The Enneagram

A Lecture by Gurdjieff
In every man there has been implanted a need of (desire for) knowledge,
differing only in its intensity. But the passive human mind, while utilizing
every means possible to it of taking in (and working over) impressions, often
gets into an impasse in trying to find an answer to the question "hy".
!an"s eyes are dazzled by the bright play of the #olors of multiformity, and
under the glittering surfa#e he does not see the hidden kernel of the one$ness
of all that e%ists. &his multiformity is so real that its single modes approa#h
him from all sides $ some by way of logi#al dedu#tion and philosophy, others
by way or faith and feeling. 'rom the most an#ient times down to our own
epo#h, throughout the ages of its life, humanity as a whole has been yearning
for a knowledge of this one$ness and seeking for it, pouring itself out into
various philosophies and religions whi#h remain, as it were, monuments on
the path of these sear#hes for the (ath, leading to the knowledge of unity.
&hese sear#hes radiate to the (ath )ust as the radii of a #ir#le )oin at the #enter,
getting #loser into #onta#t with ea#h other the nearer they get to the #enter.
&he goal itself determines the dire#tion of the paths and brings the wanderers
on the paths to a knowledge of the one$ness whi#h rea#hes the depths where
that knowledge be#omes a reality to the knower and #annot be #ommuni#ated
to another who has not rea#hed the same stage of development. &he words
and notions of #onversational language be#ome dead and empty, #onveying
nothing to him who does not #arry su#h knowledge within himself. In the
same way as the sensation of tooth$a#he #annot be impartial to one who has
not e%perien#ed it, and )ust as the differen#e of #olors #annot be #onveyed to
one blind from birth, and the wealth of auditory sensation #annot be
#ommuni#ated to the deaf, similarly you #annot tell or relate in words the
depth of knowledge whi#h has be#ome part of a man"s being. &he words and
notions of different epo#hs #hange a##ording to #onditions of pla#e and time*
unity is eternal and immutable. &he laws, a#ting in us, and produ#ing the
plurality assumed by us, are everywhere the same. 'rom the most, an#ient
times humanity has understood this, and by utilizing the language of symbols
and formulas, more perfe#t than our #ontemporary language, has gone on
handing its knowledge down to the su##eeding generations. +nd everybody
approa#hing the symbol and possessing a #omplete understanding of it,
possesses a perfe#t synthesis of it. ,peaking figuratively, he has this symbol
within himself. + symbol, by e%pressing the knowledge of the laws of unity,
has at the same time e%pressed the path to it. ,ide by aide with the basi#
symbols, as if they absorbed into themselves wider spheres, there started up
and sprang into e%isten#e in sub)e#tion to them other symbols and formulae.
-verything in the world is one and is governed by uniform laws, and for that
reason the -merald &ables of .ermes &rismegistus put it* "+s above, so
below". +ll the laws of the #osmos we shall find in the atom. +nd in any
phenomenon e%isting as something #omplete a##ording to laws. (&hat is, in
any whole.) &he knowledge of the laws of the plurality of the /ne was always
based on the similitude of the mi#ro#osm to the ma#ro#osm $ of man to the
universe, and vi#e versa. &he fundamental laws of the 0 and of the 1, of the
a#tive, passive, and neutral prin#iples, the laws of a#tivity, are to be found and
#onfirmed in everything, and therefore in arriving at a knowledge of the
world"s stru#ture, man was unable to +voId the path of self$knowledge. !an"s
nearest and always readily a##essible ob)e#t of knowledge was always
himself, he being the e%pression of the a#tion of all the laws of the #osmos.
&he formula "2now &hyself" is, in this respe#t, full off the profoundest
meaning3 it is one of the symbols of the knowledge of truth. By be#oming
a#quainted with the symbols e%pressing the laws of #reation, man will learn
the laws themselves, and by learning these in himself he treads the path of
self$knowledge, and in this sense every symbol tea#hes us about ourselves. By
learning to distinguish the laws of evolution and involution, synthesis and
analysis, yes and no, good and evil, energy and matter, forward and retrograde
movements, man will also dis#ern the re#ipro#al a#tion of these laws.
