The Astral Body and its Qualities

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE VIRTUOUS QUALITIES 

“G. told me of his work in Moscow. I did not fully understand him. It transpired from what he said that in his work, which was chiefly psychological in character, chemistry played a big part.”

— Ouspensky, In Search of the Miraculous 

 “We pitiable creatures do not think, Of the Lord who dwells within with sixteen Kalas* (i.e. virtues), 

Then we wonder why we enter the mother’s womb, And later pass away again and again.”

— Tirumantiram, verse 185

* [The 16 Kalas are: 1. Mercy 2. Gentleness 3. Patience 4. Dispassion 5. Constancy 6. Spiritual Prosperity 7. Cheerfulness 8. Rapture 9. Sense of Propriety 10. Meditation 11. Quietude 12. Gravity of Demeanor 13. Effort 14. Emotionlessness 15. Magnanimity 16. Concentration]

I’ve talked about how the astral body is formed from the hydrogens arising out of breath (or, the breath octave), and the mental body is formed from the hydrogens arising out of impressions (the impressions octave). However, hydrogens alone do not provide for the longevity of the higher bodies; nor do hydrogens alone provide the bodies with their appropriate placement within scale, as represented by the Ray of Creation. The astral body, for example, corresponds to the level of All Planets on the Ray. As far as Being goes, the level of All Planets would represent pure, developed Essence, rather than the Personality of the physical body (at the level of the Earth) — as Nicoll says. The astral body, which is primarily an emotional vehicle, is the paragon of developed Being; the fully formed kesdjan body exhibiting the aspects of sainthood.

The astral body and its emotions, or virtues, is at the level of All Planets, on the Ray of Creation. The physical body, along with its Personality and its own emotions, is at the level of the Earth. Gurdjieff says Man is not born with the completed higher bodies.

So, in other words, the second body must have within its Essence the nature of All Planets, or the nature of sainthood. Simply attempting to create second body from the hydrogens of the breath octave would not imbue the kesdjan body with that placement of scale. 

The physical body, which we all have, has the potential to do great good or great evil. There is nothing within us which guarantees we produce either a good or a bad action. Each of us was born into a specific lineage and environment that automatically determines the level of Being we have. Some say (as the Buddhists do) that our previous actions have determined our circumstances; with this life’s actions determining our future circumstances, for better or worse. Nothing is set in stone. We move continuously up and down the scale of Being (or samsara) throughout all our lives. 

According to the Buddhists, our moods and thoughts are temporary; all our lives are a series of ups and downs.

This essentially is also the Gurdjieff belief system. Man is not a permanent entity; he is purely a physical body, his actions a response to outward stimuli. The idea behind crystallizing a kesdjan body is that man should produce something psychological within himself which has a higher, fixed structure, which can overcome the physical body’s unconscious tendencies, and which can even survive the death of the physical body. The astral body, along with its three formed centers, is relatively permanent, and its actions (that of Love and Compassion, etc) resonate or echo within the realm of the solar system, lasting essentially forever.

That internal psychological structure — the “psychological body” or kesdjan body — must be formed from the Essence of All Planets. And the Essence of All Planets is infused with the positive qualities derived from the direct emanation of the Absolute. It is these qualities — Faith, Hope, and Love, etc — which resonate at the level of All Planets, and which have the durability to last as long as the solar system exists. 

"The seven worlds of the ray of creation represent seven orders of materiality. The materiality of the moon is different from the materiality of the earth; the materiality of the earth is different from the materiality of the planetary world; the materiality of the planetary world is different from the materiality of the sun, and so on. 

"Thus instead of one concept of matter we have seven kinds of matter, but our ordinary conception of materiality only with difficulty embraces the materiality of worlds 96 (Moon) and 48 (Earth). The matter of world 24 (All Planets) is much too rarefied to be regarded as matter from the scientific point of view of our physics and chemistry; such matter is practically hypothetical. The still finer matter of world 12 (Sun) has, for ordinary investigation, no characteristics of materiality at all.”

— Gurdjieff In Search of the Miraculous, Chapter 5

As I said, all of us have the potential with our physical body to do good. But a good deed, done by us, as physical, unconscious men, will only temporarily affect our state of Being. Good deeds done by physical beings are not the same as good deeds done by saints, or by those deeds produced by the kesdjan body. Physical emotions proceed from a more external place, than that of spiritual emotions. As physical beings, we cycle up and down the scale of Being. If we do a good deed, its effect on ourselves is only temporary, lasting just seconds. Everything within us is constantly in flux, there is nothing permanent within us which is either lasting or which can be improved upon. 

The Gurdjieffian ideal is to have something virtuous and permanent within us that can “Will” a good deed; with that good deed creating a lasting mark upon ourselves and the World. We need a vehicle (a second body) upon a higher level which has a definite structure and which can climb the scale of Being. We need a psychological body structure which can reliably exhibit positive qualities (such as loving kindness) towards others, and with which we can ascend the “side ladder to the Sun”, as Gurdjieff says.

THE SPIRITUAL BASIS OF THE SECOND BODY 

“The very life of man is his love; and such as the love is such is the life, and even such is the whole man. But this is to be understood only of the ruling or governing love; for it is this that determines the quality of the man. This love has many others subordinate to it, which are its derivatives.”

— Swedenborg, True Christian Religion:  n. 399

I had a Tibetan guru who used to say, “Motivation is very important.” And, in the search for immortality, certainly motivation — or one’s reason for living, for doing things  — is also very important. The physical body by itself is evolved to acquire food and shelter. It is simply designed to procure its needs for survival. But the motivation of the second body, it’s reason for existing, must reflect a higher level of Being. As Swedenborg says in the above quote, we are defined by what we love most in life. We need to nurture very high ideals, which serve as the basis of an immortal higher body. In forming the astral body, one must have a very definite, clear vision of what is one’s central motivation, what is one’s main love. The motivation at the center of astral body formation not only influences the quality of that body, but is the very fetus from which the kesdjan body grows. That one main “love”, or ideal, is the seed from which grow the three main centers of second body, and around those which the entire second body itself is formed.

The organs, muscles, and skeleton of the physical body are designed to hunt and forage for food. The organs of the kesdjan body are its centers, which give it the power to feel emotions and to think thoughts. The physical body is meant for survival; but the kesdjan body must be meant for a spiritual purpose. 

THE PHYSICAL BASIS OF THE SECOND BODY 

" 'Hanbledzoin' is nothing else than the 'blood' of the 'kesdjan body' of the being, and just as the sum total of cosmic substances called 'blood' serves for the nourishment and renewal of the planetary body of the being, so in the same way 'hanbledzoin' serves for nourishing and perfecting the kesdjan body.

