______ asked if he had accelerated along wrong lines, outside of his boundaries, too quickly and without enough knowledge. If so, what does he have to do to balance himself?

YOU ARE WELL AWARE OF THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE A MARKED TENDENCY TO OVERREACH YOUR AVAILABLE ENERGIES. THIS IS NO EXCEPTION. THE ONLY WAY OUT OF THE MORASS IS TO AGAIN GIVE YOURSELF SPACE. THIS IS SOMETHING YOU DID NOT ALLOW FOR IN YOUR PRESENT PROSPECTUS. THIS IS THE WELL KNOWN DANGER OF WHICH ______ SPOKE EARLIER. PLANNING DOES TAKE ENERGIES AWAY FROM GROWTH, AND THE MORE COMPLEX THE PLANNING BECOMES, THE MORE ENERGIES ARE EXPENDED USELESSLY. ANY VENTURE TOO WELL PLANNED IS BOUND TO DIE BORNING. THIS CANNOT BE EMPHASIZE ENOUGH. DRAGONS APLENTY WILL RISE UP TO BE SLAIN. YOUR OWN CASE IS NO EXCEPTION. IN YOUR PLANNING, YOU FORGOT TO ALLOW FOR ENOUGH SPACE FOR YOUR OWN CONTINUED WORK, WHICH IS WITH SELF. PLEASE REMEMBER, ALL OF YOU, THE FIRST AND ONLY OBLIGATION IS TO SELF. THIS IS ONLY TRUE IF SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS THE GOAL. IN ALL OTHER CASES THIS IS OF COURSE NOT TRUE. IF SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS THE GOAL, AND BALANCE IS ONE STEP TOWARD THE GOAL, THEN SPACE MUST BE ALLOTTED TO BE SURE THAT THIS COMES ABOUT. THIS, IN THE CASE OF THIS CADRE, MEANS MUCH INTERACTION TO REPROGRAM THE BIO-COMPUTER. MANY OF THESE STUDENTS HAVE NOT ALLOWED FOR THIS EITHER, AND SO YOU ARE NOT ALONE. YOUR OWN GROWTH OVER THE NEAR FUTURE WILL DEPEND SOLELY UPON YOUR WILLINGNESS TO ALLOW THOSE CLOSEST TO YOU TO HOLD UP THE MIRROR SO THAT YOU CAN BEGIN ANEW LOOKING AT THE MANY FACETS OF THE PERSONALITY STILL CROPPING UP IN YOUR DEALINGS WITH YOUR OWN STUDENTS. YOU WISH TO TEACH, AND WE DO NOT FEEL THAT THIS IS AN UNREASONABLE ASPIRATION FOR YOU; BUT FOR YOU TO BE A VALID TEACHER YOU MUST ALSO BE A DUTIFUL STUDENT. THIS YOU NEED. ALL OF YOU CAN TAKE HEART HERE. ALL OF YOU CAN NOW BE TEACHERS, BUT NOT BY LAYING ASIDE THE STUDENTS CLOAK. IN FACT, WE ARE SOMEWHAT GRATIFIED THAT SOME OF YOU HAVE BEGUN TO SHOW MORE SPUNK IN TEACHING. WE WILL NOT HESITATE TO REMIND YOU OF THE PRECEPTS WHEN A SCHISM OCCURS.

_____ asked if he had made a discovery along the lines of magnetic center through Intellectual Center. Had he been doing a great deal of intellectual work — if a Center attracts could we use it to repel? Can a weak Essence be built up by breaking down that which attracts the unuseful? Persons who are the dregs of society may have been a prince or something earlier — karma to learn all of love — can they be separated and chosen from? Can we separate the experiences of pain and pleasure? Can we begin to determine what we need? How can _____ attract people, the dregs, and create conditions where they are forced to have an inner experience.

