Welcome to our podcast series that brings to life the groundbreaking teachings of Russell A. Smith—teachings that verifiably demonstrate a practical and accelerated path to higher consciousness. I’m Gary Eggleton, and today we’re diving into something extraordinary: how a simple deck of 54 playing cards can serve as a powerful tool to unlock the mysteries of human consciousness, harmonize your inner centers, and even access the profound states of Objective Consciousness, Pure Reason, and Impartiality.

This episode builds on the foundation we laid last week, where we introduced key concepts of Russell’s teachings. But if you’re new here, don’t worry—today’s episode stands alone as a practical and fascinating introduction to Russell’s use of the playing cards. 

Now, what we’re about to discuss isn’t just theory—it’s about you. Your instincts, your emotions, your thoughts, and your potential for something greater. Together, we’ll explore how this seemingly ordinary deck of cards holds profound insights into the structure of our being and provides a practical map for awakening higher states of consciousness.

Russell A. Smith discovered that the structure of a standard deck—with its suits, numbers, and symbols—mirrors the structure of human consciousness. He didn’t just stumble upon this; he studied ancient wisdom, the Fourth Way teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff and P.D. Ouspensky, and universal mathematical principles. What he found was a way to make the esoteric practical, to take abstract concepts of inner growth and turn them into something tangible that we can all work with.

This discovery isn’t just fascinating—it’s practical. It provides a method for you to understand and harmonize your centers—your Instinctive, Moving, Emotional, and Intellectual Centers—and to access the Higher Centers that are waiting within you.

So grab a deck of cards if you have one, settle in, and let’s dive into a deeper understanding of yourself.

Section 1: Why a Deck of Cards? 

Let’s start with the obvious question: Why would Russell A. Smith—a teacher of profound spiritual truths—use a deck of playing cards to explain consciousness? Isn’t that a bit… simple?

Actually, that simplicity is the genius of it. A deck of cards is accessible to everyone. But when you examine its structure—the suits, numbers, and symbols—you realize it encodes universal principles. This isn’t just a metaphor; the deck serves as a precise map of your inner world. Each card represents an aspect of your being, from your reflexes to your thoughts, your emotions to your higher potential.

Here’s the key idea: Your centers—the Instinctive, Moving, Emotional, and Intellectual—often work independently, like separate engines pulling in slightly different directions. For instance, your Instinctive Center might be scanning the road while your Emotional Center is reacting to an aggressive driver.

When these centers work in harmony, however, something extraordinary happens: you unlock your Higher Centers, gaining access to Conscience, Pure Reason, and Impartiality.

Imagine driving a car. Your Instinctive Center is scanning the road, listening for sirens, and staying alert to potential hazards. Your Moving Center is operating the pedals and steering wheel, handling the physical movements. Your Emotional Center might be reacting to the behavior of other drivers—perhaps feeling frustration or amusement. And your Intellectual Center is planning the route, thinking about what time you’ll arrive.

Now, what happens if one center takes over? Say your Emotional Center reacts too strongly—you get so angry at another driver that you stop paying attention to the road. Suddenly, your harmony is gone, and mistakes happen.

This is where the deck of cards comes in. It helps you visualize and understand these dynamics, giving you a tool to bring your centers into alignment.

Russell discovered that the suits, numbers, and symbols in a standard deck of 54 playing cards map perfectly to the structure of human consciousness. Let’s explore how this works.

Section 2: The Four Suits and Their Centers

The four suits in a deck of cards correspond to the four lower centers of human consciousness:

1. Diamonds (♦): The Instinctive Center
   The Diamonds represent your Instinctive Center, which governs automatic processes like breathing, digestion, and reflexes. It also keeps you alert to your surroundings—listening, looking, and scanning for anything that requires your attention.
   Think about driving again. Your Instinctive Center keeps you aware of other cars and road signs without requiring conscious effort. That’s the Diamonds at work.
2. Clubs (♣): The Moving Center
   The Clubs represent your Moving Center, which handles physical actions. This is the center responsible for operating the pedals and steering wheel while you drive. Once a movement is learned, the Moving Center performs it automatically, like typing on a keyboard or riding a bike.
3. Hearts (♥): The Emotional Center
   The Hearts represent your Emotional Center, where your feelings live. When you’re driving, this might be the center reacting to another driver’s actions—feeling joy, frustration, or empathy.
4. Spades (♠): The Intellectual Center
   The Spades represent your Intellectual Center, which governs thinking and decision-making. This is the center planning your route, calculating your arrival time, or deciding how to avoid a traffic jam.

Each of these centers plays a crucial role in your life, but they’re often uncoordinated. That’s where the cards can help us bring them into harmony.

Section 3: Mapping the Cards to the Centers

Within each suit, there are three types of cards: Number Cards, Face Cards, and Aces. These correspond to different parts of your centers.

Number Cards (2–10): The Parts-of-Parts

The Number Cards represent the smaller, detailed workings of each center. For example, in the Diamonds (Instinctive Center):

• The 2 of Diamonds is the Mechanical Part of the Mechanical Part—reflex actions like pulling your hand back from something hot.
• The 5 of Diamonds is the Mechanical Part of the Emotional Part—the sense of relief after a deep breath.
• The 8 of Diamonds is the Mechanical Part of the Intellectual Part—deliberately slowing your breathing during stress.