…

“ 'being-hanbledzoin’ is that which contemporary civilization calls ‘animal magnetism’”

— Gurdjieff, Beelzebub’s Tales Hypnotism

"'Hydrogen' 96 … is the matter of animal magnetism”

— Gurdjieff, In Search of the Miraculous, Chapter 9

However, there is a physical structure undergirding the formation of the second body too. The second body evolves from a part of us that we rarely use: the middle parts of our centers. The middle parts of our centers are closely tied to the breath; are in fact fueled by the energies transmuted in us from the breath. These middle parts of our centers are not used much by us, partly, because to function, they require an extra energy besides the breath — a “shock” — which we don’t naturally produce. The energy or shock which comes from intentional Self-Remembering.

 

These three yellow circles represent the astral centers which evolve out of the physical body’s middle divisions of centers. 

They also portray the energies which fuel the astral centers: the lower emotional (re 96), the intellectual (mi 48), and the upper emotional (fa 24) centers. The body of the kesdjan itself is then formed around these three centers, when their energies are fused with spiritual qualities, as described below.

The breath fuels the middle parts of our centers. Self-Remembering (at do 48) allows the middle part of the intellectual center (using energy mi 48) and middle part of the emotional center (using energy fa 24) to gain energy. 

These three astral centers also serve in developing the three stories of the kesdjan body; the lower, middle, and top stories.

(Please refer to figure 57, page 319, of In Search of the Miraculous — Gurdjieff’s diagram regarding the four bodies and their energies.)

Not only must the middle parts of our centers be developed, but they must be developed into full-fledged centers in their own right. The middle parts of the intellectual and emotional centers must be formed into actual, independent centers — the centers of the second body. So the middle division of the intellectual center, working with mi 48, and the middle division of the emotional center, working with fa 24, must be developed into viable centers. Even the energies of re 96 (so-called “animal magnetism” — also called, “astral light”) must be used to form a center, the center of the second body’s lower story. When these middle parts of centers have been intentionally self-evolved into real centers, then the second body can grow upon that initial skeletal structure.

This is Nicoll’s diagram showing the three main divisions of the physical body’s emotional center. The middle division, in red, evolves into an independent center of its own — the astral body’s emotional center. The astral body itself grows out of  the middle divisions of the centers, once they’re evolved.

Notice that the emotions proper to this division are: religious emotions, aesthetic emotions, and moral emotions, as well as conscience.

This middle division works with the hydrogen fa 24, a breath-octave energy (see Food Transformation Chart, above).

“Now La 24 alone cannot awaken the whole Emotional Centre. It supplies the self-love division. But the three substances 24 supply the Emotional Centre in all its three main divisions. That is, while La 24 supplies the outer division, Fa 24 supplies the middle and Re 24 the inner. Now if you take three men, they are the same in so far as they are men, but their potentialities may be different.”

— Nicoll, Commentaries p. 1648

THE KESDJAN BODY’S ETHICAL FOUNDATION

"The second way is the way of the monk. This is the way of faith, the way of religious feeling, religious sacrifice. Only a man with very strong religious emotions and a very strong religious imagination can become a 'monk' in the true sense of the word. The way of the monk also is very long and hard. A monk spends years and tens of years struggling with himself, but all his work is concentrated on the second room, on the second body, that is, on feelings. Subjecting all his other emotions to one emotion, that is, to faith, he develops unity in himself, will over the emotions, and in this way reaches the fourth room (the room bestowing immortality.)”

— Gurdjieff, In Search of the Miraculous Chapter 2

It is not fashionable these days to refer to religions as valid systems of spiritual development. There are perhaps some good reasons for that, although dismissing religions, along with the people who follow them, as somehow corrupt or ineffective or ignorant is itself probably an uninformed generalization. Not to mention leaning towards arrogance.

Aside from the overall level of Being of modern man, religions are basically systems of spiritual development; however they are systems which need to be comprehended, interpreted, and practiced individually. If one wants to try out a hypothesis, say, that God does — or doesn’t — exist, one should really ideally try out both sides of the question in one’s mental/emotional/physical life. But try both sides out sincerely and thoroughly, observing oneself, one’s development, and the outcome in one’s mental/emotional/physical life. In other words, one has to definitely ascribe to a side of the question for a while, and then ascribe to the other side, equally as thoroughly, for a while. Gurdjieff’s system can be followed without referring to a religion. But, in my opinion, being a Gurdjieffian without having any approach to ethics produces what Gurdjieff calls a “weak Yogi”, if even that.

One of the first things the fourth way system says to do, is to “refrain from expressing unpleasant emotions.” This is of course a way of purifying, training, and repolarizing the emotional center. There is sometimes a debate in the Work, whether the same idea could be equally expressed: that one should refrain from having negative emotions. Both formulas are expressed somehow in Fragments, I believe. However, I think the first formulation — to refrain from expressing unpleasant emotions — is a way of presenting the practice to a beginner. Not expressing negativity outwardly is a simple method of gaining control over one’s emotional life, a way of starting. Actually dealing directly with negative emotions internally, their inception, their antidotes, and even their roots, is perhaps a more advanced approach to emotions.

The characteristic of most religions, as well as the kesdjan body in particular, is that they both harbor a distinct set or system of ethical formulations. And most religions, and the kesdjan body too, have one fundamental ethical quality which serves as the central focal point of that system. In forming the ethical nature of the astral body, I think it wise for one to personally pick a particular religion with which one has an affinity. Each religious system has its own system of ethics. Then one divines that religion’s central ethical formulation, to use to create the seed for the second body’s centers. Simply vaguely saying, “I choose to act ethical or moral” is not a strong way to make a definite foundation for second body. The ethics of each religious system have a definite character, and work together as a system. The kesdjan body, when built upon the ethical basis of a religious system, will eventually reflect the character of those same ethical qualities, when fully crystallized.

ETHICAL SYSTEMS 

“The emanation of the Most Most Holy Sun Absolute Itself they called 'Theomertmalogos,' or 'Word-God.'”

“…crystallizations received directly from the sacred Theomertmalogos, within the limits of the solar system where the being has arisen and existed, can never decompose…”

— Gurdjieff, Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grandson 

The collection or list of ethics in a religion is not hard to discern. They are usually repeated often together to encourage memorizing. The single, central ethical principle underlying a religion is, however, a little more complicated to discover, and might take study.

Christianity has the oft-repeated seven virtues:

SEVEN VIRTUES (Catholic) — WIKIPEDIA

-- 4 Cardinal Virtues:

1. Prudence 2. ‎Justice 3. ‎Temperance 4. ‎Courage

-- 3 Theological Virtues

1. Faith 2. ‎Hope 3. ‎Charity 

Then, there are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT — WIKIPEDIA 

1. Wisdom 2. Knowledge 3. Counsel 4. Fortitude 5. Understanding 6. Piety 7. Fear of the Lord

The central virtue or moral trait in Christianity would be Love: Love of God and Love of neighbor. If I were to base the creation of the kesdjan body on a Christian quality, I would choose this Love, in creating the emotional center of the astral body.