WHEN YOU TAKE UPON YOURSELF THE TASK OF FORCING GROWTH, YOU OF COURSE CREATE A TOTALLY FALSE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH YOU MERELY ENABLE INDIVIDUALS TO TRADE CHIEF FEATURES, AND IN SOME EXTREME CASES, OTHER HARSH OVERLEAVES. FOR YOU, _____, WE WOULD SUGGEST FIRST THAT YOU STUDY THE OVERLEAVES AND LOOK AT WHERE YOU ARE IN THEM, AND WHY YOU HAVE CHOSEN THIS TASK. IF YOU DO IN FACT NEED TO CONNECT WITH ANOTHER BECAUSE YOU HAVE MADE SUCH AN AGREEMENT, YOU MOST CERTAINLY WILL — WE CAN GUARANTEE THAT. BUT YES, THE MAGNET CAN BE REVERSED, CAUSING THE DESIRED REPULSION. KNOWING YOUR OWN OVERLEAVES WILL START YOU TOWARD MORE UNDERSTANDING OF YOURSELF. THE ABILITY TO SPOT THE OVERLEAVES IN THOSE WHO COME TO YOU WILL FORCE YOU TO LOOK AT THEM IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT. YOU CAN COME EVENTUALLY TO KNOWLEDGE OF JUST WHO MIGHT BENEFIT FROM THIS KNOWLEDGE, AND WHO WILL NOT. FOR INSTANCE, SOME OF THESE “DREGS” ARE IN THE CYCLE WHERE THEY COULD BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THEIR OWN DESTRUCTIVE OVERLEAVES AND CHOOSE TO CHANGE THEM. BUT AT THE PRESENT TIME YOU DO NOT KNOW THE REASON WHY THEY HAVE BECOME DREGS, AND THEREFORE YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY HELP THEM TO LOOK AT IT THEMSELVES, EXCEPT ON A MOST HAPHAZARD BASIS. IF YOU WISH TO DO THIS, WE WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU START HERE. OF COURSE, YOU CAN USE THE NEGATIVE POLE OF ALL CENTERS TO ACCOMPLISH THE REVERSE OF THAT WHICH CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED BY UTILIZING THE POSITIVE POLE. THE INTELLECTUAL PART OF EMOTIONAL CENTER HAPPENS TO BE THE ONE WHICH ATTRACTS STUDENTS TO A SCHOOL. THE REVERSE CAN BE TRUE USING THE NEGATIVE POLE OF THIS CENTERS’ PART.

What is the SRG on _____: late Mature Slave or Warrior, in Acceptance, Spiritualist, Emotional part of Moving Center, Martial / Mercurial or Jovial, Chief Feature of Martyrdom or maybe Self-deprecation, Mode of Caution or Observation, Intellectual part of Emotional Center?

THERE IS A TREMENDOUS INTERNAL BATTLE BEING WAGED HERE, WHICH IS WHY WE SUGGESTED THAT HE STUDY THE OVERLEAVES CAREFULLY. FOR INSTANCE, THIS ESSENCE DESIRES TO LEAD. THIS PERSONALITY DESIRES TO “HELP” BECAUSE OF THE COMBINATION OF OVERLEAVES HERE. THIS RESULTS IN THE LOVE-HATE, ATTRACTION-REPULSION COMPLEX. YOU WERE NOT FAR OFF THE TRACK IN THE BEGINNING, AND THEN WANDERED FAR AFIELD. THIS IS A FIRST LEVEL OLD WARRIOR IN ACCEPTANCE, WITH A STRONG CHIEF FEATURE OF MARTYRDOM, BUT YES, WITH MUCH SELF-DEPRECATION, A SPIRITUALIST IN THE CAUTION MODE, YES, MOSTLY MARS, BUT WITH SOME JOVIAL MODIFICATION, IN THE EMOTIONAL PART OF MOVING CENTER.

