Gurdjieff - Paul Van Oyen - The_enneagram_now_1_2_3

8/8/2019 Gurdjieff - Paul Van Oyen - The_enneagram_now_1_2_3

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The enneagram now

1February 16, 2005

Meeting rules

1. Nothing discussed here leaves this room; everyone can feel secure to speak their heart.

2. Continually observe yourself during this meeting:body (tension, breath)feeling (autonomous emotions)mind (focus, storytelling, lying)

3. No lying. When speaking, watch yourself for (unintentional) lying and stop. Know what lying is.

4. The enneagram is practical. No theoretical discussion for the sake of theoretical discussion.

5. Reside in truth; be true.

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Start: a brief sitting.

Reading: appendix 1

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Basis of the enneagram

The law of one

There is only one absolute truth. The truth is static, unchangeable and eternal. This is the ultimate,transcendent (above all) reality.

The law of one can be visualized as a point.

The law of three

Every process requires action, and action requires force.

The law of three states that three forces (active, passive, neutralizing) drive every process.

The law of action and reaction shows that for every action (active force) there is a reaction of oppositedirection (passive force). This hinders the progression of a process and favors the status quo.

If either the active or the passive force wins there will be a result, but this result will be temporaryand is lost when the power balance shifts again.

A third, neutralizing, facilitating or reconciling force is necessary tomake a result permanent. The third force can therefore be considereda fixative.

Examples: getting up in the morning, losing weight, completing aproject, personal development.

The law of three can be visualized as a triangle.

The law of seven / the law of the octave

The law of seven dictates the progression of every process.

The law of seven shows that every process progresses through distinct steps and encounters barriersthat can only be overcome by outside impulses or shocks.

Without these impulses the process stops or continues in an unintendeddirection.

The law of seven can be visualized as the diatonic scale:

DO RE MI FA SOL LA

SI DOnote

360 405 450 480 540 600 675 720 Hzabsolute frequency

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1 9/8 5/4 4/3 3/2 5/3 15/8 2relation to ground-do (360 Hz)

9/8 10/9 16/15 9/8 10/9 9/8 16/15increase from preceding note

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The enneagram

The enneagram was introduced to us by George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff (1877-1949)

The enneagram combines the laws of one, three and seven.

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The enneagram: Personality structures vs personal development

The enneagram has been used as a system to study personality structures. Personality is changing,impermanent and ultimately not truth. Its study tends to be strongly formatory.

Personal development deals with the transcendent reality of the true Self, which is unchanging, eternaland true. The unchanging, true Self is nearly always covered by the ever-changing personality.

True personal development is indeed personal, completely practical and on a level that allows only ageneralized description. Personal development requires a teacher, coach or guru.

Personal development

Personal development is a process and is therefore governed by the law of one (for its source), the lawof three (for its driving force) and the law of seven (for its progression).

Personal development can be viewed as a process leading from being governed by many cosmic laws(48 according to Gurdjieff) to progressively fewer.

A seemingly different viewpoint is to regard personal development as trading the guidance by thefickle and divided ego and the resulting misery for the guidance and resulting bliss by theAbsolute/Universe/God/the Self.

Suggestion: perhaps we could view the ego as consisting of many (48?) largely independent andconflicting Is. Personal development would then be the process of shifting control from thoseIs via an intermediate stage of a magnetic center (one I that is more dominant) to a singleunified I.

At the same time, lets stay aware of the formatory trap.

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Our questions + answers by Paul van Oyen

One question concerns the interaction of different triads. As I understand it the neutralizing thirdforce of one triad can form the active force of a new triad. What is unclear to us is:1. whether this necessarily results in an ascending octave.2. whether the neutralizing force can also form the passive force of a new triad.

Part of the ambiguity seems to result from the nomenclature of active and passive which seems

misleading. The active force is not necessarily building up and the passive force is notnecessarily breaking down. Even the terms of building up and breaking down seem incorrect:you can build something up (for example a habit) which can at the same time mean a step backon the octave of personal development.

1. The third force dominates both ascending and descending lines.If the third force falls on the active side in the next triad this will result in an ascending line ofdevelopment to more consciousness and the development of human qualities in us.If the third force falls on the passive side there will be only a memory ofhow it once was and how itcould have been or become. The misery and painful thing about the Gurdjieff and also Ouspenskyorganizations is that they master this aspect very well and can tell you exactly what Mr. Gurdjieff once

told us and how beautiful things once were and how far away they are now. But new design, breakingnew ground and exploring and being adventurous is not done. And so the past is only perpetuatedand everything only gets older until it dies. This is true for almost all spiritual organizations. It is quiteunique to find a livingand contemporary tradition that is many centuries old while continuouslyregenerating itself.

