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.

Continuing our talks on Work questions and answers, in this podcast, we narrate dialogues between a student and Russell covering the topics of working with the horse, self-observation, center of gravity, enthusiasm, level of being, Law of 3, Harnel-miatznel, the moon, lying still for one hour, and the Enneagram.

To begin:

Russell:  Good evening. How are you tonight? 

 Student:  I am fine. How are you?

Russell:  I am just terrific. It has been a great week for me, how was your week?

 Student:  It was an okay week, but a very busy one. I have hardly ever been so busy; I think a lot of people were on vacation, so I had to take their patients.

Russell:  Ah, the burdens of being a doctor. 

Student:  Ha ha! Yea, it keeps me pretty busy. Then, add to that the work on myself.

Russell:  Speaking of the work on yourself; what have you been doing?

Student:  Well, I attempted to work on various centers, and to do various exercises during the day. The problem is I need to get a grip on the horse. 

Russell:  Yes. The horse is always the most difficult. The chapter your group is going to read next Sunday in Views From the Real World goes into that idea; it is the one on page 221. And another one I would like you to read is the one on page 148, which would also be quite timely for your Work.

Student:  Okay. I will.

Russell:  Did you get a chance to read the two chapters on page 82 and 88 in Views?

Student:  Yes, I did. And, as a matter of fact, I made a few notes, and have a few questions, if that is okay with you.

Russell:  You bet it is.

Student:  The chapter on page 88 dealt with self-observation. The question it stimulated was, “Which center observes?” Gurdjieff says only the master can really self-observe. So maybe self-observation is something that we cannot even do right now.

Russell:  That is somewhat true, only the Master can objectively observe. Perhaps, that is why Gurdjieff says “self-observation is very difficult.” However, there are other things in us that do have the ability to observe. Things like the Deputy Steward, then later on, Steward and Master. But in absence of having those, a man must make his individual centers observe. And those observers will change as his center of gravity changes. At one moment, his center of gravity will be in the instinctive center, so if he makes observations then, he will be observing himself through the eyes of the instinctive center. And at another moment, his self observation will be through his moving center, and so on.

Student:  I heard something on the news the other day and it got me quite emotional, and I looked at myself and said, wow, you really got emotional about that piece of news. I guess that meant my emotional center was observing.

Russell:  That is correct. Because, on another day, you could have heard the same information and not have had the same reaction; that is, another center would have been looking, and that center could have made you hungry, or made you want to go bowling.

Student:  That is what the other chapter you wanted me to read, seemed to be talking about.

Russell:  About one sided development, yes. Also, how impressions that are in one center are not necessarily the impressions in other centers.

Student:  Oh, I see; to find different impressions, we have to switch to a different center.

Russell:  Yes, you got it. For example, let’s suppose that tomorrow morning, when you are getting ready to leave for work, you are unable to find your car keys. Intellectually you can’t remember where you put them. So, you go back to the day before and look in your moving center. “Let’s see, what was I doing when I came home yesterday? I came in the house, I walked this way; oh yeah, I remember tossing them on the table by the couch.” Or if you can’t find the memory of them in your moving center, you try and recapture the emotions of yesterday; and when you do, you remember that you were irritated by some driver who cut you off as you turned up the street, and by re-feeling that irritation, you now remember throwing your keys at the table, just a little harder, and seeing them slide off and land on the floor. So, to find your car keys, you might need to look in many different centers, because the memory of where you put them may only be in one center. Of course, if you were conscious, the memory of where you put them would have been recorded in every center.

Student:  Maybe that would be a good exercise for me to do everyday. That is, to place my car keys somewhere different, and then try to activate the memory of where I placed them in all my centers.

Russell:  Yes. That would be a great exercise for you to do.

Student:  Maybe then, I will never misplace my car keys again.

Russell:  That is certainly possible. If you can remember to do that, starting tomorrow, that would be wonderful.

Student:  Let me write that down, because that would be a worthwhile exercise. I mean, we are supposed to do practical exercises, in the sense that they have a purpose, right?

Russell:  Indeed, that is correct. We want them to be practical, not just theoretical or philosophical. However, if we put too much weight on the exercise, then the emphasis is on the exercise, and not what we are supposed to get from it.

Student:  Exactly. So, what do you think, should I do that exercise?

Russell:  Yes sir, that would be a great exercise for you to do. Every day when you come home, you could say, “Alright, I am going to put my keys here today.” Then try to register the impression of where you put them in your Instinctive Center, your Moving Center, your Emotional Center, and your Intellectual Center. When tomorrow comes, and your keys are not in their usual place, you could see what centers know where they are.

