Welcome to a series of talks about objective consciousness, an objective Universe, and an objective way to awaken, expanding upon the works of George I. Gurdjieff and Russell A. Smith.

In this podcast, I will narrate a dialog between Russell and a potential student, wherein Russell answers his questions - about the Food Diagram, about being-Partkdolg-duty, and about the diatonic nature of the Universe - so thoroughly, that the potential student immediately calls the airport in order to begin his journey to enlightenment.  

The diagrams for this podcast can be found on our website thedogteachings.com at the link found in the description of this podcast. 

Let’s begin.

Student:  Good evening Russ

Russell:  Hello sir! 

Have you been stretching the Universe?

Student:  Yes, I have been stretching the Universe, and, oh dear, I’m really discovering that if you understand this Heptaparaparshinokh stuff, you understand quite a lot.

Russell:  Yes sir.

Student:  I have been reading your book, Gurdjieff: Cosmic Secrets, every day since I got back from the All and Everything Conference in England where we met. One of the things I did was to place the three octaves in the Food Diagram vertically, and when I did, I discovered that the MI-FA interval in the first octave is sort of covered by the DO-RE interval of the second octave (See the Mathematical Food Diagram). 

Russell:  Pretty much. 

Student:  And then, the SO-LA interval of the second octave, the Harnel-Aoot, is covered by the MI-FA interval of the third octave.

Russell:  Almost.

Student:  And the TI-DO interval of the first octave is covered by the Harnel-Aoot of the second octave and by the MI-FA interval of the third.

Russell:  That is correct. They all align at that spot.

Student:  That goes on for quite a while, does it?

Russell:  Well, for those three octaves it goes on forever, no matter how far you calculate them.

Student:  Oh. I got you.

As I see it, the first help from outside is from the Air octave to the food octave.

Russell:  Yes, it is.

Student:  Whereas the Harnel-Aoot of the first octave is aligned with the conscious shock of the third octave and is almost like the conscious taking in of Air.

Russell:  Good catch.

Student:  And the second conscious shock basically deals with the mechano-coinciding-Mdnel-In of the Impressions octave and the intentionally-actualized-Mdnel-In of the Food octave.

Russell:  There you go.

Student:  And that organization just blows me away!!

Russell:  Do you have my book, Gurdjieff: Cosmic Secrets, handy?

Student:  Yes, I do.

Russell:  Okay, turn to page 75 in Gurdjieff: Cosmic Secrets, or see the diagram labeled the 2ND Shock Octave, the 1ST Shock Octave, and the Affirming Octave, to see the mathematics of the three forces of the Food Diagram, the link to which can be found in the description of this podcast. The diagram reveals what it looks like when you construct the Food Diagram vertically, showing both its notes, as well as their vibrations.

Student:  Yeah.

Russell:  Do you recognize the set up?

Student:  Yes, I do.

Russell:  You should. It’s the same three octaves.  

Student:  Mine stops at the top of the Food octave though, and yours goes well beyond. 

Russell:  Yes, it does. 

Student:  I get it, your diagram is what it looks like if Air and Impressions go beyond the Food octave.

Russell:  That’s correct.

Let’s start with the Food octave, the octave labeled the Affirming Octave; it goes DO, RE, MI, FA, SO, LA, TI, and DO. 

The octave labeled the 1ST Shock Octave is the Air octave. It too goes DO, RE, MI, FA, SO, LA, TI and DO; but in the Food Diagram we do not see the TI and the DO of that octave, as those notes are well beyond the DO of the Food octave. The LA, which only goes slightly beyond the DO, is the only note that can be seen in the Food Diagram. 

And the 2ND Shock Octave is the Impressions octave. It also goes DO, RE, MI, FA, SO, LA, TI, and DO; but in the Food diagram since the SO, LA, TI, and DO are also well beyond the DO of the Food octave, they too are not shown.

Student:  The vibrations line up, and it seems to me that if you have higher vibrations opposite lower vibrations some will decay.

Russell:  Well, you don’t really have higher vibrations next to lower vibrations. The vibrations that are next to each other are basically the same vibrations. But you may have two identical vibrations next to each other, where one is younger than the other, and is therefore more vibrant.

Student:  Well, if the DO of the Impressions octave is next to the MI of the Air octave and the SO of the Food octave, doesn’t that count as a higher vibration being next to lower ones?

Russell:  No. Not really. Their notes may be different, but their vibrations are virtually the same. That is, the DO of impressions is at 144, the MI of Air is at 150, and the SO of food is at 144. 

Air may be a tad higher than the other two, but as Ouspensky indicated, they are all Hydrogen 48.

Student:  Oh. Well, what about the MI-FA interval of Air, I have that at being 150 to 160.

