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 ZOOM conversation between Russell and a recent purchaser of The Blueprint of Consciousness, who after reading it, awoke. He then organized a ZOOM call with Russell, in order to both thank him, as well as to ask him about the infallibility of the journey. 

Let’s begin. 

Russell:  Hello.

Student:  Hello, Mr. Smith. Thank you for hopping on Zoom and talking with me. I really wanted to chat with you. Firstly, because I wanted to thank you for writing the book The Blueprint of Consciousness, it has changed my life. And, secondly, because I wanted to ask you a few questions about my journey, if that’s okay.

Russell:  You bet it is. Questions are the doorway of understanding.

And you do not need to call me Mr. Smith, Russ, will do.

Student:  Okay, great.

Going back to your book, when I first received it, I was really impressed by its quality. I remember saying to myself, “If the inside material is as good as the outside looks, I am going to be in for a treat.” Then, when I opened the book and began reading, the inside was even better. 

Russell:  Well, thank you for that.

Student:  When I read it, I did just as you suggested. 

I digested everything, watched every video, downloaded several diagrams, and followed every animation step by step. I did have to read a few things more than once, in order to understand what you were trying to explain, and you were right, by doing so, the next part of the book was very easy to grasp, because as you said, it built on itself.

It just kept drawing me in; I didn’t want to stop. The examples you used were excellent, and the mathematics was simple. However, I will admit, when I finished reading Chapter 3, and saw that it was possible for me to awaken, I was tempted to jump ahead and do the awakening exercise, but I didn’t. Instead, I finished every chapter just like you said I should do, and you were right, they added so much more weight to the possibility of me awakening, the possibility became a certainty.

Russell:  That is terrific. 

In the words of the immortal Hannibal Smith of the A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together.” So, good job sir.

Student:  I am amazed by the stillness that the exercise continues to generate in my inner world. I hope that everyone gets to experience that.

Russell:  Pretty much. Just like it says in Revelation 8:1, King James Version: “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” A place to which students return again and again.

Student:  Well, I certainly do.

Okay, I have a question.

Now that I have awakened, what next?

Russell:  Well, awakening is the beginning. Now that you have eyes to see, and ears to hear, you must strive to become what you have the right to genetically become. That is, an impartial being of Reason and Conscience. 

Your machine is not clean. So, clean it up. As Gurdjieff indicated, the work we do before we awaken, is not done because we expect to get results, but because by doing it, we will know what to do when we awaken. So, start by asking yourself, “What is useful and what is harmful. What is true and what is false. What is real and what is just belief.” And yes, always listen to the Angel on your shoulder.

And, if you wish, the Master Exercises and the Double or Nothing exercises can also be obtained. Qualifications for such can be found in the book, as well as on our websites.

Student:  I gotcha, Russ. From today forward, I shall do, and pursue, all of the above.

Okay, I have another question.

Do some of the people who purchase The Blueprint of Consciousness not awaken?

Russell:  Well, if they do not, it is because I no longer control the narrative. That is, when The Blueprint of Consciousness was published, the onus of understanding Gurdjieff: Cosmic Secrets was removed from my shoulders and placed on theirs, which you will better understand if I explain to you how everything happened the way that it happened. 

It began in 1979. That was when I first encountered Gurdjieff’s work. Then, after working on myself for almost a year, I suddenly awakened! 

Student:  How did you know that you had awakened?

Russell:  Well, if you suddenly sense something other than yourself watching yourself, what would you call it. Something that afterwards was always there. Something that smiled at you when you manifested rightly and frowned at you when you manifested wrongly. Something likened to the religious teaching of having an Angel on your shoulder, symbolizing your conscience. A similar concept to what Mr. Gurdjieff referred to, where after awakening, one would have a double arrow of attention. One attention on what they were doing, and the other attention watching themselves do it. So, based on both the religious teaching, and on what Mr. Gurdjieff said, the term awakening seemed quite appropriate.

Student:  That is what I would have called it too. It is very much like having an Angel on your shoulder, whispering in your ear.