Student:  That would be a great exercise; to place them randomly.

Russell:  That is correct. If you place them in the same place every day, you will defeat the purpose of the exercise, and won’t need to look in every center. That is, they will always be hanging on the hook by the back door.

Student:  I am very enthusiastic about this exercise. But from my experience, maybe tomorrow, I will not be so enthusiastic. What can I do to keep my enthusiasm?

Russell:  You have asked a good question. What can you do to keep your enthusiasm? If you can answer that question, you will have answered the question of what you are supposed to be in all situations, which is a man in control; a real man. However, as you are not as of yet, a man in control, your enthusiasm is going to wax and wane, just like it does in everything else. You are going to have high moments and low moments. The only thing that you can try to do is to maintain a constant direction. Then it will not be up to enthusiasm, but up to maintaining a constant direction. That is, you can put a post-it note on the hook, where you normally hang your keys, to remind you to maintain direction and to put them in a different place. 

Student:  Like an obligation, like a duty.

Russell:  Yes sir. The progression of Work is such: we start off with desires; later, those desires turn into responsibilities; and finally those responsibilities turn into obligations. In every case, something higher and greater is created. The key is to maintain direction; and to have some form of intentionality until it goes from responsibility to obligation. After which, enthusiasm won’t be needed, because it will just be the way you are. 

It is like being an anesthesiologist, when you step into the operating room, you don’t have to be enthusiastic about what you have to do, but rather just fulfill your responsibility, and your obligation to be there; and, to stay as present as you can, that is, while you are administering the anesthetic. 

Student:  Sure. I get it. So, I don’t need to pretend to be enthusiastic?

Russell:  No. But you can use enthusiasm as a tool, for the patient’s benefit. That is until they are anesthetized. But then it is time to get down to business; staying present, and monitoring the drugs. 

If you need enthusiasm to do that, it would be like saying, you can only do exercises when you are enthusiastic. But the truth is, you must do exercises, even when you are not enthusiastic. I guess that is why Gurdjieff called it conscious labor and intentional suffering.

Student:  Okay. But then again, it says that the Work should be coming from the emotional center. Is that right?

Russell:  That is mostly correct. You will read that in the chapter on page 221, Gurdjieff said that the desire is in the horse, the ability is in the carriage, and the knowledge is in the driver. With just the driver, we cannot do much, because the driver does not possess the desire nor the ability; those attributes are in the other parts. However, if we could get all three parts working together, then we would have the desire coming from the horse and the ability coming from the carriage; and, most likely, the desire would come in the form of enthusiasm.  

I wake up every morning looking forward to working on myself, there is constant enthusiasm; but I am fortunate, I have my higher centers working, which makes things a lot easier. That is, when I turn around, I see a permanent passenger sitting in my carriage. Before that, it was not so easy, because somebody new kept jumping in and barking orders at the driver.

Student:  That sure sounds like my inner world. And I too want a permanent passenger.

Russell:  Of course you do, that is the aim; to have a permanent center of gravity. But we can’t start there, we have to start from where we are. That means our center of gravity will shift. One moment it will be this center, five minutes later it will be in that center. Gurdjieff said, if you try to recall the conversation we are having, you will have to look in many centers. That is, you cannot just look in one center, because part of what you hear gets registered in one center, and part of what you hear gets registered in another. So, if you want to recall the entire conversation, you will need to look in many different places. But, as I said, if we were working rightly, then this conversation would get recorded in all centers, so no matter where we looked, there it would be.

Student:  I guess I need to be patient, right?

Russell:  Yes, a doctor that is a patient… doctor! [both chuckle]

That is all you can do. This is a journey about the development of being, which takes a bit of time. Knowledge, we can gain rather quickly; but change of being is a process that takes time. For example, we could sit down at a piano and learn what the keys are, that is, E-G-B-D-F, and F-A-C-E, but how do we make that knowledge a part of our being? We can’t become an accomplished pianist by just knowing that knowledge. We have to massively apply that knowledge, again and again and again. That is, just knowing the knowledge won’t change us, nor will it change the knowledge. In a few years from now, it will still be the same knowledge; E-G-B-D-F, and F-A-C-E, and there will still be 12 keys in every octave; 7 white keys and 5 black keys. So, the knowledge, by itself, won’t make us an accomplished pianist. Only practice, practice, practice will.

Student:  What is the difference between knowledge and understanding.