WHENEVER THERE IS THIS STRONG AN ELEMENT OF REPULSION TOWARDS ONE’S CHOSEN LIFE TASK, YOU CAN BE CERTAIN THAT THERE ARE MAJOR OVERLEAVES IN CONFLICT, AS IS THE CASE HERE. ONCE THE SOUL IS LIBERATED TO THE POINT WHERE IT CAN GRATIFY CERTAIN OF ITS BASIC NEEDS, SUCH AS THE ARTISAN’S NEED TO CREATE, THEN THIS CONFLICT BEGINS TO RESOLVE; BUT UNTIL THEN IT MUST REMAIN ON THE PLANE WHERE W.D.’S ATTITUDE LIES. UNTIL THE ESSENCE, OR SOUL, IF YOU WILL, IS FREE ENOUGH TO HAVE THIS LEAD, THE PERSONALITY HAS THE UPPER HAND, AND DIRECTS BLINDLY FROM THE OVERLEAVES — AND IT IS TRULY A TRAP, NO WAY AROUND IT; THE VICTIM IS HELD FAST IN THE STEEL JAWS OF HIS OVERLEAVES. THIS MAN MAY NOW DEVELOP SOME INSIGHTS INTO HIS ENTRAPMENT. AT LEAST WE KNOW HE WILL BEGIN TO PHOTOGRAPH HIMSELF AS THE VICTIM FROM NOW ON, AND IN HIS CASE THIS WOULD BE POSITIVE WORK, FOR THEN HE CAN BEGIN TO SEE WAYS OF NOT BEING THE VICTIM IF HE WISHES. HE HAS TREMENDOUS DRIVES TOWARD LEADERSHIP. JUST PHOTOGRAPH HIS USE OF THE WORD “BOSS” IN LINE WITH THE TERMINOLOGY HE HAS DEVELOPED. THIS IS A DEAD GIVEAWAY TO HIS SPACE.

Much discussion ensued about “boss”, “partner”, “servant”; our perception of it and how _____ sees it. Other similar triads were brought to mind — parent, sibling, child, etc.

ALL OF THESE “TRIADS” ARE OF COURSE VALID IN DESCRIBING THE VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF INTERACTIONS OF THE PERSONALITY, BUT YOU MUST NOT OVERLOOK THE FACT THAT THERE IS AN OVER TRUTH THAT SUPERSEDES ALL OF THESE. THAT IS THE TRUTH OF THE ESSENCE, OR TRUTH AS THE LIBERATED ESSENCE PERCEIVES IT, WHICH IS FAR LESS COMPLEX THAN ANY TRUTH THAT IS PERCEIVED BY THE ENTRAPPED ESSENCE, AND THE KEY IS IN THE SIMPLICITY WITH WHICH THE TRUTH IS PERCEIVED. THE MORE VERBIAGE NEEDED TO EXPLAIN A TRUTH, THE MORE DEEPLY ENTRAPPED THAT TRUTH HAS TO BE. MANY FINE-SOUNDING PSYCHOLOGICAL WORDS HAVING FIVE OR MORE SYLLABLES HAVE BEEN COINED TO DESCRIBE OBNOXIOUS BEHAVIOR STEMMING FROM HARSH OVERLEAVES. THESE ARE ALL TRUE OF COURSE, AND THEY ALL SAY THE SAME THING TO ONE FROM THIS [mid causal] VANTAGE POINT. THEY ARE THE ENTRAPPED ESSENCE WORKING OVERTIME TO PRODUCE A TRUTH.

_____ commented and asked about the relationship between trapped Essence and personality.

THE PERSONALITY DOES NOT EVEN PERCEIVE THAT MUCH OF THE TRUTH. THE PERSONALITY DOES NOT LOOK AT TRUTH, ONLY AT THE NEEDS OF ITS SYSTEMS FOR PERPETUATION — AND EVEN THESE ARE QUITE OFTEN FALSE: JUST LOOK AT THE OBESE PERSON’S “NEED” FOR FOOD.

We asked for a comment about the “third force” of which Gurdjieff spoke; the need of this [third force] to go [progress] from personality to Essence.

