Hi, I’m Gary

Welcome to a series of podcasts on how to achieve an awakened state through practising various intellectual, emotional and physical exercises, and through the gaining of understanding into the laws of world creation and world maintenance, specifically as described within the works of George Gurdjieff and the Fourth Way

Each episode in this series focuses upon a particular element of this teaching and aims to bring simple understanding to what was frequently hidden in plain sight within the various subject areas of the Fourth Way.

PICKING UP FROM WHERE WE LEFT OFF IN OUR LAST PODCAST…

We were discussing the greater change in Gurdjieff’s Law of Seven and how to create for yourself, a working model that could show what Gurdjieff actually meant with the creation of a Diatonic Universe…. our very Universe now.

In this podcast we will begin a discussion, as told by the fellow in Texas, on why men fell asleep and HOW they can awaken.

It starts with Gurdjieff’s Ray of Creation, which depicts the entirety of the Universe as one octave, and shows, within it, where life and Man exist.

To make it easier to follow, create a descending octave in your mind, or on paper… DO, TI, LA, SO, FA, ME, RE, and DO.

Now label those notes with these Gurdjieff terms. 

DO is labeled the, “Absolute.”  TI is, “All Worlds.”  LA is, “All Suns.”  SO is our “Sun.”  FA is, “All Planets.”  MI is the “Earth.”  Re is the “Moon.”  And, the bottom DO is again labeled the “Absolute.”

Next we should consider this Gurdjieff quote.

“In order to study these radiations let us take the ‘ray of creation’ in an abridged form: Absolute-sun-earth-moon, or in other words let us imagine the ‘ray of creation’ in the form of three octaves of radiations: the first octave between the Absolute and the sun, the second octave between the sun and the earth, and the third octave between the earth and the moon; and let us examine the passage of radiations between these four fundamental points of the universe.

“We have to find our place and understand our functions in this universe, which is taken in the form of three octaves of radiations between four points.”

When the fellow in Texas first read that, he thought, “You know, Gurdjieff told us not to believe anything, so why should we believe him? Why should we believe that there are four fundamental points? And, why would they be at the Absolute, the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon? Why wouldn’t they be at the Absolute, All Worlds, All Suns, and All Planets?”

So he pondered why the Absolute, Sun, Earth, and Moon were called the Fundamental Points? The question had to be asked, “Why them?” Fortunately, he was able to structure the Ray of Creation as an octave, which I just asked you to do. And, he went one step further; he added the math and made it a diatonic octave, the octave from 48 to 24. The top DO was 48, TI was 45, LA was 40, SO was 36, FA was 32, MI was 30, RE was 27, and the bottom DO was 24. Now the notes (DO, TI, LA, SO, FA, MI, RE, and DO) had values. At first, it was difficult to understand why the Absolute, Sun, Earth, and Moon would be “fundamental points.” However, he could now see that the distance from the Absolute to the Sun was 12 (48 to 36), from the Sun to the Earth was 6 (36 to 30), and from the Earth to the moon was 3 (30 to 27). Those distances were double/half; and, since octaves had to do with things that double/half, he thought, maybe this was why. But then, when he configured the octave as an All to Nothing octave, that is, as a totality, it became obvious why the Absolue, Sun, Earth, and Moon were called fundamental points. The Absolute was 24, the Sun was 12, the Earth was 6, and the Moon was 3. That is, they were now all at natural positions of halving – 24, 12, 6, and 3.

DO, SO, MI, and RE, are mathematically at the whole, the half, the quarter, and the eighth. Those are their diatonic names. They are natural half’s!  And, since octaves double and half, there would, intrinsically, be an octave from the whole to the half, from the half to the quarter, and from the quarter to the eighth. OK, It made sense now. The Absolute, Sun, Earth, and Moon were fundamental points because they were all at natural positions of halving inside the octave itself, at 1, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8, which are the notes DO, SO, MI, and RE.

OK.  Well that was pretty easy.

What’s next?

Next is the teaching that man is a three story factory.  Ah ha!  He has a lower story, a lower octave; a middle story, a middle octave; and an upper story, an upper octave, just like the Ray of Creation!  Wow, that’s pretty easy too.

OK.  What next?