Russell:  Gurdjieff told us that the level of a man’s understanding is the resultant of blending of his knowledge and his being. So, if a man has a high level of knowledge, but a low level of being, then his level of understanding will be the arithmetic mean between those two. If he raises the level of his being, or the level of his knowledge, then the level of his understanding will also rise. But Gurdjieff said man had enough knowledge, what was lacking was the development of his being.

Student:  So really, if you have a politician that has read all the historical works, and studied all the scenarios, if he doesn’t have a high level of being, he won’t be able to accomplish much.

Russell:  Probably not.

Student:  That is quite a difficult thing to understand. I have always thought that you got understanding automatically. But I now see, it is one thing to talk about scuba diving, and another thing to do it.

Russell:  However, there is some truth in the idea that you get understanding automatically, because as I said, if you raise your level of knowledge, you will raise your level of understanding. But, since understanding is the arithmetic mean between knowledge and being, our understanding will rise a lot faster if we raise our being.

Student:  I guess your being would change a little just by hearing about scuba diving, right?

Russell:  Yes, that may be true; but you would have to go scuba diving many many times in order for it to effectually change your being. 

Student:  Oh, I see.

Russell:  We all know the scenario of the professor who forgets his umbrella. Or if we see individuals in the world, who possess a great deal of knowledge, yet abuse children, or something else, then that is an indication that their level of being is not very high.

Student:  Does it play into the law of three.

Russell:  Yes, somewhat.

Student:  Like the scuba diver who forgets to put on his buoyancy compensator. 

Russell:  That is new terminology for me, but yes… it is probably like the scuba diver who forgets to put on his buoyancy compensator.

Student:  Ah, a buoyancy compensator lets divers go from lower depths to higher depths, because they can push air into their buoyancy compensator, which is usually like a vest. If they let the air out, they go deeper; if they blow air in, they go higher. They just have to be careful to not blow air in too fast, or they will shoot up to the surface, and will die because of the bends, or whatever. 

Russell:  I understand, you have changed my being a little bit, even without me ever scuba diving. 

So, as I said, we can raise our level of understanding in two ways: we can raise our knowledge, or we can raise our being. But as Gurdjieff said, we already have enough knowledge, so what is mostly needed is a change of being.

Student:  Okay. I have another question, what exactly is Harnel-miatznel?

Russell:  Harnel-miatznel is the process of blending.

Student:  Is that our Deputy Steward?

Russell:  Well, no. As I said, Harnel-miatznel is the process of blending. But yes, if we appoint Deputy Steward, we would have a new higher in us to blend with.

Student:  So, the process of blending is called Harnel-miatznel.

Russell:  Yes, the process of blending is called Harnel-miatznel. It is the blending of two things. No shocks are needed.

Both the shocks, and the blendings can be found in Gurdjieff’s definition of the Law of Three, which is: ‘“A new arising from the previously arisen through the “Harnel-miaznel,” the process of which is actualized thus: the higher blends with the lower in order to actualize the middle and thus becomes either higher for the preceding lower, or lower for the succeeding higher;’ and as I’ve already told you, this Sacred-Triamazikamno consists of three independent forces…”

Thus, the first thing we learn about the Law of Three is called Harnel-miaznel, and the first thing we learn about Harnel-miaznel is called blending.

For instance, to make bread, you must first blend flour and water.

There are many ways to blend flour and water. You can use more water than flour; and, instead of getting dough, you will get a runny paste. As kids, we used to blow up balloons, cut a newspaper into strips, dip the strips into the paste, and put the pasty strips on the balloons. When the strips dried, we would pop the balloons, cut out some eyes, and paint a face on it. Voilà. We made Papier-Mache, not dough.

To make dough, you need to use the right proportions of flour and water. Once you have the right proportions of flour and water, you will only get dough if you then blend them… and blend them… and blend them. It is called kneading; and you must keep kneading the dough until it reaches the proper consistency.

Then, it will be ready to receive another force, the force of the hot oven. I will point out that once you blend the flour and water into dough, you have given the dough a death sentence, because it will not last long as dough. Let it sit too long, and it will sour.

So, if you do not want your dough to sour, do not blend the flour and water. Keep them as flour and water.

Separate, they can last a long time.

Okay, you kneaded your dough up to the proper consistency, and got it ready to receive the second force. The force of fire. A transformation then takes place, and turns the dough into bread, after which, more blending can occur. You can blend the bread with a knife and cut it into slices. You can blend the bread with butter or jelly. You can blend the bread with caramel drizzle or sugary sprinkles, but it will not fulfil its purpose, unless a third force enters, which will be another kind of oven, one that can transform the bread even further; the oven of a man’s stomach.