2. Why are there no internal lines between 0 and 1 and between 8 and 9? In a way they seem likethe most difficult steps: there is nothing you can do from 8 to 9, because you must be called,and from 0 to 1 could take many lives (and it seems it may still require a call/grace/luck/goodkarma to finally get a chance to start).

2. Of course there is no line from 8 to 9 nor from 0 to 1. Going from 8 to 9 is impossible unless the 9

calls. At 8 you therefore wait just like the virgin bride in the bridal suite until the bridegroomenters. You never know when he arrives; this is the theme of the biblical story of the foolish virgins just read it.

As for going from 0 to 1: The impulse to move towards 1 is completely dependent on theindividual persons karma and on that persons education and upbringing. Nowadays this educationand upbringing (especially in the US) is in an extraordinary and very, very sad state. It is an outrightdisgrace for a civilized society to so neglect the younger generation and to let it be so dominated by thebogus ofpolitical correctness. Political correctness prescribes that if the majority considers the earthas flat we therefore all hold the opinion that the earth is flat and act accordingly. What education doessuch a system provide? Exactly: none. You can at best learn tricks, something at which our Americanbrothers and sisters are extremely adept. Preferably in endless many beautifully designedglossy books.

It is no more than ashortcut to disaster. This problem is as old as the road to Athens because Socratesalready confronted it. I advise you to read the following dialogues by Plato in a fluent, moderntranslation: - the Apology - Symposium - Phaedoon Phaedros - The Republic

3. What struck us was that the line from Sol to La is a direct hexad line (the only hexad line thatdirectly follows the progression of the cosmic enneagram) while there is still an interval at 6. Isthat because the interval at 6 originates from the second enneagram (with do at 3)? Still it seemscurious you can just go from Sol to La, especially since it would seem like such a tough step tomake.

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3. Your question about the hexad jump from 5 to 7 is not completely clear to me, but your ownreaction to this question is not wrong. In the musical octave there is no interval between Sol and Laand they are directly connectedin the regular musical progression of the octave. The interval at 6 is animplicitinterval which only works from the subconscious (i.e. from the second octave that starts atposition 3 and has its own position 3 interval at 6).It is an extraordinarily difficult hump because you dont really notice it. The result is a yet evengreaterego-arrogance than at position 3 where the arrogance is pretty blatant. Not so at 6. There

everything appears to be love and light

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2February 23, 2005

Let us remember the meeting rules.

Reading: appendix 3

Symbolism of the enneagram

Because the enneagram contains the three laws that govern every process in the cosmos it is said tocontain all knowledge; therefore its symbolism is endless. For us, from the viewpoint of personaldevelopment, some symbols are especially interesting:

The middle point. The ultimate source from which everything projects out onto thecircumference. Also the ultimate end point to which every fully completed process returns.

The triangle. Embodies Gurdjieffs teaching of self-observation. In personal development, ourdesire to work is an active force, our disinterest and unwillingness to work (48 laws ofresistance) a passive force. Self-observation can be the third, neutralizing force whicheventually facilitates and allows the work.

The hexad. Indicates how each new stage in self-development is only reached after repeatedlytraversing the enneagram and visiting several positions that appear to lie ahead or behind.

The circumference of the circle. Represents the outward appearance of the process. Can also beviewed as a representation of the outside world, the madly spinning wheel of fortune, theendless dance of life and death, birth and rebirth.

The three regions marked by 9-3, 3-6, 6-9:

o 9-3 physical world: action, senseso 3-6 subtle world: thinking, intellecto 6-9 causal world: emotion

The 0 or 9: Beginning and end, low and high Do. In reality 0 and 9 are the same note Dobut in different octaves.

