(31.) Maurice Nicoll 1 - The Law of Seven - pp.119-125
This is number (31.) of our sequential postings from Volume 1 of Maurice Nicoll’s Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky.
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Links to each commentary will be put on the following Contents page, as we progress through the book:
Birdlip, February 14, 1942
INTRODUCTION
You all find you have little force for thinking about the cosmological ideas of this Work. A person lives in his or her own very small cosmos which is his or her world and this very small world is governed mainly by self-interests. People do not yet live even in this world—this small planet called the Earth. This is due to a lack of development of consciousness, as are also so many of the troubles on this Earth. Consciousness, in the majority of people, is confined to the very small world of themselves and their own interests. We have scarcely any proper consciousness of one another. We can only take in what we are interested in and if a person is only interested in himself and those belonging to his own self-interests, everything said about the Cosmos has little or no meaning, for it demands a form of thinking beyond oneself. A person is glued to his life—thus, he has, as a rule, very little free force in him to think beyond his immediate life-interests. In that case, only the most external sides of his centres are working, and they absorb his energies. This is the sensual man (of the New Testament), the man alive only in those parts of him turned towards the outer senses, towards life. But in everyone who has magnetic centre, there remains something behind, something inner, that wishes to understand more—for actually a man has far more inner senses than outer senses. But these inner senses require to be developed and this begins with self-observation which is one of the inner senses not ordinarily used. The real or essential part of a man (to which this Work is addressed) lies behind the external sense-controlled side. It is only
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reached by the inner senses. When a person begins to value this Work, it is a sign that behind the false personality of the man, which the life of the senses has created in him, there is some real thing, unspoiled by life: and that is Essence. Thoughts from personality may seem far cleverer than thoughts from Essence, which are thoughts from the most simple and genuine side of us. But the quality of thought from Essence is of a far higher order than that from personality. Therefore in trying to think of the created and ordered Universe, it is the simplest thoughts that can begin to make contact with its meaning.
Take a very simple thought: Has it occurred to you in any real, vivid, private way that you are staying on the Earth for a short time? Again, have you had a quite simple thought that the Earth is a part of the Solar System—a part of the Sun? It is such simple, vivid, strange thoughts that begin to connect us with the Ray of Creation.
The cosmological ideas of the Work must first fall on the most external parts of the Intellectual Centre and be registered by them. That is, you must learn the diagrams through paying attention. This must be done by everyone. It is a task the Work sets. But the diagrams can be understood only when they reach higher or emotional parts of the Intellectual Centre to begin with, and then pass to the Emotional Centre itself. When a man takes in something that his formatory side has registered and wonders about it because he wants emotionally to do so, then the diagrams begin to work in him and make him think for himself about the cosmological side. This is the first object of the Work: to connect a man with higher parts of ordinary centres, and finally with Higher Centres themselves. And this gradual process is called awakening. If a man denies all meaning in the Universe, his higher parts of centres are blocked by his attitude. The Universe is then what he thinks it is—that is, exactly as his attitude is to it—and then the man himself is what he thinks. But this Work is to make a man think in a new way. For unless a man begins to think in a new way, he cannot change. This is obvious enough if you look at people. But to think in a new way, a man must have new ideas, new conceptions, and take them in, and think from them.
THE LAW OF SEVEN
Part I.—The process of creation by means of the Three Forces proceeding from the Absolute has been traced as far as World 96. It has been explained that as creation proceeds by the action of the multiplication of the Three Forces on every plane or level of creation the density of laws increases. That is, the further the process of creation proceeds from the Absolute, the more restrictions appear until, in World 96, which in our particular Ray of Creation is our Moon and is the terminal point of the Ray, the number of laws or restrictions reaches its maximum.