With all three forces, the flour and water will fulfil their highest potential.

Notice that most of the event proceeds by the process of Harnel-miaznel, by the process of blending; and we could have added even more blending to the process.

We could have blended in yeast and made risen dough. We could have blended in raisins and made risen, raisin dough.

However, blending by itself will not make bread (unless we are Superman, and can knead the dough so fast that the heat created from the friction of our kneading baked the bread). But since we are not Superman, we cannot do that; as such, we have to have fire. I will also mention that we cannot make bread with just fire. We cannot put flour and water into a pan, put it in the oven, and expect it to turn into bread. Blending is extremely important.

As we said, most of the notes in an octave are reached by the process of blending.

In addition, the process of Harnel-miaznel also contains this principle, “the higher blends with the lower in order to actualize the middle and thus becomes either higher for the preceding lower, or lower for the succeeding higher.”

What the heck does that mean?

Well, how much stomach acid do you drink each day to handle your digestive needs?

Student:  None.

Russell:  You do not? Then, where does it come from?

I know, the food you eat gets blended into higher substances, called middle stuff. Some of that middle stuff goes back (becomes higher stuff for lower stuff, and helps the lower stuff become higher). And some of that middle stuff goes on to be raised even further (becomes lower stuff for higher stuff, which helps the middle stuff become higher). Thus, “the higher blends with the lower in order to actualize the middle and thus becomes either higher for the preceding lower, or lower for the succeeding higher.”

The process of Harnel-miaznel, coupled with the three forces, gives us a great model for understanding the Law of Triamazikamno.

Man can blend with the rules and laws found in Cosmic Secrets and be raised to a state that will allow him to receive another force, the force of April Fools, or The Objective Exercise, and thus awaken.

Man can then blend with the Master Exercises, and be raised to an even higher state, to where he can receive a third force, the force of the Double or Nothing Exercises, which will turn him into really good bread, allowing him to attain reason and impartiality. 

Student:  Okay. I got it, I really got it!

Russell:  Good. As to your buoyancy compensator, that might be equated to the idea of creating moon in oneself.

Student:  Moon?

Russell:  Yes. Which means to have a permanent center of gravity. The moon acts as a permanent center of gravity for organic life, and we are told in Ouspensky’s work that, for us, the idea of moon means to have a permanent center of gravity in ourselves. 

Now, I don’t know much about scuba diving, but the buoyancy compensator thing that you have been talking about, sure sounds like something that keeps scuba divers in balance.

Student:  Right. It does. 

Russell:  Do you also need a weight belt?

Student:  The weight belt will make sure that you really go down fast.

Russell:  I thought, if you don’t have a weight belt, you would float to the surface, because the body was naturally buoyant?

Student:  If you are lighter in water, then yes, that would be true.

Russell:  Aren’t most people lighter than water?

Student:  Yes, you are right, you would be lighter, even with the gear on. So most people would need a weight belt.

Russell:  Do you scuba dive?

Student:  Yes, that is my hobby.

Russell:  Question, if you throw your scuba tanks into the water, will they sink, or is the air in the tanks buoyant enough for them to float?

Student:  Well, it depends on how much air you have in the tanks. When they are full, the air is compressed and is quite heavy, so the tanks will sink; but as they get emptier and emptier, they have the tendency to float.

Russell:  That sounds like another reason to have a buoyancy compensator.

Student:  Yes it is. Not to mention the fact that your buoyancy changes as you dive. That is, as you go deeper, everything gets more compressed, and therefore becomes less buoyant. 

Russell:  I get it, interesting stuff. Stay buoyant my friend. Okay. What exercises have you been doing?

Student:  I have been doing the lying still for one hour exercise, and it seems like I get into an in between state, I don’t know what is going on anymore. I need to employ some medium to keep me oriented, because I feel like I am moving; so therefore, maybe I should do some activity while I am lying still, like counting, or something.

Russell:  Many students do other exercises while they are lying still. For example, their I-Am’s or the Three-Fold Attention exercise, the one where you count your breaths and then try to sense and feel at the same time.

Student:  I can do other exercises while I am lying still?

Russell:  Sure. Just so it’s not the Hands in Motion exercise.

Student:  Okay, well that would be heavy-duty.

Russell:  That’s okay, you’re a doctor, you can handle it.

