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 will narrate a dialogue between Russell and one of his students, who reports on the success of his work, and then asks questions regarding what is the difference between intelligence and reason, The DO to TI enneagram line, the density of impressions, the quality of emotions, applying shocks, communicating with the Horse, oscillations, and providing customized teaching.

Let’s begin:

Russell:  How was your day?

Student:  Good, it was a good day today. I was looking at the first obligolnian striving, providing for oneself, the issue of money, and how we justify. So, it was a good day.  My exercises went well, and my level of being is definitely changing.

I am enjoying being awake more and more. It has become a permanent part of me now, and I love it. Things can be done or said without being identified, which is really great.

Russell:  Has your Steward been active?

Student:  Yes, it has. That is what makes life so much easier. Not to mention the fact that I am able to look at material, which I previously learned, and gain much more from it. 

Whenever I do anything, my Steward appears. Also, the fluctuations of emotions, being bothered by this or that, are almost non-existent, and if that does happen, the recovery is almost immediate. 

I am tutoring my daughter in some mathematics, as she is having some problems in school, and at times I do find myself becoming a little impatient, but I quickly catch myself, remember myself, and as such, I easily go back to being calm and aware.

Russell:  Any questions on that end?

Student:  No, everything I need to do regarding Steward is very clear. 

In addition, I have been looking at the position of the note MI in relation to the enneagram, where one can simultaneously see the top of the octave and the bottom of the octave. As well as looking at Reason, and how little material there is to be found in the Fourth Way and In Search of the Miraculous regarding reason. In the Fourth Way there is very little, and In Search of the Miraculous there are a few references to reason but not many, and I do have the index, which has nothing regarding reason. Perhaps ‘reason’ was not a topic that Gurdjieff discussed much with Ouspensky.

Russell:  It may have been. Perhaps they used the term understanding when referring to reason. But, in truth, you are probably correct. Very few people, without knowing how to awaken their Higher Emotional Centers and their Higher Mental Centers, are capable of creating the silence that must be created in order for them to hear the voice of reason. 

Student:  I understand. I really do.

Speaking of understanding. I have also been reading about understanding. I have not connected much to the descriptions given in Views From the Real World, which is slightly different from the way it is described in the Fourth Way and in In Search of the Miraculous. Of course, understanding really comes about when we have more than one center working, which you showed us will occur when we have three centers working together. And reason, the way you described it, is a powerful thing which transcends understanding, and is a tool that can get us pretty far if we apply it properly.  So, yeah, I have been looking beyond Views from the Real World for material about reason, but have not found much. Perhaps, Beelzebub’s has more, which I will start reading next week.

Russell:  Beelzebub’s has some. Unfortunately, most of it is presented as logic, in order, as he said, Gurdjieff, “To destroy, mercilessly, without any compromises whatsoever, in the mentation and feelings of the reader, the beliefs and views, by centuries rooted in him, about everything existing in the world.” 

But, I found some, especially in the Chapters The Relative Understanding of Time and The Holy Planet Purgatory.

Student:  Terrific, I will read those first, and then check the Guide and Index to see if I can find any more. 

But before I do, I would be a fool not to take advantage of having you here and giving me your insights on the difference between intelligence and reason. Would you do that for me, Russ?

Russell:  Of course I will. It would be my pleasure.

Intelligence is strictly a singular line of memory independent by itself. I grab the box of dog-bones and shake it, the dogs know that it is the dog-bone box. They know it is the dog-bone box because they have heard it shake before. So, intelligence is a single line of memory. 

We, and the dogs, have many such lines of memory. 

Now, if those single lines of memory reflect intelligence, then, what is reason?

Well, if intelligence is a single line of memory, something which can be constated and retained, then reason must be the ability to create something from the intersection of many of those lines, or better still, to create something on the level of being a “Similarity to the Already Arisen” from just one line of memory. For instance: if a tree falls across a chasm, and an animal uses it to cross the chasm, they will remember that, and create a single line of memory. That is intelligence. 

