Annie Lou Staveley

Mrs. A. L. Staveley (our founder) was born and raised in eastern Washington State. Attending Reed College in Portland, Oregon, she met a visiting professor from England who became her husband. They began married life in England in the 1930’s. It was there that she met and began to work with her teacher, Jane Heap, a student of G.I. Gurdjieff, who he had sent to London to begin teaching his ideas. After WW II, she periodically travelled to be with Mr. Gurdjieff in Paris until his death in 1949. After many years in London she returned to Washington State to care for her parents. After their deaths she moved to Portland. Throughout the rest of her life she maintained a relationship with Mme de Salzmann, who was Mr. Gurdjieff’s closest pupil.  Mrs. Staveley began meeting with others in Portland in the 1960’s. This happened when two former pupils of Jane Heap contacted Mme de Salzmann asking if she knew of anyone in Portland who was also interested in Mr. Gurdjieff’s teaching. They came together and began studying Mr. Gurdjieff’s writings at her home. Through word of mouth, people from all walks of life began to gather around her. When her home could no longer accommodate the growing number of pupils, a hall in Portland was rented and, later, a farm was purchased in Aurora, Oregon which became known as Two Rivers Farm. This became her new residence, where under her caring and watchful eye, she passed on the teaching of Mr. Gurdjieff to many students until her death in 1996. 

One of the many aims she held was to create more normal conditions for ordinary life. As part of this she helped establish a children’s school, Two Rivers Farm School. 

A measure of her Being may be found in the undiminished gratitude of the many hundreds of people whom she helped to incorporate Gurdjieff's Teaching into their lives. Although Mrs. Staveley passed away in 1996, her wisdom and insight continues to guide the group to this day.