Student:  You are right. [sarcastically] – Since I am very gifted and actually superior to most other men, it should be very easy!!  But what happens is I get disappointed in myself. Do you know Goethe, our great poet in Germany?

Russell:  I have heard of him, but cannot recite any of his poetry.

Student:  Well, I can’t either. He essentially says, don’t ever give up. He also said, translated to English, to always strive to the entirety; and if you can’t be in entirety, try to join something that is liken to entirety.  I guess that means, if you can’t do it by yourself, join a school, or something like that.

Russell:  Yes. That makes sense.

Student:  And just contribute.

Russell:  One thing that always helped me keep going was the realization that the guys in baseball that they call superstars, that is, the guys in the Hall of Fame, bat about 300. Which means that when they went up to the plate 10 times, they were always out 7 times out of 10, always out 7 times out of 10! Yet, they put them in the Hall of Fame, and called them superstars. I like that idea; superstars are always out 7 times out of 10. Wow! That truth always kept me motivated. Knowing that I did not always have to succeed, but rather, only had to take my turn at bat, was a relief. That is, it allowed me to concentrate solely on making efforts rather than on results. 

Student:  I get it. That is what the Work is all about, right?

Russell:  You betcha. And, when it is all over, you shouldn’t care if the record books show you struck out, or show you hit home runs; but only that you took your turn at bat.

Student:  Okay, that is very valuable. Because I get frustrated sometimes. One thing I do fear, more than anything else, is false crystallization. With all the years in the Work, and with all my half-ass efforts, I am kind of afraid. 

You get to the point where you think you are a big shot, a Fourth Way guy, but in reality you didn’t accomplish a damn thing. 

In terms of will, I think I have made a little progress. But before finding you, there was no real structure to approach, nor any motivation to approach it.

Russell:  Well, I am glad you found it. Gurdjieff did say that by ourselves, we are helpless, because we don’t know what to do. We really don’t. It is like we have been going to the bald-headed barber all our lives asking him how to grow hair.

Student:  That is so true; we know all the Fourth Way slogans, but do not apply them.

Russell:  Indeed.

Gurdjieff said, we can huff and puff for ten years, filling the mind with all sorts of stuff, but without application, it will all be for naught, and nothing will ever come of it.

Student:  Can you give me something that will make me more enthusiastic.

Russell:  Can I give you something that will make you more enthusiastic?

Student:  There is something in me that wants to do this, right, so there is this calling; but, I guess life is so strong, sometimes the calling gets drowned out.  Plus I am Mr. Zig-zag idiot on top of that. 

Russell:  Aren’t most people?

Student:  Yes, but I am really good at it.

Russell:  Well, just remember that superstars only bat 300! That should make you more enthusiastic.

Student:  Right, I will remember that.

Russell:  Thus, the next time you strike out, that’s okay; afterall, you only need to bat 300 to be called a superstar, and if you do, they will put you in the Hall of Fame! I mean, here comes the superstar; 7 times out of 10 he is out! Get him off of the field! He is out! 

Yet, they call them superstars because they always take their turn at bat; they always play the game. That is what you need to remember.  You might not always get the results you want, and there will be times when you don’t feel like playing, but you always need to take your turn at bat. And that, you can do.

Student:  Yes. That is why your school is so great. That is one of the things about the group here that is not so great, it is more of a friends club.

Russell:  Well, hopefully, everyone is now moving in the right direction, and someday, my school will be established there as well.

Student:  I sure hope so.

Russell:  Until it is, we can only do what we can do, in the context of the life we find ourselves in. 

That is, this is not the way of the Fakir, nor of the Monk, nor of the Yogi, where we can just leave life altogether. Instead, we have to work on ourselves in life, which can be an advantage, because by getting to work on ourselves in life, we have the opportunity of showing other people, who are also in life, the best way to work on themselves.

Student:  Well, we did have a good meeting tonight. Some good second line Work. I am learning that you can’t just stand there and tell other people what to do; if you, yourself, are not willing to do it… otherwise you are a fraud. 

Russell:  Right. Then you would be like many other religions, and only do the Lord’s work on Sunday mornings. After which, you could go home, kick the dog, and covet your neighbor’s wife.

Student:  Ha ha, right.

Russell:  Do you have any other questions?

Student:  I went through the first chapter of your book again, and I do have a few little questions, if I may.

Russell:  You betcha.

Student:  Okay, I am nitpicking. It says here, talking about Heptaparaparshinokh, that there are 7 deflections, but I only count 6.  

Russell:  Probably because you are only looking at the lines of supervision on an Enneagram, which only contacts the Enneagram at 6 points. To clear up that confusion, let’s start with 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.’

