1. Introduction: The Final Crossing – From Stability to Permanence

[Opening Theme Music Plays Softly]

Welcome to The Dog Teachings Podcast, where we explore profound and practical teachings that offer a clear and accelerated path to higher consciousness.
I’m Gary Eggleton, and today, we stand at the next threshold—one that leads beyond stability, beyond presence as a momentary state, into permanence.

In our last episode, Beyond the Swing – The Pendulum, Presence, and the Threshold of Total Awareness, we uncovered the illusion of extremes. We saw how life does not move in straight lines, but oscillates—between effort and ease, joy and sorrow, stillness and motion. We discovered that presence does not exist in avoiding this swing, but in inhabiting its full arc—seeing through the illusion of opposites and resting in the center of all movement.

But what happens when the pendulum slows?
What happens when presence no longer flickers, when awareness remains steady, even at the height of momentum?

You may now find that presence is stable, that you're no longer caught in reaction, no longer pulled by life’s highs and lows.
And yet… something still lingers.

A quiet sense that something is not yet complete.
A faint echo of effort—checking, verifying, ensuring it holds.
You may even ask: “Is this it?”

And that question is important.
Because stability, while beautiful, is not the final destination.

Presence that must be watched is not yet free.
Awakening that comes and goes is not yet awakening.

This episode is about what comes next.
It is about the structured path that makes awakening permanent.
Not just glimpsed—but crystallized.

We’ll explore:
• Why seeing once is not enough
• Why awakening must be received and transformed, not just experienced
• The law that ensures insight becomes reality—only when absorbed through structured effort
• And the precise method that carries one beyond stability into crystallization

But let me be clear:
This is not a shortcut or a checklist.
And awakening is not something that happens just by seeing—it must be absorbed, stabilized, and verified.

In this school, the path is structured and deliberate.
The shift to Pure Reason and Impartiality doesn’t arise from hope or belief—it comes from verified transformation. 

Pure Reason and Impartiality, where not even a thought exists between you and what you know, nor an emotion between you and what you feel

That path is available through the book The Blueprint of Consciousness – An Accelerated Path to Awakening by Russell A. Smith.
The book leads you through seven chapters of his own teachings of the inner journey—culminating in the awakening of Steward through The Objective Exercise.
It teaches you the laws of world-creation and world-maintenance, based on the Fourth Way teachings of George I. Gurdjieff, and provides accompanying exercises, diagrams, and links to videos to support your journey.

And once you’ve completed the book, if you choose to memorize 1,001 words to prove mastery and attention in the Intellectual Centre, you’ll gain access to all advanced exercises and the second-level Zoom class each Sunday—where we explore the path beyond Conscience and prepare for the Higher Mental Center.

This Work cannot be faked.
And it cannot be rushed.

It is the difference between a glimpse and a transformation.
Between a remembered experience and an irreversible change.
And for those who complete it—there is no return.

Let’s begin.

2.   Seeing Once Is Not Enough

[Brief pause – silence]

Many have glimpsed reality.

Many have had moments where the illusion of separation vanished.
Many have seen the world as it truly is—whole, indivisible, free of identification.

And yet, for most, the experience fades.

What was once undeniable clarity becomes a distant memory.
What once felt permanent begins to slip away.

The difference between a moment of awakening and permanent awakening is structure.

Without a foundation, what was clear one day is forgotten the next.
Without an anchor, presence becomes a fleeting experience, not a stable reality.

This is why all who came before—Gurdjieff, Russell A. Smith, and those who fully awakened—did not rely on glimpses.

They taught and followed an exact process.

Because they knew that without a method, insight remains nothing more than an event in time.

It is the difference between knowing how to swim and being thrown into deep water once, hoping you won’t sink next time.
It is the difference between experiencing light for a moment and becoming the light itself.

The Illusion of Awakening

The mind will say:
"I understand now. I have seen the truth. That is enough."

But seeing is not being.

A person may stand on the shore, looking at the ocean, understanding the waves, the currents, the depth—
But that does not mean they can swim.