.e will learn the great laws known to the an#ient wisdom, the laws of the
binary and ternary as applied to the #osmos and to oneself. By binding them
together, and en#losing them within the #ir#le of eternity, and their
manifestations within the #ir#les of re#urren#es and #y#les that happen
a##ording to law, within the #ir#le of the spring of eternity on the plane of our
own time, within the #ir#le of eternal vibration and of the struggle with
oneself on the path to self$knowledge, he with his whole being, step by step
traverses the path of #onstru#tion in himself of the great symbol whi#h has
#ome down to us under the name of ",olomon"s ,eal".
'igure 4. ,olomon"s ,eal
hat I have )ust said shows how diffi#ult it is to #onvert the language of
symbols into our own language, how little purpose there is in interpreting the
symbol to a man who has not attained to an understanding of it. +nd however
strange it may be, the fa#t remains that the sense of the symbol, the dis#overy
of its nature, #an only be given to, and re#eived by, him who previously knew
already, and for him the symbol will be the synthesis of his knowledge, the
same formula for the e%pression of knowledge as it was to him who
#onstru#ted it. ill a man una#quainted with this system of symbols
understand a great deal if he is told that the knowledge of unity by the means
of self$knowledge and self$perfe#tion for man is the neutralization of the
binary by the ternary and its transmutation into the quaternary in order to
#lose the pentagram and realize the ",eal of ,olomon", or if I draw thus3
'igure 5. ,ymboli# (ath
But let us suppose that we are talking of the harmoni# development of man"s
body, and as the law is everywhere one we apply the stated formula to this
development. .ow #an we translate the quoted formula in that relation6 hat
must we substitute in order to de#ipher it6 +ll sensations, impressions,
feelings and thoughts of man are divided into #orre#t and in#orre#t, ne#essary
ones and useless ones, pleasant and unpleasant, pleasure and pain. &his is the
binary along whi#h all impressions, all life of man, travel.
&his binary is every person who looks into himself. e may live by these
transitory dimensions, giving ourselves up to their #urrent and allowing them
to #arry us away. But to the whole of this pro#ess going on within us apart
from our will, to all these "it wishes" we may oppose our "I wish", bind
together yes and no, provoke a dispute between two opposites, a struggle of
two prin#iples, and neutralize them by the tertiary. + great dispute, if it is not
purposeless, must give a result, a #on#lusion and an effe#t, and then four
elements will be available3 yes, no, dispute, result* that is, the transmutation of
the binary into the quaternary. &hat is the first half of the formula. &he se#ond
part of it speaks for itself and thereby points out the dire#tion of the solution.
-very result representing the #ompletion of a #ir#le gives something new,
whi#h in its turn #an a#t re#ipro#ally with something else. &his "something",
e%pressing itself #onditionally, may be right or wrong, that is, it either
provokes the formation of that for whi#h it was produ#ed, or obstru#ts it. &ake
any #ir#le you like3 let us suppose that I urgently need for my purpose some
information or other whi#h I #an only get from one of my a#quaintan#es. But I
am not on good terms with him, he having on#e insulted me, and in order to
apply to him for the required information I have had to sustain a tough fight
with my self$pride. &here might be many other #onsiderations entering into
the matter, su#h as the fear of a refusal, or of unpleasantness on his part, et#.,
whi#h we will not go into now. In the upshot I resolved to go to him with my
request and at all #osts to get an answer. If my #on#lusion is firm enough not
to allow any #ontingen#ies to shake it, my de#ision will assist my undertaking.
But if under the influen#e of different #onsiderations I #ome to the opposite
de#ision, it will obstru#t my errand, but it may be that it will #ondu#e to the
preservation of my #omposure and a saving of my nervous energy. In any #ase
as regards my errand it will be a hindran#e. 7onsequently, every result must
be #onsidered in relation to what a given effe#t was produ#ed for.
