The Enneagram and Sacred Laws

The Enneagram

". . . it is a system of Spirit-creation. This is effected by three grand materials acting thus one upon the other for a series of years. These three materials are the Intelligence, the Human Heart (as distinguished from intelligence or mind) and the World or elemental space suited for the proper action of Mind and Heart on each other for the purpose of forming the Soul or Intelligence destined to possess the sense of Identity. I can scarcely express what I but dimly perceive - and yet I think I perceive it." [1]

Gurdjieff first introduced the enneagram to his pupils in 1916. It was presented as a universal symbol for understanding how a process in time could become organised to become an evolutionary event. Such a process is no longer 'in' time but creates its own time and becomes 'relatively immortal' as a living structure.
Structure as in living organisms and process as in becoming in time can be understood as sevenfold: seven days of creation, seven levels from atom to organism, seven steps in the musical octave (as we have in the diagram below), etc. Gurdjieff talked of a 'law of seven'. This law in its 'pre-creation' state - that is, before the universe existed at all! - had seven equi-distant intervals in it. It was a closed cycle. After the creation, the steps were no longer equal. The reason for this was that some gateway or opening had to be provided for different processes to connect with each other, or to form a relationship. The original single-value state (Absolute) divided into multiple states, or 'fractions' of the whole. The modified law of seven allows these different fractions to blend and return together towards the single-valued state. Only, this return would be an enrichment and not simply a repetition.

In the diagram above, the three lines represent three independent processes (the significance of three will appear later). They begin separately and then converge. First they have to be connected or coupled together. This operation may be thought of as bringing them into synchronisation. Energy can flow between them. Secondly, they have to be coalesced, that is manifest as a single 'will'. This is the more difficult operation of 'integration without rejection'. One of the original meanings of the word 'universe' was of the diverse becoming one. This kind of unity is not a reduction of the original diversity to an abstract oneness. It is a synergy. [2]
Gurdjieff referred to the two moments of coupling and integration as 'shocks', which meant the meeting of independent elements. Since the processes involved are extended in time, this will mean that the two 'shocks' occur in succession. Using a musical scale as an analogy, Gurdjieff proposed that these take place between mi and fa, and between si and do (as shown in the diagram above).
The three processes signify the operation of 'the law of three'. This law is a-temporal in nature. It is only when it is inserted into the 'law of seven' that the three elements come into play successively. We can think of what is happening as an operation of the 'law of three' on the 'law of seven'. The 'law of three' is that of relationship.
In brief: when the two laws are linked, each operates on the other and modifies its working. The modifications of the 'law of seven' give rise to what we know as the enneagram. The enneagram deals with self-sustaining wholes.
In dealing with living wholes, or 'organisms', Gurdjieff assumed the idea of self-renewal. The basic symbol of self-renewal is that of the snake swallowing its own tail. That which arises as the culmination of the developmental process guides the process from its beginning. In modern cybernetics this is depicted in equations which re-enter themselves, or reiterations. [3] Self-renewal requires a cyclic action of internal self-replication rather than external replication. It takes in material from outside and makes it part of itself (eating and assimilation). According to Gurdjieff, this requires a threefold action.
One process begins and develops to the point it can become connected with another kind of process. The second process is making a new beginning and so it starts at a higher level. So the processes are working in a staggered fashion, coming in one after the other. The second process develops so-to-say 'inside' the first until it can connect with a third process. When we have three processes linked in this way, they form a triad and can 'self-organise' that is: direct the integrative build-up; reproduce, and innovate. [4]
Organisation comes from the 'law of three'. The three processes have to form a relationship. The arbitrary impingement of processes will not lead to coalescence. The point of integration is a complex whole in which the first process provides the 'body', the second the 'energy' and the third the 'knowledge' of the whole.
In a living organism, the first process must repeat as self-renewal. An organism is constantly replacing its body. The energy it receives is transformed and passes into other organisms. 'Knowledge' connects to the whole ecosystem in which the organism exists. Within the scale of the organism itself, it represents its perception of the world. [5]
This threefold stepwise action is not obvious in the enneagram symbol (see below):