A musician may hear a song and know it deeply—
But unless they have trained their hands, their breath, their fingers—
They cannot play it.

To see once is not the same as to become what is seen.

A person may see the top of a mountain, but unless they have climbed, they have no path back to it.
And if they have no way to return, they have no way to stay.

The Danger of Thinking a Glimpse is Enough

Consider this:
A person awakens to the truth of their inner state—
They see their fragmentation, their mechanical reactions, and, for the first time, they are free from them.
They believe they are done.
They do not take the next step.
For a while, the clarity remains.
They move through life with ease, untouched by identification.
But then something happens.
A small emotional reaction they do not catch.
A lingering thought they do not dismiss.
And it grows.
One day, someone challenges them.
They react—not as awareness, but as the old self.
They justify it—perhaps even believe they are “consciously” acting.
But the shift has already happened.
The old self is not gone.
It was only waiting.
A year later, they barely remember what they saw.
They question whether it was even real.

The Reality of Awakening Without Structure
This is the danger of thinking that seeing once is enough.
A glimpse without structure fades.
A truth without grounding disappears.
A person must train their legs before they can climb again.
They must know the path that leads to the peak—not as an idea, but as something they have walked, step by step.
And when they can climb it freely, they can show the way to others.
This is why awakening must be made permanent.
This is why structure is necessary.
If you are still here, it is because you already feel this truth.
You have seen what is possible.
But you are not yet able to stay there.
And that means one thing:
You must take the next step.

But before we move into the structured Work itself, we must understand something deeper—the law that determines whether awakening fades or remains. Because if seeing once were enough, the Work would not exist.
This is why the ancients knew: illumination alone is not enough. Awareness must be received, absorbed, and stabilized. Otherwise, like sunlight in empty space, it passes through without leaving anything behind.

Gurdjieff explained this truth in Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, where he presented an idea that seems, at first, completely absurd…
[Brief pause – let this settle]
[Music]

3.   The Arch Absurd - The Sun That Neither Lights Nor Heats - Why Awakening Must Be Received

[Brief pause – silence]

In Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, G.I. Gurdjieff presents an idea that seems, at first, completely absurd:

“Your sun neither lights nor heats.”

At first, this seems impossible.

How could the sun not produce heat? Not give light?
Is that not what we feel, what we see, what sustains all life?

But step back, and look deeper.

A sun, on its own, does not shine.
Light only appears when it meets an object to reflect it.
Heat only exists when something absorbs radiation.

In empty space, the sun emits energy—but without something to receive it, to hold it, there is no light, no heat, no effect.

This is not just a physical truth.
It is a law of existence.
It is the same law that determines whether awakening fades or remains.

Introducing Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson

This idea comes from one of the most enigmatic and profound books ever written on spiritual development—Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, published in 1950 by G.I. Gurdjieff.

It is a fictional yet deeply allegorical work, written in the form of a cosmic traveler, Beelzebub, telling stories to his grandson Hassein about the nature of humanity, the universe, and the hidden laws governing existence.

Gurdjieff deliberately wrote the book in a challenging and complex style, requiring the reader to work to extract its meaning.

One of the central ideas in the book is that humanity misunderstands the nature of reality, and that what seems obvious is often an illusion—just like the idea that the sun gives heat and light.

The Sun as a Model of Awakening

A glimpse of reality is like the sun’s light in space.

It may seem complete, powerful, undeniable.
But if there is nothing to receive it, to reflect it, to absorb and hold it—
Then, like the sun’s energy moving through a vacuum, it leaves nothing behind.

Heat is not in the sun—it is in what absorbs it.
Light is not in the sun—it is in what reflects it.
Awakening is not in the glimpse—it is in what holds it.

This is why seeing once is not enough.
This is why insight without process disappears.
This is why awakening must be stabilized.

A sun alone neither lights nor heats.
A glimpse alone neither frees nor stabilizes.

The Law That Governs Awakening: The Trogoautoegocratic Process

One of the most important cosmic principles described in Beelzebub’s Tales is called the Trogoautoegocratic Process.