But as we are speaking about the harmoni# development of the physi#al body,
of man"s ma#hine, every "dispute" in us must lead to development, that is, to
the a#quisition of a new, non$habitual fun#tioning of that ma#hine. e know
that in it are five main #enters3 thinking #enter, formulatory apparatus,
emotional #enter, moving and se% #enters. &he one$sided development of any
one of them leads to hypertrophy, the type of a one$#entered man. &here will
be five su#h main types. But if all five #enters are developed in one man, he
"lo#ks up" within himself the pentagram by the fa#t that he brings his life and
the work of all five #enters into harmoni# #orresponden#e. By manifesting
a##ording to law and living harmoniously he represents the finished physi#al
type of man. .e is the type of the synthesis of 8 in 4. .e is one, and at the
same time five, for he #an live )ust as one of the five and like all together. .e
is a si% pointed star, and by be#oming the possessor of this harmony and
isolating himself in it from all outside influen#es, lo#king himself up in an
independent #ir#le, in a life en#losed in himself, he is the personal realization
of ",olomon"s ,eal".
'igure 0. !an as (entagram
9ou see how the series of symbols quoted is e%pounded when applied to the
pro#ess we are #onsidering. :or is this a full interpretation. It #an be
visualized and understood by those who in this respe#t already possess #ertain
knowledge and understanding. But a symbol that e%presses an all
#omprehensive law, is ipso fa#to itself all #omprehensive and for that reason it
#annot be interpreted in a way that is not e%haustive, it #an only be lived
through (e%perien#ed).
I on#e more return for a while to the pro#ess of the harmoni# development of
the physi#al body already #onsidered by us, and will remind that a##ording to
the fundamental law of the o#tave every finished pro#ess is a transition of the
note ";o" through a series of su##essive notes to the ";o" of the ne%t o#tave.
&he seven basi# tones of the o#tave e%press the law of the septenary and the
";o" of the ne%t o#tave added to #omplete the pro#ess, gives the < steps of a
#omplete o#tave, being the symboli#al e%pression of the binary of the
quaternaries3 ";o, re, mi, fa" $ "sol, la, si, do". In ea#h of these quaternaries3
";o, re, mi, fa" $ "sol, la, si, do", there is one interval3 "mi$fa", and "si$do",
requiring the parti#ipation of an outside for#e, and only from the outside. If
we #onsider the pro#ess at the point of #ompletion, we shall get with these
two intervals = steps $ the ternary of the ternaries, three trinities. By adding
the top ";o", we #omplete the pro#ess of the ninth step.
'igure >. &he /#tave
&hose of you who are a#quainted with the 2abbalah may now apply its
symbol of the nine in interpreting the laws of a#tive operation in the pro#esses
of the harmonization of the nourishing of man"s physi#al body. ?ook into
these two series of symbols. By the nature of the thing they speak of one and
the same thing and in them are given all whole numbers from one to ten. &he
last figure is the very same unit, or, to put it differently, is the ";o" of the ne%t
o#tave, that is, the end of the previous, the beginning of the ne%t #y#le.
7onsequently, the pro#ess of development and work #ontains in itself all the
figures of the #y#le from 4 to =. .ere we step right up to what may be #alled
the symbolism of figures.
(eople a#quainted with the system, whi#h with us in the west bears the name
of o##ultism, during their study of it, run up against the method of operating
with figures known under the appellation of theosophi#al addition. I will not
here stop to go into it, but will merely state that for many people this method
of the synthesizing of numbers appears so arbitrary that they regard it merely
as a #urious pro#ess, but one that is quite devoid of #ontent. But all the while
it has a deep signifi#an#e for the man who has #ome to know the unity of
e%isting things and who has the key thereto, redu#ing all multiform #y#les to
the basi# fa#ts whi#h govern them. &he number #onne#ts up with the
geometri#al form of the symbol* the number in the symbol pours out into the
form. &hey mutually #omplete and outline ea#h other. &o those a#quainted
with the 2abbalah I may give a passing reminder also of the symbolism of
letters and of the #ombined symbolism of words.
ord, number, and form, when #ombined, give a still more perfe#ted symbol.