We have to know that a first process begins at point 0, a second at point 3 and a third at point 6. What happens with the second and third processes beyond point 9 is literally 'beyond form', or unknown, relative to the given whole. Note that the si-do interval is 'hidden' where octaves enter or complete. We have to imagine these intervals as 'inside' the points 3, 6 and 9. Gurdjieff says about this that the interval is 'contained in' the higher do.
The main example Gurdjieff gave of the working of an enneagram concerned the human digestion and assimilation of 'foods'. There are three kinds of food, corresponding to the three octaves: food, air and impressions. The assimilation of impressions, the third being-food, according to Gurdjieff, 'is not subject to cosmic law'.
Thus, the enneagram can be seen as a symbol of a gateway connecting the seen and the unseen.
People talk of 'applying' the enneagram to various types of situation, but this is a misleading approach. Practical experience of some domain of transformation, such as in art, science or business is essential; but this is to enable us to read the enneagram in its own right. Practical experience on the one hand and the synthesis of laws in the enneagram on the other help us to understand what it is 'to do'.
One of the great lessons of the enneagram is that any kind of development must reach its ceiling and be transcended in another dimension. In this sense, even consciousness development must lead at last to a kind of unconsciousness, a state beyond consciousness.
The enneagram can serve to facilitate mutual enquiry and dialogue concerning 'cosmic laws'. Remember that 'cosmic' here means simply that which is found in EVERY possible situation: small and large, far or near, fast or slow, etc. It is for this reason that we can easily find parallels between the enneagram and the classical structures of drama, myth and narrative.
INNER LINES: The cyclic linkages between the six points in the sequence 142857 represent the understanding of the process taking part in the process itself. This is sometimes called the 'inner life' of the process, or its 'soul'.
FIXATIONS: As a frame of nine points, the enneagram was used by Oscar Ichazo to depict his scheme of human types of fixation, in such a way that the dynamical organising process was ignored. The popularity of this scheme led to a widespread explosion of interest on the part of people with no interest in the original conception of the enneagram. As a result, many attempts have been made to disenfranchise Gurdjieff of the enneagram and attribute it to Homeric poets, Pythagoreans, Neo-Platonists, Stoics, early Christian Fathers, Sufis, Rosicrucians, etc. None of these attempts is ever supported by documentary evidence. [6]
N-GRAMS: In mathematical terms, the enneagram is a member of a class of entities called N-grams. In the enneagram (nine-gram) we have a first 'informing' law, in this case the law of THREE (nine = three x three). According to the principles of the N-gram class, this means that we will have a secondary law of SEVEN and the two together will give the number-base as TEN, i.e. the decimal system (3 + 7 = 10). If the first informing law is TWO, the second will be THREE and the number system based on FIVE (2 + 3 = 5). The system based on the informing law of two produces the symbol known as the quaternary or the four-gram. [7]

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Notes

[1] Keats 'The Vale of Soul Making' from a letter quoted by Bradley in his Oxford Letters, reprinted in Values, edited by J. G. Bennett, 1951.
[2] Readers familiar with the idea of the triad will recognise here and in what comes later the basic six forms. The distinct processes as they are formed without cross-connections are from identity (231); their cross connection are from interaction (132); in the region beyond cross connection (between mi and si) their ascent is from evolution (213) and their descent is from involution (123). The unifying attractor is from order (312) and the unity of beginning and end is freedom (321).
[3] This can be found in books such as Stafford Beer's: Beyond Dispute, the invention of team syntegrity and, most importantly, in Varela's Principles of Biological Autonomy. See also Jantsch's book The Self-Organizing Universe.
[4] People ask: why just three processes linked in this way? The fact is that there can be any number. In other places I introduce the concept of a class of entities called N-grams. The number of independent processes involved defines these. However, if we have N processes, then these must be 'mutually relevant' and not simply a collection. Considering three independent processes working together and coming to coalescence (e.g. in the third final phase of the transformation specifies the enneagram). If we have only two, then we are dealing with a tetragram with only four points. The number of independent processes is significant, if taken in this way. They form a series: 1, 2, 3, etc. but of a more complex form than in the systematics of John Bennett.
[5] The idea that perception is a primary reality of the universe also found expression in the philosophy of organism of Whitehead and in the teachings of Steiner. According to Whitehead, every 'actual occasion' prehends every other. 'Prehension' is the idea of an irreducible property underlying the perceptions of living organisms.
[6] As is well known, the 'enneagram of fixations' has acquired various religious affiliations, including one with the Jesuits and one with the Naqshbandi Sufis. In the book by Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, The Naqshbandi Sufi Way - History and Guidebook of the Saints of the Golden Chain, (Kazi Publications, Chicago, 1995, pp. 360-1) a section supposedly reporting 'A meeting with Gurdjieff' asserts: "Each one of the nine points is represented by one of nine saints who are at the highest level in the Divine Presence." The association - which Gurdjieff himself was also responsible for - of the enneagram with 'ancient Sufi orders' has created a mystique that persuades many people that rational enquiry should be suspended. There is nothing like religion or ancient wisdom to put the critical faculty to sleep. Who can argue with the Names of God?
[7] Various mathematical properties and results of N-grams have been worked on by Sigurd Andersen Jr., and can be accessed through the UNIS web site.