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We have now to consider a further law that restricts creation: the Law of Seven. Creation proceeds through increasing restrictions. The law of Three necessarily produces increasing restrictions but the Law of Seven adds further limitations. It has already been seen that the Earth comes very far down in the Ray of Creation and is under 48 orders of laws and that only one degree or level of creation exists below it, represented by the Moon. This means that the position of the Earth in the creative process is very bad, and only one worse position exists, where there are double the number of restrictions. But, regarded from the standpoint of the second fundamental law behind all things, namely, the Law of Seven, the position of the Earth is still more unenviable. Let us try to understand what this means. The Law of Seven applies to the order of the manifestation of creation and it is in this word order that we shall find its supreme meaning. It is necessary to understand clearly that there is a law of order apart from a law of creation. Creation is arranged in order and it is ordered in a certain way. At certain points in this order difficulties appear and the Earth is situated at one of the points where difficulties in the ordering of the stages of creation inevitably arise. It has already been seen that the primal Three Forces of creation proceed from the Absolute as their Source and in turn create further forces. We might imagine that these forces proceed downwards without check. But this is not the case. They are checked at two points by reason of the Law of Seven.
Let us try to understand these points of check by means of a visual representation. Let us imagine a tube composed of some elastic substance with two constrictions in it and let us suppose that water is poured into this tube at the top. We can represent the tube as follows:
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You will see that the passage of the water, which we can take as representing force, is held up at two places in its descent in the tube.
Now let us apply this image to the Ray of Creation as given so far in the following way, at the same time adding the Notes: Do, Si, La, etc.
You will notice that the first tone of the scale, namely, Do, has been placed at the level of the Absolute, the second tone Si at the level of World 3, the tone La at the level of World 6, and so on, until Re is reached, at the level of the Moon. Now if the major scale be taken two points are formed in it where the intervals between the notes are not full tones, but semi-tones. These points correspond to Do—Si and Fa—Mi. Actually the major scale was constructed to illustrate the Ray of Creation by unknown people belonging to some unknown school. It was constructed to illustrate the Law of Seven or Law of the Octave. In terms of the musical scale, we can speak of the interval between Do and Si as the place of a missing semi-tone and in the same way of the interval between Fa and Mi. The whole Ray can be called an octave in which the Absolute sounds the first Do, but we do not know of the existence of the lower Do. The Moon always turns exactly the same side to us, although it is revolving and we do not know what lies behind it. The first "constriction" or place of a missing semi-tone appears then between the Absolute and World 3—that is, between Do and Si—and the second "constriction" appears between World 24 and World 48—that is, between Fa and Mi. This means that the passage of force is
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held up at these two places owing to the nature of the Law of Seven and here a shock is necessary. Between Si and Fa force passes freely and again between Mi and Re, but between Do and Si a check occurs, and between Fa and Mi a second check occurs. This is in the nature of things—that is, it arises from one of the two fundamental laws behind all things. It is not a question of why: it is so. For a fundamental law means a law that cannot be reduced further and so cannot be explained further, in terms of everything else. It is like saying that there are positive and negative charges of electricity. It is not a question of why. It is so, and nothing more can be said save that the Law of Three and the Law of Seven are so. You must understand that if ultimately nothing were so nothing would exist. Something must fundamentally be so for things to exist at all. You can explain the chair you are sitting on in terms of wood, and wood in terms of cells, and cells in terms of molecules, and molecules in terms of atoms, and atoms, finally, in terms of positive and negative charges of electricity. But you cannot go further for here you are reaching down to two of the forces belonging to the Law of Three Forces and that Law is fundamental. It is so, and there is nothing beyond, save the Absolute, which is beyond human understanding. To reduce the Universe to one law, which is the dream of science, would be to understand the mind of the Absolute. The Work reduces the Universe to two laws, at the same time indicating the existence of one law.
The Law of Seven inevitably brings about the order of created things and produces at the same time two points of constriction or checks in that order to the forces passing down the Ray. How are these places of check surmounted? The first check, between the Absolute and World 3, is overcome by the shock of the Will of the Absolute. For that reason it was said that creation is by the Will of the Absolute through the primal Three Forces. But in the case of the second place of check in the Ray the matter is different. The Will of the Absolute does not reach this point and therefore something must be created at this point to act as a shock. It is here that Man appears.