What’s next is the study of centers. Man has 6 centers: An Instinctive Center, a Moving Center, an Emotional Center, an Intellectual Center, a Higher Emotional Center, and a Higher Mental Center.  We won’t weigh you down with a lengthy discussion regarding each, but shall leave it to your common sense to acknowledge that man can sense, move, feel, think, and additionally has the potential for conscience and reason. Thus, he has 6 centers.

Furthermore, Gurdjieff tells us that Man lives in his lower story and has little or no contact with his higher centers.  And, an impartial observation of the life of man will prove that to be correct.  

In fact, that is what the Work is all about; recognizing that man is an incomplete being, needing to wake up his higher centers.  Would it shock you to know that we once had the function of the higher centers, that we were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, that Atlantis sank.  If all those stories are true, then, why did it happen… and, how can we reclaim their functions?

We will begin with the study of Essence and Personality and continue with the study of each story, to see if we can find out.

Each of Man’s three stories is divided into Essence and Personality. That is, of his 6 centers, he has three essence centers and three personality centers.  Some people see the sex function as an independent center as well.  However, we shall prove to you that it is not.  Duplication may start the octave of man and persist through his existence, but it is not a center.  More on that later.  

Essence centers are the centers he is born with, and personality centers are the centers he has to acquire. 

In the bottom story, the bottom octave, we find the Instinctive Center and the Moving Center, an Essence center and a Personality center. The bottom story starts with the Instinctive Center. We did not have to do anything to develop the Instinctive Center. We did not have to learn how to smell, see, or hear. Everything was there from birth. But, in the Moving Center, we had to acquire everything. We had to learn how to crawl; we had to learn how to grab; we had to learn how to walk; and, we had to learn how to move our mouth and form words. We had to acquire everything.

In the middle story, the middle octave, we have the Emotional Center and the Intellectual Center, an essence center and a personality center. We were born with the Emotional Center. We had an affinity for the face of our mother. We probably even recognized the tone of her voice from hearing her talk to us in the womb. Our ability to feel was innate. We were born with the essence side. But, in the personality side, the Intellectual Center, we had to acquire everything. That is, we had to learn everything. What is this? What is that? What does this mean? What does that mean? This means, “Do not stick that paperclip in the electric socket ever again!” Or “Do not jump off the garage roof ever again… it really hurts!” We had to learn the meaning of everything… and then, be able to record it.

In the upper story, the upper octave, we have the Higher Emotional Center and the Higher Mental Center. The Higher Emotional Center is Essence and the Higher Mental Center is Personality. The function of our Higher Emotional Center, our conscience, should be a given. That is, we have the right to have it; and, if we attain it, it can take us into the personality  side… into the Higher Mental Center, where we can acquire Reason and Impartiality.

Now, following the order of the development of man’s centers, let’s look at the development of life in general.

The instinctive center began at the note RE, at the beginning of the bottom octave, the octave between RE and MI.

Before that, between DO and RE, is what the fellow in Texas calls, “The No-Man’s land.” Here we find the world of amino acids. A world that was trying to figure things out; and, after trying and trying, again and again, it finally did. And, created DNA. 

The fellow in Texas calls the note RE, DNRe, since DNA begins at Re, and, officially, that is where life, as we know it, technically, begins.

That is, any life that emerged before DNA would have been incapable of making copies of itself and, when it died, it left no trace. But after the amino acids constructed DNA, life was finally capable of making copies of itself and evolving.  We could say that DNA was the first molecule of life, the first self-replicating molecule. We could also say that DNA created the first moment of self-remembering in the Universe; a molecule that said, “I remember myself. My left side remembers what my right side looks like, and my right side remembers what my left side looks like. Each side of me remembers what the other side looks like; and, as long as we keep remembering ourselves, anything we discover can be successfully passed on, to future generations.”

What a glorious moment. The creation of DNA. Before that, there was no self-remembering.

The moment that the first DNA molecule self-replicated was the first moment of sex in the Universe. After that moment, all life would then serve the duplicating principle. 

Now you can see why we said, “There is no sex center,” because the whole octave is sex! 

Duplication is the driving force behind all life.

I repeat, the octave of life, which starts with DNA, is the octave of the duplicating principle, the octave of sex.

OK. DNA began to duplicate, and life has been duplicating ever since. However, the fellow in Texas likes to call DNA, “DNRe,” because the Instinctive Center started at the note RE… where something said, “I remember myself. I can now copy myself.” 