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Bibliography

Bennett, J. G.: The Dramatic Universe, Vol. III, chapter 37 'The Structure of the World'
Bennett, J. G. et al; Blake, Anthony (ed.): Enneagram Studies, Weiser
Blake, Anthony: The Intelligent Enneagram, Shambhala
Collin, Rodney: The Theory of Celestial Influence, Stuart
Jantsch, Erich: The Self-Organizing Universe, Pergamon
Nicoll, Maurice: Psychological Commentaries on the Teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, Weiser
Ouspensky, P. D. : In Search of the Miraculous, Dutton
Smith, Russell: Cosmic Secrets, The Dog
Varela, Francisco: Principles of Biological Autonomy, North Holland

Dear Readers, please do not assume that you understand anything you read on this blog. Written here is the language of spirit.

The Sacred Law of Seven

The Theory of Process and The Law of Seven

Introduction

This is a brief summary relating some of the ideas of P. D. Ouspensky and G. I. Gurdjieff with some of the ideas of Arthur M. Young. Such a summary must necessarily be simplistic. That does not mean the actual correlation of these ideas is not profound and broadly-based. It does mean that the expansion of the correlation will not be done here. This will be a sketch, an outline.

One of Arthur M. Young's ideas is a theory of "process". One of the ideas of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky is a fundamental law called the "Law of Seven", which is also a theory of process. This brief paper attempts to establish the common identity of these apparently independent expressions.

Ideally, you are familiar with both of the theories mentioned above. More realistically, I hope you are familiar with at least one or the other of these authors, or it is likely that you would not have read this far. In any case, I assume a deep interest in the subjects addressed by these books in the rest of this discussion.

Both Young and Ouspensky were strongly influenced by ancient tradition and modern science. Both arrived at expressions, both practical and theoretical, of a correlation of these two seemingly diverse influences. Both arrived at remarkably similar conclusions which appear unrelated at first glance.

I say their respective theories "appear unrelated" even though there is the obvious similarity that both have theories of process based on the number seven. That is, both theories claim that process proceeds by seven steps from beginning to end. So much for superficialities. To understand the remarkable parallels between these two theories, we must now look more closely at each.

1.1 The Theory of Process

Arthur M. Young states in The Reflexive Universe that process follows a seven-step pattern which can be seen diagrammatically as a "V" shaped arc, descending through four steps and then ascending back though three steps as so:

Such an apparently simple figure has multiple implications. One implication (the arrow) is that there is a direction in time to process. Process requires time. Also, that process has (seven) distinct steps—that is, it is not a homogeneous continuum from beginning to end but is composed of discrete sections, differentiated portions.

What is most important and what makes this a theory and not an arbitrary division of process, is that the steps are qualifiable and not arbitrary—the second step does not occur before the fourth and never will, for example. The distinctive characteristics and relative positions of each step remain, even when examining enormously different processes.

1.2 The Law of Seven

To begin an examination of the "Law of Seven", I'll here re-introduce what has become a somewhat popular figure in recent years, this is the figure known as the enneagram:

What concerns us in this article in particular is the inner web-like design that connects the points 1-4-2-8-5-7-1, the repeating decimal created by dividing one by seven. It is this part of the enneagram which is specifically related to the seven steps of process. The six numbers represent specific steps or points corresponding to specific qualities or characteristics which proceed in the order given. A seventh point is implied or "potential" and for reasons we will discuss not shown localized in the web pattern.

In order to discuss the Law of Seven with examples as concrete at each step as those afforded by Young's book, I'll use the exposition of it developed by Ouspensky's pupil Rodney Collin in his book The Theory of Celestial Influence. In particular I'll focus on aspects of each step which are not dealt with specifically in Young—the organization of our solar system, the properties of human endocrine glands, and the six processes (see The Six Processes). If there is indeed a correlation between the seven stages of Young's theory of process and the Law of Seven, that should become apparent despite the vast differences in the scale and nature of what is being compared.

One final reminder before we begin. My purpose here is to correlate these theories, not explain the theories themselves. For details concerning the ideas discussed here, see The Reflexive Universe by Arthur M. Young, and The Theory of Celestial Influence by Rodney Collin.

2 The Seven Stages

In this section, we discuss each stage in sequence, so there are seven subsections.

The topics of each subsection look like this:

2.1 Young's Stage 1—Enneagram Position (potential)
2.2 Young's Stage 2—Enneagram Position 5
2.3 Young's Stage 3—Enneagram Position 7
2.4 Young's Stage 4—Enneagram Position 1
2.5 Young's Stage 5—Enneagram Position 4
2.6 Young's Stage 6—Enneagram Position 2
2.7 Young's Stage 7—Enneagram Position 8

So the following discussion (section 2.1) starts with stage 1 in Young's sequence, and correlates that stage to the "potential" position in the enneagram, the next section proceeds to map Young's stage 2 to the enneagram number 5, and so on. It can be seen that this mapping then follows both Young's sequence and the order of the web-like pattern in the enneagram. We discuss each row of this mapping now in turn.