WE HAVE SPOKEN MANY TIMES OF THE NEUTRAL UNIVERSAL FLOW. THIS IS WHAT THEY TRY TO PUT INTO WORDS AS THE FORCE ACTING UPON YOU. YES, THIS DOES EXIST, AND YES, DOES HAVE THE INFLUENCE THAT THE STUDENT IS TRYING TO EXPLAIN. WHEN THE FULCRUM TIPS TOO WIDELY TO ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER THOUGH, THE NEUTRAL FORCE HAS NO EFFECT ON THE ACTION. ONLY WHEN THE MIDDLE GROUND IS REACHED, OR AT LEAST APPROACHED, CAN THIS [force] BE EFFECTIVE. THIS IS WHY IT IS SO DIFFICULT FOR STUDENTS TO PUT [it] INTO WORDS. IT IS ILLUSIVELY [elusively?] FELT BY ALL BUT THE MOST POWERFUL ADEPTS. IT IS ALMOST NEVER RECOGNIZED BY THE OTHERS WHO COME INTO ITS RANGE UNAWARE. IN OTHER WORDS, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE BENEFITED, THEY DO NOT KNOW WHY. THEY ONLY FEEL THE NEUTRALIZING EFFECT, BUT CANNOT DESCRIBE THE FEELING.

Discussion was held about the speed of light — eternity — and Gurdjieff’s concept of eternal recurrence.

ONLY THAT LIGHT EXISTS ONLY ON THE PHYSICAL PLANE IN THE FORM THAT YOU NOW PERCEIVE IT, AND BEHAVES IN A FINITE WAY ONLY BECAUSE YOUR INSTRUMENTS OF PERCEPTION HAVE FINITE LIMITATIONS. FROM THIS [causal plane] VANTAGE POINT, THERE IS NO CONCEIVABLE END TO THIS ETERNAL CYCLE, AND NOTHING THAT WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT [by those on planes above us?] DIFFERS WITH THIS. IF THE YARDSTICK IS FINITE THEN WHAT IT MEASURES MUST BY DEFINITION BE ALSO FINITE. IF YOU ARE TO ACCEPT THE CONCEPT OF ETERNITY, THEN YOU MUST ALSO ACCEPT THE CONCEPT OF INFINITY, FOR THEY ARE SYNONYMOUS — YOU CANNOT HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER. IF IT STRETCHES OUT IN TIME IT MUST CORRESPONDINGLY STRETCH OUT IN SPACE, FOR THERE IS NO ESSENTIAL DIFFERENCE. IN FACT, OF THE TWO, TIME IS THE MORE STABLE, MORE STATIONARY.

Are all things really physical, even on the astral, causal, and mental plane, etcetera, as stated by Gurdjieff?

WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK AND TERMINOLOGY IN THIS GROUP WE WOULD NOT HAVE USED THAT WORD, BUT OF COURSE, ALL THINGS, INCLUDING THE CAUSAL PLANE HAVE SUBSTANCE OF A SORT. THE SUBSTANCE WHICH MAKES UP THE CAUSAL PLANE HAS A SENSE OF BEING VERY DURABLE AND REAL TO THOSE INHABITING IT. THIS IS WHAT IS MEANT BY MOST WHEN THEY USE THE WORD “PHYSICAL” IN DESCRIBING A THING, WHATEVER THAT MIGHT BE — A TABLE, A CHAIR, A THOUGHT. OF COURSE, WHAT IS SUBSTANCE TO US WOULD NOT SEEM AT ALL SUBSTANTIAL TO YOU IN TERMS OF HARDNESS OR REALNESS, AND COINING “HIGHER HYDROGENS” [Gurdjieff term] TO DESCRIBE THIS DIFFERENCE IS AS VALID AS ANY OTHER TERMINOLOGY WE KNOW OF. FOR INSTANCE, INTERSTELLAR SPACE APPEARS TO MANY AS AN EMPTY VACUUM, BUT OF COURSE IT IS NOT. IT IS QUITE SUBSTANTIAL IN A DIFFERENT SENSE FROM, SAY, THE ATMOSPHERE SURROUNDING THE PLANET JUPITER. THE DENSITY OF AN OBJECT, IN OTHER WORDS, DETERMINES ITS PHYSICALNESS TO MOST ON THE PHYSICAL PLANE. THE MAN GEORGES [Gurdjieff] TRIED TO SHOW HIS STUDENTS THAT THIS IS NOT THE ONLY CRITERION FOR DETERMINING PHYSICALNESS, OR BETTER, SUBSTANTIAL REALNESS. WE WOULD PREFER THE WORD “SUBSTANTIAL” TO THE WORD ”PHYSICAL”.