“This sacred primordial cosmic law has seven deflections or, as it is still otherwise said, seven ‘centers of gravity’ and the distance between each two of these deflections or ‘centers of gravity’ is called a ‘Stopinder-of-the-sacred-Heptaparaparshinokh.’

“This law, passing through everything newly arising and everything existing, always makes its completing processes with its seven Stopinders.”

The stopinders are the spaces between the notes. So in truth, since there are seven stopinders, there are actually 8 deflections: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti and Do. 

So, don’t look at the symbol of the Enneagram, look at the notes in the octave, which are Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti and Do. However, sometimes the Do is counted only once, because it is at the beginning, and at the end. Just like God, who is the Alpha and Omega, is only counted once. 

Student:  The enneagram only has 6 lines though.

Russell:  Yes. It does. But you have to realize that there is a Do at the very beginning of the Enneagram and another Do at the very end, which are not a part of those six lines.

Student:  Oh, on the top of the triangle?

Russell:  Yes. There are two Do’s at the top point of the triangle. One Do starts the Enneagram, and the other Do ends it.

Student:  Oh, I see.

Russell:  Those Do’s, both initialize the event, and afterwards, end it.

Student:  I got it, there are two Do’s up there?

Russell:  Yes. The seven points, starting from the Do, but not counting the Do, are: Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti and Do, which completes the circle and gets us back to the Do from whence it started.

Student:  How does the Do at the beginning of the octave come into play with the Do at the end of the octave?

Russell:  Are you familiar with the Enneagram of the Justice System?

Student:  Yes, you showed it to us.

Russell:  Terrific. Then you saw that the Do at the top represented the police. Correct?

Student:  Yes.

Do you realize that there are actually two types of police there? The first type of police are the police who patrol the streets, and the second type of police are the police that patrol the prisons.

The first type of police catch bad guys; and after they are convicted, turn them over to the second type of police.

So in actuality, as I said, there are 8 deflections; Do, the first type of police, followed by the six points of the Enneagram: Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, and Ti, which is followed by a second Do, the second type of police. I will show you many other examples of Enneagrams when you come for your journey. 

Student:  I can’t wait. I like finding the buried Dog, not just the bones. 

Russell:  Again, when we sit down and go through more Enneagrams, the Enneagrams will become more palatable. When they do, you yourself will be able to make many different Enneagrams; and, all of a sudden, your mind will say, “Oh, I got this, I now see how it works.” 

Everything works by the same process. It starts off with 3 forces: one represents point 9, one represents point 3, and one represents point 6. Just like having a hospital, a patient, and a medical board. If one of them is missing, there will be no operation.

Student:  What is at point 6 again?

Russell:  Point 6 is the will behind the event, which in the Healthcare Enneagram is the medical board. Point 9 is the function, which is the hospital. And point 3 is the being, which is the patient.

Student:  What do you mean by ‘being’?

Russell:  Bennett gave us these terms for the 3 forces in an event. He called the Force at point 9, the Function; the force at point 3, the Being, and the force at point 6, the Will. The Function is cyclical. We could say, at point 9, the hospital equipment is stored. Then, it is brought out, used, and put back away; it is cyclical. Whereas, the Being is what is going to be transformed, the patient is going to be cured, and their tumor is going to be cut out. The Will is the need to have something fixed, which is regulated by the medical board.

Student:  So, according to my profession, where am I?

Russell:  Well, you my friend, are the line of supervision; the line that goes from Re to Fa to Mi to Ti to So to La to Re, and as such, acts as the liaison between the medical board, the hospital, and the patient. 

Student:  Do you approach things in life, by drawing Enneagrams?

Russell:  Indeed I do. I make Enneagrams for everything. As Gurdjieff said, when two people meet, the first thing they should do is draw an Enneagram in the sand; and whoever knows the most about it, is the teacher. 

By the way, if you cannot put an event on an Enneagram, then it cannot be an event.

Student:  Okay. I will have to try the next time the group wants to do a project.

Russell:  Great. I’ve made hundreds of Enneagrams. Once you make a few, you will learn, exactly, how things, in those events, work. 

Student:  If nothing else, it is a real good analysis of your intent.

Russell:  Yes. 

And you get to look into the future. Just like the Master Chef looks into the future and sees a completed meal; or the District Attorney looks into the future and sees a conviction.

Student:  I should draw an Enneagram of the healthcare system and take it to the hospital to see how I can improve my performance.