2.1 Young's Stage 1, Enneagram Position (potential)

In which the photon of light is related to the Sun.

2.1.1 Stage 1

In Young, this stage is assigned the power of "potential". It contains within it the seed of that which is to come, as light is matter in potential, or as the simple unicellular bacterium promises the amazing diversity of the plant kingdom. It is interesting to note here that in Young's vast scale of creation in which the seven stages of the arc describe the entire universe as seven "kingdoms", the name of this kingdom is "light". Unlike the next six kingdoms, it is rather oddly placed in the sequence of process because, being of light, it does not in fact exist in time, and so in that sense does not occupy a specific stage in a temporal process. But from it comes the rest, so, from the point-of-view of time (our point-of-view after all), light can be seen as at the beginning.

2.1.2 Position (potential)

We said that this position on the enneagram is in potential, or not specifically represented on the web which connects the six points, and this can best be explained by example. When we use the solar system as our example, each point corresponds to one of the ancient "planets"—the bodies of the solar system visible to the unaided eye—the Moon, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, and the Sun. Each of these is assigned one of the points (as we will see in the coming sections), but this point, the point of potential which is not localized on the web, is not assigned a point, and corresponds to the Sun. This is reasonable enough in the sense of the solar system in which the Sun is of a different nature than the planetary bodies circling it. To relate the Sun to Young's stage 1, it is believed, for example, that the Sun is the source of the planets and that in one way or another, perhaps by the agency of another passing star, the bodies of the solar system have originated in the Sun. In this way, the Sun represents the planets in potential. Indeed, as we will see, the Sun also represents the potential of the planets.

In addition, the Sun can be said to represent "light", for us, to a superlative degree. In terms of the theory of six processes, this process is the seventh. It represents a higher level which may be seen as the goal of the level in which the six processes are being considered. In the so-called seventh process, all three forces are said to act simultaneously. The symbol that I use to illustrate the six processes (see The Six Processes), when illustrated with colors of light (see A New Symbol), shows this central point as white light.

"Potential", and "light"—characteristics of Young's first stage, seem to relate well to this position in the enneagram.

2.2 Young's Stage 2, Enneagram Position 5

In which the electron and proton are related to the "fight and flight" of the adrenal glands.

2.2.1 Stage 2

Young labels his second stage "substance", and in his arc of creation it is occupied by nuclear particles—the elemental particles that come into being after light, the first stage. This stage is characterized by the attractive and repulsive forces of the primary particles of the atomic nucleus, the proton and electron. The particles themselves possess no unique identity, in that one proton is like any other proton, and one electron like any other electron. The difference between protons and electrons, of course, is huge, if not best described as opposite in everything from size to properties.

The other term Young uses to describe this stage is "binding", which seems to represent only one side of the coin. I think a better term would be something like "attraction/repulsion", or "opposites", or simply "force". With protons and electrons we see the repulsion of identical charges (electrons repel electrons and protons repel protons) and the attraction of opposites (electrons and protons attract each other).

"...the photon's creation of the first so-called particles, or protons (called pair creation) also creates an enormous force 10**39 times gravity. This force is so great that nothing can exist until it neutralizes itself in the joining of positive and negative "particles" (proton and electron) in atoms that do exist."
A. M. Young, The Four Levels of Process

What was characteristic of the previous stage was light, the photon. What is characteristic of this stage is these elemental particles in an unbound state due to the tremendous force liberated.

2.2.2 Position 5

Collin's type associated with this stage, the Martial, has powerful likes and dislikes. If you are the friend of a Martial, they will be tremendously loyal. If you are their enemy, they make it clear.

While it is hard to relate Young's stage 2 to the planet Mars which occupies this position in the enneagram, it is more clearly seen in the endocrine gland associated with this position, the adrenal glands. The characteristic fight or flight reaction produced by the adrenaline (epinephrine) from this gland is known to us all, and seems to echo the concept of attractive and repulsive forces among the nuclear particles.

In addition, the very structure of the adrenals is curiously evocative of the nuclear particles. The two adrenal glands within us are "virtually identical" [Encyc Brit], that is, they possess no unique identity or function of their own. They are, however, each comprised of two parts which could hardly be more different from one another—an outer cortex and an inner medulla. The cortex comprises about 90% of the gland and secretes male hormones. The small inner medulla secretes the adrenaline and noradrenaline (or epinephrine and norepinephrine) which are nearly identical substances with nearly identical effects. So between the two adrenal glands and the two substances of the adrenal medulla we see those attributes of both lack of identity and existence of polarity which characterize this step.