This is a universal law that governs the reciprocal exchange of energy between all things.

It states that nothing exists on its own—everything in the universe must be fed and must feed something else in order to survive.

Think of it this way:

• The Earth absorbs sunlight and transforms it into food for plants.
• Animals eat plants, transforming their nutrients into fuel for movement and life.
• Humans take in food, air, and impressions, and transform them into thoughts, actions, and experience.

Everything is part of a greater cycle of taking in, transforming, and giving back.

This law explains why awakening cannot happen in isolation—it must be received, stabilized, and then given back to the system in order to be maintained.

Just as a planet must absorb and reflect sunlight in order for heat and light to exist, a person must receive and transform higher impressions in order for awakening to become permanent.

The Omnipresent Okidanokh—The Force That Drives Transformation

Gurdjieff describes another universal force called Okidanokh—the "Omnipresent Active Element."

This force is present everywhere and in everything.
It is the primary cause of most cosmic phenomena, and, more importantly, it is what makes all transformation possible.

According to Objective Science, this force consists of three parts, corresponding to the Law of Three—one of the two fundamental laws that govern the universe.

These three parts exist everywhere in the universe as:

• Holy Affirming (Active Force)
• Holy Denying (Passive Force)
• Holy Reconciling (Neutralizing Force)

When the Omnipresent Okidanokh enters a system, it splits into these three forces and begins the process of interaction and transformation.

The sun alone is merely affirming—it emits, but without something to receive it, it does not create light or heat.
The planets act as the denying force, absorbing and reflecting energy.
The resulting transformation (light and heat) is the reconciling force, completing the process.

This mirrors the human experience of awakening—awareness is always present, but it only becomes light when there is something to illuminate.

This is why a person must train their centers to receive, transform, and stabilize awakening—otherwise, like sunlight in space, it remains potential energy, never fully realized.

The Choice—To Absorb or To Disperse

The sun gives freely.
But whether its light is received or lost depends on the nature of what it meets.

Awakening is no different.

Will you be like space—where insight passes through, leaving no warmth?
Or will you be like the Earth—where insight is absorbed, transformed, and made into life?

This is why the Work exists.
Not to give more light.
But to ensure that the light is received.

And this is why now is the moment of decision.

Will you let the glimpse pass?
Or will you hold it, ground it, and make it permanent?

A sun on its own does not shine.
Awakening on its own does not remain.

The Work is not just the light.
The Work is becoming the one who holds it.

[Brief pause – silence]

Now, let’s continue.

4.   Awakening Without Structure Fades

[Brief pause – let the realization settle]

If seeing once were enough, you would not be here.

Many have glimpsed reality.

A moment where the mind stops, the noise disappears, and the world is seen as it truly is—whole, unified, without separation.
A moment where identification collapses, and only pure awareness remains.

A moment where everything is clear.

But moments pass.
The mind returns.
The old patterns reappear.
Identification resumes its pull.

And without structure, awakening remains a memory, not a state.

It fades—not because what you saw was false, but because it lacked a container.

Presence, once glimpsed, will not hold itself.
It must be grounded. Absorbed. Stabilized.

Otherwise, what once felt permanent becomes harder to recall. The insight that once opened your eyes begins to dull under the pressure of ordinary life.

This is not a failure.
It is the natural result of impressions not being digested, of attention not being trained, of centers not being prepared to hold what was received.

That is why the Work exists—not just to produce insight, but to transform the one who sees.
Not to provide more glimpses, but to ensure what was glimpsed becomes who you are.

This is why Gurdjieff, Russell A. Smith, and others who walked this path did not just rely on spontaneous awakening.
They followed a structure.
They built something stable enough to hold what had been seen.

And if presence has stabilized for you—if your awareness is no longer disturbed by the pendulum of life—then you may already sense what comes next.

Because presence is not the end.
It is the beginning of a deeper transformation.

5. The Next Step: The Master Exercises and Double or Nothing Part 1

[Brief pause – silence]

In the last episode, Beyond the Swing, we saw that presence isn’t found in avoiding life’s movement, but in seeing the full arc—resting in stillness while allowing all things to move.