Buddhism has the list of the Six Perfections, along with the Four Abodes of Brahma:

BUDDHISM : THE SIX (or TEN) PERFECTIONS — WIKIPEDIA

1. Generosity, Giving of Oneself 2. Virtue, Morality, Proper Conduct 3. Renunciation 4. Transcendental Wisdom, Insight 5. Energy, Diligence, Vigour, Effort 6. Patience, Tolorence, Forbearance, Acceptance, Endurance 7. Truthfulness, Honesty 8. Determination, Resolution 9. Good Will, Friendliness, Loving-kindness 10. Equanimity, Serenity

BRAHMAVIHARAS (SUBLIME ATTITUDES, lit. "ABODES OF BRAHMA") also called, "The Four Immeasurables" — WIKIPEDIA

1. Loving-kindness or benevolence 2. Compassion 3. Empathetic Joy 4. Equanimity

As far as I can gather, the central ethical aspect of Buddhism would be Compassion, although Loving Kindness is also important and central to Buddhism. If I were deciding upon Buddhist ethics as a foundation for creating the kesdjan body, I would probably choose to use the quality of Compassion in forming the kesdjan emotional center.

Yoga or Hinduism has the ethical precepts which can be found in the Yoga Sutras. I am running low on time and energy, so I won’t list them here. But the central take-away I get from study of the Yoga ethics is non-harming. Non-harming or harmlessness is a somewhat difficult quality to acquire, especially in my own experience. In America, that quality is not something that is overtly encouraged in society. Being a law-abiding citizen outwardly is encouraged, but adopting the personal aspect of ahimsa is not rewarded too much.

I know there are other great religions which embody ethical principles, but I know less about them. Although I do admire many of the followers of them!

A SYSTEM FOR CREATING THE ASTRAL BODY 

“Whoever knows these two together: The unmanifest and the perishable, Will cross death by the perishable And attain immortality through the unmanifest.”

— Atha Īśopanisat

I would like to outline now my theory of birthing the kesdjan body, from a combination of the energies of the middle divisions of the centers along with the higher ethical qualities. My theory of second body formation has a certain technical nature to it, that, I hope, allows for a clear communication of its steps and techniques, using the ideas and vocabulary of the Work.

There are only a few main concepts and techniques in my theory of second body creation:

1. To develop, in one’s daily sitting, the capacity to sense and identify the various hydrogens within the body, including the hydrogens of a mental or emotional nature (e.g. h 48, h 24).

     A. The technique used is to sense with each breath — while meditating — the higher hydrogens which reside within the breath itself: within the lungs, or within the chest or back area or within the head. The higher substances are produced with each breath; the challenge is to sense them.

        a. The location of each hydrogen is determined by its placement on the Food Transformation Chart (e.g. fa 24 is located in the chest or back area, but on the astral level.)

      b. Refer to chart, figure 39, above: (Re 96 manifests in the chest area, is “astral light”, and is used to create the astral lower emotional center. Mi 48 manifests in the head, is energy of astral thought, and is used to create the astral intellectual center. Fa 24 manifests in the chest or back, is energy of astral emotions, and is used to create upper astral emotional center.)

2. To have the ability to differentiate between hydrogens along the breath octave from those along the edible food octave (for instance, re 96 — or “astral light” along the breath octave, vs. fa 96 — or “animal magnetism” along the food octave).

3. To channel or manifest higher emotions, such as Gurdjieff ’s Faith, Hope, and Love. 

4. The practice of developing second body starts with the formation of three astral centers; one ‘bottom story’ center in the chest (using re 96), one ‘middle story’ center for thinking in the head (mi 48), and a ‘top story’ emotional center again in the chest or middle part of the body (fa 24). The initial formation of astral body goes:

     A. A specific hydrogen in the body is selected and identified along the breath octave (e.g. re 96 — an energy called animal magnetism or “astral light”), as it is produced by the breath.

     B. Next, a single quality is generated from Higher Emotional Center (e.g. “Loving Kindness”) and then, through the power of Attention, it is concentrated within the same area of the selected hydrogen.

     C. Finally, the two components — the selected hydrogen “atom” as well as the higher quality (in the examples, re 96 and “Loving Kindness”) — are fused together through a type of spiritual activity of the physical heart center: either an emanation of love, or an emanation of awareness.

     D. Either one of these emanations from the heart are focused, again by the power of the Attention, directly onto and into the aforementioned two components. This process, in my subjective experience, “seals” or fuses the two types of “matters”, one material and one Spiritual, together. The two “matters” are thus made stable together in the body.

         a. This process initiates the creation of the three astral centers.

As Swedenborg says in the quote above, we are essentially ruled by one primary love or desire. That one main emotion also has other subsidiary emotions which are connected to it. So, when initiating the process outlined above to make the second body, one should start by working with the main ethical principle of the system one has chosen. For Christian ethics, that would be love of God and neighbor. For Buddhist ethics, that would be compassion. And the same for other spiritual systems of ethics: choose the main central ethical principle. The idea is to have a center of gravity, or center of reference within oneself, around which the other system’s qualities can gather. The other ethical qualities of that same system then fit logically and neatly along with that foundation. It is similar to building a house: you start with a foundation, a foundation of perhaps love, or compassion, or harmlessness. Then the other qualities (such as the six perfections in Buddhism) fit perfectly over that initial foundation (such as, compassion).

It’s important to keep in mind that the ethical qualities are wedded to the energies of the breath. The breath octave energies — particularly re 96 (astral light) — are focal points for the building of the astral body. On the other hand, once the second body has been initially formed, the higher qualities of that body can be a center of focus themselves, or points of Attention in sensing the higher body.

As well, in generating the spiritual qualities, those qualities should have a substantial feel to them, having an actual material nature to them. They should have a physical feeling, within one’s body; and should possess a definite physical location — a definite placement within the selected hydrogens with which one is pairing them.

“In reality only self-initiation, self­ presentation exist. Systems and schools can indicate methods and ways, but no system or school whatever can do for a man the work that he must do himself. Inner growth, a change of being, depend entirely upon the work which a man must do on himself.”

— Gurdjieff, In Search of the Miraculous Chapter 15

"The fourth way is sometimes called the way of the sly man. The 'sly man' knows some secret which the fakir, monk, and yogi do not know. How the 'sly man' learned this secret—it is not known. Perhaps he found it in some old books, perhaps he inherited it, perhaps he bought it, perhaps he stole it from someone. It makes no difference. The 'sly man' knows the secret and with its help outstrips the fakir, the monk, and the yogi.”