In terms of the six processes, this is the process 1-3-2, or the process of destruction. It is characterized by the splitting, the division, of a previous whole. Simple examples are the breaking of eggs prior to cooking, or the breaking of rocks for gravel.

2.3 Young's Stage 3, Enneagram Position 7

In which "identity" is related to the Jovian system.

2.3.1 Stage 3

Young's third stage is characterized by "identity". Note that in Young's progression through the seven stages of process, each new stage adds a characteristic lacking in a previous stage. It is the new quality of each stage that tends to distinguish it, as the lack of identity of the subjects of the previous stage are superseded by subjects with identity in this stage. This stage corresponds to the kingdom of atoms, which are the same faceless electrons and protons now combined in such a way as to create unique identities for over 100 different atoms. Young describes other characteristics of this stage as "acquiring its own center" as an atom possesses a nucleus surrounded by electron "shells", or "orbits".

2.3.2 Position 7

The seventh position on the enneagram is assigned to Jupiter. Jupiter is the first planet (going out from the Sun) that clearly represents a solar system in miniature, as it is encircled by a large array of planet-like satellites, appears to be composed largely of hydrogen and helium in proportions very similar to the Sun, and even radiates more energy than it receives. So, we can see the beginning, or at least a simulation of, a new system with an identity independent of the Sun.

In brief, the endocrine gland associated with position 7 is the posterior pituitary which is responsible for the uterine contractions which give birth to the new individual. This also seems to reflect the kind of mother-child relationship we see between the Sun and Jupiter, but I don't mean this to be convincing to reason, only evocative to intuition.

Of the six processes, the process 2-1-3, or refinement, is indicated here.

2.4 Young's Stage 4, Enneagram Position 1

In which the kingdom of molecules is compared to the moon.

2.4.1 Stage 4

Young shows stage 4 at the bottom of his arc, at the turning point as it were between the matter and the life of creation. He labels this kingdom "Molecular" and characterizes it by "complex combination". This kingdom is the most deterministic and constrained of all of Young's kingdoms.

2.4.2 Position 1

When the enneagram is used as a model of the solar system, position 1 (here associated with Young's stage 4) is occupied by the Moon and, when the enneagram is used to model the human endocrine system, the position is occupied by the pancreas.

The "complex combination" Young describes for this stage may be seen in the peculiar compound exocrine and endocrine functions of the pancreas. The exocrine functions are involved in the digestion (breakdown of complex structures) of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. The endocrine functions are concerned with secreting hormones such as insulin which regulate blood metabolism. It is interesting to note that the cells involved with secreting the digestive enzymes are grouped in such a way as to be given the name "acinar cells" from the Latin word for grapes to describe their combined appearance.

I'd only add here that there seems to be another way of expressing this stage/position as something like "peculiar" or "extreme identity" to relate it to the previous stage as more of a further or extreme development of unique identity.

I don't see how the moon, per se, relates to complex combination or the molecular attributes of this stage, although it is possible that all matter on the moon is molecular, i.e., nothing is in elemental form as, say, gold may be on Earth. Perhaps the "uniqueness" of our moon may be seen in its strangely close position relative in size to its planetary host as compared to other planet's satellites.

Of the six processes, this is the process of growth. Growth can be seen in the molecular kingdom as simple addition of atoms, an addition which can create relatively enormous molecules. In the fourth way's ray of creation, the Moon is the growing end of the ray.

[More clear connections between this stage and the corresponding position on the enneagram can be seen by looking at other aspects of these theories, such as the degrees of freedom discussed by Young and the role of the moon as discussed by Collin but that is beyond the scope of this article. I only mention it as a pointer for those already well-versed in these ideas.]

2.5 Young's Stage 5, Enneagram Position 4

In which health and plants are related to Venus.

2.5.1 Stage 5

Young's kingdom here is "Plants", and the power associated with this kingdom is "organization". This organization is demonstrated in negative-entropy, that is, the storage of energy, and in hierarchical structures, that is, the purposeful organization of self-contained functions. It is at this stage in Young's arc that the turn has been taken—what was the arrow of process descending ever deeper into matter now becomes ascending and "life" is introduced.

2.5.2 Position 4

On the enneagram, this point is represented by the planet Venus, and by the endocrine function of the parathyroids. The parathyroid is responsible for regulating blood calcium and phosphorus. Phosphorus is "one of the most important minerals for cellular activity" Also, "calcium phosphate is the principal inorganic constituent of teeth and bones"—arguably, our most plant-like parts. And, "[phosphorus] is indispensable to life, being intimately involved in energy transfer and in the passage of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of all cells." [Quotes are from the Encyclopedia Britannica.]

