Pages 217–228
is, from the stars, must first pass through the planets in order to reach the sun. This may look strange at the first glance, but if we visualize the structure of the solar system, we shall see quite clearly that it cannot be otherwise. No analogies are needed here. Imagine the sun surrounded by planets moving round it; in the distance, some group of stars from which influences go forth towards the sun. But the sun does not stand in one place; we know that it moves; the planets, rotating round it, move with it in space, forming, each of them by its motion, a spiral round the central rod of the sun, so that this central rod is entirely enclosed in the spirals of planets and no influence can reach it without first passing through the world of planets, that is, penetrating through the rings of the spirals. Further, planets becoming carbon of the third triad must find corresponding oxygen and nitrogen. In our Ray of Creation, oxygen is earth. But there is no nitrogen in the astronomical Ray of Creation. Therefore the planets cannot pass their influence direct to earth, and in order to make the passage of forces possible between the planets and the earth, a special contrivance was created which represents the sensitive organ of the earth—organic life on earth. Organic life on earth is nitrogen of the third triad. Forces coming from the planets fall first on organic life, which receives them and passes them on to the earth. If we remember the extremely complicated organization of the ends of sensitive nerves in our own organism, for instance the ends of the nerves of taste and smell, we shall not think it strange that man is defined as a sensitive nerve-end of the earth. Of course, a meadow covered with grass diners in many ways from man—it receives only some planetary influences, and very few of these. Man receives much more complex influences. But people differ greatly from one another in this respect. The majority of men are important only in the mass, and only the mass receives one or another influence. Others are capable of receiving influences individually— influences which masses cannot receive, for they are sensitive only to coarse influences. Organic life on earth, playing the role of nitrogen of the third triad, is by this very fact carbon of the fourth triad in the Ray. In other words, it conducts the active force which meets with corresponding oxygen and nitrogen. Earth is oxygen and moon is nitrogen through which the influences of organic life pass to earth. Now, if we take the Ray of Creation divided into four triads and bear in mind that the sum total of each triad is a definite hydrogen, we shall get four hydrogens or four definite densities of matter. These four hydrogens can be taken as corresponding to the four fundamental points of the universe. The first corresponds to the Absolute, the second to the sun, the third to the earth and the fourth to the moon.
I said that the Ray of Creation can be taken as an octave. After re, represented by the moon, the octave has its do, which is also the Absolute. So there are, as it were, two Absolutes: one begins the Ray, the other ends it. One Absolute is All, the other is Nothing. But there can be no two Absolutes, for, by its very nature, the Absolute is one. Therefore All includes Nothing and Nothing includes All. Our dualistically constructed mind cannot take in the identity of opposites. We divide everything, even the Absolute. In reality, what we call the antithesis of opposites exists only in our conception, in our subjective perception of the world. But, even when we understand this, we are unable to express this understanding in words; our language has no words which can include simultaneously thesis and antithesis. Our mind cannot grasp them as one idea, just as it cannot grasp the images of some Hindu gods, combining complete opposites in themselves. Now we shall examine the passage of radiations between the four fundamental points of the cosmic octave. We take radiations between each two points in the form of an octave and thus obtain three octaves; Absolute—Sun; Sun—Earth; Earth—Moon.