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The nine points or positions

The nine positions of the enneagram represent stages in personal development: eight levels of personaldevelopment (0,1,2,4,5,7,8,9) and three barriers (3,6,9). Each has a number, a musical note (do-si,Pythagoras), a numeral indication by Gurdjieff and a description which can be found in the ancientYoga Vsishtha (see also appendix 2):

position Gurdjieff note Pythagoras Yoga Vsishtha Translation from Sanskrit

0 zero Do (low) DO-minus: the Lord, the Absolute --- ignorance, unawareness, disinterest

1 man no. 1 Re RE-gina caelorum: queen of the heavens,the moon shubheccha true impulse

2 man no. 2 Mi MI-crocosm: earth suvicrana decision, effort, reason and equitability

3 ------------- (interval) ------------------------------------------------ --------------------- -------------------------------------------------

4 man no. 3 Fa FA-ta: the planets tanumanas refinement, spiritual flexibility, firmness

5 man no. 4 Sol SOL: the sun sattvapatti thoughtfulness, enlightenment

6 ------------- (interval) ------------------------------------------------ --------------------- -------------------------------------------------

7 man no. 5 La via LA-ctea: the milky way asamsakti insight, freedom, release

8 man no. 6 Si Si-dera: the stars padrthabhvani abundance

9 man no. 7 Do (high) DO-minus: the Lord, the Absolute Turya the transcendent

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Do

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Do

Re

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FaSol

La

SiMan no. 1Impulse

Man no. 2Effort,reason

Man no. 3Refinement

Man no. 4Thoughtfulness

Man no. 5Insight

Man no. 6Abundance

Man no. 7Man himself Zelf


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A description of the seven levels of development (excerpt from Chapter 3: 37-53)

0. low Do: mechanicalness in sleep

99.9% of the world population.The truth is present as seed-form.

1. Re: man no. 1, right desire, right impulse

The seed sprouts and takes root: the true desire for truth.Somewhat hesitant and unsure: is this a good idea?A lot of help is required: for example a school.A huge step forward from 0: mathematically impossible (0 becomes 1), indeed a miracle.This miracle requires faith that a change is possible.This faith brings focus and a sense of direction.It means the end of distractions from the wish to know the truth about oneself.This first step on the path of development is to let go of the past.The right desire makes man give things up, not because he has to, but because he no longer want them.

2. Mi: man no. 2, decision

The deep desire to discover and realize the truth about oneself awakens mans emotional side.This brings an ability to come to yourself and become still.The still mind learns to let go of everything and to stop its frantic activity.This all immediately acts on the desire to discover the truth. The sha Upanishad devotes a beautifulverse to this:

15. The mouth of Truth is covered with a golden veil. O Sun of my soul, please remove it so that Iwho love the Truth may behold it.

The stillness of the heart nourishes the desire for truth.Inner stillness and balance promote an understanding of what is right and equitable.

In the stillness of the heart things are seen in a new light and the mind comes up with completely newand unexpected solutions.This man rises to a high level of development, is cultivated and intelligent and has eye for others.Man discovers the strength and especially the value of stillness and emotion which shows inconsideration of others, mildness, forgiveness and compassion.The intellectual ability is dominant with an emotional dimension right under the surface.This combination gives this man a great ability compared to the 0-position of his surroundings.This gives man no.2 contentment and inner peace.

3. first interval: outside impulse, evaluation

Man no. 2 has ample equitableness and vision, as well as an emotional ability. The great limitation,however, is the ego of that man who regards all this as a personal and special accomplishment. Thisway, this man views the world and its reality as the polarity between I and the other. He or she canspeak quite well about unity, but anchoring that unity into his own life is a very different matter. In thisregard that man is still very green and ignorant, so captivated is he or she by this miraculousknowledge and the acquired emotional ability. At this stage all those abilities act as blinders, resultingin a one-eyed man in the land of the blind. This one-eyed man is the proverbial king and this positionis very seductive. Only a wise man of a special level will be able to get this one-eyed king off histhrone and ensure that the journey home is continued. There are 5 more steps to go. The quest for truthdictates that he or she will have to become genuine and real. This man no. 2 soon ends up in a situation

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that is divided by opposing loyalties. On one side are the personality and the greed of an ego that wantsno change, on the other side he or she is drawn by a newfound integrity and willingness to serve. Thisinner conflict causes a mental restlessness that demands knowledge and guidance.

The great obstacle for modern man is the remarkable and conflicting idea about freedom hecherishes. That idea is rooted in the axiom that defines freedom as doing as you please unless societyindicates boundaries (then again, if nobodys watching ). This whole idea of freedom to do as you

please in turn is based on the illusion that we can do something. As long as this illusion exists, anynotion of true freedom will remain foreign to us. All our doing is completely dependent on thecircumstances in which we find ourselves and the material and psychological infrastructure withinwhich we function. Our doing is a product of our entire environment together. That environment actsupon us with forces and influences that motivate us and impose an intention onto our every move.Only when we begin to develop an eye for this will we be able to understand how our doing as weplease truly functions. Without suitable conditions William the Conqueror could have never invadedEngland. Without suitable conditions Kaiser Wilhelm would have never started World War I. Withoutsuitable conditions Hadewijch could have neither seen nor passed on her unparalleled mysticalpoems and visions. The barrier at this position 3 implies that man (the ego) is completely uninterestedin this point of view. For by taking away the doing the ego is no longer the center of attention and is

no longer nourished. Then it dies.