Face Cards (Jack, Queen, King): The Main Parts

The Face Cards represent the three main parts of each center:

• The Jack is the Mechanical Part.
• The Queen is the Emotional Part.
• The King is the Intellectual Part.

For example, the Queen of Hearts represents the Emotional Part of your Emotional Center. She’s responsible for feelings like love, compassion, or sadness.

Aces: The Unified Centers

The Aces symbolize each center functioning in harmony. For instance, the Ace of Clubs represents your Moving Center at its best—like when you’re dancing or performing a sport perfectly and effortlessly.

Section 4: The Jokers and Higher Centers

Now let’s move to the most fascinating part of the deck: the Jokers. These two cards represent your Higher Centers, which are the key to awakening.

1. The Extra Joker: The Higher Emotional Center
   This is the seat of Conscience—where you experience pure empathy and understanding. Conscience isn’t about guilt—it’s about knowing what’s right without conflict or doubt.
2. The Joker: The Higher Mental Center
   This is the seat of Objective Consciousness, where Pure Reason resides. In this state, not even a thought stands between you and what you know. It’s also the seat of Impartiality, where no emotion clouds your understanding of what you feel.

The Higher Centers aren’t separate from you. They’re built from the unification of your lower centers. It is this unification that our ultimate exercise, called the Objective exercise, is able to achieve. It’s a process taking around 20 minutes that serves to unify these lower centers in a repeatable and self evident way.

Section 5: Practical Exercises

Now, here are three exercises to help you apply the idea of these cards in your daily life. These exercises are simple, but they have the power to transform how your centers function and bring you closer to accessing your Higher Centers.

Exercise 1: Observe Your Centers

Start with a simple observation practice. Throughout the day, pause periodically and ask yourself:

• Am I acting instinctively right now (Diamonds)?
• Moving mechanically (Clubs)?
• Reacting emotionally (Hearts)?
• Overthinking or planning intellectually (Spades)?

For example, if you’re in a meeting, notice whether your Intellectual Center is engaged as you process what’s being said, or if your Emotional Center is responding to how others are reacting. Or perhaps your Moving Center is restless, fidgeting while you’re seated.

Write down your observations. At the end of the day, reflect on which center dominated your actions and which were less engaged. The goal here is simply to see how your centers operate, often independently or in conflict. This awareness is the first step toward creating balance.

Exercise 2: Balance Your Centers

Once you’ve observed your centers, the next step is to practice balancing them. This involves intentionally engaging the centers that are less active. Here’s how it works:

• If your Intellectual Center (Spades) is overactive—perhaps you’re caught up in overthinking—ground yourself with your Instinctive Center (Diamonds) by focusing on your breath or sensing your body.
• If your Emotional Center (Hearts) is overwhelmed—maybe you’re feeling frustration or anxiety—engage your Moving Center (Clubs) by going for a walk or doing something physical.
• If your Moving Center (Clubs) is restless—like when you’re pacing or fidgeting—engage your Intellectual Center (Spades) by sitting down and focusing on a mental task, like solving a problem or planning your day.

The goal of this exercise is to prevent any one center from dominating your actions and emotions. When all your centers work together, you’ll find you’re more present, more productive, and less reactive.

Exercise 3: Visualizing the Higher Centers

This exercise helps you connect with your Higher Centers—the Extra Joker (Higher Emotional Center) and the Joker (Higher Mental Center).

1. Lay out the Jokers and the Aces from your deck of cards.
2. Reflect on how your lower centers—Instinctive (Diamonds), Moving (Clubs), Emotional (Hearts), and Intellectual (Spades)—must unify to create the Higher Emotional and Higher Mental Centers.
3. Visualize moments in your life when you’ve experienced profound clarity or empathy—moments when you felt deeply connected to others or when you saw the truth of a situation without bias or emotion clouding your judgment.

These moments are glimpses of your Higher Centers. They’re not something external—they’re already within you, waiting to be accessed when your lower centers work together in harmony.

As you practice this visualization, ask yourself: “What can I do today to bring my centers into alignment so I can access this higher potential more consistently?”

These exercises may seem simple, but their impact can be profound. By observing, balancing, and visualizing, you’ll begin to see the mechanisms of your inner world more clearly and take the first steps toward unifying your centers. And once your centers are unified, you’ll discover a new level of presence and clarity that can transform your life.

This work isn’t just about understanding your centers—it’s about transforming your life. The Higher Centers aren’t distant goals; they’re already within you, waiting for you to unify your lower centers. The deck of cards serves as a map, showing you how to align your centers and unlock the potential that’s been there all along.

If today’s discussion resonated with you, I encourage you to take the next step. Visit thedogteachings.com and explore Russell Smith’s groundbreaking book, The Blueprint of Consciousness - An Accelerated Path to Awakening. This book doesn’t just explain these concepts—it provides you with practical exercises and a verifiable method to achieve real transformation.

The journey doesn’t stop with the book. On our website, you’ll find additional resources, including talks, transcripts, diagrams, animations, and videos, all designed to support your path to awakening. And don’t forget about our free Sunday Zoom classes—one for those exploring the book’s fundamentals, and another for advanced practitioners working with the Master Exercises and Double or Nothing Exercises.

It’s time to fulfill your true potential, and the tools are here. Awakening doesn’t have to take a lifetime anymore.

Visit thedogteachings.com to begin your journey.

That’s T H E D O G T E A C H I N G S dot com.

Thank you for listening, and until next time, keep exploring, keep observing, and keep aligning. Goodbye.