The most obvious thing about Venus is, of course, the heavy cloud cover that surrounds the planet (which produces an exaggerated "greenhouse effect"). This position, proceeding to the next position, crosses by the point of the triangle associated with breath in the human body and atmosphere on planets. While there seems no possibility of plant life on Venus, there is no denying the profound interrelationship of atmosphere and the plant kingdom on our planet.

Of the six processes, the triad 2-3-1, or healing, belongs here.

2.6 Young's Stage 6, Enneagram Position 2

In which the motility of animals is related to that wanderer Mercury.

2.6.1 Stage 6

This stage is represented by the kingdom "Animals" and has the power of "mobility".

2.6.2 Position 2

This is the position corresponding to the thyroid gland and the planet Mercury. Mobility of Mercury can be seen in its rapid revolution around the Sun and, from our point of view on earth, its rapid and erratic movement in the night skies. Closer to home, the thyroid gland is responsible for much movement, and over-stimulation of this gland leads to increased motor activity, such as restlessness, facial twitches, excessive gesturing, and so on.

Of the six processes, the triad 3-1-2, or corruption, is the triad in which the lower attacks the higher to reduce it to matter. This is the very nature of the animal kingdom, the kingdom that must kill to feed.

2.7 Young's Stage 7, Enneagram Position 8

In which the dominion of humanity is related to Saturn and the "master gland".

2.7.1 Stage 7

In Young's theory, this stage is represented as the power of "dominion" and the kingdom of "man". ("Man" is shown literally in parenthesis in his discussion to denote the unfinished nature of this kingdom - very much like G's "man in quotation marks".)

Dominion in this case is perhaps an obvious name, as with tools and wits humans have acquired a vast dominion over (and responsibility for) their world. We can see this dominion applied with ever greater efficacy to all the other kingdoms of Young's arc.

2.7.2 Position 8

This position corresponds to the planet Saturn and the anterior pituitary endocrine gland. The anterior pituitary is sometimes referred to as the "master" gland because of the role it plays in secreting the hormones that control much of endocrine activity.

This triad in the six processes is 3-2-1, or regeneration.

For those familiar with the type information, a few interesting symmetries may be observed when the types are mapped to the arc:

The four active types are in the two red rows at the top, and the three passive types are in the two blue rows at the bottom. A different symmetry can be seen for the positive-negative duality of types (indicated by + and -): in this case, positive and negative type alternate between rows, so that, for example, Level I has two positive types, Level II two negative types.

I have no idea how familiar Arthur M. Young was with the ideas of the fourth way. The more I study his writings, the more I am struck by the common ground, but at least part of this similarity may be due to the common intent - to divine, as it were, the structures and processes of the universe without beginning with implicit acceptance of modern western thought on the matter. As far as I know, Mr. Young never acknowledged the fourth way as one of his inspirations, and I believe he would not have hesitated to do so if it was.

I should add that I view Young (and everything else for that matter) from the point of view of the fourth way, and I consider his life work supportive but not crucial to this view. In particular, I find his "cosmology" fruitful, but not his ideas on human psychology. Fourth way psychology begins with several basics, and the inability of every other approach to realize even one of these basics indicates the state of other "psychologies".

3 So What?

The question ("So what?"), in this context, has two meanings. One, so what if this is true? The other, so what good is this hazy "correlation"?

The latter first: I don't pretend to convince with what I've written. Reading it over again and again I realize how insufficient it is in itself, to anyone trained in scientific thought and unversed in the theories themselves. Yet to someone familiar with both of these theories I suspect that I have struck a chord. To someone well-versed in one or the other, I do not doubt that this will lead to further investigations. To myself, I feel like my hands have been tied in writing this—I could not possibly, without fully describing each theory (and I certainly could not do that as well as the authors mentioned above), point out all the similarities which have finally and firmly created in me the conviction that they are parallel expressions.

But then to address the first objection: What good is this even if it is true? To that I can only refer to the scope, the nature, of what it is we are talking about. Nothing less than fundamental law. It is as if we are like the early cave-dwellers, some kind of pre- or early-Homo sapiens, who, looking around them at the mystery of this world, just could not quite grasp laws that seemed everywhere apparent and yet elusive, laws that led their successors to discover the control of fire, the creation of tools, the prediction of the seasons.

I don't see any reason to believe we are at the end point, or even nearly so, of final understanding. It seems to me much more likely that we, just like every age of humanity that we know about, only mistakenly believe that we know just about everything, but are in fact, like those cave-dwellers, just beginning to somehow intuit new laws, new ways of perceiving this world.