— Gurdjieff, In Search Chapter 2

BREATH AND POWER, COMBINED IN MANTRA

Mantra is traditionally an Eastern function of religion, perhaps of either Hinduism or Buddhism. And the use of mantra within religion is closely tied to the Guru, who imparts the mantra to the disciple. Traditionally, the disciple is “empowered” to repeat the particular mantra. The Vedas, the earliest Hindu scriptures, were the first mantras. One doesn’t, in my opinion, need a guru or an empowerment to intone a Vedic scripture. Nor, I don’t believe, does one need permission to repeat a religious mantra, if one is sincere. However, there is little doubt in my mind that a Guru’s help makes all the difference in the world, for real fulfillment in so-called mantra yoga. It is like the difference between doing something as an amateur and doing something as a professional.

In studying the science of mantra, I recommend the books by Dr. David Frawley. He writes about everything from ayurveda to yoga to the mind to the spiritual science of tantra. He speaks of mantra having both the aspects of breath (which includes “prana”) and meaning (which might be an aspect of mind).

There is a connection of the astral body with breath, as you know. And at some point, after the second body has been initiated, it is possible to “feed” the kesdjan body through the breath and meaning of mantra. Or as Gurdjieff says, to coat the kesdjan body. The idea is to focus one’s attention on the second body, while directing the element of air into that body while repeating mantra. I recommend carrying out an actual “sadhana” with mantras, for the purpose of imparting a spiritual quality to one’s astral body, for example, the quality of love or compassion.

The Tibetan deity of compassion is Chenrezi, and the two prayer services in the following links are permissible for anyone to perform. The services consist of several main parts: a lineage prayer (so there’s a connection with previous gurus), a refuge prayer (for connection with the Buddha), an aspiration to Bodhichitta, mantra repetition, meditation, and dedication of merit (for proper motivation of the prayer).

If one wanted to simply repeat a mantra one had picked up, that would be fine. But as I have said, it is the higher quality or feeling that goes with the material form that makes something spiritual and effectively eternal.

Here is a link to the Chenrezi prayer services:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iECIiWG86HAV_vwiGbMKrdkNhQr5TN4f?usp=sharing

The “deity” or bodhisattva of Chenrezi becomes over time the astral form of the practitioner. The vajrayana Buddhists believe that the higher bodies are a result of the accumulation of merit and wisdom. My theory of kesdjan body formation entails the gathering of the spiritual qualities as a means of accumulating merit. The third body — the mental body — is a result of the gathering of wisdom.

THE PURUSHA (BODY) OF SOUND

There is one other possible application of breath I know of, in making the kesdjan body. That is the purusha of sound, as described by David Frawley in his two books, Yoga and Ayurveda, and Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound: Secrets of Seed (Bija) Mantras.

The purusha of sound is a method of taking all the syllables of the Sanskrit alphabet and intoning each one in correspondence to a specific part of one’s body. The result, in my experience, is a transformation of the body’s pranic sheath into a legitimate outer part of the astral body. In other words, the physical body itself ends up connected in a higher, and more etheric way, to the kesdjan body. The East Indian tradition says that the senses along with the power of movement depart with the astral form at death. Creating the body of sound is a good first step in giving the kesdjan body the powers of sensation and movement.

Self-Remembering: 3. The Structure of the Mind

“…If you remain at the level of the sensual mind you will not be able to develop the Third State of Consciousness because when you try to remember yourself, you will think of your body as being yourself. The literal sensual person regards his visible body only as real. What he cannot see and touch cannot be real. There is no evidence, he will say. So, believing himself to be his body, when he attempts to remember himself he will, knowingly or unknowingly, remember his body. This keeps him on the level of the sensual mind in the external divisions of centres.”

— Nicoll, COM p. 1715 

INNER, MIDDLE & OUTER DIVISIONS OF CENTERS

“God made sense turn outward, man therefore looks outward, not into himself. Now and again a daring soul, desiring immortality, has looked back and found himself.”

— The Katha Upanishad, Yeats tr.

"The first and highest kind of being-Reason is the pure or Objective Reason proper only to the presence of the highest being-body or to the common presence of those three-brained beings in whom this highest part has already arisen and perfected itself, and then only if it has become the 'initiating center of gravity' of the individual functioning of the whole presence of the being. "The second kind of being-Reason, which is named 'okiartaitokhsa,' can appear in the presence of those three-brained beings in whom the second being-body, or kesdjan body, is already completely coated and functions inde pendently. "As regards the third kind of being-Reason, this is nothing but the automatic functioning proceeding in the common presence of all beings in general and also in the presences of all surplanetary formations, thanks to repeated shocks coming from outside, which evoke habitual reactions from data crystallized in them corresponding to previous accidentally perceived impressions.”

— Gurdjieff, Beelzebub’s Tales The Planet Purgatory 

Our Intellectual and Emotional Centers both have three parts: an outer, middle, and inner part. In our daily lives, however, we mostly use only the outer part of the Intellectual and Emotional Centers. 

Intellectually, we primarily use what is known as the Formatory Center; that outer part of our mind that thinks in a material and habitual way. This is the mind that we use for socializing and carrying out our daily tasks, for interacting with the world. It is the outermost part of our mind, and thus not suitable for deep thinking, pondering on aspects of the Work, or making important decisions. It’s also not the best part of our mind to use for Self-Remembering.

The above figure is called “The Food Transformation Chart”, and is found in Ouspensky’s In Search of the Miraculous. It is a representation of the human body, divided into three levels: head, chest, and abdomen. We won’t talk about Food Transformation for now, but just discuss the structure of the mind. We’ll start by looking at the three circles in red, within the top section (representing the human head). These circles designate energies that work with the outer, middle, and inner parts of the Mind, allowing it to  function. “Sol 48” on the right, works with our outer or Formatory Mind. “Mi 48” works with the middle or emotional part of our Mind (or what we usually label the “Mind”). And “Do 48” on the left energizes our inner mind, or Intellect.

In Chapter 9 of In Search, Gurdjieff indicates that it is at the point of Do 48, the point of our Inner Mind, that we need to give an “artificial shock”, through Self-Remembering. It is not a shock generally done through Remembering the body, therefore, but through accessing the innermost part of our Mind, the “Intellect” — which works with Do 48. It is a shock that takes place at the “inner division” of the Intellectual Center, as Nicoll says in the above quote.