Whereas, reason is the ability to intentionally fall a tree across a chasm, and thus, recreate a similarity to something that has already arisen. That is, you come to another chasm and say, “I have to cross this chasm … how did I cross the other chasm? Let’s see, I crossed it by crawling on a fallen tree. Well, I don’t see any fallen trees over this chasm, but I might be able to recreate a similarity to the already arisen, and put something that resembles a fallen tree across the chasm.

Student:  Ah, I get it. That means that dogs have an Intellectual Center.

Russell:  Yes, it does. And, they have Higher Emotional Centers as well. In fact, dogs, in the sense of being, are technically higher than we are, that is, show me a man that is as loyal as my dog. With that idea, you start to realize that dogs do possess a Higher Emotional Center, a center which is higher than what most men possess. You may not be able to trust your neighbor, but you can certainly trust your dog. In fact, you can abuse him, and he will still wag his tail when he sees you. 

Student:  So dogs have all three stories just like us?

Russell:  Yes, they do. Dogs are three brain beings just like we are, however, they have not yet acquired the second part of the third brain, the Higher Mental Center. If they had that, they too would have reason.

So, intelligence is the formation of memory, and reason is its integration.

Student:  I got it, thank you Russell.

Also, I was wondering if the Line of Supervision from DO to TI, which you showed us how to find in an enneagram, could be looked at in terms of the world above reaching down to the world below?

Russell:  Yes. It is the line of seeing the oasis, which draws us to completion. 

In terms of an enneagram, here is how it works. When we look at the two assisting octaves in an enneagram, and find their Lines of Supervision, we will see that one of those octaves has its FA-MI (point 4 to 2) enneagram line at the exact same vibrations as the notes DO-TI (point 9 to 8) in our enneagram. And as such, we experience that Line of Supervision in our enneagram, which goes from our DO to our TI. 

To envision that Line of Supervision, let’s say, tomorrow, at around 6:00 pm, what might your body tell you to do?

Student:  To eat dinner.

Russell:  Correct, it says, “I am hungry, I need to eat.” Right? Which means, you are experiencing the line between DO to TI that initiates the event of you eating dinner.

After which, you go down to point 5 and say, “What do I want to cook?” … that is, after looking to see what food is available, and deciding on what food you feel like making and serving to yourself, then, you go over to RE, point 1, and start the event. 

Do you see the idea?

Student:  Yes, I do. That is very clear.

Russell:  So, the denying force of the customer, his FA, his hunger, enters at your DO, and goes right to TI. I am hungry, I want to eat! After which, it carries you to SO, to LA, and then takes you over to RE, where you start the event.

Student:  Wow, that is so clear Russ, thank you.

I was also thinking that if we look at impressions, they almost have the density of light. That is, compared to food and air, impressions seem to be something on the level of light, and higher impressions, perhaps, on a greater level than light, because direct knowing sure sounds like something that is faster than the speed of light to me. 

Russell:  Pretty high stuff indeed, which is equatable to you having a third state of consciousness. 

For instance, when you go to sleep at night, you do not hear, that is, there are still vibrations in the air which hit your eardrums, so your ears still hear, but you do not register those impressions. Then when you wake up in the morning, wow, what a change, kind of like having light in your ears, isn’t it! A higher state of hearing, because your state of consciousness has changed, changed from the first state of consciousness to, in your case, the third state of consciousness, which surely seems like a step above the relative state of consciousness where you used to reside.

Student:  I can clearly see that analogy. Thank you … that was enlightening.

Russell:  Ha Ha, good pun, and you are welcome.

Student:  Okay, as to emotions, the quality of emotions that one begins to develop, is definitely of higher and higher vibrations, and as such, is much more powerful, and the feeling of it is definitely much more powerful too. I don’t know how to put it, I guess in terms of the density of vibrations, the vibrations are of higher energy, but also of finer grain.

Russell:  Well, you could say that, but put simply, let’s just say that the power is in the horse, and now that you have moved from the Emotional Center into the Higher Emotional Center, your horse has become a thoroughbred, which means you are experiencing emotions that are indeed very, very powerful. When they fire, the whole state of your being changes for a considerable time. Just like the emotions of anger can linger in you, so too will these emotions, but they are much more powerful.