If that realization has stabilized in you—if you are no longer trying to stop the pendulum, no longer managing presence, no longer disturbed by life’s extremes—then you may already be resting in something deeper: impartiality.

But even this is not the end.

Presence that remains stable is the beginning of a new possibility—one that moves beyond stability into transformation.
Because unless presence becomes crystallized—unless the awareness you’ve cultivated becomes the foundation of your being—glimpses can still fade.

You may find that identification no longer grips you in the same way…
But thought still arises.
Old habits still knock.
Moments of forgetting still come.

So the next question is not just, “Can I remain present?”
It’s: “Can I remain as presence, through all things—permanently?”

This is where structure becomes essential.

There is a method that ensures presence does not fade.
A method that turns fleeting realization into permanent being.

That method was given by Russell A. Smith.
It begins with The Master Exercises, and continues with Double or Nothing Part 1.

The Master Exercises: Preparing for the Shift

Before you can move from Conscience of the Higher Emotional Center into the Higher Mental Center, you must develop directed control over your centers.

The Master Exercises serve this purpose.

• They refine attention, will, and self-direction.
• They allow the Intellectual Center to function properly without overreach.
• They strengthen the foundation that Steward stands on.

These exercises are not optional.

A structure must be stable before a second story is built.
A man must strengthen his legs before he can run.
And the Intellectual Center must be trained before it can step down.

Many glimpse reality but remain fragmented.

• Their minds race.
• Their ability to focus is weak.
• Their words are imprecise, inconsistent, and uncontrolled.

The Master Exercises resolve that fragmentation, ensuring that when the moment comes, the mind does not interfere with what must follow.

If you have not completed them, that is your next step.

Why Memorization Matters: The 1001 Words

The Work is part of an oral tradition.
It was always transmitted exactly, without deviation.
Memorization was not a test of knowledge—it was a test of ability.

Without this ability, a man will distort what he receives.

A simple phrase, when misunderstood, can change entirely.

I did not see a lion on the bus on the way to school.
I did not see a lion on the bus on the way to school.
I did not see a lion on the bus on the way to school.

The same words, but a shift in inflection changes the meaning.

This is why exact retransmittal is necessary.
A man must train himself to hold and repeat information without distortion.

A Direct Test—Can You Hold Data Accurately?

Right now, test yourself.

I will say a phrase.

Listen carefully.
Then, after I pause, try to repeat it word for word.

"There is no permanent awakening without structure."

Now—pause, and say it aloud.

Did you hold it exactly?

If I asked you five minutes from now, would it still be the same?

This is why the Intellectual Center must be trained.

It does not matter how much insight you have—if you cannot hold what is given, it will change.
And if it changes, it is no longer what was given.

1001 words is not an arbitrary number.
It is the measure of control over the Intellectual Center.

• Can you hold a sequence without losing it?
• Can you repeat it exactly?
• Can you transmit knowledge without interference?

If not, the Intellectual Center is still weak.
And it cannot yet be stepped down.

This is why the first test is memorization.
Once a man has proven his ability, he is ready for The Master Exercises.

Double or Nothing Part 1: Moving from Conscience to the Higher Mental Center

Once the Master Exercises are complete, the next step is Double or Nothing Part 1.

What It Does

• It takes Steward—the conscious observer awakened through The Objective Exercise—and prepares him ready for the Master of Pure Reason and Impartiality.
• It eliminates the struggle between seeing and forgetting.
• It shifts your center of gravity from Conscience—where glimpses arise and fade—into the Higher Mental Center, where clarity is permanent.

Prerequisites

You must have:

• Activated Steward (The Objective Exercise – April Fool’s Exercise).
• Memorized 1001 words—not as a test of knowledge, but as a proof of ability.
• Practiced thoroughly the Master Exercises.

The Choice—To Begin or To Wait

If Steward is awake but not yet stable, this is the next step.
If awareness is still slipping, this is the only way forward.

Anything less is chasing experiences.
Anything less is returning to fragmentation.

Now the choice is yours.

