of G.I. Gurdjieff, this pilgrimage has the intention to reconnect with the ancient Sufi Masters who lived in the area and who attracted seekers of the “Truth” such as Gurdjieff.

What is real art and what does it take to make a masterpiece alive? We will have the opportunity to experience the answer to this question in Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and Tashkent.

As part of our inner and outer journey we will meet local people and share meals together, to appreciate the simplicity and authen­ticity of their lives.

The second part of the journey is an optional extension to one of the most holy cities in the world: Jerusalem. We will visit sacred areas for Christians, Jews and Muslims, meeting with local repre­sentatives of the three monotheistic religions. We will have the extraordinary opportunity to spend an entire evening in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher after closing.

A pilgrimage is a calling to a sacred place, an opportunity to learn how to involve intentionally our body in our spiritual practice. As we may be called to meditate on “Participation” a stage where we let go of everything and we only long for a higher love with­out any expectation and identification with experience. In this sense we may realize that we don’t have to “do” anything. During this inner descent, we may discover that Love shines in us and that part of us can participate in Love.

 

Day 1 :      Arrive Tashkent

Day 2:       Tashkent – Urgench – Khiva

Day 3-6:   Bukhara

Day 7–8:   Samarkand

Day 9:       Tashkent

Day 10:      Departure

Extension to Jerusalem: 4 days/3 nights

 

Jerry has been leading inner work groups in Baltimore and New York for many years and has travelled with groups to Turkey, India, Morocco, and the U.S. Southwest. Jerry has spent much time in central Asia and looks forward to making this pilgrimage and spiritual connection to the sites of the "Masters" and one of the source rivers of the Fourth Way.

Further information about Jerry's groups and events

 

Uzbekistan portion (with a minimum of 15 participants):

Per person, double occupancy:  US $1,760

Jerusalem extension (with a minimum of 10 participants):

Per person, double occupancy:  US $750

 

September 15–26, 2015

 

 

DAY 1, September 15: Arrive in Tashkent

We arrive in Tashkent the capital of Uzbekistan. In order to give enough time for people with different flights to arrive, we will meet at 5.30 pm in the lobby of the hotel. We will then have an introduction meeting with our Journeys To the East Representative followed by a meeting with the spiritual leader. If most of the people arrive by lunch time (we will know it once we have all people flight schedule), we will gather for early meeting and then move to a first short sightseeing of the city (to be continued on day 9). Possible adjustments to the program to accommodate people's needs can be easily done on site.

If your flight arrives from Istanbul at 6.30 am, you can decide to leave your luggage at the lobby and wait for your check-in at 2 pm.  If you don't want to wait you can decide to pay for an extra half day use room and breakfast (please let us know at the time of registration). If your flight arrives from Istanbul at 1.30 am you will need to purchase an extra night.

Day 2, September 16: Tashkent – Urgench – Khiva

Morning sitting, as we will have every day. Transfer to the airport, flight to Urgench at 07:00, (1 hour 20 min). Arrive Ur­gench and transfer to Khiva (30 km). Kiva is the most intact and most remote of the Central Asian Silk Road cities. Here we go back in time to medieval Central Asia. It has perhaps the most homogenous collection of architecture in the Islam­ic world, immune to time with none of its romantic imagina­tion lost. Khiva is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We will visit amongst many other things the Kunya - Ark, Say­eed Alauddin mausoleum, madrasah Arab–Mukhamadkhan, and the minaret Islom Khodja, the highest one in Uzbekistan. Overnight in the hotel.

Day 3, September 17: Khiva – Bukhara (480 km, 8 hrs)

Today we travel the Silk Road. We depart Khiva and drive to Bukhara. The Great Silk Road routed through Bukhara and Khi­va once ran through the Kyzylkum Desert, as the present road does today. En-route stop to enjoy views of the Amu Darya and the desert. Arrive in holy Bukhara, land of 7000 Pirs (teachers) late in the afternoon. Check in and overnight at the hotel. Free time to wander this miraculous city.