Russell:  That would be a very good idea. And the more you study it, the more you will see other Enneagrams in it as well, like the ones that are involved in interviewing patients. 

Student:  I got it. I really do.

I would like to ask you one more quick thing though. In the third striving it says we should objectively try to learn more and more about world maintenance. Could that be equated with being environmentally conscious?

Russell:  Well, that is going to enter into it. But we are really talking about the laws of world creation and world maintenance, which are the rules and laws behind how things work.

Student:  Well, if somebody could figure out the cause of global warming, ocean currents, glaciers, and whatever, isn’t that a part of world maintenance? 

Russell:  Yes, it is. And as I said, those things will enter into it, but the laws of world creation and world maintenance are much bigger than just ocean currents and glaciers. The laws of world creation and world maintenance are about how all things work. And unless you know how all things work, you cannot definitively say how one thing works. 

Like Ouspensky said: “To know means to know all. To know a part of something means not to know. It is not difficult to know all, because to know all one has to know very little. But in order to know this little one has to know pretty much. So, we must start with ‘pretty much’, with the idea of coming to this ‘very little’ which is necessary for the knowledge of all.” 

So the laws reveal the entire picture of the rules behind all things: the elements, chemistry, everything, which may bring us to the very little that is necessary for the knowledge of all. 

Of course, the rules are also behind ecological systems, and explain why we have a carbon-dioxide cycle, a nitrogen cycle, and all kinds of cycles; including planetary cycles, galactic cycles, and universal cycles. But again, if we do not know all the cycles that are involved, can we really definitively proclaim that something is happening because of so and so? 

I remember back in the 70’s; the world was in a panic about the upcoming ice age, which has now turned into a panic about global warming.

Student:  I came to the conclusion that because of the third striving, and the work you have done, that science has been justified.

Russell:  Yes, in a way, it has. Science seeks direct results. Science is the study of why things are the way they are; not just someone’s speculation, conjecture, and guess of why things are the way they are, which sure beats bloodletting. We might not be able to deduce subjective things, like why there are conflicts in Bosnia, but there is an objective study of why things fall at certain rates, which adheres to the Law of Octaves.

Student:  Yeah, I could shoot somebody in the head with a certain caliber and trajectory.

Russell:  That is correct. You could. And the reason you could is because the third striving is based on mathematics, which are the same in Germany, Africa, China, or in America. Two apples in Germany plus two apples in Germany equals four apples in Germany; it equals four apples in Germany, and it equals four apples in America, as well. You might not call them apples, you might call them “Äpfel,” but everyone would see that the mathematics was the same no matter what language you speak. If you were on some other planet, two apples plus two apples would still be four apples; four will always be the answer, no matter where you are.

Student:  It is really kind of a conundrum, that people can enter into an agreement, which allows them to say two plus two is five.

Russell:  Yes it is. That is what they might say; but that does not make them correct, nor does it matter. It is still two apples plus two apples equals four apples, whether they call it something different or not; it is still four apples.

Student:  Yeah, whatever they call it, it is still four apples.

Russell:  Fortunately, we have an objective structure to work with. 

Student:  The Work language is a refined truth, huh?

Russell:  That is correct. It is something that is objective. 

Right now, we are sending signals into outer space, beaming out prime numbers, because we know if anybody hears them, they will know that it is sent intentionally, because nowhere in the Universe does the progression of prime numbers occur naturally. 

Student:  Okay. Prime numbers are a specific sequence, which should tell us something about its sender.

Russell:  Indeed. If we were listening to a signal that was coming from outer space, and it started beeping at the rate of one beep, two beeps, three beeps, five beeps, seven beeps, eleven beeps, thirteen beeps, etc. We would recognize those numbers as prime numbers; and therefore, were being intentionally sent by someone who wanted to let us know that they were there.

Student:  Wow. Okay. Hope we don’t get any visitors from those prime numbers!

Russell:  Well, as far away, as things are in the Universe, we are pretty sure we won’t be getting any visitors.

Student:  Well, maybe you can go a lot faster than the speed of light, if you make a light accelerator.

Russell:  Perhaps. But that is a tough one to conceive, because scientists have proven that the faster you go, the more massive you become, and the more massive you become, the more force it takes to accelerate. In fact, they say as you approach the speed of light, you start to acquire infinite mass, which defies acceleration. That is, it is easier to push a marble, than a train. 

Student:  Okay, I see. The more mass you have the harder it is to accelerate things.