It should be noted that, although there are six intervals, only three of them require to be filled from without. The intervals between do and si are filled by the Will of the Absolute, by the influence of the sun's mass on the radiations passing through it, and by the influence of the mass of the earth on the radiations passing through it. All the hydrogens in this Table represent matters with which we have to do in studying man. It has been scaled down twice in order to include only the hydrogens that have relation to man, both to his outer life and the inner life of his organism. Q. How do these hydrogens connect with man? A. For instance, hydrogen 768 represents all the food we eat; the air we breathe is hydrogen 192, and our impressions can be 48, 24, 12 and even 6. We have an enormous range of impressions, but we have no choice of air or food. We cannot inhale, for instance, hydrogen 96, for it is fire, incandescent gases. We cannot eat H 384, for it is water, and we cannot live on water. You will see that this Table answers all our requirements; it enables us to speak of all the matters in the human machine and to see their interrelation; and it makes it possible to connect man with the universe, because we can know from which level each matter comes. This Table of hydrogens shows not only the density of each of them
but also the place of origin of these different layers of matter which are under different laws, as it was explained. Hydrogens which come from planes under a very small number of laws, near the Will of the Absolute, have an enormous power and enormous potential energy. Thus we have a scale of twelve densities on which can be placed all matter known to or conceivable by man. For the lower densities we may find examples both in man and in the world around him. Up to the level of H 96 or even 48, these may be studied physically by chemistry, biology and other sciences. Above H 48 we can only study psychological effects of their presence or absence— knowing the level of hydrogens with which different centres work. Still higher hydrogens are only potential in man or exist in such small quantities that they are impossible to study. The study of these higher hydrogens in the surrounding world is also beyond the powers of perception of man No. 1, 2 and 3. Q. How are the three intervals in the three octaves of radiations filled? A. It is a cosmic arrangement, otherwise the Ray could not exist. They are filled by the forces of nature, just as you will see it in our organism: some intervals in our organism are filled by nature, otherwise we would not be able to live. Q. Does a hydrogen consist of three elements as well as three forces? A. It consists of three forces working through three elements. Three forces cannot work without three elements. A hydrogen is the sum total. Q. Do impressions generate energy? A. They are energy in themselves. Every time we get an impression we receive a certain matter. Matter is not separate from energy: where there is matter, there is energy and where there is energy there is matter. I want to give you one more diagram that may help you to understand things. I said that organic life is a special adaptation filling the interval between the planets and the earth. It is created in the form of a lateral or an additional octave beginning in the sun, sol. Sol becomes do and produces si on the level of the planets, and then three notes, la, sol, fa, which are organic life on earth. Then mi of this lateral octave enters into the earth and re into the moon. So organic life belongs not to the main octave but to this special octave which begins in the sun. We do not know what do and si of this octave mean. Out of all this octave we know only la, sol, fa and mi. Even about re all we know is that when anything dies—whether man or a cockroach—its soul goes to the moon.
Q. When you say that we know what mi is, do you mean the earth? A. No, all that goes into the earth—the physical body, all physical matter at death goes into the earth. Q. Are souls created for every organism? A. The body is born and at the same time the soul is born too; it is simply part of the body, invisible, unknown to medicine, physics and chemistry But without it the body cannot exist. When the body dies, the soul is free and is attracted by this big electro magnet—the moon Q. I still do not understand the influence of organic life between planets and earth Does it act in both directions? A. Try to begin from what you can understand, and later your understanding will increase. No one can understand everything at once To understand means to connect. Organic life transfers planetary influences to earth. As a matter of fact the process does go both ways, but we cannot see either. We must take it as a theory, but analogies can be found. We can see how organic life transforms influences coming from the sun and what a great part it plays in the structure of the earth's crust. For instance, black soil is the result of earth worms, oil is the result of an agglomeration of fishes and sea organisms, coal is the result of forests; chalk, coral islands, all these are results of organic life which remain in the earth. This shows how mi enters into the earth. All this is mi of the lateral octave of which la-sol-fa is organic life when it is alive This shows how organic life transforms the sun's influences. We do not see how it transforms planetary influences, but we can take the analogy of the sun's influences This shows that organic life is connected with both the planets and the sun and trans forms planetary influences) just as it transforms solar influences. Q. Is the Ray of Creation mechanical? A. Not the whole Ray. When it comes to us, certainly all the laws are mechanical on our plane. Q. How is it possible that a mechanical Ray can create a machine which is capable of achieving a permanent will? A. You must remember that the Ray of Creation starts consciously, and in the starting point there are evidently plans of everything, or some plans may gradually develop further down. But in the forty-eight laws that work on the earth there are three laws from World 3, which is under the direct will of the Absolute. Laws coming from different planes are not equally mechanical; some are more mechanical, others less. If we take the lateral octave starting from the sun—the octave of organic life—we shall see that the sun is much higher than the earth and it is evidently possible to create in this octave possibilities of development. Thus man, if he can be regarded as a seed, has in himself the possibility of growth He is not only what he looks, there is something in him which cannot be seen—this hidden possibility of evolution. We can understand this relation of more mechanical and less mechanical only in ourselves. We know how