Okay, what happened next?

Russell:  Well, from that day forward, it never left. And as such, I became a different person. Whereafter, the people in my life noticed the difference in me, and asked, “What the heck happened to you?” When they did, I introduced them to the Work. However, after some time, when what had happened to me had not yet happened to them, they began to question me as to why not, which prompted me to begin searching for an answer. 

Unfortunately, it took me 10 years to discover it. However, I now see that those 10 years were most likely necessary, because during that time, I uncovered many things about the laws of World-creation and World-maintenance, which since then, have proven to be prerequisites for its discovery.

Student:  Yes, after I awoke, I too saw how understanding the laws of World-creation and World-maintenance were necessary for my awakening, which is probably why you put the story of how you discovered it in your book. But go ahead, tell me again, how it happened.

Russell:  Okay, here is the shortened version. 

I put the following question to the Angel on my shoulder, “Why are my students still asleep; they read the books I read, they do the exercises I do, they are sincere hard workers; why are they not awake?” 

To which I got a response.

The higher said: 

“You awoke subjectively.” 

“All teachers awake subjectively.” 

“All schools die when their teachers die.” 

“No matter how sincere your students are, or how hard they work, they will never be able to awaken subjectively.”

“That is, you cannot pass-on a subjective way!”

When I realized the truth of that, I was both saddened and dismayed, which prompted me to look back and say, “If no one can pass-on a subjective way … then give me an objective one!” 

Which ... it did.

Student:  Wow, Russ. That must have been an incredible moment.

Russell:  Yes, it was. It was right behind the moment of my awakening.

Okay. This is where understanding the rules and laws fit in. 

The higher continued:

“As you have already figured out the structure, that is, the rules and laws, I will now be able to show you how they all work.”

It then arranged everything I previously discovered into a simple dynamic model. 

After which it exclaimed: 

“Everyone who performs the following exercise, after understanding the rules and laws, will awaken.” 

It then gave me The Objective Exercise. 

When it did, I knew that it was infallible.

Student:  Oh my God, Russ, yes. Having done it, I can see how when coupled with the rules and laws, The Objective Exercise cannot fail.

Russell:  Indeed.

At our next class, I informed the students about the conversation I had with my Higher, and then shared with them the exercise I had been given.

When I did, they awoke. 

And, like you, they were ecstatic. 

After which, they advised me to quit my job, saying, “Stay home, and write a book. That way others can discover what you have discovered.”

So, I did. I quit my job, stayed home, and I wrote the book Gurdjieff: Cosmic Secrets.

Student:  I am so glad that you took their advice.

Russell:  Well, it wasn’t easy; it took me almost 5 years to get everything just right. 

When the manuscript was finally sent out in 1995, it drew so much interest from the Fourth Way community that an international conference was scheduled to be held in Bognor Regis, England, in February 1996, so that my book could be discussed as soon as it was published.

Whereafter, in 1997, a second conference was convened.

At that conference, I announced that I would show everyone who sojourned to Texas how to awaken. All they needed to do was to buy an airline ticket to Dallas, take 10 days off work, and leave everything that they thought that they knew at home. Furthermore, I informed them that I would only be able to take one person at a time on the journey. So, if they wanted to awaken, they should book their 10-day journey as soon as possible. 

I did so, because I understood that awakening required more than just the casual reading of my book. It required comprehension, understanding, practice, and preparation, which I knew I would be able to impart to them, just as I had done with my students in Texas.

Student:  Russ, may I ask how many of them came?

Russell:  Well, I am not sure, as I did not keep track of that number, but it was a pretty good percentage. All in all, over the next 17 years, 412 people came to study with me, which was basically two 10-day journeys a month with 5 days off in between, for 17 years, and all but 5 awoke; primarily because those 5 came here to teach me. So, I did not take them on the journey.

Student:  Were they upset that you didn’t?

Russell:  No, quite the opposite. I had adequately thanked them for sharing with me what they thought was so important. After which, they bought several books to take home with them and distribute. 