Progress requires an outside impulse in the form of a guide or coach or a very upsetting event: a shock.This means subjecting to discipline, just like a sportsman reaching for the top.The coach can bend mans self-contentment towards a willingness to self-investigate and to go deeper.This means further stilling and a willingness to serve and follow.A painful season clearance is held where all old and surplus items must go at all cost.The right desire joins with reason and lets go of all that obstructs the Truth.Ultimately Truth is unveiled from behind self-contentment.It is a completely new and different knowledge that is no longer rooted in scholarship and intelligence,but in understanding and insight.

The memory of this Truth now becomes the third force and is Gurdjieffs self-remembering.It enters the system and pulls it up in its entirety to a completely different and new level.This self-remembering acts as a great energy shock and is very liberating and releasing because all thatis worldly is now left behind.Spirituality and the transcendent reality are now the end goal of the next phase.

4. Fa: man no. 3, refinement

The seeker enters a completely new and very different world: his I-ness or ego is no longer dominant.There is a certain degree of sadness: man sees his fragmented nature in painful clarity and detail.This is truly a level of refinement through hard work and honest effort in acceptance.All remarkable knowledge is replaced by the unpretentiousness of not knowing.

Yet there is a luminous intelligence that can instantly tap into living knowledge.The beginning of a great transforming ability through being a living example in great mildness.This man no longer offers knowledge but instead becomes a living, substantial and tangible example.Man no. 3 is the crowning of personal development in the outside world.

5. Sol: man no. 4, thoughtfulness

Between position 4 and 5 lies an important gradual difference which is visible in the enneagram.It is the turning point from dominance of the intellect to dominance of true emotion.The fully developed intellect takes a step back as it supports a new goal: fullness of emotion.The combination of emotion and intellect gives intelligence.

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Man no. 3 still lacks the inner strength necessary to always stand for the truth, even against all odds.But on the fourth level a man knows what is true and what is untrue, leaving him no choice.This gives this man a special faithfulness and trustworthiness, greatly increasing his credibility.This man has become the personification of light.No longer is the discrimination between good and evil, right and wrong a matter of convention orcircumstances, for this man now views the situation in the light of reality.This man is fearless since all fear is born from darkness and ignorance.

This man has sufficient strength and energy to reject the wrong without outside help or advice.

6. second interval: outside impulse, evaluationThere is no musical interval between Sol and La on the diatonic scale.This is a subtle interval that works beneath the surface in the new octave that originates at position 3.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 89/0DO RE MI || FA SOL LA SI || DO

do re mi || fa sol

The entire crisis of position 3 is reprised but this time at a subtle and spiritual level.Now all subtle and even the most personal attachments lose their binding power.This means another dilemma or crisis in which a coach is needed to help with the letting go of the past.Then he becomes a different man and enters a completely new world.Everything becomes much more fine and subtle.Man learns to handle this finer essence so that he himself becomes a more refined being.

7. La: man no. 5, insight

The interval at 6 has prepared the seeker for a completely different domain.This man has direct access to Gurdjieffs centers of higher intellect and higher emotion.He enters the world of self-consciousness, the inner circle of humanity.Spirituality is now the all-encompassing factor and deals with man himself, his own his divinity andimmortality.Mans scope and horizon are transformed to where he can see beyond the outward and superficial.He has left his personality, also in a subtle sense, behind him and is free: a true yogi.All that remains is Thy will be done as he has become a Brahmadsa: a servant of the Absolute.This man now sees and enjoys the radiant, splendid, enchanting and alluring appearance of things and

their connectedness as manifestations of the Absolute.He sees everything as new and reacts to it in a completely natural way, neither from the past more fromany future expectation, but solely from the moment of now, the moment in which the will of theAbsolute lights up.This man still regards his own being as separate from things and also separate from the Absolute. Thestage play, the actor, the performances and the resulting joy are all known and recognized in their ownspecial meaning. Yet none of those appeared to bind that man. He is only bound by love and in thisdetached state he answers to the will of the Absolute.Still, his awareness of the interconnectedness of things also confronts him with his own relativeweakness as an individual. This slowly makes him ready for the next step.

