Editing Involution (esotericism) (section)

== Gurdjieff ==
Involution and evolution are important themes in the cosmology of [[G. I. Gurdjieff]] (1866? – 1949), addressed in detail in his book ''[[Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson]]''.<ref>Gurdjieff, G. I., ''Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson - An Impartially Objective Criticism of the Life of Man'', 1950.</ref>

In a popular presentation of Gurdjieff's teaching by [[P. D. Ouspensky]]<ref>Ouspensky, P. D., ''In Search of the Miraculous'', 1950.</ref> and others, different terminologies are often preferred: "ascending and descending octaves" (evolutionary and involutionary processes), "the Ray of Creation" (the full scale of involutionary processes), "emanation" (the initiation of involutionary processes at the prime source), etc.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1515/sh-2015-0023|title = Neurobiology of Consciousness: Current Research and Perspectives|journal = Studia Humana|volume = 4|issue = 4|pages = 23–38|year = 2015|last1 = Płonka|first1 = Beata|doi-access = free}}</ref>

Like Aurobindo and others, Gurdjieff uses the word ''involution'' in reference to a top-down flow in the universe contributing to the creation and maintenance of cosmoses. Gurdjieff's main emphasis, however, was the mystery of how the descending flow of involution could change into the ascending flow of evolution. Exactly in this mystery, Gurdjieff looked for the significance of all living creatures, particularly man.