It has already been said that Man does not appear in the Ray of Creation as given so far in gigantic scale. Only the Earth appears. But in order to enable the forces coming down the Ray to pass easily to the Earth and moon an apparatus must be created between the Notes Fa and Mi—that is, between the Planets taken as one whole, and the Earth taken as a part. For this purpose a small octave is created from that level of creation externally represented by the Sun. At the level of the Sun this octave sounds the Note Do, or rather, the Sun sounds the Note Do. At the level of the Planets it sounds the Note Si. Between the Planets and the Earth it sounds the three Notes : La, Sol, Fa. It then passes into the Earth as the Note Mi and reaches the Moon as the Note Re. The three Notes La, Sol, Fa that are sounded between the Planets and the Earth form Organic Life. Organic Life is a sensitive living film that lies over the surface of the Earth and acts as a transmitter of the forces passing between the upper and lower parts of the Ray. Man is a
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part of Organic Life and it is in this specially created apparatus for transmission that he appears in the Ray itself. By Organic Life is meant every form of life on the Earth—the human race, all animals, birds, reptiles, insects, fishes, all trees, plants, every form of vegetation down to the most minute living cells. This sensitive film, which collects influences from the upper part of the Ray and transmits them to the Earth and the Moon, is created from the level of the Sun and its appearance in the great Ray of Creation is due to the point of check where a shock is needed between the Notes Fa and Mi, arising from the nature of the Law of Seven.
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Part II.—When this system is presented in a purely formal way, the Ray of Creation is given in terms of the external Universe. But the Ray is a principle that when applied to the external Universe gives the different levels of the starry masses, the sun, planets and moons, in their descending order. It can be understood in this way. When, for example, it is said that the Sun creates a small octave which forms Organic Life on Earth, it can be understood literally. But the Ray represents levels of Being, and is internal as well as external. That is, the Sun represents in the external meaning of the Ray the actual Sun. In the internal meaning it represents Beings at that level in the vertical scale of being. But you can understand it as you like to begin with—that is, literally or psychologically—for the two correspond—that is, different levels in the external Universe are representations of different levels of intelligence which are internal or psychological. If we speak of the Intelligence of the Sun we can understand that it is higher than the Intelligence of the Earth simply from external representation, for the Sun has infinitely more energies and radiance than the Earth. But the Ray should be actually understood in both senses for outer and inner correspond and everything internal has something corresponding externally. We can notice this in our use of a language. We speak of internal or psychological things in terms of external or visible things. We call a cunning man a fox or a brave man a lion, and so on. Because outer and inner have a similar source they therefore can represent each other, for, as was said, the fundamental laws, the Law of 3 and the Law of 7, are found in Nature and in Man. For this reason complex psychological ideas can be represented in visual imagery, drawn from outer objects, as in the case of the parable. And for the same reason to take Man apart from the Universe in which he is born is an error. The Universe is macrocosmos and Man is microcosmos. Man is in the Universe and the Universe is in Man. To say, then, that the Universe is dying and Man is evolving is an absurdity from the standpoint of this Work.
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Part III.—The Ray of Creation represents a descending octave. It descends into greater and greater obscurity and complexity and
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restrictions the further it proceeds from the Absolute. The idea of an ascending octave from the Absolute is impossible for the Absolute is all goodness and all perfection and an ascending octave would imply increasing perfection.
Let us now speak briefly of the Law of Seven or the Law of the Octave from the psychological side. One can observe octaves in oneself—or rather, one can observe the beginnings of octaves. Everything you set out to do can be called the beginning of an octave. When you decide to do something, you sound Do. If this Do is weakly sounded, nothing will happen. But if it is sounded more strongly you may reach the Note Re and even the Note Mi. But here you reach the "place of missing semi-tone" and here a shock is necessary to enable you to reach the Note Fa. This rarely happens. It may happen accidentally. But as a rule it does not happen. That is why in this Work it is said that life is full of broken octaves. People start something and give it up. But you must remember that Man is created a self-developing organism and that means he only develops by efforts, for all evolution of Man is conscious—that is, by conscious effort. There is no mechanical evolution. And we need not be surprised to find many difficulties. The Law of 7 makes things difficult by its very nature. But we will speak more of this next time.