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In his book A new model of the Universe P.D. Ouspensky points out that Jesus continuouslyindicates that the Kingdom of Heaven is not about a hereafter after death but that it represents a state ofbeing in that man can realize here, on Earth, in this embodiment.Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Sonof man coming in his kingdom.

(Matthew 16:28; Luke 9:27, Mark 9:1)

With the Kingdom of Heaven Jesus implies the inner circle of humanity where humans are no longerdominated by their personality, but connected to God in a way that allows them to continually functionfrom that inner connection. This man is the personification of Thy will be done. His innerconnectedness marks this man as a Son of man and in the passage above Son of man does not referto Jesus but to this man who has risen above the barrier at position 6 and who has come to truesurrender. As mentioned, this man belongs to the inner circle of humanity.

8. Si: man no. 6, abundance

This man goes still deeper.

He looks at forms and goes beyond and looks behind them.He sees that the observable forms all rest in the birthing womb of the unlimited and pure conscience.He truly experiences the continuing presence of the will of the Absolute within which all space, timeand qualities exist. He simultaneously sees the pot and the clay, the table and the wood, the ring andthe gold, thread and fabric. He sees all these things as one and the same. All appears to be nothing butthe body and the being of the Absolute.At this level things become transparent. They don't disappear, nor are they denied, and yet that mangoes beyond them, he surpasses them and he is conscious of the rules and laws that bring all of thisabout and also of their Creator. He is like a lover who can always see nothing but the beloved ineverything. The characteristic of this stage is that he and she are both there. As a matter of fact, there isnothing besides him and her, i.e.: nothing but the individual man and the Absolute.

9. high Do: man no. 7, liberation

It is finished. Salvation or liberation.Man is now completely free and has found himself back.Now comes the dive into unity itself.The dive, the depth and the diving are all known and experienced as one.This man stops nowhere, nor does he stop anything but he lets everything happen.In this unity he only knows himself as the Absolute and he acts as the Absolute.He possesses creative power and uses it without truly claiming anything for himself.This state is turya but can hardly be called a state for it encompasses all other states or conditions.It is fullness, unity, reality, unlimited and indescribable.

There is the Absolute, the One without second.This is where the individual becomes universal.Man is home, with himself, with Brahman.The journey has been completed.

This entire journey through seven levels or steps of consciousness, once started when man at the baselevel woke up and decided to get up and go on his way.The Law of Three demonstrates that there is nothing to do but to look and listen.Once we really look and really listen the road opens up and then it is as if everything happensnaturally.

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The entire human system then becomes subservient to the observing gaze that provides the knowledgeand information to go to work.If there were no inner blockades in the form of all kinds of hidden impressions and therefore hiddenagendas we could travel the road in no time.But this is not the case because we are so tangled up in ourselves. It is that tangle that we must try tocut or unravel. That takes time and we are given that time.The tangle is formed by our thinking that we are separate, a unit separated from our environment. To

that separation we surrender our soul and bliss and proceed to call it I. This I makes us believe thatwe must do all sorts of things and are responsible for them. This is the deeper meaning of the biblicalstatement in the book of Genesis (III,18):Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweatof thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dustthou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

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3April 13, 2005

Let us remember the meeting rules.

Reading: appendix 4

The first sub-octave: inner enneagram from cosmic DO to cosmic RE

If we consider the first sub-octave (meaning step 0 to 1 on the cosmic octave), then the cosmicmeaning of the high Do (of the sub-octave) is right impulse, right desire. The entire octave thendescribes the transformation process that leads from a mechanical world of living to that first step:

Do (202.5 vibr/sec; and low D on the piano):Doubling this note gives 405 vibr/sec = the note Re (D on the piano) in the cosmic octave (rightimpulse). This note, the low D is connected with right impulse on the cosmic octave and istherefore focused on that: Right impulse is the end goal, the crowning, of this octave.

Re ( 9/8x202.5 = 227.8 vibr/sec; and low E on the piano):Here is the impulse to come to right impulse on the cosmic enneagram. This man begins a search forall kinds of influences and impulses that can give him or her the stability and steadfastness to alwaysand under all circumstances be connected to right impulse. In the cosmic octave the rightness ofright impulse is determined by the desire for liberation, for deliverance. All else becomes subservient

to this. This cosmic stage acts as a giant sifter and in the sub-octave the impulse to come to the rightimpulse gives a sense of direction and with it and ability to prioritize and slowly let go of anything thatdoes not lead to the right impulse. The note Re has the quality of letting go of your past and of yourown mechanicalness.