Student:  That is what seems to be happening. I have been looking at things and reading things and there is definitely a shift in the intellectual and emotional perception of things, and definitely in my ability to understand them. 

Russell:  Terrific, you indeed are on the right path and are doing everything you should be doing. In fact, everyone who has been here from your group is making great efforts, and as such, I am tickled pink of their results.

Student:  Okay, Russ, what is the next step?

Russell:  Well, you were able to awaken your Higher Emotional Center after polishing your Instinctive, Moving, and Emotional Centers. So now, if it is your wish to awaken your Higher Mental Center, the next step is to polish your Intellectual Center. You can do that by memorizing 1,001 words of Work memory work. After which, I will give you the Master Exercises, which are the first step towards achieving that aim.

Student:  I am on it, and will soon have that accomplished. 

Okay, I have another question. In terms of hydrogens, are lower hydrogens easier to transmute than higher hydrogens?

Russell:  It is actually the opposite of that. Lower hydrogens are harder to transmute than higher hydrogens. For example: to break down a piece of wood, which is hydrogen 1536, takes longer than to break down a piece of cheese, which is hydrogen 768. Furthermore, impressions, which enter as hydrogen 48, can be transmuted into impressions 24 with just laughter, or by self-remembering, which, compared to breaking down a piece of cheese, happens much faster.

In addition, when we look at higher hydrogens in terms of self-remembering, we see that our self-remembering moments are still vivid in our minds, some of which have been there for years. Which means, those moments last way longer than a piece of cheese. 

Self-remembering hydrogens seem to create permanent grooves on the record. Ones, which can still be heard many years later.

Student:  Thank you Russ, that answers that.

I would also like to ask about how and when to apply shocks? Is there a particular time when we should apply shocks, for instance, maybe mornings require a shock more than afternoons.

Russell:  It is not about the time of day, but rather about recognizing the note MI. In other words, shocks have to be given at the note MI. Therefore, you need to be cognizant of what the note MI represents in both your inner world, and in the octaves you create, so that you know when it has arrived.

Here you are, moving along some octave. The octave starts at DO, moves to RE, and then gets to a moment called MI. Where, if you do not do something, you are going to get to FA, at which time, a force is going to enter and stop you. 

That octave, like most octaves, ends up stalling, and as such, it never completes. 

What happens at MI? What is the taste of that moment? 

If you knew the taste of that moment, you could have done something to prevent the octave from stalling. You could have begun an assisting octave. One, which would have kept the momentum of the original octave from petering out. So, you must develop a taste for the note MI, so that you can say, “Ah, I am at the note MI, and if I do not start an assisting octave now, I will not overcome the denying force which I can feel is coming. 

Examples: The moment I notice I am having difficulty going through the book, I will schedule get-togethers with some friends, who are also interested in going through the Book, either in person, over Zoom, in google chat, or the like, which will give me additional force to read the book. That is, that side-octave will come in and help me get past the interval. Or, if I start the octave of losing weight, by going to the gym several times a week, but then I taste the note MI and notice reluctance to do that. That is, I slack off. I will call my friends, who have also expressed a desire to lose weight, and will try to get one of them to come to the gym with me. If I can, then their octave of being at the gym will assist my octave to get past the interval. 

It is called second line work, where our commitment to others, or their commitment to us, often helps us overcome hiatuses in the destined journey. 

Student:  In that sense, I can see how it is very important to have an aim; and, when we try to attain that aim, to be observant of the slightest resistance, so that we will know when we are approaching a MI-FA interval, and as such, we can begin an assisting octave that will carry us past the interval.

Russell:  Correct. You got it. It becomes easier, after you get past the MI-FA interval, because there you will reach what is called the “Runner’s High.” 