As to the others who came to Texas, here is why it worked so well for them. 

Gurdjieff: Cosmic Secrets contained the basic law-conformable structure of everything a person needed to know in order to awaken. However, the book by itself was not enough. A guide was needed. A guide who could ensure that everything that was required to be known, was known. A guide who could take others by the hand and lead them through the various concepts contained therein. A guide who could take them step by step from the very beginning to the very end. A guide who could recognize when they had discovered, comprehended, and understood everything that was necessary. 

Initially, that guide had to be me, as I was the only person who understood everything that was required, as well as understood that if others discovered what I discovered, they too would awaken. 

So, in order to control the narrative, I only allowed one person at a time to come. Whereafter, I would individually guide them word by word, sentence by sentence, page by page, and chapter by chapter through Gurdjieff: Cosmic Secrets, all the while making sure that they discovered, comprehended, and understood the contents of every page before I allowed them to go further. And by so doing, they were able to establish a certainty of belief, not because I told them that something was true, but because they themselves were able to verify that it was true. 

I must say that it was very enjoyable to watch the recognition of discovery, comprehension, and understanding flash across their face; informing me that it was time to turn the page.

Student:  Wow, that sounds amazing. 

Russell:  Yes, it was. 

In fact, I was amazed that so many people did so well. Even though I knew that it was law-conformable that they would, I was still amazed.

Student:  What is even more amazing is the fact that they all completed the journey in just eight days.

Russell:  Yes, that was quite nice. It was like being in charge of an eight-day manufacturing process to enlightenment. Which most likely occurred because the process was so simple. They would read a chapter each evening, which I would thoroughly explain to them the following day.

But, let me back up a bit, and make it clear as to why the process I followed was so necessary. 

In the course of human life, most everyone becomes somewhat skeptical of the claims made by others: for instance, this product will make you lose weight, that one will allow you to find a date, Chevrolets are better than Fords, or only Baptists go to Heaven, etc. So, when I told the people at the All and Everything conference if they came to Texas, I would show them how to awaken, there was no doubt in my mind that most of them would not believe me; at least the old-guard wouldn’t. However, some attendees might, and as such, they would book their ten-day journey, buy a plane ticket to Dallas, take off work, and come to Texas in order to find out if what I had told them was true.

When they came, they were instructed to leave everything they believed to be true out on the road, so that their beliefs would not taint what I was about to show them. I would tell them, “I want you to be a blank sheet of paper on which I can write objective truths.” 

I began with the objective truth, that the seven intervals in a musical octave were proportional to 3, 3, 2, 4, 4, 5, 3, and that the seven colors of the rainbow were also proportional to 3, 3, 2, 4, 4, 5, 3. Following that, I walked them through the Obligolnian Strivings and the Enneagram of Feeding the Community, to which they usually said, “This is amazing stuff.” Plus, woven in between, were various other models that also hammered home the validity of the structure. 

Then, when the light of understanding appeared in their eyes, I stripped the octave down even further, and showed them every possible place that octaves can occur, as well as how to calculate them.

Finally, when we finished Chapter 1, although they were not yet totally convinced that by learning about octaves, they would be able to awaken, there was a certain glimmer of hope in their eyes. And as such, they went up to their room and began to calculate octaves of every imaginable size, in every imaginable place, and they did so, with the glimmer of hope still in their eyes.

The following day when I took them through Chapter 2, and they actually got to witness the fabric of the Universe becoming diatonic, their jaws dropped! Not to mention the fact that everything else I explained to them made perfect sense, as did the scientific facts concerning creation.

After which, they began to develop the belief that awakening was indeed possible. Afterall, if a few things gave them a glimmer of hope, then twenty things would turn that glimmer into a beacon, and as such, every evening when they went up to their room, they eagerly resumed calculating octaves.

The next day, when I showed them the structure within the octave: the four fundamental points, the three inner octaves, and the nine inner-inner octaves, they not only saw their centers, their parts, and their parts-of-parts, but they also saw their higher centers as well, which, for most of them, was a Eureka moment! 