Mi (5/4x202.5 = 253,1 vibr/sec; and low Fis on the piano)The decision and in particular the effort to truly change our patterns of desire, in order to no longer beblocked and miss the right impulse. We see that it is equitable and speaks for itself and thisknowledge makes that we can give up things from within without outside pressure.

Fa (4/3x202.5 = 269.9 vibr/sec; and low G on the piano)

Our determined decision is now refined and learn to see nuances. Yet the goal remains to let go of thepast. The entire process begins to resemble a game rather than an arduous process in which you are thecenter of the Universe. Everything becomes less grave and therefore more joyful and lighter.

Sol (3/2x202.5 = 303.8 vibr/sec; and low A on the piano)The light dawns and makes you see both the beginning and the point of arrival. This point gives anoverview of the entire process which makes you feel like you are getting control over your own future.

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La (5/3x202.5 = 337.5 vibr/sec; the low B on the piano)In the light of dawn you are getting a better view of the end point (the right impulse on the cosmiclevel) and all ballast that remains is pitched overboard, bit by bit. At the cosmic level the right impulseimplies great knowledge of the path that leads to freedom. There is also insight in the nature and actionof the human psyche and insight in the human soul. All these things are studied and also put into practice. This gives this man an increasing right to speak, considerably increasing his or hercredibility.

Si (15/8x202.5 = 379.7 vibr/sec; the middle Cis on the piano)Man now finds himself in sight of the harbor (the right impulse on the cosmic level). If he or she hasultimately reached the harbor that man has become the embodiment of the cosmic level of rightimpulse. The crowning of being the embodiment of it is still being kept from man at this second-lastlevel (Si), but otherwise it is as if that level has already been reached. This man has a great attractionbecause of the impulses he emits. People come to him to listen and to receive teaching. And yet this isonly the first step on the cosmic level.

Do (2x202.5 = 405 vibr/sec; the middle D on the piano)Now man has made the first step on the cosmic level: the Re on the diatonic scale. The feature of this

level is that this man is completely filled with the right and pure desire to come to real knowledge.That real knowledge is the living knowledge that comes directly from man himself, because inreality he has always carried that knowledge with him in his conscience. His pure desire is now aimedat definitively unveiling that owned knowledge and he is completely prepared to make the necessaryeffort. Thus begins the second sub-octave.

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Appendix 1: reading P.D. Ouspensky

A true understanding of symbols cannot lead to difference of opinion. It deepens at the knowledge andcannot remain theoretical, for it strengthens the desire or real results, for the union of knowing andbeing, i.e. for The Great Doing. Pure knowledge cannot be transmitted. But once expressed insymbols, she is covered by a veil that becomes transparent for those wish to see and know how to see.

In this sense one can speak of the symbolism of language, even though the symbolism is only rarelyunderstood. For understanding the inner meaning of what is being said, is only possible at a certainlevel of development and only when the listener makes the necessary effort and is in a certain states.When someone hears something that is new to him and when he begins to oppose and to reject it,instead of trying to understand it, and when he puts forward an opposing opinion which according tohim is the correct one, but which typically has nothing to do with the subject, he loses every possibilityto receive something new. To understand the inner meaning of the language when it becomessymbolic, he must have already learned how to listen. When language is used to express objectiveknowledge and the union of diversity and oneness, every attempt to understand literally is doomed tofail beforehand and in most cases it only leads to new digressions.

It is necessary to reflect on this so extensively because the intellectualism of contemporary educationimprints upon people a tendency to seek logical definitions and logical arguments for everything theyhear. Their desire for exactness in areas where exact definitions become inexact in meaning due to thatvery exactness forms an unconscious barrier.

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Appendix 2.

It is curious how little research has gone into Gurdjieffs true source of information. Usually an idea orconcept of the Sufis has a parallel within the Vedic tradition, and this also appears to be true for theenneagram. Within the Vedic tradition the idea of the journey of 7 steps on the path to knowledge iswell known. The idea can be traced back to the works of the great Indian philosopher Patajali(approx. 200 A.D.) who in turn based his teachings on oral transmissions of the ancient tradition that

reaches back to times long-gone. Within this oral tradition the standard work known as the YogaVsishtha is regarded as the source of this idea of a developmental journey through consciousness inseven steps. The legendary or perhaps mythical sage Vsishtha was the teacher of Prince Rma, towhom the great Indian heroic epos the Ramyana is devoted. To pay due homage to the originalsource, here is the text of the pertinent passage from the Yoga Vsishtha:

