What was meant by “artificial rhythms”? Does it mean “artificial relationships”?
THAT IS ONE, YES, BUT IT GOES FAR DEEPER THAN THAT. ENERGY, YOU SEE, DOES HAVE A VIBRATORY QUALITY, AND PSYCHIC ENERGY IS NO EXCEPTION TO THIS. IF THE VIBRATORY QUALITY OF THE UNIVERSAL FLOW IS NEUTRAL, AND THE PSYCHIC ENERGY FLOW FROM THE ESSENCE IS POSITIVE, THEN THE VIBRATORY QUALITY OF THE PERSONALITY MUST BE NEGATIVE. WE WOULD CALL THIS “ARTIFICIAL RHYTHM”, AS WE WOULD CALL THE OTHER THE “NATURAL RHYTHM”. THERE SEEMS TO BE AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF BACKSLIDING, AND WE MUST POINT THIS OUT. PERSONALITY LIVES WITH ARTIFICIAL RHYTHMS ALWAYS. SELDOM DOES IT EVEN COME INTO CONTACT WITH NATURAL RHYTHMS. SCHOOLS OF THE TYPE WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING MANY TIMES WILL PRODUCE AN ENVIRONMENT WHEREIN NATURAL RHYTHMS BEGIN TO FLOW. AS STUDENTS COME TO BALANCE, THEY FIND THEIR OWN RHYTHMIC NICHE AND FOLLOW IT THROUGH NATURAL RHYTHMS, OF COURSE, REQUIRED THAT THE ESSENCE BE SATISFIED WITH ITS OCCUPATION OF THE MOMENT, WHETHER IT IS LOVING, EMOTIONAL, OR INTELLECTUAL. MUCH WORK STILL MUST BE DONE IN DISSOLVING THE GRIP ON ALLUREMENT. THIS STILL HAS YOU FAST IN ITS JAWS, AND WE WISH THAT YOU ALL COULD FEEL THE LEVEL OF VIBRATIONS EMANATING FROM YOU THIS EVENING: DIFFUSE, PEAKED, AND JERKY, WITH NO PARTICULAR PATTERN OTHER THAN DISCORDANCE AND JUMBLED RHYTHMS GOING OFF INTO THE ETHERS (Is that what Gurdjieff meant by “the moon is eating us”?) WITH NO DIRECTION OR FOCUS. AT THIS POINT IN THE WORK, IT IS NOT NECESSARY THAT YOU BE RECEIVING DATA. IN ORDER TO FOCUS, YOU MUST MERELY CONCENTRATE AND FOCUS YOUR ENERGIES. IF YOU ARE BORED WITH THE MATERIAL BEING SHARED, THAT SIMPLY INDICATES TO US THAT YOU ARE COMING FROM AN INAPPROPRIATE CENTER. THE SAME GOES FOR APPREHENSION OVER NEW STUDENTS OR VISITORS WHO HAPPEN TO HAVE STRONG OVERLEAVES. IF YOU RESPOND WITH THE APPROPRIATE CENTER, THE APPREHENSION WILL FADE.
SOURCE: Michael Teachings Transcripts