Day 4, September 18: Bukhara

We spend the day in Bukhara. We tour some of the sacred sites of this extraordinary city; the center of Central Asian Sufism, the center and home to the Masters of Wisdom and the Naqus­bandi path. We make Pilgrimage today to some of the most important places near this city. We visit the tomb of Abduholiq Gijduvaniy (1103–1179) located in the town of Gijduvan, 40 km from Bukhara, who is the Grandfather of the Naqushi order. On the way back to Bokhara we stop to meditate at the burial site of the great Shaykh Sufi Master Ubaidullah Ahrar, who was so influential in JG Bennett’s life. We spend the day visit­ing many other tombs and holy places in and around Bokhara. Overnight at hotel.

Day 5, September 19: Bukhara

Today is one of the most important days of this journey. We spend a good deal of the day at one of the power points on the planet. We do a silent walking pilgrimage to the holiest ensemble of Bukhara, the burial place of Hazrati Bahouddin Naqshband, the founder of Naqshbandiya Order, located in the village of Qasri Orifon, 7 kilometers from Bukhara. Person­al time for meditation at the site, transfer to Bukhara and rest of the day is free for personal meditation and hanging out in the fascinating markets of Bukhara. Overnight at hotel.

Day 6, September 20: Bukhara

Today we tour the enchanting city of Bukhara itself, its many sites, architecture, history and markets. It is the cauldron of Cen­tral Asia and the Silk Road. We visit the Chor-Bakr necropolis, a complex located 6 kilometers from Bukhara city in Sumiton vil­lage. In the afternoon, sightseeing of Bukhara: Lyabi Hauz Com­plex, Kalon Mosque and Poi Kalon Minaret, and so much more. Free time in the city. Overnight at hotel.

Day 7, September 21: Bukhara–Khartang–Samarkand (290 km)

Today we drive to Samarkand. En route we visit the memorial complex of Abu Abdullah Muhammad Al-Bukhari and continue to the burial place of Hazret Makhdumi A’zam Dahbediy (1461–1542), a Sufi philosopher, and descendent of Hazret Ali. Arrive Samarkand and check in to hotel. Free time in Samarkand. Overnight at hotel.

Day 8, September 22: Samarkand

Today we visit Samarkand which has often been called the Gar­den of the Soul, the Jewel of the World, and the center of the universe. The Registan, the heart of Samarkand ranks first in Cen­tral Asia as one of the greatest and magnificent works in all the world. We visit the capital of Tamerlane. After breakfast in the hotel, we visit the heart of Samarkand: the complex Khoja Akhror Vali, Khoja al Mansoor al Matrudi, and the Bibi Khanum mosque. In the afternoon visit the magnificent Registan Square (XV–XVII cc), one of the noblest square in all the world; Observatory of Ulugbek, and Samarkand local bazaar. End sightseeing tour with visit to Gur Emir mauso­leum, the graveyard of Tamerlane and the Timurids. Overnight at hotel.

Day 9, September 23: Samarkand–Tashkent, (300 km, 2.5 hours)

Continue guided visit in Samarkand. Check-out from hotel at noon. Transfer by bus to Tashkent, to visit the old city:  the Khast Imom Com­plex, where you will see Barakhan madrasah, the mausoleum of Abubakr Kaffal Shosh and the Museum of Koran where the original VII century Osman Qoran written on a deer skin is pre­served.  Overnight at the hotel.

Day 10, September 24: Departure

Transfer to the airport. Departure to Jerusalem or flight home.

Extension to Jerusalem    •    4 days/3 nights

Day 1, September 24: Meeting Jerusalem

Arrival and transfer to Jerusalem. Check in our hotel. Depending on the time of arrival in Jerusalem, visit to the Armenian quarter and Church. Meeting with the Armenian Patriarch for an Inter­  faith exchange. After dinner, optional night walk from the tow­ers of the Wall of David around the old Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 2, September 25: The Jewish, Muslim and Christian Jerusalem

Today we visit, explore and do inner work at some of the holiest sites of the three Abrahamic religions. We go to the haunting Western Wall, magnificent ruins of the Temple of Herod. Time for personal meditation. We visit the excavations of the Temple to learn about the Jewish Temple and the life of the pilgrims at the time of Jesus. Visit Shalom Center Jerusalem: meet with the Gen. Director. In the afternoon we walk to the Arabic Quarter to visit, the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third most important mosque for Muslim pilgrimages and hopefully the Dome of the Rock. We move to the Christian tradition, visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which contains the tomb where Jesus was buried and for the faithful rose from the dead. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. One of the most fascinating parts of the trip is the optional night in prayers inside the Holy Sepulcher, which is close in the eve­ning to all visitors.