Yoga Vsishtha, 50,6:Rma, I will now explain to you the seven states or levels of knowledge. Once you truly

understand those you will no longer be deceived. The first level is characterized by the

right and pure desire to come to true knowledge. The second level is characterized byinvestigation and contemplation. The third level is realized when the mind becomes flexible

and subtle. Being rooted in reality is the fourth level, where truth has become thefoundation. The fifth level is characterized by complete detachment. No personal tie or

bondage remains. In the sixth level the objective world drops away into unity and theseventh level is transcendent and beyond everything. The pure or right desire of the first

level begins with the question: Why do I continue to run around like a fool? It is enough. I

am going to speak with wise people and I am going to study the ancient scriptures. For thisI am prepared to give up all kinds of other things. This is the nature of the desire in the

first state. Subsequently this seeker will study and contemplate the scriptures. He begins to

look at himself and to investigate himself. This man also learns to use his senses and toobserve. Once these two levels have been realized the third level comes into view. Now the

mind becomes more and more clear and the seeker attains a great mental flexibility. Once

he has truly made this discipline his own this man desires less and less sensual enjoymentand he becomes completely content with reality as it is. That reality is truth. Being rooted

in truth is the hallmark of the fourth state, the fourth level. When one is experienced in this,

the fifth level announces itself. This level is characterized by a complete unattachedness.

Man is completely content with himself and resides in his or her own light-heartedness. Inthe sixth state one begins to see all-encompassing unity everywhere, both in as well as

around oneself. All differences drop away. Every effort that is made, certainly when made

in the interest of others, again and again leads to the sweet fruit of spirituality that isimmediately experienced. Beyond this state is the world of the Self-realized, the

jivanmukta. This free soul has no binding whatsoever with this material world and is truly

free.

Rma, he who has passed through these seven states is truly a great soul. These people are truly freeand liberated. They are no longer assailed by whichever consideration of happiness or unhappiness.Some of them continue to function in this world, others have completely withdrawn and live like ahermit. They reside in the self and are completely content with it. Their bliss has become independentand lasting. This highest state can be attained by every creature, even animals and the most simplehumans. It is about realizing wisdom. He who realizes that level has become truly wise and is a greatman. That man deserves all honor and reverence.

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Appendix 3: reading question and answer by Paul van Oyen

Q: How important/interesting/wise is it to try to figure out where one stands in the enneagram?

PvO: For now it is better to regard it impossible to know where you are in the enneagram. Most peoplewith some discipline in their system and a true interest in a more subtle level and on top of that awillingness to consider where they have come from (as a soul) and where they could be going are

considered to beThe fullness of position1 in the enneagram (the note RE) is characterized by right impulse.

The rightness of the impulse is determined by the goal. If I want to play football the right impulse is toread about it, to watch football on TV and to join a football team. If I want to play tennis I should NOTjoin a football team but a tennis club. This means that the classic idea of good and evil, right andwrong is medieval, old fashioned and irrelevant. Right is whatever has to do with the journey home(through the enneagram) and wrong is anything that leads away from it.

A man of the first level (RE) is receptive to all impulses that point to the end goal (mergingwith God, Self-realization, Enlightenment, etc.) but this man is not only receptive for it, he can alsoemit these impulses. This is the case within the Gurdjieff Foundation and also within the RamakrishnaVedanta Society and here in Centre Plenum.

Most people who are active within these kinds of organizations are of the RE kind or are ontheir way to RE (in seven steps). The next stepof Re to MI (position 2) makes a enormousdifference and is a giant step: the developmentof reason and true common sense. It isimportant to realize that reason is the ability tobring everything back to its origin in a cosmicrelationship so that every issue points back tothe original unity. It means that inner harmonyhas been crystallized and available. Even moreso, man at 2 (MI) can speak and act from this

inner harmony.In addition the positions 1 and 2 (REand MI) are connected with 7 and 8 on theother side (the emotional side). These positionsare implicitly present and resonate inaudiblybut noticeably. This is the meaning of implicit.Once you view these positions in this way youwill get some idea of the cosmic scope and

To develop from man 1 to man 2 istruly a landslide. Most leaders of ashrams,cults, spiritual groups are at this level. At 3 is

the crisis of the ego and nobody can take thatbarrier without outside help from someone whohas already reached the other side.Whoever reaches FA is truly intelligent,flexible as a reed and with endless patience.His or her feature is an ability to true serviceand true surrender. This is already very rare intodays world.

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Appendix 4: reading Paul G. van Oyen, Het ennegram nu/The ennegram now

The story of Creation (Genesis, King James Version)

Day 1: Genesis 1-5[1] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

[2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the

Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.[3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

[4] And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

[5] And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morningwere the first day.