I think that is what these theories are about. They do not, in any way, "throw out the baby with the bath water", but instead fully intend to comprehend and include the stunning achievements of modern science in th

eir world view. If that world view does not mesh with what we know in other ways, it is suspect. But if that new view so includes modern physics as to propose a true new metaphysics, we must certainly be interested. Really, I think we somehow know and expect that this is coming.

Perhaps obviously, I do not think that these are just additional theories, additional "contenders for the throne". I do think that a new understanding is coming of just these very theories and the body of ideas related to each. It has been my intention here to bring these two theories together to bring their ponderers together. Each has much to offer the other.

Dear Readers, please do not assume that you understand anything you read on this blog. Written here is the language of spirit.

The Sacred Law of Three

This week, I want to focus on sacred numbers, which come in handy when considering any scripture written in any alpha-numeric language, such as Hebrew or Greek.

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"And as regards the second fundamental primordial cosmic law, namely the sacred Triamazikamno, cosmic Objective Science formulates it in these terms. A new arising from the previously arisen through the "harnel-miatznel, the process of which is actualized thus the higher blends with the lower in order together to actualize the middle, and thus to become either higher for the preceding lower or lower for the succeeding higher." (23)

The Law of Three - Triamazikamno

Fra Angelico - The Annunciation

"that sacred law which they call the 'Holy Trinity.'" (24)

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The Law of Three, called Triamazikamno in Beelzebub's Tales, is one of the fundamental laws of the universe and is a direct manifestation of the triune nature of His Endlessness as it is expressed in the universe. Gurdjieff defined the triune nature of His Endlessness as three forces - Active, Passive and Neutral. The three Laws of the second note of the Ray of Creation are the direct manifestation of His Endlessness and this is called the Theomertmalogos by Gurdjieff in Beelzebub's Tales. It is the basis of all the structures and processes within the universe and man.

The most important structurally related application for humans is with the formation of an harmonious interrelatedness of the three centers of human consciousness, Intellect, Body and Emotions, in a state known as All-Brains-Balanced-Being-Perception. Gurdjieff called this aspect of the Work and its related repetoire of exercises 'Conscious Labor.'


Gurdjieff defined the process of interaction of the three forces as the "harnel-miatznel," where the higher blends with the lower in order together to actualize the middle, and thus to become either higher for the preceding lower or lower for the succeeding higher.

The most important process related application of the Law of Three in the Work is with the transformation of energies for our Being by the exercise of the two Conscious Shocks. Gurdjieff called this aspect of the Work 'Intentional Suffering.' In Beelzebub's Tales, the following prayer describes the process of "harnel-miatznel" as it is used in transforming energies for our Being.

Holy-Affirming,
Holy-Denying,
Holy-Reconciling,
Transubstantiate in me,
For my Being.

This prayer is referred to as The Holy Equation or the Holy Affirming Prayer.

The Holy Equation acts as a shock in the octave of evolution. It is the formula for the 1st and 2nd Conscious Shocks. As we know from studying the Ray of Creation, the shocks are composed of three notes of a Lateral Octave, each note representing one of the forces of the Law of Three. The Holy Equation, being based on the Law of Three, has the structure required for supplying the two Conscious Shocks.

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Gurdjieff speaks of the threefoldness of the creation as a fundamental cosmic law. He calls this law Triamazikamno, “I put three together.” In the ultimate, cosmic scheme, the Theomertmalogos is the Holy Affirming and the Etherokrilno the Holy Denying. The whole working of the universe, particularly through life, is the Reconciling. (J.G. Bennett, Talks on Beelzebub's Tales)

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The universe is a being with three centers corresponding to our own; their material aspect is comprised of vibration-rates which appear to us as substances.

The universe is the body of God; it is the neutralizing force of the Sun Absolute, the manifestation of the interaction of the positive and negative forces of God. We live in the body of God, are made in the image of God and God's 'fancy' is immortality.

God is the "I" of the universe, is termed His Endlessness and is not inferior to time. Time is a perpetual perishing. It is the enemy of God. He has a purpose. Our Hope depends on our ability to discover His purpose and co-operate with it. This is the definition of religion, helping God. (A. R. Orage)

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The Vedic system of knowledge is based on a tripartite approach to the universe where connections exist in triples in categories of one group and across groups: sky, atmosphere, earth; object, medium, subject; future, present, past; and so on. Beyond the triples lies the transcendental “fourth”. Three kinds of motion are alluded to in the Vedic books: these are the translational motion, sound, and light which are taken to be “equivalent” to earth, air, and sky. The fourth motion is assigned to consciousness; and this is considered to be infinite in speed. (Unknown)

The Three Gunas - Rajas, Tamas, Sattva.

These are three states, or conditions, of the soul, made evident on the mental plane in the self-conscious mind.