There is a slight difficulty with Remembering Ourselves at the Intellect, at the point of Do 48. And that is that the  familiar world outside us, that we interact with, is outside of our senses, and thus external to our “formatory mind”, or that which uses the energy Sol 48. We aren’t used to turning inwards with our minds to the level of the Intellect, operating with the energy Do 48. We can easily see what’s around us — the world and our bodies, but we can’t as easily see what’s within us — in our own minds. So finding that place within us where Do 48 operates is very tricky.

One caveat, however. As the Buddhists say, all things are connected; especially in regards to our minds. So every attempt at Self-Remembering eventually connects with our innermost minds. Every attempt counts, whether it be our Remembering our bodies, or various parts of our minds, or even various parts of our bodies. They all eventually connect with our Intellect, and therefore count as Self-Remembering. It’s just that the effects on our inner psyche won’t be as powerful in Remembering with the more external, material parts of Ourselves.

But if we try to reach that inner part of our mind directly to Self-Remember, the payoffs will be many and great, in both the near term and the far-off future. The long-term practice of looking inward to one’s Mind to Remember Oneself actually serves to organize the internal structure of one’s Mind. Whereas, a more external method of Self-Remembering leaves one’s own Mind untouched and unorganized — an unknown quantity.

THE “ MIND”

“The mind, buddhi, chitt, and ahamkāra are produced from the combined sattva particles of the subtle elements.  

The Inner organ (antahkarana) is called the…

Mind (manas) - when it considers the pros and cons of a subject.  

Intellect (buddhi) - when it comes to a decision.  

Consciousness or Mind-Stuff (chitta) - as it remembers something.

Egoity (ahamkāra) - if it’s characterized by I-consciousness”.

— Katha Upanishad, Swami Nikhilananda, ed.

In our ordinary daily life, the mind we use is not as clear cut and organized as we would like to think. In fact, after working for some time with my “Centers”, my personal theory is that the Centers are undeveloped, and practically nonexistent in their natural state. Gurdjieff tells us optimistically that we have an Intellectual Center, with three divisions, each division which has three more divisions, each division which yet again has three parts. And same with the Emotional Center. This may be true; however, in fact we have no proper energy (Fa 24) for even the middle section of the Emotional Center without enormous Self-Remembering to produce the higher energies needed. And this great effort of Remembering Oneself also depends on a reservoir of Carbon 12, as I’ve said before.

Nicoll created the above chart depicting the Intellectual Center. Moving is outer, Emotional is middle, and Intellectual is inner. Further divisions of the Center are not shown.

The middle and inner divisions of our Centers rely on the energies produced by Self-Remembering to function. And our Higher Bodies are formed (in my theory) from these middle and inner Center divisions. For instance, the middle division of the Emotional Center is the one place which can produce the Higher Virtues, such as Loving Kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy, and Equanimity, etc. And yet the energies necessary to fuel that area are not transmuted in the body/mind of the normal person, who does not Remember Himself. That area of the Emotions cannot function. And, even after Self-Remembering, the middle division of the Center must be developed. Also, an effort must be made to produce the Virtues. And finally, the Higher Virtues need to be sealed or affixed into a “crystallized” Second Body or Astral Body.

Gurdjieff tells us in chapter 6 of In Search that we need to start out in the Work by observing ourselves and taking “snapshots” of the activity of the Centers. Yet, to me, a more classical and Spiritually orthodox method is the observation of the activity of one’s Mind. 

The Mind (in my opinion) is defined as the partnership between our Fundamental Consciousness and our as-of-yet undeveloped Intellectual Center. The Mind has an Awareness as well as an ability to think, reason, and make choices. It is “gaslighting” to say otherwise. In the Work, it is the “carriage driver”, who needs to awaken from his dreams at the tavern, and prepare his carriage. The “Mind” has the ability to learn about its inner workings, and the workings of the Centers, and become disciplined. It can make informed choices as it learns. And it has the potential, when healthy and clear, to eventually direct the activity of the Centers.

Gurdjieff speaks little about the “Mind” as an entity. But I believe we have the ability to watch the Mind, to learn its secrets in light of the System, and to develop the Centers with the help of a more conscious Mind. In other words I believe we do have a Mind. One could simply say that it’s the Intellectual Center; but I believe it’s more than that — it includes our personal Consciousness, which is in my opinion a non-material Awareness.

Our initial problem in discovering the Mind is that we inhabit our externals. Not only are our days generally filled with habitual, inane errands — driving from place to place — and typical external household activity; but we also rarely look to our own Spiritual needs. Rarely do we take the time to sit, and examine our inner Mind, tending to its development. Certainly knowing one’s “machine” is important, as Gurdjieff says. But I believe it is a mistake to dwell on certain Work refrains: “man cannot ‘Do’”, “man is a machine”, “man has no permanent ‘I’”. These, although somewhat descriptive, are overall unhelpful, in my experience. To me, a good place to start in the Work is to watch, examine, and discipline the Mind on a daily basis. One begins the Work in earnest and in reality then when one begins to Self-Remember the inner aspects of one’s Mind.

THE JOURNEY INWARD: STARTING WITH THE SHEATHS

"How are we to take our bodies if we are not to take them as ourselves? The question is connected with notes in octaves, or degrees, which are the same. The physical body is the most external degree of ourselves. That is, it is the lowest or ultimate degree through which all higher or more internal degrees, such as belong to thought, feeling and will, manifest themselves."

— Nicoll, COM, p. 1449

Accessing the deepest part of the mind takes practice. And there is a way to begin to mentally move inward by feeling or sensing the inner “sheaths” of the body. These sheaths rest like Russian dolls, one within another. They are: 1. the physical, food-based body, 2. The Pranic (Vital Breath) Sheath, 3. The Mental Sheath, 4. The Intellect Sheath, and 5. The Bliss Sheath. Within the Bliss Sheath lies Brahman.

The above chart is a representation of the five sheaths and Brahman, taken from the Taittiriya Upanishad, Chapter 2.

The Pranic Sheath is related to the breath, and serves as a link between the physical body and the Mind. And the Bliss Sheath is a connection with Brahman.

One can start out trying to Self-Remember by simply being aware of the body. Moving inward, one can next begin to sense the Pranic sheath by watching the breath, and sensing its connection with the Mind. There is Prana in the breath and Prana in the Mind, as well. The Pranic sheath, to me, can be sensed in the blood. Remembering the Pranic sheath tends to dispel fear, as Prana is the Life Essence. Next, the Mental sheath is of the same substance and has the same character as the Mind. Yet it resides in the body. And finally, one can Remember the Intellectual and Bliss sheaths, the inner layers.

Here is another representation in Nicoll, of a similar concept:

It’s important to keep in mind that our “Mind” (or that which I designate the middle or Emotional Division of the Mind — working with Mi 48) is different from our Mental sheath which is different from the second body (or “Astral Body”). Though all these are similar, connected, and work together in harmony. 