mechanical we are and that if we work we can become less mechanical. This is the only way to study mechanicalness. Q. If man, as part of organic life, fulfils a purpose in the scheme of the universe, what further purpose can he serve by gaining consciousness? A. That depends on what we want. You may be satisfied with certain purposes of nature, or you may have your own ideas. By becoming conscious you may serve your own purpose, but if you are not conscious, you only serve the purposes of nature. Nature wants man to be as he is in this place. This is the reason why only a few can escape, and they can escape because man is very small. Q. Then would you say that ninety-nine people out of a hundred have the dice loaded against them? A. There are no definite statistics about it. A very small minority has the possibility of development. Q. I have understood that the Absolute can know nothing of man. Is it absurd to believe that there may be deputy powers able to take an interest in man? A. Not necessarily deputy powers, but maybe special powers. There is no question but that there must be powers which take an interest in man, but we have no direct contact with these powers. We do not know them intellectually and do not know the approach to them. They appear in this small octave which begins in the sun. The sun produces do on its own level and si on the level of the planets. These two notes are the origin of organic life and probably its controlling principle. So when we know what do and si are we will know about these powers. There are two things we must always remember about this small lateral octave: first, that it is incommensurable with the Ray of Creation for it is on quite a different scale; second, that we must always remember that we do not know what do and si of this octave are. When we think that life started here on earth by some process or other, we may think that we know what it is, but when we hear that it does not start on earth, we realize that we do not know.
CHAPTER IX Study of man as a chemical factory—Food Diagram—Three octaves of food and their development—First stage with one mechanical shock— Second stage with one conscious shock—Third stage with second conscious shock—Relative value of the three foods— Impressions—Self-remembering —Carbon 12—Laughter—Good and bad impressions—Impressions as different hydrogens—Control of impressions—Work on mi 12—Centres and their speed—Higher centres and their characteristics—Connection with higher centres— Higher centres and drugs—Telepathy—Necessity to increase the production of higher matters—Energy and the storing of energy— Accumulators—Connection with the big accumulator—Yawning— All work must be concentrated on consciousness. LAST TIME I GAVE YOU A SCALE of matter in relation to man and the human body. Every level represents a certain density of matter and a certain rate of vibrations, or, as it is called in the system, density of vibrations. The top do represents the smallest possible density of matter and the quickest rate of vibrations. Vibrations get slower and slower descending the scale and come to almost nothing at the end, while the density of matter increases correspondingly and comes to its maximum. Each of these matters represents a very large range. Now we must study man as a chemical factory and see what role these matters play in the human body. Some of these hydrogens we can study physically or chemically while the presence of others we can determine only psychologically. Thus this table of hydrogens gives us the possibility of studying both physical and psychological manifestations as manifestations of the same order but of different degrees of materiality. People often ask where man's energy comes from. From this point of view man can be regarded as a chemical factory that receives raw materials from outside and transforms them into other materials of a finer quality. The three kinds of material which man gets from outside are: the food he cats, the air he inhales and the impressions he receives. Food is always H 768, air is always H 192, but impressions can be very varied. For the beginning of study, for understanding the principle, we take as a standard of impressions H 48. H 48 represents just ordinary colourless impressions without any character. If I see this piece of paper, this is impression 48,