When Gods spirit hovers over the waters, something in man begins to move. His magnetic centerbegins to take shape and begins to open up to right impulses. He begins his journey, pulls the door ofhis past shut behind him and lifts his gaze towards truth and reason, even though they are as of yetunknown to him. He needs knowledge and guidance and will soon find himself facing the separation ofdarkness and light: the first day (Re).

Day 2: Genesis 6-8[6] And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters fromthe waters.

[7] And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the

waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.[8] And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

The decision is made: he seeks the light, he exerts himself and works hard. His effort is aimed atlearning to handle the Gods spirit which hovers over the waters and remembers the reality of unityand limitlessness. This means that he learns to take everything and to place it in his own limitlessness

and only observe it. Under that observing look, and with the effort it takes, new knowledge slowlybegins to rise up. That knowledge creates space and acts as a new dimension, as an expandingfirmament. That firmament takes care of the chaos and fragmentation of the physical world (the watersbelow) as well as of the chaos and fragmentation of the world of the mind (the waters above): thesecond day (Mi).

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Day 3: Genesis 9-13[9] And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the

dry land appear: and it was so.[10] And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and

God saw that it was good.

[11] And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding

fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.[12] And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding

fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

[13] And the evening and the morning were the third day.

The waters of chaos and fragmentation are separated from the earth of fertile soil in which the seed canbe sown. The seed is the seed ofdharma: right thoughts, right feelings, right ideas, right principles,right laws and right understanding. That right seed ultimately takes root and gives a manifold harvest.This man becomes a veritable horn of plenty. One can ask him anything and he will always have anadequate and relevant answer. This man has released a great burden of ballast and has become lighterand it makes his journey much easier. He has developed a creative power and knows how to use it: the

third day (Fa).

Day 4: Genesis 14-19[14] And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night;

and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

[15] And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it wasso.

[16] And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the

night: he made the stars also.[17] And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

[18] And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God

saw that it was good.[19] And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Now he stands on the crossroads of country road and main road and also of light and darkness. He cansee all pairs of opposites because his vision has become very clear. His inner light is so strong he hasbecome as the sun and also the moon. When the sky is clear there is the sun, but in darkness there isthe light of the moon. This man is never without light for he has become light, and a shining example:the fourth day (Sol).

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Day 5: Genesis 20-23[20] And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl

that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

[21] And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters broughtforth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

[22] And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let

fowl multiply in the earth.

[23] And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

The hallmark of this level is the ability to let everything be as it is. There is no more wish to interferefrom a personal desire or ambition. This way the moving of living things can arise in the innerlimitlessness and as a seer this man sees an abundance of signs in this expanding dimension. This manhas taken on a truly cosmic dimension. He knows that the secret of multiplication division, or sharing,is and that the secret of division the indivisibility of the remainder is. He is everywhere at home, bothon earth and in heaven: the fifth day (La).

Day 6: Genesis 24-31[24] And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping

thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.[25] And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing

that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.[26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over

the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over

every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.[27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female

created he them.

[28] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every

living thing that moveth upon the earth.

[29] And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all theearth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

[30] And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon

the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

[31] And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening andthe morning were the sixth day.

Only on the second-last day (step) God creates man in His own image. Man still remains a reflection ofGod himself. Therefore there still remains subject and object, duality, of man and woman. Man is stillimprisoned in creation, but he is able to completely fulfill that creation from abundance. This abilityis based on the polarity of active and passive, with as neutralizing force the observing look itself. Here

abundance automatically rises up and this man knows to leave it at that, for behind the abundanceappears the source itself. This is why he has been given reign over the entire multitude of livingcreatures in the universe. That reign is not given to mans ego based on what that ego thinks it can doand not do. This mans only motivating force is Thy Will be done. He is a good shepherd. The sixthstate has been likened to the contemplative state of samdhi. And, behold, it was very good: the sixthday (Si).

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Day 7: Genesis 2:1-3[1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

[2] And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day

from all his work which he had made.[3] And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his

work which God created and made.

This is the perfect unity, the unio mystica. Man no. 7 has completely merged with God and hasthereby come to perfect rest and peace. No duality remains, no separate I comes into view. In thiscomplete freedom only the Creator and Creation remain as one great unity. He has crystallized a causalbody and is therefore a thrice-born. This man and this Creation have indeed come to fulfillment, forthat is the ultimate goal: to fulfill: the seventh day (Do).

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