Likewise, the Intellect (working with Do 48) is different from the Intellectual sheath which is different from the third body (or so-called “Mental Body”). And yet they’re all similar and connected.

In addition to all of these is our Fundamental Awareness (the “Observer”).

This is how I organize my internal mind-structure, from outer to inner:

1. Physical Brain

2. Outer Mind (“Formatory Center”), works with Sol 48

3. Middle, Emotional Mind (known as “Mind”), works with Mi 48

4. Inner Mind (known as “Intellect”), works with Do 48

5. Clear, luminous Fundamental Consciousness (according to the Buddhists, it is non-material)

THE FUNCTIONS OF CENTERS

“Thus in observing the functions of the human machine it is necessary to understand the correct divisions of the functions  observed and to be able to define them exactly and at once; and the definition must not be a verbal but an inner definition; by  taste, by sensation, in the same way as we define all inner experiences.”

— Gurdjieff, In Search, chapter 6

My experience of sensation within my own body — which has informed my own theories — is that the Centers have no substantial form and structure in actuality at first. Rather, I do find it much easier to identify and work with the different Hydrogens themselves, which serve to fuel our confused and undeveloped emotions and thoughts. The Centers are something we must Work to form, in my experience. The great problem facing us is not that our Centers work with wrong energy, or that they do the work of other Centers. It’s that we in reality just don’t have Centers needed to think and feel. Also, when we are called upon to express a higher feeling or thought, we do not have the experience, knowledge and development needed to express from a more inner level. 

The more refined emotions work with the Hydrogens which proceed from the breath, rather than those from our food-based body. The food-based body (based on the food we eat) is geared only to express the unrefined and grosser thoughts and feelings, although the body does have an emotional area. The breath octave is more subtle, and perfectly suited to develop into the Astral Body and express the higher emotions. As well, the impressions octave, developing from the impressions received from the head, is subtler yet; and its Hydrogens are perfectly suited to create our spiritual thoughts. The Mental Body has the ability to work with two or more ideas at once, transcending duality.

So here is a chart, which one can study — and should memorize — which shows the breakdown of the various Hydrogens and the Centers they should ideally work with. It is a good introduction to the process of knowing and “tasting” the various Hydrogens. And this can ultimately lead to the Work of forming the second and third bodies themselves. I will just say that, in forming the higher bodies, if one gets to the point of having the ability to “sense” the Hydrogens, that emotions will be located in the chest area, and thinking will be located in the head area.

Generally, in working on forming the second/Astral body, which is geared for emotional expression, I personally don’t do much at first with H 12, but work on development of emotions using H 24. Gurdjieff mentions in In Search that the “Emotional Center” is more suited to using H 12. In my own Work, I find H 24 (on the breath octave) does quite nicely in expressing the subtler emotions. And I find that Animal Magnetism, H 96 (also on the breath or Astral octave), can to an extent express higher emotions too; oftentimes working in parallel with the higher H 24 in the chest area.

As you can see from the very first chart at top (the food chart), the three yellow circles marked H 24 in the middle section designate outer, middle, and inner Hydrogens which fuel outer, middle, and inner emotions;  just like the three red circles did for the Thinking Center. It is the middle circle (fa 24) which works with the higher emotions of the Astral Body. The H 24 (re 24) on the left is a part of the impressions octave, and is thus subject to the Thinking Center.

THE BREATH & IMPRESSIONS OCTAVES 

“What is called according to one terminology the 'astral body,' is called in another terminology the 'higher emotional center,' although the difference here does not lie in the terminology alone. These are, to speak more correctly, different aspects of the next stage of man's evolution. It can be said that the 'astral body' is necessary for the complete and proper functioning of the 'higher emotional center' in unison with the lower. Or it can be said that the 'higher emotional center' is necessary for the work of the 'astral body.'

"The 'mental body' corresponds to the 'higher thinking center.' It would be wrong to say that they are one and the same thing. But one requires the other, one cannot exist without the other, one is the expression of certain sides and functions of the other.”

— Gurdjieff, In Search of the Miraculous 

Perhaps this chart, showing the breath octave in green — starting at the left from Do 192 — and the impressions octave in blue — starting at the left from Do 48 — will help clarify.

The breath series or octave starts (in the chest area) at the green circle, do 192 on the left, and transmutes up the octave: re 96, mi 48, fa 24, sol 12, and la 6. Do 192 stands for Air.

Similarly, the blue impressions series of Hydrogens or octave starts (in the head) with do 48, re 24, and mi 12. Do 48 would be an impression.

The smaller Hydrogen numbers like H 12 and 6 are higher, more energetic, and more spiritual. The larger numbers like 768 etc. less so.

You can clearly see the green “Fa 24” — which fuels the Higher Emotions — in the middle, arising from the breath (which is marked a green “Do 192”). The breath is the foundation for the energy which fuels the Higher Emotions and which forms the Astral Body. Equally, the impressions octave starts at the blue “Do 48” at the top left, and proceeds through “Re 24” (also an Emotional Energy) to “Mi 12”. The emotions of the Mental Body exist to serve the functioning of the Mental Body’s Intellect.

The “food octave” is the uncolored series of circles, starting with “Do 768” at bottom left (Do 768 is “food”). In the middle section, you can see the three H 24s, which fuel the emotions of the Mental Body (blue re 24), the Astral Body (green fa 24), and the food-based body (uncolored la 24). For reasons I’ll illustrate in a later blog, in forming the Astral Body I Work mainly with only the three green Hydrogens, Re 96, Mi 48, and Fa 24. These energize the middle sections of our Centers and form the nucleus of the Astral Body. The Higher Bodies are formed by using just three Hydrogens per each body: one Hydrogen for its lower story, one for its middle story, and one for its top story. But more on this later. 

The most important thing for you to comprehend at this point is that the Astral Body is based on the breath and its series of Hydrogens — and therefore the middle sections of the intellectual and emotional centers. And the Mental Body is based on the “intellect”, which processes impressions, and the resulting series of Hydrogens — and therefore the inner sections of the intellectual and emotional centers.

Self-Remembering: 2. The Metaphysics

"Strictly speaking, you cannot as yet speak of knowledge because you do not know with what knowledge begins. Knowledge begins with the teaching of the cosmoses.”

— Gurdjieff, ISOTM

UNDERSTANDING THE MESOCOSMOS

In order to know himself, Man needs to know the Cosmos above him, as well as the Cosmos directly below. Man — the Tritocosmos — is surrounded by the Earth (the Mesocosmos) above him in scale, and he is also made up of “atoms” (Microcosms) within, or below, him. Man’s physical body is a product of the Earth, and it lives upon the planet Earth. However, as the Tritocosmos, Man is a World in his own right. The Earth as a World is infinitely greater than the World of Man; just as Man is infinitely greater than an Atom.