Russell:  That’s correct.

Student:  And 162 is what RE of Impressions is…

Russell:  Yes, it is. And FA of Air is at 160, which is close to 162. Furthermore, the SO to LA of Food goes from 144 to 160. And as such, those three intervals, the DO-RE of Impressions, the MI-FA of Air, and the SO-LA of Food, are virtually at the same place.

Student:  Ah, when I say close, I mean that they are finer.

Russell:  Well, they are not finer. MI 160 may be younger than SO 160 but it is not finer, 160 is 160.

Student:  Oh, in other words, what you are saying is that they have to be exact.

Russell:  Well, no. Not technically. Not exact. In conjoining octaves, close is good enough, kind of like horseshoes and hand grenades. But in some places the vibrations are exact. For example, at 180 vibrations. There we have MI 180, SO 180, and TI 180. They are all at 180. The only difference is that MI 180 is younger, and therefore, has farther to go. Whereas SO 180 is kind of middle-aged, and TI 180 is nearing the end of its life.

Student:  Oh, you are talking about age!

Russell:  Well, kind of. But in reality, they are all the same age, they are all 180; 180 is 180. However, MI 180 is more vibrant because it is younger, and as such, it has greater possibilities. In contrast, TI 180 is older, and has almost completed its octave. 

We must see these things as vibrations, and vibrations are vibrations, whether they are DO 144 or RE 162…

Student:  You have really produced something new for me today, which is that MI 180 is younger and is therefore more vibrant.

Russell:  Terrific. I am glad that I have.

I often look at it like this: 

There is a heavy box. I can pick it up, my 40-year-old son can pick it up, and my 20-year-old grandson can also pick it up. We can all pick it up. But if my grandson picks it up, he will probably be able to carry it much longer, as he is younger, and thus, has more potential. 

Student:  Well, is my next assumption correct, that being-Partkdolg-duty is more about the MI-FA interval than the TI-DO interval?

Russell:  Well, no. Not actually. In the example above, if it is I, who represents the TI-DO interval, that has to carry the box, I would probably endure more conscious labors and intentional sufferings, because I am old and the box is heavy. So, in truth, being-Partkdolg-duty applies to us all, to me, to my son, and to my grandson. That is, my grandson may find the task of carrying the box much easier, but he will still have to manifest conscious labor and intentional suffering in order to do so. 

Partkdolg-duty is found, in every octave, in every interval. That is, it is not just found in one place. It is found everywhere, even between DO and RE. Why? Well, because DO and RE in one octave, are MI and FA in another. 

In the Food Diagram, we only see three octaves, and as such, we do not see everything that is taking place. To do so, we need to go to the diagram that shows the octaves that share vibrations with the 6p octave.

The 6p octave is the octave down the middle of the diagram. It has 8 notes, listed vertically from bottom to the top: DO, RE, MI, FA, SO, LA, TI, and DO. The other octaves in the diagram contain one or more of the same vibrations as the 6p octave. 

Notice that the 6p octave’s DO is also the 4p octave’s FA, the 6s octave’s LA, the 8s octave’s MI, the 8p octave’s SO, the 10s octave’s TI, and the 10p octave’s RE. That is, the vibration at the DO of the 6p octave is found in 6 other octaves, at 6 different notes. 

What about the vibration at the 6p octave’s TI? 

It too is someone else’s LA, DO, MI, SO, and RE. 

And what about the other notes in the 6p octave and their vibrations?

They are someone else’s notes and vibrations as well. 

And as such, when we look at the octaves in the diagram, we see that every vibration in the 6p octave is a note in someone else’s octave.

So now … where is Partkdolg-duty? 

Student:  I guess it is everywhere, because every vibration is a note that can be found in six other octaves. Thus, Partkdolg-duty, for one note over here, is Partkdolg-duty, for another note over there. 

Wow, Russ, you certainly have cleared that up for me. 

I am beginning to realize that conscious labors and intentional sufferings are everywhere, not just at the shocks. 

Russell:  Well done. 

Here is another example: 

I planted a tree. Since it needs water to grow, when should I give it water? When it is a seed? When it is a sprout? Or over the entirety of its lifetime?

Student:  Over the entirety of its lifetime.

Russell:  Correct! That being said, when should I give myself that which causes me to grow? That is, the things that sustain my spiritual life?

Student:  Through the entirety of your lifetime.

Russell:  That is also correct. Therefore, there is an element of conscious labor and intentional suffering entering at every moment of my life, for me, and for the tree.

Student:  That is so true. I got it. I see it now. Thank you.

Russell:  So we have to administer conscious labor and intentional suffering over the entirety of our existence. It is not just a one time shock, and we are done.