nothing mote. But actually impressions can be of very good or very bad quality—we will speak about that later. From these three kinds of material the machine produces all the matters needed for the work of centres. In the ordinary state the human machine works well enough for maintaining its own life, but as a chemical factory it is unsatisfactory, because it consumes everything it produces; it cannot export or store anything. Yet the development of man depends on storing the higher matters produced by his machine. So we must think about ways to increase the production. But before we can think about increasing production we must study the factory from the point of view of waste, for there are many leaking parts in the machines, and if we do not stop these leaks, increased production will only increase the leaks. We have already spoken about the leaks, so, although I will now show you how the factory works, and even how production can be increased, the leaks are not shown in the diagram. But they are all in you, and you must remember that you cannot increase production in your present state, for first of all you must stop all the leaks. After this is done, it will be useful to learn practical ways of improving the work of the factory. This is the principle. I will show you three stages or three states of this chemical factory: first, how it works in ordinary man 1, 2 and 3, then how it works with one definite kind of effort and, finally, how it works with a second definite kind of effort. We take the human machine as a three-storied factory. The three stories represent the head, the middle part of the body and the lower part of the body with the spinal cord. Food enters the top story and passes to the bottom story as Oxygen 768. In the body it meets with a certain Carbon 192 and, mixing with this Carbon, becomes Nitrogen 384. Nitrogen 384 meets with another Carbon, 96, and with the help of this Carbon changes from Oxygen 384 to Nitrogen 192. It is an ascending octave, so these stages represent the notes do, re, mi. After mi there is an interval and the octave cannot develop any further by itself. It is very interesting that up to this point and one step further we can follow its development with the help of ordinary physiological knowledge. When food enters the mouth it meets with several different sorts of saliva and is mixed with them in the process of mastication; then it passes into the stomach and is worked on by gastric juices, which break down sugars, proteins and fats. From there it goes into the intestines and meets with bile, pancreatic and intestinal juices, which transform it into the smallest elements. These go through the wall of the bowel into venous blood, which is taken to the liver, where it meets with other carbons which change it chemically, and so to the heart, which pumps the venous blood to the lungs. Here it is oxygenated by the entry of air and returned to the heart as arterial blood. In this diagram all the various matters present in
the body which the food meets with up to mi are divided into two categories: Carbon 192 and Carbon 96. Venous blood is mi 192 and arterial blood is fa 96. At the point when mi 192 cannot develop any further, another kind of food enters—air. It enters as Oxygen 192, meets with a certain Carbon 48 and with its help is transformed into re 96, and this production of re 96 gives a shock to mi 192 of the food octave enabling it to pass to fa 96. Beyond this, physiological knowledge cannot go. Re 96 of the air octave meets a corresponding Carbon and produces mi 48; and with the help of the same Carbon fa 96 of the food octave transforms into sol 48. Sol 48 can develop further, but mi 48 cannot, so the development of the air octave stops at this point. Sol 48 of the food octave passes into la 24 and la 24 into si 12, and stops there. Impressions enter as do 48, but cannot develop any further, because at their place of entry there is no Carbon 12 to help them. Nature has not provided it, or rather has not provided enough to produce any considerable effect, so do 48 does not transform and the three octaves stop at that. Think about this diagram and connect it with what has been said earlier, that nature brings man to a certain state and then leaves him to develop himself. Nature gives man possibilities, but does not develop these possibilities. It enables him to live, provides air, for otherwise the first octave could not go on, but the rest he must do himself. The machine is so arranged that air enters at the right moment and in the right consistency and gives a mechanical shock. It is important to understand that the Food Diagram or the Diagram of Nutrition consists of three stages. The first stage that I have just described shows how things happen in ordinary normal man: the food octave goes on all the way from do 768 to si 12; there are three notes of the air octave and one note of the impressions octave. If we want to develop further, we must increase the production of higher matters, and in order to do that we must understand and know how to do it, not only theoretically but in actual fact, because it needs a long time to learn how to use this knowledge and to make the right efforts. If we know how to bring Carbon 12 to the right place and if we make the necessary effort, the development of the air and impressions octaves goes further. The second stage shows what happens when the right shock has been given. Do 48 of the impressions octave is transformed into re 24 and mi 12. The air octave receives a shock from the impressions octave and mi 48 transforms into fa 24, sol 12 and even a small quantity of la 6. You must understand that the air is saturated with higher hydrogens which, in certain cases, can be retained by the organism in the process of breathing. But the amount of higher hydrogens that we can get from the
air is very small. This stage represents the work of the human machine with one mechanical and one conscious shock. The third stage shows what happens when a second conscious shock is given at the right place. The first conscious shock is necessary at do 48. The second conscious shock is needed where mi 12 of the impressions octave and si 12 of the food octave have stopped in their development and cannot go on any further by themselves. Although there are carbons in the organism which would help them to be transformed, they are far away and cannot be reached, so another effort is necessary. If we know its nature and can produce this second conscious shock, mi 12 will develop into fa 6 and si 12 into do 6. The effort must begin from mi 12, so we must understand what mi 12 is psychologically. We can call it our ordinary emotions, that is to say, all strong emotions that we may have. When our emotions reach a certain degree of intensity, there is mi 12 in them. But in our present state only our unpleasant emotions actually reach mi 12; our ordinary pleasant emotions usually remain 24. It is not that our intense unpleasant emotions actually are mi 12, but they are based on it