In the Sattvic state, the mind is intent upon goodness and truth, wisdom and love. This condition leads to the evolution of the higher (the buddhic) emotions, and to the Ideals (state of gods).

In the Rajasic state, the mind is full of outgoing energy towards the acquisition of objects of sense, knowledge, fame, power, ambition, social benefit, etc. This condition leads to the evolution of the mental faculties in their widest range (state of men) and to the intuition of truth.

In the Tamasic state the mind is sluggish, unaroused, stupid, ignorant and without zest in the pursuit of any worthy objects. This condition leads to the evolution of the desires, passions, and appetites (state of beasts).

According to Manu, Sattva (goodness) has the form of knowledge, and induces a deep calm full of bliss, and a pure light. Rajas (activity) has the form of love and hatred, and induces pain and dissatisfaction, and an activity difficult to conquer, which draws embodied souls to the objects of sense. Tamas (darkness) has the form of ignorance, and is coupled with delusion unfathomed by reasoning.

Every actionis really performed by the gunas. Man, deluded by his egoism, thinks: "I am the doer." But he who has the true insight into the operations of the gunas and their various functions, knows that when senses attach themselves to objects, gunas are merely attaching themselves to gunas. (Bhagavad Gita)

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Where the Paternal Monad is. The Monad is enlarged, which generates Two. For the Dyad sits by him, and glitters with Intellectual Sections. And to govern all things, and to Order all things not Ordered. For in the whole World shineth the Triad, over which the Monad Rules. This Order is the beginning of all Section. For the Mind of the Father said, that all things can be cut into three, Governing all things by mind. And there appeared in it (the Triad) Virtue and Wisdom. And Multiscient Verity. This way floweth the Shape of the Triad, being pre-existent. Not the first (essence) but where they are measured. For thou must conceive that all things serve three principles. The first course is Sacred, but in the middle. Another the third, aerial; which cherished the Earth in Fire. And fountain of Fountains, and of all Fountains. The Matrix containing all things. Thence abundantly springs forth the Generation of multi various Matter. Thence extracted a prester the flower of glowing Fire, Flashing into the cavities of the World: for all things from thence. Begin to extend downwards their admirable Beams. (Chaldean Oracle 27)

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From a "genealogical" point of view, the third term is a result of the first two: from a "structural" point of view, the three terms are co-present.

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The number Three has been used since time immemorial to describe the fundamental attributes, principles or personalities of God and the forces of Nature. Here are a few examples :

Christian - Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

Taoist - Yin, Yang, Tao

Hinduism - Brahma is the creator, Shiva is the destroyer, Vishnu is the preserver.

Hinduism - The Three Gunas - Rajas, Tamas, Sattva.

Zoroastrian - Ahura Mazda is the father of two twin spirits, Angra Mainyu is the destructive one, Spenta Mainyu is the holy spirit.

Egyptian - Re was his face; Ptah his body; and Amun his hidden identity

Sumerian - Anu is the father,  Enlil is the wind-god of the earth, Enki is the god of waters and wisdom.

Etruscan - Tinia, Uni, and Menerva.

Roman - Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.

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Many scientific formulas that describe forces and relationships in nature are triadic in structure.

The most famous is Einstein's equation E=mc², which shows the equivalence of matter and energy and their relationship to Time. A more general formula was given previously by Isaac Newton as F=ma.

There are other equations

Dear Readers, please do not assume that you understand anything you read on this blog. Written here is the language of spirit.

Is it proper to doubt?

You bet it is.....But here's what the Buddha said:

So, what about uncertainty.....Do not rely upon what has been acquired by rote memory or repeated hearing, nor upon tradition, nor upon rumor, nor upon scripture....nor upon the consideration, "the monk is our teacher."

When you yourselves know that that a thing is bad, that when undertaken and observed,Buddhism for Beginners it causes harm and ill, abandon it.

Conversely, when you yourselves know that a thing is good, that is when it is undertaken and is observed to bring benefit and happiness, enter in to abide with it.

Dear Readers, please do not assume that you understand anything you read on this blog. Written here is the language of spirit.

The Four Noble Truths

 The Short Version:

1) Life is filled with suffering

2) All suffering is caused by attachment.

3)The only way out of suffering is through non-attachment (detachment)

4) Detachment can be achieved only through a profoundly spiritual path. (like the 8 fold path)

*The word detachment gets a bad wrap. It does not mean that you don't care. Ask yourself, what attaches? What part of you attaches to whatever you are attached to? Think of that part of you as your ego, which in most cases believes it rules the roost when it is, in fact, fragmented and unhealthy. Therefore attachment is painful and does cause suffering.

The eight fold path is:

Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindedness, Right Concentration.

Dear Readers, please do not assume that you understand anything you read on this blog. Written here is the language of spirit.