It is not possible for me to dwell in detail on every aspe#t of symbolism. 'or
the sake of those a#quainted with o##ultism in its different parts, I #an only
mention the system of the great symbols #alled "&arot", and the symbols of
magi#, astrology and al#hemy, ea#h of whi#h represents a symboli#al system,
that is, the path leading to a knowledge of the truth of unity. But in order to
tread this path, its symbolism must not be approa#hed with a "literal"
understanding and interpretation. +s I pointed out, it is ne#essary to
e%perien#e them, dis#over them, and by delving deep down into yourself to
make them your own property.
&he symbol e%pressing the laws of the unity of the infinitely multiform has an
infinite multitude of sides or points of view from whi#h to #onsider it, )ust as
an )ust as an formula of the roots of quadrati# equations may be applied to the
solution in numbers of an infinite multitude of problems of the se#tion ruled
by the formula. In the #ase of one man who already possesses all the data for
knowledge, the symbol synthesizes him (these data6). In another, it awakens
even the pro#esses hidden deep down within him, un#overs them and gives
signifi#an#e and life to them.
,ymbols, transposed into the words of our language, and handed down in
those words, harden into a filament, they tarnish and may give rise to fatal
errors in people who do not understand the symbols or understand them
literally. &ruth gets en#ased in a shall of error, and to enable the approa#her to
get near to it a great effort is required on his part. hat monstrous errors have
arisen from the symbols of al#hemy, parti#ularly of magi#, in those people
who, literally and one$sidedly, without possessing the all #omprehensive
knowledge of unity, adopted its symbols@ &he symbol is a barri#ade against
words, it delves into the thing, taken by itself, and taken in its own reality. +
knowledge of the symbol leaves no room for dispute, it deepens the
understanding whi#h does not remain merely theoreti#al, but presses on to the
real result of being able to do, to the result of knowing and being, to the
realization of great doing. (ure knowledge is not transferable, and by being
e%pressed in words, is veiled by them, but whoever wishes and is able to see
this veil, will find it transparent. +nd in this sense it is possible to speak of the
symbolism of spee#h, but it is not everyone who #an understand even merely
this symbolism. &o understand the spoken inner meaning of the thought and
its spirit is possible only at a #ertain stage of development and with an effort
on the part of the hearer. In those #ases where a person is simply disputing in
the ordinary sense of the words, by merely #ontending for his own opinion, he
wastes his time in vain without a#quiring anything new. In order to to be able
to understand spee#h when it is used symboli#ally, it is first of all ne#essary to
learn and to be able to listen. In #ases of profound knowledge, any attempt at
understanding literally is foredoomed to failure, and, at best, will yield
nothing, and, less favorably, may lead to error and absurdity. &ruth is taken by
for#e and it is possible to him who uses for#e to get it. :e#essity #ompels me
to dwell on this so long be#ause in our #onditions of modern #ulture and
edu#ation it is in our nature to aspire to s#holasti#al definitions, and, without
noti#ing it ourselves, we un#ons#iously fetter ourselves with our soi$disant
desire for a##ura#y in that sphere, right from the moment we set foot upon its
territory until we rea#h the #enter. 'or this reason every #on#rete parti#ular,
#ommuni#ated before the notion of the nature of the phenomenon or law was
formed in man, by virtue of this psy#hologi#al singularity of our modern
re#eption, makes it diffi#ult for us to be able to understand this nature. I do
not mean by that, that a##urate and #on#rete definitions do not e%ist* on the
#ontrary, they do e%ist, and possess in the full sense of the word, the diversity
of these qualities, but not )ust in what and in the manner we anti#ipate. +nd if
anyone presupposes that he #an wander along the path of self$knowledge,
guided only by #on#rete fa#ts, and waiting for them without taking any
trouble to assimilate the indi#ations re#eived, he needs first of all to
understand the meaning of symbolism, and always to remember that he alone,
and only by his own effort and wish will be able to en#ompass his aim.