Day 3, September 26: The Judah desert and the life of Jesus

We move on to St. George Monastery for an unforgettable des­ert walk to an ancient orthodox monastery hidden deep in Wadi Qelt. We visit the place where Jesus was tempted, and the city of Jericho, famous for the sycamore tree and the blind man, both mentioned in the Gospel. In the afternoon we focus on the life of Jesus, visiting visiting Mount of Olives, the Garden of the Gethsemane, the Basilica of Agony, the Chapel of the Pater Nos­ter, the chapel of the Dominus Flevit, and the Virgin’s Tomb. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 4, September 27: The Essenes, the Dead Sea and the Abraham hospitality

Breakfast and checkout from hotel unless we book the 4th night. We travel through the vast Valley of the River Jordan. Stop at Qumran, where the famous manuscripts of the Essenes (Dead Sea Scrolls) were found in 1947. The Qumran Monastery of the Essenes JGB spoke about so much in the last year of his life. We take a brief rest at the sparkling Dead Sea, the deepest geological depression of the earth .The plan for the evening will be finalized once the flights schedules are clear. One transportation to the airport is included in the program for possible early morning/morning flights back home.

September 28

Early morning flight home.

Click for Uzbekistan Visas requirements

Uzbekistan portion (with a minimum of 15 participants)

Per person, double occupancy:  US $1,760

Jerusalem extension (with a minimum of 10 participants)

Per person, double occupancy:  US $750*

Please contact us for single supplement pricing.

September 15-24, 2015

First deposit of US$ 500 is due by March 11, 2015

Full balance payment is due by June 15, 2015

  • 9 nights accommodation:
  • Tashkent: 2 nights—Ramada or similar
  • Khiva Hotel: 1 night—Asia Khiva or similar
  • Bukhara: 3 nights— Hotel Asia or similar
  • Samarkand: 3 nights—Grand Samarkand Superior or similar
  • Half board (breakfast and dinners in hotels and local houses)
  • Economy class flights (Urgench-Tashkent and Smarkand-Tashkent)
  • All transfers—bus with AC
  • Sightseeing tour programs in each city with local guides
  • Entrance tickets to sights/museums/mausoleums
  • Tour leader
  • Tour assistant
  • Spiritual connection facilitator
  • Support for Uzbekistan tourist visa
  • Meeting room in each hotel
  • Tips to porters/guides/drivers.
  • International airfare*
  • Lunches
  • Consular fees for Uzbekistan tourist visa
  • Insurance of any kind
  • Beverages
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Excess baggage, hotel extras, items of a personal nature
  • Anything not mentioned in the price includes section
  • Accommodation at 3-star hotel in Bethlehem*
  • Motor coach and transportation for the entire duration of the pilgrimage to the sites according to the program
  • Half board (breakfast and dinner)
  • Professional English-speaking guide
  • Entrance fees according to the program
  • Tips to driver and guides
  • Airfare*
  • Lunches
  • Insurance of any kind*
  • Beverages
  • Porters
  • Excess baggage, hotel extras, items of a personal nature
  • Anything not mentioned in the price includes section

*We are happy to assist you with your insurance and/or your international flights.

Personal check or bank transfer preferred.

Credit card — please contact us for information on fees.

In case of trip cancellation, the following fees apply:

  • Anytime before 90 days prior to arrival date, $50 for technical expenses
  • 60-89 days prior to arrival date:  $120 for technical expenses
  • 30-59 days prior to arrival date: $ 120 for technical expenses + 50% of the price.
  • 15-29 days prior to arrival date:  $ 120 for technical expenses + 70% of the price.
  • Beyond this time there will not be any refund.

The order of the services and the schedule may be subject to change.

*Supplement to stay in Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem

The pilgrimage to Jerusalem takes place in the midst of the Holy Days in Israel (Sukkot).  Accommodations in Jerusalem at this time are considered high season with the consequence of price increases. Supplement for accommodations in Jerusalem will be $150 per person for the three nights.

If you wish to participate or simply to ask questions please contact Patrizia at: journeystotheeast@hotmail.com.

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