Student:  Regarding the fact that some days we can do, and some days we cannot, in the example of the carriage, horse, and driver, sometimes the reins are thin, and sometimes the reins are thick. I am wondering if there is a time, as we develop more and more of ourselves, when the reins become thinner, and as such, are more accessible. Because in the last few months I was able to access the reins quite easily, but today, they were not so easy to access. I guess there was a leak somewhere and I lost some of my force. Yesterday, I was able to access them quite easily, and while you were here working with the group, it was also easy. I had it all weekend, almost at will, sensing, and feeling, and hearing, and very much awake; but, after you left, it was not the same.

Russell:  I can explain that in one of two ways; either as an assisting octave which joined your octave and gave you force; or as a pause after a push. 

It only makes sense, if you were left alone in the jungle, that your senses would heighten, and your efforts would be in high gear; but, as soon as you are taken out of the jungle, your senses would lessen, and your efforts would want to pause. As such, it is ok to plan the pause, but only for so long, then you need to get to the next push. Just like at night when you pause; you go to sleep and let the body rejuvenate … but you do not stay asleep forever. In fact, you probably set an alarm, to let you know when to begin the next push.

Student:  Ah, that is terrific, Russell. That is exactly what I needed to hear. And it explains why when we have meetings, I have heightened awareness. I now see that I need those jolts in order to keep my momentum going. Today, it was not as sharp, but after talking with you, just like when going to meetings, I am back, and oh boy, do I like being back.

Russell:  Well, in that case, have a meeting with ‘yourself’ every day.

Student:  (laughter)!

Russell:  No, seriously, there is something that you can do that will aid your momentum.

It is called the Presence Momentum Exercise. 

We cannot always push, but we can bring ourselves to a higher place. So we do. And then, we let the momentum created by reaching that higher place carry us for a time, and when the momentum of being in that higher place starts to fade, we push again, and once again bring ourselves to a higher place. Thereafter, we simply repeat the process.

Afterall, it is not that hard to push ourselves into a higher place, and after so doing, we allow ourselves to pause the push, and continue doing whatever it was that we were doing, and let the momentum created by the push carry us forward.

Student:  Wow, that is exactly what I needed to hear. I can easily do that. I thought I had to always push, push, push and keep myself in a higher place, but now I see it is all just pushing and pausing. 

Russell:  Terrific! That should make your reins thinner, thus, making them much more accessible.

Student:  Yes, it will. I can see how it definitely will. Again, thank you Russ.

Russell:  You are welcome.

Student:  When looking at oscillations, if we have a complete oscillation, do we go by the Do three times.

Russell:  We do if we count the DO at the beginning and the DO at the ending. Oscillations go Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Mi-Re-Do-Ti-La-So-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do.

Student:  Does that mean that we dwell more at the Do than anywhere else? Obviously, we would not dwell more at the ends of the oscillation, at the very top or the very bottom, because we only visit them once. 

Russell:  Well, in a sense, that is correct. However, in the 15 notes of an oscillation, the Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, and Ti sound twice, whereas the Do sounds three times. But, if the oscillation is continuous, which most oscillations are, the DO sounds as many times as the rest of the notes: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Mi-Re – Do-Ti-La-So-Fa-So-La-Ti – Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Mi-Re – Do-Ti-La-So-Fa-So-La-Ti, etc., where if you count them, all notes sound four times.

However, the note Do, since it is the progenitor of the oscillation, could be perceived as being said aloud at every note. Do, starts the octave. Then Re, which means the Re above the Do, is achieved. Then Mi, which means the Mi above the Do, follows. But, at Fa, which means the Fa above the Do, another force enters and stops it, etc. So, Do could be said aloud at every note. Which silently is implied when we are talking about the oscillation of making dinner.

Do, is the focus point. That is why when we give a name to an oscillation, we give it the same name as the Do. 

Saying the word “it” is like saying the word Do. Here it is ascending. It gets denied there. Now it is back to Do. Now it is descending. After which, it goes to there, etc. 

Remember, we are looking at the ascension and descension of a force, a Do. 