We need to understand our own physical bodies; our bodies and everything they entail make up the “Tritocosmos”. However, when we start to understand our own minds, we are beginning to explore and develop our Astral Bodies, which correspond to the level of the World above us — the Mesocosmos, or Earth. The Earth, according to Gurdjieff, is a living, breathing being: “Each cosmos is a being which lives, breathes, thinks, feels and dies.” However, as I said, the Earth in relation to a Tritocosmos is infinitely greater than a Man.

"THE DIAGRAM OF EVERYTHING LIVING"

"Ahimsa (non-violence) is not causing pain."

-- Sri Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

"And as for these factors, which are the sole possible means for the assimilation of the cosmic substances required for the coating and perfecting of the higher being-bodies, today we call them 'conscious labor' and 'intentional suffering. '"

-- Beelzebub's Tales   

"Fusion, inner unity, is obtained by means of 'friction,' by the struggle between 'yes' and 'no' in man.”

— Gurdjieff, ISOTM 

Perhaps one key to understanding Man -- and his Bodies -- in relation to the Earth might be an interpretation of "The Diagram of Everything Living", found on page 323 of Ouspensky's In Search. In this chart, every form of intelligent Being is listed on a stair step ladder, starting from Metals at the bottom and going up to Archangels, with two Higher entities listed above even them: Eternal-Unchanging and the Absolute.

                                             The Diagram of All Things Living

If one takes "Vertebrates" on the diagram, as potentially referring partially to human beings (since they qualify as Vertebrates), one might hypothetically postulate that the “Vertebrates” square might perhaps encompass what Gurdjieff calls Men Numbers 1, 2, and 3 (physical, emotional, and intellectual men). The square marked “Man”, then could possibly denote Gurdjieff’s Balanced Man (Man number 4): a man with the ability to use all his Centers — Intellectual, Emotional, and Moving. I’ll have more to say about Balanced Man in a future blog. "Angels", on the diagram, might represent a Man having a perfected or developed kesdjan/Astral body. And "Archangels" might represent a Man having a perfected Soul/Highest Being Body. 

This interpretation syncs to an extent with Ouspensky's comment that his group had come to the idea that "Angels" represented Planets, and "Archangels" represented Suns. Gurdjieff's chart on page 94 of In Search neatly summerizes all three points of view: my interpretation of Man and The Diagram of Everything Living, the teaching of the Cosmoses (which has the Earth as the representation of All Planets), and Ouspensky's view of "Angels" and "Archangels" as Planets and Suns. 

The chart on p. 94 aligns Man's four "Bodies" with the Ray of Creation. Man's Physical Body aligns with the "Earth". His Astral Body aligns with "All Planets". His Mental Body aligns with the "Sun". And The Divine Body aligns with "All Suns".

A LIVING EARTH

"As a way of talking about the mystery teachings, furthermore, ecology has a special advantage, because the mystery teachings themselves are a science of whole systems. It is not going too far to call the mystery teachings an ecology of the spirit, just as the science of ecology could well be called the mystery teachings of nature."

-- Greer, John Michael. Mystery Teachings from the Living Earth: An Introduction to Spiritual Ecology (p. 12). Red Wheel Weiser. Kindle Edition. 

The key to understanding the Earth as a living Being, is to look at it Ecologically. Ecology is the science of understanding the Earth from a whole systems point of view, and is the best way we have to understand exactly what the Earth is. When the Earth, of which Man is a part, is viewed Ecologically, Man can better know how to live in relation to the larger Cosmos. And from that understanding, and the life changes that follow, Man can start to gain knowledge of that part of himself which corresponds to the level of the Mesocosmos: that is, his developing Astral Body. 

When we have Self-Evolved to a certain point, our Astral Bodies can start to develop from the middle parts of our Intellectual and Emotional Centers. The middle parts of these Centers are sustained through the energies of the “breath octave”, the series of Hydrogens arising from the breath. This is what Gurdjieff meant by saying we “coat” the kesdjan (Astral) body with our breath. However, the “essence” of the Astral Body is provided by the Higher Emotions proceeding from the Higher Emotional Center. These Emotions are wed to specific Hydrogens within the body, along the Breath Octave, and then fused together. This process develops the middle parts of our Centers, and over time forms the kesdjan or Astral Body.

Humans within society don’t function in relation to the Earth as it exists objectively. And certainly not in relation to an Earth which is a living, breathing, thinking, feeling Being. But that is the way we need to look at the Earth; and we need to adjust our relationship to it accordingly. When we adjust our lives in relation to a truer conception of the Earth, our Minds have more ability to grow into an accurate Spiritual essence. And at that point our Astral Bodies can begin to develop.

THE MOON’S INFLUENCE ON THE EARTH

“The idea was roughly this: humanity, or more correctly, organic life on earth, is acted upon simultaneously by influences proceeding from various sources and different worlds: influences from the planets, influences from the moon, influences from the sun, influences from the stars. All these influences act simultaneously; one influence predominates at one moment and another influence at another moment. And for man there is a certain possibility of making a choice of influences; in other words, of passing from one influence to another.”

— In Search of the Miraculous 

According to Gurdjieff, life on Earth exists to serve the Moon’s needs. And Mankind is not exempt from that servitude, although He does have a chance to escape the Moon's influence. Psychologically, Man operates mostly in the external parts of his mind. The forces which come from the Moon keep Man fixated on externals and keep his mind colored with a negative tint. Not only that, but Mankind as a whole is kept from Evolution by lunar and cosmic forces, according to Gurdjieff. Man generally exists in a state of unconsciousness Gurdjieff called “sleep”.

The key to breaking this sleep is Self-Remembering. Self-Remembering represents the next level above the unconsciousness which Man is in. And Self-Remembering is a way of relating in a very real way to the next World above Man: the Mesocosmos, or Earth. Every time we Remember Ourselves we are getting in touch with higher influences.

Our immersion in duality is a constant state. Our minds struggle to do “good” in the world, but, failing at that, we end up doing “evil”. These constant efforts, to do one thing and prevent the other, are our “discursive thoughts”, which go up and down in a cycling motion. This cycling motion of our minds, and our lives, is a symptom of our sleep, our life under the Moon’s influence, and our undeveloped state as Tritocosmoses.