At first, DNA could make only one protein, but since it could copy itself, it could continue making that protein. Thus, the Instinctive Center began humbly. Perhaps the first protein reacted to temperature or light. But then, over millions and millions and millions of years, more proteins were discovered and the DNA remembered how to make them, too. Thus, the Instinctive Center continued to develop. First, came, what is called, the mechanical part of the instinctive center (automatic chemistry). Second, came, what is called, the emotional part (reactive chemistry). And third, came, what is called, the intellectual part (controlled chemistry). Eventually, over millions of years, the Instinctive Center had finally been perfected, which happened, by the way, long before animals emerged.

Do you understand?

As a result of the controlled chemistry, the Moving Center began. We will later explain why that is so significant, and how it works… but for now, we can comprehend that that is how sensation gave birth to movement. That is, if you can control the chemistry, you might be able to cause a flagellum to be pulled to the left and then be pulled to the right, which would spark movement. Without controlled chemistry, the flagellum might only be able to be pulled to the left… and then, life, as we know it… would just go in circles.

Thus, the Moving Center was born.

And, this newly acquired Movement increased the chances of survival, as well as, increased the chances that things would be able to duplicate. That is, if there was no water where a thing existed, it could move and find water… and, therefore, it had a better chance of staying alive… and, a better chance of duplicating.

And, like the Instinctive Center, it took millions and millions and millions of years for the Moving Center to develop: The protozoa and bacteria went swimming, then, with fins they steered, the fins became feet, and they crawled out of the water, they ran, they jumped, they climbed trees, and, eventually, they even flew. 

And, just like the Instinctive Center, its mechanical part was developed first (automatic movement). Second, came, its emotional part (reactive movement). And, third, came its intellectual part (controlled movement). Finally, after millions and millions of years, also driven by the duplicating principle, the Moving Center was complete.

Next, life entered the middle story.

In a later podcast, we will learn how a second force enters at Mi and merges with the first force, and will, at that time, explain and identify that force. For now, we will simply say that a second force enters, after animals complete their Moving Centers, and provides them with a second Essence Center; almost like a second Instinctive Center. But this second kind of Instinctive Center (which is now called the Emotional Center) does not just sense the world, it ascribes meaning to it. 

Down in the lower story, the Instinctive Essence can only sense things, but, here, in the middle story, the Emotional Essence assigns meaning to the things it senses.

In the lower story, if you give birth to something and later encounter it, you probably eat it.

But, in the middle story, things acquire meaning, and animals say, “That’s my kid, I am not going to eat my kid. I am going to protect it.  In fact, I am only going to have a couple of kids… I am not going to dump a thousand eggs in some stream and then hope that one makes it. I am going to lay just a few. Then, I will sit on them to keep them warm, incubate them, and when they hatch, I will find food for them and feed them, because I want my kids to have a good start in life.”

So now, animals have emotions, and they use those emotions to enhance the duplicating principle. They become families, mamas and papas, raise their young, and nurture them. Thus, giving their offspring a better chance of surviving, reaching maturity, and continuing their species.

And, like the previous centers, the Emotional Center also took millions and millions of years to develop. First, came its mechanical part (automatic emotions). Second, its emotional part (reactive emotions). Third, its intellectual part (controlled emotions). And, after a very long period of time, the Emotional Center was finally complete. Thus, adding meaning to the world.

Then, the personality side of the middle story began. The meaning, which had been assigned by the Emotional Center, started to be recorded in the Intellectual Center… giving animals a database for survival.

Having recorded data in the intellectual center means that two animals, who got together on some island, could have sex, could say, “Next year, let’s meet back up on this same island. Let’s not pick a random island. Let’s come back here, to where we know that mating is successful. Let’s have ‘smart sex.’”… Or, “This river is the river in which I was born. So, I am going to lay my eggs here, because it worked for me.”… Or, “Last year we made a nest in that tree, on that branch, and were successful. We hatched our eggs. Our chicks grew up and left the nest. So, let’s come back here next year and make our nest in this same tree on that same branch. Let’s be ‘smart’. Let’s be intelligent about the continuation of our species, if it worked here once, it may work here again.”

The Intellectual Center becomes the repository of data, ascribed from the meaning assigned by the Emotional Center, of successful ways of duplicating and successful ways of surviving.

I repeat, life duplicated its way through the Instinctive Center. Next, it began to move, which improved its chances for survival. After which, it got emotional, and started assigning meaning to the world. That meaning was recorded, and life became intelligent; it started having ‘smart sex’, and returned year-after-year to the same place to mate.