Russell:  That is correct. As you approach the speed of light, things get bigger and bigger and bigger; and as such, they become harder and harder and harder to push. So, the speed of light is kind of an ultimate speed.

Student:  Well, so much for my light accelerator then.

Russell:  Okay, we have arrived at some pretty abstract physics. So for now, let’s stick to dividing one by seven! That is a lot simpler.

Student:  Okay.

Russell:  So, work on the Enneagram, read those two chapters, and keep doing the exercises – by the way, pick some new exercises this week.

Student:  Which two chapters, again?

Russell:  The ones on pages 221 and 148 in Views from the Real World.

Student:  Oh, yeah. Okay.

Russell:  And stay in chapter 1 of my book until you have digested it, and find yourself saying, “Okay I got it.” And once you have digested it, then move on to chapter 2. But do not move on to chapter 2, until you understand the diatonic ratios of ⅛, ¼, ⅓, ½, ⅔, ⅞, and 1; and have again done the worksheets at the end of the chapter. That is, sit down and do the math a second time.

Student:  Okay.

Russell:  Pick your own numbers if you wish. Say, I am going to do the octave of 120, and the octave of 400, and see what they look like.

Student:  Can I use a calculator?

Russell:  Yes, of course you can, we are sly men.

Student:  Okay. Well, good. By the way, do you have anyone else coming in?

Russell:  Yes. I have a fellow coming in from Dallas, who is a lawyer. He wants to come the week between Christmas and New Years.

Student:  How did you run into him? 

Russell:  It’s quite a story, which will take us halfway around the world. Apparently, the fellow in Dallas wanted to know more about Gurdjieff’s laws, so he wrote to James Moore, a fellow in England who had written a biography about Gurdjieff. However, James Moore didn’t know much about the laws; but since he had met me at the All and Everything conference in England, he knew that I did. And it just so happened that before the fellow in Dallas had contacted him, a lady friend in Australia had also contacted him, and she too, wanted to know more about the laws; and in trying to honor her request, he sent her his only copy of my book, which contained my address. Thus, he quickly wrote back to the fellow in Dallas, and told him that he no longer had my address, because, in trying to help out his lady friend in Australia, he had sent her his only copy of Cosmic Secrets, which contained my address. So instead, he provided him with her address and phone number, saying he could get the address from her. After which, the fellow in Dallas called the lady in Australia, in order to get my address from her, and when he did, he said, “Well heck, I am just a few miles down the road,” so he contacted me.

Student:  Laughter. That is kind of a satire.

Russell:  Yes it is. Anyway, he called, and then came out. He has been out three or four times, and we have been conversing back and forth over the phone. Then, just the other night, after a two-hour long phone conversation, he said, “Things are starting to change in my inner world from just talking to you, and I really want to get serious about this Work, so would it be a good idea for me to spend a week studying with you? I said, “If your aim is to awaken, then yes, it would be a very good idea for you to spend a week studying with me; but if your aim is to gain more knowledge, so that you can sound smarter at the country club, then no, it would not be a good idea for you to spend a week studying with me!”

Student:  What did he answer?

Russell:  He said, “Yes, yes, yes, I want to come and spend a week because I want to awaken! How about the week between Christmas and New Years?”

Student:  Sounds like you found another winner. Thanks for sharing that story with me; and for answering all my questions.

Russell:  You are welcome. Keep up your great efforts. 

Oh, I hear you got copies of the tapes we have on RNA, DNA, and the Fibonacci series.

Student:  Yes. I did. I even started scribbling a little bit today during anesthesia, trying to remember the formulas. I’ll have to watch the videos a few times, because I am, mathematically, as many others are, blocked.

Russell:  No worries, I myself, had to look at them again and again and again; but as I am a smart man, I knew that since repetition was the mother of learning, I would eventually be able to understand them.

Student:  Okay. Sounds good to me.

Russell:  So, yea, I might not get it after the first go round, but I know that if I keep repeating it, I will. 

That is why you need to stay in chapter 1, until you know it, and have got it.

Student:  Yes sir, I understand. Well, thanks again, I will talk with you next week.

That ends the question and answer session for this episode.

Thank you for listening.

If you have any questions that you would like answered, then please send them to [email protected], and we will endeavour to answer them and include them in future podcasts.  

And, if you would like to know more about the subjects and exercises we have been exploring, including the book and guide that underpins it all, which is also available for PDF download, 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 obtain Mr. Smith’s diagrams, models, videos and listen to other talks, as well as learn all the mathematics that supports them, and much, much more.

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

That’s thedogteachings.com

Goodbye until next time.