Student:  Yes. That is very clear to me now and it gives me a lot to think about. 

I have two other questions. One is on page 110 of Gurdjieff: Cosmic Secrets, which is, how did you get 47 diatonic vibrations in the 19 octaves? (See the diagram called The Diatonic Structure of the Universe). 

Russell:  Simple, I just counted them. That is, I counted the different vibrations on the page. I started at 648 and went down to 324, and when I reached 324, I had counted 47.

Student:  Ohhhhh, myyyy. Why does my mind want to make things much harder than they are?

Russell:  Well, probably because it is hard for your mind to accept the fact that something so valuable could be so easy. Thus, in order to compensate for that, you make things harder than they are. That is, it is tough for your mind to believe that after learning about octaves and performing a simple exercise that you will indeed awaken. Even though it has been documented hundreds of times by me, as well as by those who have themselves awakened, yet you still find it hard to believe that such a thing is possible, and that it is easy to do. 

Student:  Yes, I think you are right. When I first met you at the All and Everything conference in England, and you told everyone that there was an objective way to awaken, most of us found that hard to believe. That is, if there was an objective way to awaken, we would have been the ones who discovered it. Afterall, we have been in the Work for a very long time, and as such, we are all pros. So, to have some upstart like yourself write a book, then show up in England and tell us that they have discovered something that we had not, was not an easy pill for any of us to swallow, nor believe. So, I guess, in a way, we don’t want to understand your work. Thus, we make what you have discovered ambiguous to ourselves as well as to others, because, since your work is so much simpler than ours, and since your work makes so much more sense than ours, and with it, people actually awaken, we are inclined to find ways of downplaying your work, because if we don’t, we must acknowledge that our work has been wrong, and nobody wants to admit that. I bet that is why after recently speaking to several of the other ‘self-appointed teachers’ who were also at the conference, that they accused you of stealing their students. Why? Well, because, after several of their students came to Texas and studied with you, they no longer wanted them to be their teacher, they wanted you to be their teacher, that’s why. God, after failing for so many years, it is hard for us old guards to believe that an objective way has actually been found. We need to slap ourselves!

Russell:  Well, I am sorry for that. But I do understand your plight, as well as theirs.

Okay, let’s get back to the topic at hand. We were talking about the diatonic structure of the Universe. 

In order to have 19 octaves with 7 vibrations each, you don’t need to have 133 vibrations, 19 times 7, you only need to have 47. Because, as we just saw in the diagram of the 6p octave, other octaves will occupy the same vibrations. That is, the 19th octave will indeed have seven vibrations in the Universe, depicted by seven notes, as will the 18th, and the 17th, etc., but some of their vibrations will be in other octaves, at other notes, and as such, there will only be 47 diatonic vibrations in the Universe. 

Student:  Ah, yes, different vibrations. I am so sorry that I failed to see that, but I have it now. What an amazing structure. I am beginning to see why you call it the Universal Cosmic Weave, as well as why it is so hard for me to believe that something so valuable could be so easy.

Russell:  Well, that is wonderful. 

Let me drive the point home. Go back to the diagram called The Diatonic Structure of the Universe, and find 360 vibrations. Then, follow 360 across the page from left to right. When you do, you will see that 360 vibrations has more than one name. It is the FA of the 2nd octave, the LA of the 4th, the DO of the 6th, the MI of the 9th, then the…

Student:  SO of the 12th.

Russell:  Yep. And finally the…

Student:  TI of the 16th.

Russell:  Well done. You have just discovered every octave in the Universe that has the vibration 360, except for one. That is, if you calculated every octave in the Universe, there would be one additional octave that had 360 vibrations, and its 360 would be at its RE. 

Student:  Oh, wow. What an awesome, but very simple structure.

When vibrations get lower down the scale, they get denser, does that change what things are?

Russell:  Materially it may. But structurally it is going to be exactly the same. The diagram of the structure of the diatonic Universe goes from 648 to 324, but if we went below 324 to 162, we would find the exact same structure. The only difference would be that the mathematics would be half as big.

Student:  Oh! Yeah! That is very clear now. Instead of meeting at 360 vibrations, they would meet at 180 vibrations, and if we went upscale, and doubled the mathematics from 648 to 1296, the structure would also look exactly the same, that is, what met at 360 would now meet at 720.

Russell:  Well done! You are getting it.

Student:  Yes, I am. I most certainly am. 

Russell:  So, once you identify the structure that goes from 648 to 324, you know every structure in the Universe.

Student:  You’ve done them all???

Russell:  Well, sort of. If when the structure doubles or halves, it remains exactly the same. It also remains the same if it only goes up by a factor of .000000000001. So, in a sense, I have. Afterall, if you triple the recipe, you do not alter the taste of the cake.