:obody will ever be able to give him what he has never yet possessed,
nobody will be able to perform for him the work whi#h he, and only he
himself #an and must perform. +ll that another #an do for him is to )og him on
to work, but the work itself he himself must do. +nd from this point of view
symbolism, rightly re#eived, plays the part of this )og to our knowledge. I
have in mind presently to a#quaint you briefly with one of these symbols, and
would therefore wish that all that I have said should assist you to #ome to an
understanding of it in su#h a way that the e%planations I shall broadly outline
might serve as a )og to those who are desirous of penetrating more deeply into
a knowledge of the nature of the laws, and at the same time help them to
synthesize the material I have on different o##asions given them here.
I now speak of the basi# law of the unity of the many, the law of the o#taves.
It has repeatedly been stated that this law is all #omprehensive, that every
pro#ess in its gradual development, independently of its s#ale, is fully
determined by the law or the #onstru#tion of the seven toned gamut. In other
words, the seven toned gamut in its stru#ture shows forth all the properties of
this law. It has also been said that every #ompleted pro#ess is formed from an
elementary phenomenon, #onsidered as ";o", and from a derivative
phenomenon ";o" of the su##eeding o#tave higher or lower, a##ording as the
pro#ess is evolutive or involutive. -very note, every tone of the gamut on
another s#ale, is again in the same way a whole o#tave, as it were a #losed
round #y#le. -very interval between two #ontiguous tones is again a whole
o#tave. &hose intervals between mi and fa, and between si and do, whi#h
#annot be bridged in the pro#ess we are #onsidering on their own energy and
require in order to pass on outside assistan#e $ assistan#e from the outside
only $ thereby #onne#ting their own pro#esses up with other pro#esses. In
other words, the law of the o#tave #onne#ts all pro#esses of world #reation,
and offers to the initiated the s#ale by whi#h he #an pass on, and the law of the
stru#ture of the o#tave, and makes it possible for him to know everything and
every phenomenon )ust as they are and in all their re#ipro#al relations,
together with the things and phenomena #onne#ted with them. +nd so for the
synthesization of all knowledge relating to the law of the stru#ture of the
o#tave, there e%ists a symbol, with the form of a geometri#al figure. But
before passing on to the des#ription itself of the symbol, I shall say a few
words about the tea#hing that utilizes this symbol, and its relation to other
systems that have re#ourse to symboli# methods for handing down
knowledge.
+t the beginning of the le#ture I stated that the paths leading to a knowledge
of unity are to it as the radii of a #ir#le are to its #enter. +nd the #loser they
get to it, the more they get into #onta#t. &herefore theoreti#al fa#ts serving as
fundamentals and theses in one dire#tion may be e%plained from the point of
view of theses in another dire#tion, and vi#e versa. &hat is why the symbol I
have tou#hed on today #an be applied in e%plaining the theory of the tea#hing
we have under #onsideration. /wing to this property it is possible to form an
intermediate dire#tion serving as it were as the middle way between two
ad)a#ent dire#tions. +nd in the absen#e of a full knowledge of the main
dire#tions, su#h a middle #ourse #an lead only to a #onstant #hange of the
dire#tions and to their #onfusion, #an only lead to #ompli#ation and errors.