When we Self-Remember, we lift ourselves above the discursive mind and elevate ourselves up nearer the Mesocosmos, and even the Deuterocosmos — the Sun. The transmutation of Self-Remembering that takes place at the point of Do 48 is the start within us of the Impressions Octave. The Impressions Octave is the seed of our Mental Body, which corresponds (according to Gurdjieff) to the level of the Sun. Through Remembering Ourselves — and the development of the breath and impressions octaves — we come up out of the Moon’s influence, and out of the tedious cycling of our mental lives. Also, having as our Aim the wish to form a Higher Body, gives our efforts at “being good” a new dimension. Our search for Higher Bodies gives that “goodness” a Reality, as well as a chance to have it adhere to us permanently.

REMEMBERING OUR “SELF”

"In Self-Remembering which self do you wish to remember?"

— Gurdjieff, as related by Nicoll 

There are any number of ways to Self-Remember; and it can become a complex effort at certain times. Initially, though, it’s easiest to double one’s attention back on to one’s physical body. The idea is to simply be aware of one’s body. The awareness of one’s body has much to be said for it. It provides an anchor for the mind. It can produce a grounding effect. And exploring the body with one’s awareness can be a doorway to much wisdom. A practice of sensing the body can lead to the ability to sense and identify the different energies within the body, represented by the “Hydrogens” on the Food Transformation Chart. This ability is an essential key to the “crystallization” and correct development of the Higher Bodies.

Self-Remembering of the physical body is good. However, if one studies the Food Transformation Chart one will see that there are four or five higher energies (or Hydrogens) which come about through Self-Remembering. All these higher energies fuel the Intellect and inner parts of the Emotional Center; and can only be created with an inner effort at Self-Remembering, an effort of the Mind. The deeper into one’s Mind one searches for one’s “Self”, in Self-Remembering, the more effective Self-Remembering will be, in creating these energies. One will be able to “feel” the influx of new energies within one’s mind.

The Work says that along with Remembering Ourselves, we must avoid negative emotions. The inner and middle parts of Centers that these newly created energies work with are not suited to negative emotions. Avoiding negative emotions is preparation for the “Second Conscious Shock”. We are told in the Work, that we must do the First Conscious Shock (Self-Remember) for a very long time. And this is true, in that our Minds are cloudy and impure at first: our “machines” don’t function well. But gradually, over time, Self-Remembering helps clear our Minds and Emotions, allowing us to access a little bit of positivity into our Being. We can begin to bring in the positive influences, which can be accessed through small efforts with the Second Conscious Shock.

The prelude to the Second Conscious Shock is an approach of utilizing the First Conscious Shock in a slightly new way. At first the First Conscious Shock can be used for a variety of reasons, from simply trying it out, to gaining a greater consciousness, to a way of redirecting one’s attention to oneself. But there is a method of holding in one’s mind an ideal, or a virtue, or a positive quality, or anything of a superior inner nature and then sealing it inside one’s being by Remembering Oneself. Remembering Oneself in relation to a positive emotion, thought, or ideal is a specific technique to increase one’s inner positive qualities.

After holding an ideal in one’s mind and then Remembering Oneself in order to fixate the ideal within Oneself, one can logically see the next step, which is “Remembering” the positive quality directly.

APPROACHING THE SECOND CONSCIOUS SHOCK: AN INITIAL STEP

“Seal” : Something that confirms, ratifies, or makes secure.

— Webster’s Dictionary 

There is a way of moving very tentatively into the Second Conscious Shock. This type of intentional shock deals with the emotions. The Second Conscious Shock is a technique used to “seal” a “virtue”, thus making it permanent. Basically, it entails, in a like fashion to “Remembering Oneself”, one placing one’s Attention on and “Remembering” a “good quality”, “positive trait”, or “virtue”.

To try it, one starts first with avoiding a particular negative thought or deed by Remembering Oneself, as an alternative to being negative; ideally by Remembering one’s own Mind. At that point one has hopefully avoided this “negative thought”. But then, if one can come up with an opposing “positive thought”, or antidote, to replace it, one can “Remember” that positive thought, sealing it in place into one’s mind. These two steps: avoiding a negativity through Self-Remembering, and then “Remembering” its antidote, are an early movement or introduction into the Second Conscious Shock. 

This is spoken of by Nicoll as, “going with our better 'I's”. The idea or principle is to gradually replace the unpleasant qualities in ourselves with more virtuous qualities. The method is to “see” these good qualities within one’s Mind, and then to “Remember” them with one’s Attention. This is the beginning of the Second Conscious Shock.

The initial act of Remembering Oneself produces the two higher Hydrogens Mi 12 & Sol 12. At this initial stage, however, one is generally working with the Emotional Center, and Astral Body formation. So one is likely dealing with the subtle emotional transformation of just Sol 12 into La 6, along the breath octave. This transformation technically requires no “second shock”. At a certain point soon after the two higher being bodies have crystallized, and which I’ll describe in detail later, one should initiate work with all three bodies (physical, astral, and mental) separately and in conjunction with one another. Actual work in a more intensive — and direct — way with the Second Conscious Shock comes later.

There are variations on this “seal”, or introductory second conscious shock, one can try. After attempting to Remember a “virtue” in one’s mind, one can then immediately “Remember” one’s physical body, thus “sealing” the “virtue” more securely onto oneself. One can also “Remember” another person who’s in one’s presence, if one is aware of a virtue in that person; thus sealing a virtue onto that person’s being or “Self”. Also, one can reinforce a part of oneself: for instance, one can “Remember” one’s “Intellectual Center” — “sealing” that as well.

After Remembering Oneself, both Mi 12 and Sol 12 have been created. Sol 12, which is a part of the breath octave, can be brought up to the heart area and used as an emotional energy along with the energy Fa 24, thereby generating higher and subtler emotions. And Mi 12, which is part of the impressions octave, can be brought up to the level of the Head and transmuted, to function with the energy Do 48 which is already there, thus serving to facilitate subtler and more refined thoughts. I personally find the energy Mi 12 also seems to work within the “heart area” of the mental body.

 

I'm still learning about all these things, thank goodness, but I have an inkling that the transmutation of Si 12 into Do 6 has to do with the Physical Body itself: the Aim which one keeps for one's physical body on Earth, the Holiness of that Aim, and the Actions one carries out in fulfillment of that Aim.

I hope these mentions of the different numbers — H 12, H 6 and so on — aren’t frustrating to my reader. I will try to tackle the details that explain them later. I feel the numbers are important because I base my system of Astral and Mental body formation on the inner recognition or “taste” of the various Hydrogens. My strong belief is that the Higher Bodies can be formed without a knowledge of the “numbers”. But I find the Hydrogen system and Food Chart helpful in approaching the formation of the higher intellect and emotions, and eventually the “Bodies” themselves.

In my next blog I’ll finally get to my theories of the structure of the mind. I’ll hopefully have a couple of charts, and apply my approach of Self-Remembering to my views on the architecture of the mind. I believe knowledge of the mind’s structure is important for “building” the Higher Bodies.