Finally, when I explained to them what was needed to awaken, then surveyed their inner world to see if they had what was necessary, and the survey showed that they did, they were ecstatic. From that moment forward, it was case-closed! 

After which, I handed them thirty-six exercises, which they began doing with great force. Afterall, they had just discovered that they had everything necessary to awaken, and as such, they wanted to be in tip-top shape when we did The Objective Exercise. 

At that point, my job of proving to them that they could indeed awaken, was pretty much finished. 

However, just like you, we completed the other four chapters, not because they needed to be completed, but because, as it said in the movie Remember the Titans, I wanted to “Leave no doubt.” 

Which apparently worked, because after revealing to them the law-conformable structure of oscillations, dualities, protons, neutrons, quarks, the Transfer RNA molecule, DNA, shock octaves, the Ribosomal RNA molecule, the food diagram, the diatonic enneagram, outer octaves, the Universal Cosmic Weave, Pascal’s Triangle, the Fibonacci Series, the boundaries of creation, how atoms fill their orbitals, the Periodic Table of Elements, the ‘obligatory-gap-aspects-of-the-unbroken-flowing-of-the-whole,’ the sequence, how there is an octave in every interval, Gurdjieff‘s three particularities, the Ray of Creation, Dark Matter, Dark Energy, the 14 Lines of Supervision in an Enneagram, as well as how to catch a rabbit, they were overwhelmed by the volume of that material, and as such, they were ready to awaken.

Student:  Oh my God, Russ, that is exactly what happened to me. Listening to you explain what was necessary for them, allowed me to see why those same things were necessary for me. I am so glad that I followed everything you suggested.

Russell:  I too am very pleased that you did. By following what was suggested, you brought yourself to the cusp of enlightenment. 

Let me explain. A person will be brought to the cusp of enlightenment, if they realize that the structure behind the Universe is the same structure behind their possibilities. That is, that the structure underlying the Universe not only shows them that they indeed have higher centers but also shows them that they have everything necessary to attain them.

All they need to do after that, is to find a way of unifying their lower centers. Which fortunately, they will learn how to do when I explain to them The Objective Exercise. Not surprisingly, when I do, they will unequivocally know for certain that they indeed are going to awaken, which of course, they will then do!

Student:  Wow, Russ, I can see it. I really can. It all makes perfect sense. No wonder your method of awakening others and me was so successful.

Russell:  That, it was, and is.

The Blueprint of Consciousness delineates the journey taken by 407 people which resulted in their awakening. Thus, all the readers need to do, is to take the same journey. If they do, they too will awaken. 

Which means the onus is now on them. 

Why? 

Well, I will not be there to see the light of understanding go on in their eyes, and as such, I will not know if they turned the page at the appropriate time. Therefore, the readers must stand in for me, making sure that they not only understand every concept, but also that they only turn the page if they do.

The bottom line is this: if a person understands everything that is necessary, their awakening is virtually guaranteed!

So the question now becomes, “How much is necessary?” 

The answer to that is simple. At the Beginning of Chapter 7, there is a list of 63 important things which need to be understood that were explained in the first six chapters. And at the end of Chapter 7, there is a list of 25 other important things which also need to be understood that were revealed in chapter 7. That being said, it seems logical to assume that when one understands most of them, they will be ready to awaken.

Student:  Wow, Russ, that was a great walkthrough of everything that happened. Thank you for making it perfectly clear to me, as to why it worked for the 407 people that you awoke, as well as, as to why it worked for me.

I very much appreciate your time. 

Thank you again for joining me in ZOOM.

Goodnight.

That completes today’s podcast.

Thank you for listening.

If you have any questions that you would like to have 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.

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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.

And now, you may also pose any questions during our new weekly ZOOM classes, held every Thursday. One class for purchasers of The Blueprint of Consciousness, and the other for qualifiers of the Master Exercises. Look under Resources for ZOOM Classes on the website thedogteachings.com.

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

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Goodbye, until next time.