+nd instead of approa#hing the #enter, a man going the intermediate road,
gets hopelessly entangled, loiters about, and finds no issue. /f the prin#ipal
dire#tions more or less known to us we may name four3 the .ebrew, the
-gyptian, the (ersian, and the .indu* of the last named we only know the
philosophy, of the three first, we partially know their theory. &wo of the
dire#tions resulting from the mi%ing up of the others, and whi#h are
hopelessly involved in #onsequen#e of this mi%ing, although they #ontain
parti#les of the truth they have re#eived, but railed to #omprehend, are at the
present time theosophy and o##ultism. 'or this same reason, the pra#ti#e of
both of them without #omplete knowledge leads to disastrous results. It is
impossible for me to dwell in greater detail on this e%traordinarily interesting
question of the different dire#tions and their origins. &his question will in due
#ourse be made the theme of a separate le#ture. I wish to emphasize the fa#t
that the tea#hing whose theory is now being e%pounded here by us, is
#ompletely alone in its dire#tion, is independent of other dire#tions and
unknown by them. e will not go into its theory and origin now. +s in the
#ase of other dire#tions, it makes use dire#tions, it makes use the symboli#
method, and I now intend to a#quaint you with one of its symbols. /f #ourse
the supers#ription surrounding the outside of the symbol have been translated
into e%pressions that are #omprehensible to us. Its general stru#ture, whi#h
links it up, in the geometri#al figure, with the full e%pression of the law of the
o#taves, is somewhat more #ompli#ated than this stru#ture I am going to set
before you, but it fully synthesizes the internal laws of one o#tave and of the
knowledge of the nature of the thing #onsidered in itself, that is to say,
e%isting in isolation, as it were, only as regards its pro#esses and life. &his
symbol is formed as follows3
'igure 8. &he -nneagram
&he #ir#le is divided into five different parts, si% points #onne#ted by a figure
whi#h is symmetri#al in relation to the diameter, passing through the top point
of division and the #enter of the #ir#le, and whi#h is drawn as they say, with
one stroke of the pen. 'urthermore, the top point of division is the ape% of a
regular triangle #onne#ting up the points of division on the #ompli#ated
figure. &his symbol will not be met with in the study of o##ultism, either in
books or in the oral tradition. ,u#h tremendous signifi#an#e is atta#hed to it
by those who know that it has never at any time or at any pla#e been
published or #ommuni#ated in entirety. But allusions to it are found even in
o##ult literature. 'or #ertain reasons I shall not say where, but you may #ome
a#ross su#h a translation of this very symbol* "double binary of the ternaries,
taken in pairs, giving the quaternary is neutralized into an elongated
pentagram by the big free ternary". +nd this is formed as follows3
'igure A. + (artial -nneagram
!eanwhile, you will never find any e%planations on this figure, or on this
formula. :early all the elements are really available here geometri#ally* four
small triangles #onne#ted in pairs, the quaternary in the form of the double
binary of the ternaries, and the big triangle, the free, (no hat#hing) ternary.
/nly one point of division is here la#king. &here are eight api#es or if we
#ount on the outside of the sket#h of our figure we get five, whi#h are united
by the elongated pentagram. -vidently this symbol is sometimes delineated by
the septenary whi#h is pe#uliarly formed, that is to say, by a heptagon with a
point inside* this is interpreted quite arbitrarily and therefore I will not quote
this interpretation, but will only reprodu#e the figure itself. It is drawn thus3
'igure 1. +nother (artial -nneagram
?eaving aside all these fragments of a distorted and in#omprehensible symbol,
we will now pro#eed to e%amine it in the form in whi#h I quoted it. I have
already said that this is the symbol of the o#tave. &he o#tave #omprises 1
tones and the <th serves as a repetition of the first. &ogether with two e%ternal
sho#ks to fill up what we will #all the "gaps" in the o#tave, we have before us
= elements. .aving stopped up the se#ond gap in the spiral as#ent of the
o#tave, that is, si$do, we get in reality what is an already #losed #y#le, and
ipso fa#to, the ninth element being there to #lose the #y#le, this #ompletes the