One of the ways to envision oscillations is to envision a pipe with an air valve in the middle. Imagine a PVC pipe, with a little aperture in the middle that allows you to blow in air. Put a ping pong ball in the pipe. When you blow air in the aperture, the ping pong ball can shoot down this end or it can shoot up that end. 

You could have two pipes with different diameters emanating from the middle, so that you could get say 48 pounds of force going one way, and 24 pounds of force going the other. The ping pong ball would travel faster in a small diameter pipe, and slower in a large diameter pipe.

Imagine that you adjusted the aperture and started blowing air into the pipe. The ping pong ball shoots up the smaller pipe with 48 pounds of force, right? But at a certain point up the pipe, where the ping pong ball is being pushed by 32 pounds of force, if you affix another aperture, and start blowing in air equivalent to 32 pounds of force, going against the ping pong ball, you would find that the ping pong ball never gets past that aperture. 

It may be blown by the first aperture up to that point, but it will get stopped when it reaches the aperture that is blowing in air exactly equal and opposite to the amount of pressure that was pushing the ping pong ball when it reached that point. So, the 32 pounds of pressure that enters at the second aperture, will cancel out the 32 pounds of pressure that you had when you reached that point … thus, you will always get stopped. The ping pong ball reached a hiatus and is therefore incapable of going any further. 

Do you see the idea?  

Student: Yes I do.

Russell:  So, the ping pong ball cannot get past the second aperture because a constant force is blowing in. 

And if the ping pong ball tries going down the larger diameter pipe with 24 pounds of force, it will get stopped by a third aperture. One, which will not only stop it, but will repel it back up, because the force that is blowing it at that aperture is four times greater than the force which is blowing the ping pong ball at that point.  

Or how a mechanical system, like a pendulum, is also a force in motion, a Do. A force, which gets denied by the force of gravity. 

Most people do not realize that a pendulum swings back and forth at a constant measure of time regardless of its weight or the speed of its swing. It takes the same amount of time for the pendulum to complete each cycle, each oscillation. The length of the pendulum determines the time of its oscillation, which remains constant. 

If you have a weight on a string, and hold-it one-foot off center, and then let it go, it will swing one-foot past center, and then, two-feet back to where it started. It will take X amount of time for it to swing from here to there, and then back to here. 

If you hold-it one-inch off center, and then let it go, it will swing one-inch past center, and then, two-inches back to where it started. Amazingly, the time it takes to swing four-inches … is exactly the same time it takes to swing four-feet. Why? Well, it swings slower when it swings four-inches, and faster when it swings four-feet. Thus, the time of both cycles is exactly the same. That is why pendulums are used in clocks as timing mechanisms, because the time of their swings is always the same. 

Student:  Those were some excellent examples. Ones, which I could easily follow. Thank you, Russ.

Russell:  You are most welcome. 

Student:  I have one final question. It is my understanding that you teach all students in exactly the same way, regardless of their age, gender, or profession, etc. However, I have also heard that you ‘customize’ the teaching. So, if you teach everyone in the same way, what is it that you customize?

Russell:  With objective data, I have many choices. For instance: If I want to explain something to you, I will use data with which you are familiar. That is, I will use data that matches what you know. If you are a carpenter, I will talk about measuring twice and cutting once. If you are a homemaker, I will cite how you follow recipes. If you are a person that fixes cars, I will use mechanical models. Furthermore, if you are a man, I will try to use models that most men will understand, and if you are a woman, I will try to use models that most women will understand. Thus, I customize the data based on the individual. However, even though the data is customized to the individual, the form and sequence of its presentation remains the same. 

In The Blueprint of Consciousness, I went to great lengths to use only data that most people will understand. 

That being said, I hope I have answered your question, and that you have found The Blueprint of Consciousness to be that way.

Student:  Yes, it does. And – I did. 

Thank you, Russell, for answering all my questions. I look forward to hooking up with you again next week.

Russell:  You are most welcome. And – so do I.

That ends this question-and-answer session.

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 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 available for PDF download, and now available in hardback version, you can do so, by going to the store at 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 materials we are discussing.

That’s thedogteachings.com

Goodbye until next time.