Then, life entered the upper story. 

In a later podcast, we will also learn how a third force enters at So and merges with the first and second forces, and will, at that time, explain and identify that force, as well. For now, we will simply say that a third force enters certain animals, after they completed their Intellectual Centers, and provides life with a third Essence Center; almost like a third Instinctive Center. But this third kind of Instinctive Center (which is now called the Higher Emotional Center) does not just sense the world or ascribe meaning to it… it adds morality. Animals start to develop social behaviors. They begin to value each other, and thereafter, start living together in packs, in herds, in pods, in dens, in groups, and in flocks, etc. There is a diminishing sense of, “Mine,” and an ever-increasing sense of, “Ours.”

Remember how, in lower story animals, after giving birth to something, they would eat it if it crossed their path, and how, in middle story animals, they would say, “That’s my kid, I am not going to eat my kid.” Well, in upper story animals, they go one step further; they are able to leave their lion cubs with one female, knowing that, while they are out hunting, she will not eat them – because they are a part of her pack… her pride.

She recognizes them, and knows that if she helps raise them to maturity, there is a better chance for the lion pride to duplicate and survive.

So, animals become social. They develop social qualities like living in a clan, in a pack, or in a herd. Some develop other social qualities, like Meerkats, who stand guard while others feed; then, switch places so everyone gets to feed. If the group survives, they too, have a better chance of surviving; and, as a species, they have a better chance of making more Meerkats.

All the great social qualities come from this essence driven sense of morality. 

Finally, there is a moment when something spills into the personality side of the upper story and the Higher Mental Center begins to function. The fellow in Texas actually calls it spillage. Why? Well, if you remember back when we studied the Enneagram, we learned that the highest note that an Enneagran can attain is LA.

We will interject, here, that the structure of octaves allows us to place man’s centers in the spaces between the notes: In the lower story, RE to MI, is where we find his Instinctive and Moving Centers; in the middle story, MI to FA is the home of his Emotional Center, and FA to SO is where his Intellectual Center dwells; in the upper story, SO to LA is the domain of his Higher Emotional Center, and LA to TI contains the first two parts of his Higher Mental Center. Beyond TI is the third part of his Higher Mental Center, in which his Higher Bodies are crystallized. And, before RE is where DNA was formalized and sparked life. 

In a later podcast, we shall mathematically define every part and every part-of-part of every center… and prove, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that this is true. But for now, notice that the Higher Emotional Center, the center of the social animals, is between SO and LA.

Thus, if the highest note that an Enneagram can attain is LA, and if LA is the highest note of the Higher Emotional Center… life has pretty much gone as high as it can go.

That is, the duplicating principle can only shove life up from RE to the MI, from MI to the FA, from FA to the SO, and from SO to the LA. And, when it reaches LA, it says, “I cannot shove life up any further. I cannot make oranges. I can only make blossoms!”

All the animals below man are driven by the duplicating principle. That is why, any time there is a female in heat, every male (within smelling distance) is chasing her.

Do you understand?  When it comes to sex, man is the only species that can say, “I think I would rather go bowling.”

OK. Here is the dilemma: everything existing below LA serves the force coming from the bottom DO, everything existing above TI feels the force coming from the top DO, and everything existing between LA and TI serves no force at all!  Man exists between LA and TI, and, thereby, serves no force at all. That is, he cannot be shoved up any further by the bottom DO nor receive help coming down from the top DO. He is on his own, left scratching his head and sheepishly asking, “What am I supposed to be?”

That is when some guy comes up and says that he is supposed to go fox hunting… and screws it all up.

OK, if we cannot be shoved into the LA–TI interval, then how did we become men? 

Well, at first, it was by what the fellow in Texas calls spillage. That is, if you shove enough species up to social animals, one of them will spill into the Higher Mental Center. 

Life cannot be shoved into the Higher Mental Center but there can be some spillage… and some social animal will spark the beginning of reason.  Raise your hand, that’s us!

AD LIB

Thank you for listening, and, if you’d like to know more about the subjects and exercises we’ve been covering in these podcasts, including the book and guide that underpins all of this, and how we work with it, you can find us at The Dog Publishing, at the website The Dog Pub Dot Com. That’s T H E D O G P U B DOT COM

Hope you find it useful

Goodbye until next time.