and need it in order to be produced. So the beginning of this second effort and preparation for it is work on negative emotions. This is the general outline of the work of the human organism and of how this work can be improved. It is important to understand where conscious shocks are necessary, because if you understand this it will help you to understand many other difficulties in the Food Diagram. You must understand, too, that these three octaves are not of equal force. If you take the force of the food octave, you will see that it gives certain results, certain effects that can be measured. Although the matter taken from air plays a very important part, the air octave represents a very small quantity of hydrogens, whereas the impressions octave is very powerful and may have an enormous meaning in relation to self remembering, states of consciousness, emotions and so on. So we can say that the relationship of the three octaves is not equal, because one has more substance, another less substance. This is our inner alchemy, the transmutation of base metals into precious metals. But all this alchemy is inside us, not outside. Q. What causes transformation of food into higher matter? A. It is mixed with other matters higher than itself and in that way it rises; then it becomes mixed with still higher matters and rises again, and so on. Take it in a simple way. Q. It never reaches the level of the highest matter it is mixed with? A. That does not matter. What matters is that it rises, it becomes higher than itself. Higher matters contain more energy, coarser matters contain less. So when they mix, higher hydrogens bring their energy into coarser matters. Q. Can higher matter be produced by prayer and mental exercises? A. It is not produced out of nothing, but in man's inner alchemy higher substances are distilled out of other, coarser material which otherwise would remain in a coarse state. Q. Why is it that the first conscious shock comes from impressions? A. The shock does not come from impressions, this is not quite the right definition. Impressions are a very important food, and in our ordinary state we are starved of impressions. We have enough impressions, but we cannot digest them. Q. Do we have to produce Carbon 12, or is it in the organism? A. Generally a man has enough carbons for ordinary normal life, and there may even be a store of them. It does not mean that we have to produce Carbon 12; we must bring it from one part of the machine to another part—and this means special effort. We will not know we are doing it, but by making this special effort we will be bringing Carbon 12 from one place to another. But, of course, if there is not enough in the body we cannot bring it there. If you have money, you can put it in one pocket or another, but if you have none you cannot—it is quite simple.
Q. Is this special effort the general training in the system? A. The first conscious shock is self-remembering, together with all you are advised to do from the beginning, that is, self-observation, non-identifying and so on. It is all part of this effort. Q. What is the second conscious shock which changes the character of the factory? A. If you like, I can tell you what it is, but it will not help, because it is precisely what we cannot do. It is the transformation of negative emotions into positive emotions. It is possible only with long work on self-remembering, when you can be conscious for a long time, and when higher emotional centre begins to work. This is what brings us to the state of man No. 5, so it is very far from where we are now. Mi 12, combined with a special effort, can produce positive emotion. Q. It seems to me that to produce any useful results in the direction of being more awake it is necessary for both the conscious shocks to be working? A. Yes, to produce complete results certainly both shocks must be given, but when the first shock is sufficiently strong it already produces certain results. But, as a matter of fact, they generally work together, because from the very beginning we must learn not to express negative emotions, and this is already work on the second conscious shock. The first shock is in the nature of self-remembering, and then it produces struggle with negative emotions, so after some time one actually works on both. The more result you get in one, the more you have to work on the other. This explains another principle we meet with in the system—that the more one does, the more is expected of one. It is the same in the Food Diagram— the more one tries to work on self-remembering, the more one must be able to control negative emotions, with the idea of being able in the future to transform negative emotions into positive emotions. But this is very far, because one has to have a great deal of material created for self-remembering. All the same, the two shocks are connected and, in a way, the one cannot work without the other. Q. Does the word 'shock' in connection with the diagrams mean the same thing as shocks in ordinary life? A. Shocks connected with the Food Diagram must come from you—it is your own action. It is necessary to know the moment and remember to give shocks. And they must be very carefully given, for only the right kind of shock will help in those particular octaves, otherwise they will branch off. Q. Can you give a practical example? A. Practical examples are in the Food Diagram. You must try to find analogous things in your own actions. The first shock is provided by nature where air comes in. But at the second interval no shock is provided by nature and it must be provided by self remembering. Also at the third