In the Gurdjieff Work, it becomes apparent that relationships are at the heart of the matter. We need one another to get to know ourselves. But what makes relationships possible? Returning to Ouspensky’s In Search of the Miraculous, where I was first introduced to the Gurdjieff teaching, I am reminded of the importance of studying and observing the Law of Three and the Law of Seven for understanding relationships of all kinds.
According to the Law of Three, “... every action, every phenomenon in all worlds, without exception, is a result of a simultaneous action of three forces – the positive, the negative, and the neutralizing.”[1] How to understand this law in my life, particularly the neutralizing or reconciling force?
We need one another to get to know ourselves.
In order to conceptualize the Law of Seven, also known as the Law of Octaves, "...(I)t is necessary to regard the universe as consisting of vibrations.”[2] Due to periodic changes in the rates of vibrations, deviations occur in the development of an original impulse. However, when a “shock” is applied at such “intervals,” the process can maintain its course and achieve its aim.
These two cosmic laws are guides for self-study, inner development, and the world of relationships. This knowledge -- concerning self-study in the context of the whole of life -- has been transmitted to us from the distant past. How did the ancients know what they knew? From where does knowledge arise?
More and more, it becomes important not only to read great and challenging books, but equally, to look within oneself. In Beelzebub’s Tales, Gurdjieff lets us know at the outset that his words are intended to pass from our ordinary consciousness to the subconscious, which he considers to be our real consciousness.
Gurdjieff then goes on to recount a childhood experience at the bedside of his dying grandmother, when she whispers to him, “Eldest of my grandsons! Listen and always remember my strict injunction to you: In life, never do as others do.”[3] Was this a message to the subconscious mind? Did the young Gurdjieff receive his grandmother’s wish as a calling?
In what ways can our everyday waking consciousness become more permeable to intimations from the subconscious. Perhaps, we come closer when welcoming the unknown and living with a sense of wonder. In this regard, two memories from childhood come to mind. One, I was looking out my bedroom window at the evening sky and wondering what was beyond the sky. The more I wondered, the more insistent the silent answer became. Not being used to long thoughts or cosmic reflections, I began to feel a mild pressure in my head and finally had to let it go. It would take many years before a guide to my question would appear in the idea of Gurdjieff’s Ray of Creation.
“Eldest of my grandsons! Listen and always remember my strict injunction to you: In life, never do as others do.”
The other memory took place in the back yard where I was looking again up to the sky. But this time, I was yearning to see the Holy Ghost. I felt I understood the Father and the Son, but the Holy Ghost was a mystery. I was told by a religion instructor that it was an all-white bird – "Even the eyes?” I asked, and was told, “Yes, even the eyes.” Of course, I did not see the all-white bird that day, but it did turn out to be a valuable experience. I truly felt that if I sincerely wished for something, it could happen. Eventually, the Holy Ghost or Holy Reconciling, did appear in the teaching of the Law of Three forces.
Gurdjieff tells Ouspensky that the third force is not easily observed, “But by studying himself, the manifestations of his thought, consciousness, and activity – his habits, his desires, and so on – man may learn to observe and to see in himself the action of all three forces.” Regarding the Law of Octaves, ”You must understand and feel this law in yourselves,” he said. “Only then will you see it outside yourself.” He added, “The study of inner octaves, the study of their relation to outer octaves, and the possible influence of the former upon the latter, constitute a very important part of the study of the world and of man.”[4]
Is Gurdjieff’s grandmother’s dying wish a call to become who we are, to be all that we are meant to be? This is what no one can do for us, but others are absolutely necessary for its fulfillment.
One Saturday workday at our house of work in Cambridge, after a morning sitting and breakfast together, and before we set out to our various teams and projects, we were given a task: to be real; to be who we are. Two of us were prepping a wall in one of the workshop spaces so that eventually it could be painted. How would I approach this inner task? I became a question to myself and wondered who in me would feel summoned to appear? I realized by the end of the morning that in focusing on the practical work at hand – doing nothing more and nothing less – I was being myself. I knew this by inner taste, and I felt supported by the person I was working with who seemed to have been in a similar space. There was a feeling of being attuned with the activity, myself, and the person I was working with.
When in opposition to another -- when feeling self-righteous -- it is easy to overlook my ego identifications. But my ego identifications are exactly what I need to observe.
In other circumstances, when mis-attunements happen in work relationships and friction appears, it is useful to observe how I am and how we are. For example, I found myself increasingly irked by the way a particular person spoke to me periodically. My attempts to respond in different ways had no effect. Nothing changed. Over time, something shifted in my relationship to this problem. It no longer produced a reaction in me, and I can’t say exactly why. Was it worked out on a subconscious level? When in opposition to another -- when feeling self-righteous -- it is easy to overlook my ego identifications. But my ego identifications are exactly what I need to observe. In these moments, it can help to remember the importance of the Third Force.
One of the aphorisms above the walls of the Study House at the Prieure:
“Remember you come here having already understood the necessity of struggling with yourself – only with yourself. Therefore, thank everyone who gives you the opportunity.”
[1] Ouspensky. In Search of the Miraculous, 122.
[2] Ouspensky, 122
[3] Gurdjieff, All and Everything: Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, 27.
[4] Ouspensky, 77, 135, 135.