Student:  Wow! That makes what you have discovered, truly, a proper blueprint of the Universe.

Russell:  That is correct. 

And with a proper blueprint, it is no longer a mystery as to why everyone is waking up. 

Student:  Indeed it is not. I see it now. I got it, and I want to get even more; and as such, I am buying a plane ticket to Texas as soon as we get off the phone.

Russell:  Fantastic! I’ll have my wife check the calendar. 

If I don’t have another student written in, you would be most welcome to come. I do enjoy awakening the old guard. Afterall, you guys deserve it.

Yee-Haw for you! 

Here’s a thought: do you realize that you just discovered Gurdjieff’s definition of the Law of Seven, “The line of the flow of forces constantly deflecting according to law and uniting again at its ends.” Which means that the octaves that meet at 360 vibrations will all go their own way, but when they reach 180 vibrations, they will all meet again.

Student:  Oh my God, they will, and I have? This is really getting exciting.

Russell:  Terrific! 

We now have a structure that says, all octaves that meet up at any vibration, are going to follow their own diatonicity when they leave that vibration; but, when they get to double or half of that vibration, they are all going to meet up again. Thus, “The line of the flow of forces constantly deflecting according to law and uniting again at its ends.”

Student:  Wow, that is just amazing, yet it is so simple. I am beginning to see how the knowledge of the laws, coupled with your objective exercise, is indeed going to wake me up, which is very exciting.

Russell:  Well, good news for you, my wife just checked the calendar, and I do not have another student penciled in for two weeks. So, 10 of those 14 days can be yours, if you would like to have them.

Student:  I would most certainly like to have them. You may see me as early as tomorrow if that’s okay?   

Russell:  As long as I have 10 days to take you on the journey; tomorrow, or within a day or two, would be just fine.

Student:  I will call the airline as soon as I hang up the phone. God, I am so excited, I almost want to hang up the phone right now, but I have one more question to ask. I was looking at what you wrote on page 149, concerning Gurdjieff’s terminology about “fundamental sacred forces'' versus “sacred forces,” and I see that what he described as happening in the Holy Sun Absolute is indeed different from what happened in the Universe, as you indicated, but what is the difference between the terms “fundamental” and “primordial?” I mean he has fundamental cosmic laws, fundamental common cosmic laws, fundamental 1st-degree laws, etc.; and then there are his primordials: the primordial common cosmic law, the primordial fundamental common cosmic law, and so on. What do you think he meant when he used the term primordial?

Russell:  Well, since primordial means “of the first generation,” I surmise that he called things that were “of the first generation” a primordial thing, singular, instead of calling them primordial things, plural, because they were of the first generation.

Student:  Oh crap, there I go again, making things much more complicated than they actually are.

Russell:  [Laughing] 

Student:  I now see that the term primordial is most appropriate. Thank you for that, Russ. You are just incredible … just incredible.

Russell:  Well, that is a kind thing to say, and it kind of makes me want to blush a bit, so thank you.

By the way, the octaves in the Universe are not limited to being just sacred, or primordial sacred. (See the Universal Cosmic Weave diagram). Besides those, there are many other octaves in many different scales. 

Student:  I see, I see. That is really very interesting.

Russell:  However the octaves in the Holy Sun Absolute are only fundamental octaves, or primordial fundamental octaves. 

Student:  Ahhhhh. This is quite brilliant, his labeling.

Russell:  Yes, it is. When I realized why he had called some octaves sacred octaves; others, fundamental octaves; and still others, primordial octaves, everything in the Universe just fell into place. 

Student:  Ohhh myyyy, Russ. That is absolutely marvelous, and that is more than enough for me today.

If I can find a flight for tomorrow, I will see you then; if not, I will see you in a few days. 

Russell:  That is terrific, I will get your bed ready. Good night.

That completes today’s podcast.

Thank you for listening.

If you have any questions that you would like answered, please send them to [email protected], and we will endeavor to answer them, and perhaps ... even include them in a future podcast.  

In addition, you may now pose questions at our new Telegram group THEDOG Teachings, which is open to everyone to join and participate in.

Or if you would like to purchase Russell Smith’s book, The Blueprint of Consciousness, a 520-page hardback, which is also available for PDF download, or learn more about the subjects and exercises we have been exploring, you can do so by going to thedogteachings.com.

That’s T H E D O G teachings DOT COM.

There, you will be able to listen to other talks, obtain diagrams, animations, supporting videos, and much, much more.

But most importantly, you will have real time access to the materials we are discussing.

That’s thedogteachings.com

Goodbye, until next time.