Stay where you are, or move forward.

6. The Final Step: Double or Nothing Part 2 – The Crystallization of Awakening

[Brief pause – silence]

Moving into the Higher Mental Center is not the end of the Work.
It is a transformation—but one that still requires completion.

Impartiality may be stabilized.
You may no longer struggle with forgetting.
Identification may no longer take hold.
But unless what has been gained is crystallized, it remains vulnerable.

Even a stable structure is still subject to collapse if not made permanent.

That is the purpose of Double or Nothing Part 2.

It is the final step—the act of making awakening irreversible.

What It Does

Double or Nothing Part 2 completes the Work that began with the Objective Exercise.
It fully integrates the Higher Mental Center, where Pure Reason becomes the foundation of being—not something recalled in moments, but something lived continuously.

It does not suppress thought.
It makes thought fully transparent.
It eliminates identification not by force, but by clarity.

This is not another glimpse.
Not another exercise.
It is the last movement in a precise and verifiable sequence that stabilizes permanent presence.

Who It Is For

This step is only for those who have completed everything before it:

• Steward has been awakened through The Objective Exercise.
  
  
• The centers have been refined through The Master Exercises.
  
  
• Impartiality has stabilized through Double or Nothing Part 1.
  
  

If those stages are not yet complete, then this step is premature.

But if they are—if Pure Reason has begun to take root—then you are ready to cross the final threshold.

Beyond this, there is no seeking.
No falling back.
No doubt.
Only permanence.

The Work is nearly complete.
One step remains.

7. Two Doors: The Choice You Must Make

[Brief pause – silence]

Everything has led to this.

You’ve walked the path.
You’ve done the Work.
You’ve glimpsed what’s possible.

But now you must decide.

There are two doors in front of you:

One leads to more glimpses.
More highs and lows.
More remembering and forgetting.
More effort.

The other leads to crystallization.
The stability that does not fade.
To being that no longer swings.

One door leads back.
The other leads forward.

And if you’re still listening, you already know which door is yours.

The Reality of This Choice

If presence is fully stable—if nothing in you is left undone—then there is no need for more.

But if anything still wavers, if something in you still checks, still reacts, still waits—then the Work is not yet complete.

This is not about belief.
It is not about ambition.
It is about a precise, repeatable process.

Once crystallization occurs, there is no going back.
Once awakening is real, there is no longer a question of remembering.
There is only being.

This is the point where the Work becomes absolute.
The point beyond which there is nothing more to seek.

No more glimpses.
No more effort.
No more “almost.”

Just permanence.

The door is open.

If you’re ready, visit TheDogTeachings.com 

Because waiting is not standing still.
Waiting is slipping back.

As George W. Cecil said, “On the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions who, at the dawn of decision, sat down to wait, and waiting, died.”

There is no later.
There is only now.

And if you’re ready, you already know:

The only step left… is the one you take.

8.   What Happens Next?

[Brief pause – silence]

At this point, no more words are needed.

The Work is real.
The path is there.
The next step is waiting.

If you are ready, move.

If something in this episode has resonated—
If you feel the pull to take the next step—
Then the next step is already before you.

Russell A. Smith provided a structured, verifiable method to stabilize awakening, to turn fleeting glimpses into permanence.
This is not theory, not philosophy—it is a process that has been tested, repeated, and proven.

For those who are ready, you will find:

•       The Objective Exercise—the gateway to Steward.
•       The Master Exercises—the refinement of control.
•       Double or Nothing Part 1—the shift from Conscience into the Higher Mental Center through the neutralisation of all innate biases.
•       Double or Nothing Part 2—the crystallization that makes awakening unshakable.

Where to Begin

If you are ready to take the next step, visit TheDogTeachings.com.

Begin with The Blueprint of Consciousness—a complete guide to the Work.
Join our live Zoom classes, where the method is discussed and refined.
Engage with the structured path that leads to permanence.

This is not about belief.
This is about verification.

You will know if it is yours.
And if not, then nothing more needs to be said.

Thank you for listening.

Until next time.