symbol as a whole. &he isolated e%isten#e of the thing or phenomenon whi#h
is under #onsideration is a #losed #ir#le of the pro#ess of the #hanges of the
life of the thing #onsidered, whi#h pro#ess is forever renewing itself and flows
on without interruption. It is symbolized by the #ir#le of the figure. &he
separate points of division of the #ir#le of uninterrupted #hange symbolizes
the su##essive fundamental steps of the pro#ess. &he whole symbol in its
entirety is ";o", is something a##ording to law and whi#h e%ists whole. It is a
#ir#le, a #omplete #y#le, it is the "nought" of our de#imal system of numbers,
representing by its own outline a #losed #y#le. It has everything within itself
for its own e%isten#e. It is isolated from what surrounds it. &he sequen#e of
the stages of the pro#ess must be bound by the sequen#e of the #y#le of the
remaining numbers from 4 to =. here are the pla#es of these figures to be6 I
have already mentioned that the =th step being forth#oming to fill up the gap
"si$do", it thus #ompletes the #ir#le, that is, it #loses the #ir#le whi#h begins
anew at that point. &he top of the ternary #loses the binary, its basis, re#eiving
from itself, as a prin#iple, the possibility of manifestation and in#arnation in a
multitude of forms* in the same way as the ape% of the triangle multiplies
eternally in the line of its base, and therefore every beginning and #ompletion
of the #y#le is formed at the ape% of the triangle, is synthesized at one point in
whi#h beginning and end meet, the #ir#le #loses, sounding in the
uninterrupted flow of the #y#le like the two "do"s" in the o#tave. But the ninth
step #loses and again starts the #y#le. &herefore in the top point of the triangle
#orresponding to ";o" will be the figure =. +ll the remaining points will be
numbered in sequen#e from 4 to <. e will get3
'igure <. &he -nneagram :umbers
?et us now pro#eed to e%amine the #omple% figure en#losed in the #ir#le and
try to find the law of its stru#ture. &o that end I will remind you that the laws
of unity are refle#ted in all phenomena. &he so$#alled de#imal system of
#al#ulation in vogue with us, is in its profoundest prin#iples only very very
imperfe#tly known to us in the theory of numbers that is built upon the basis
of these eternal laws. &aking the unit, )ust as we have done here, as the
symbol of the e%isten#e of the whole o#tave in one note, we must, in order to
se#ure a passage from one tone of this o#tave to another, split up the unit into
1 parts. I make the reserve that what we understand by the unit shall here in its
symboli#al meaning #orrespond to the "nought" of the symbol under
#onsideration. :ow, in order to get say the distan#e of any one of the tones
from the primary tone, we must take the #orresponding number of seventh
parts of the unit, that is, 5B1, 0B1, and so forth. ?et us work all these parts out
as de#imal fra#tions whi#h are based on the same laws as the whole of our
de#imal system of re#koning. &here is this series3
C equals 4.
4 B 1 D C.4>5<81
5 B 1 D C.5<814>
0 B 1 D C.>5<814
> B 1 D C.814>5<
8 B 1 D C.14>5<8
A B 1 D C.<814>5
1 B 1 D C.======
In #ontemplating this series you will at on#e noti#e that the period of these
fun#tions, e%#ept in the #ase of the last one, is made up of the same numbers
running in a definite sequen#e, and by knowing the initial number of the
period you #an immediately re$establish the whole period in full. But if we
dispose them in a #ir#le in their natural sequen#e, after linking them up by a
#losed broken line, we shall get a #ertain figure. If all = numbers are arranged
in a #ir#le in their natural sequen#e as we did in the symbol under
#onsideration, the #losed line of the period of the denominator 1 gives us the
interior figure or the symbol. +##ording to this figure, by merely taking the
dire#tion of its stru#ture as a guide, we shall establish the period in full in
every separate instan#e. &he unit ";o", or seven$sevenths, is symbolized by
the point =. &he numbers 0 and A also enter into the period, whi#h in
#on)un#tion with = will give the independent triangle $ the free ternary of the
symbol. I may remark briefly that if we use the theosophi#al addition, that is,
by taking the sum of the #iphers of the period, we shall get =
(4E>E5E<E8E1D51 and 5E1D=), that is, a whole unit in #orresponden#e with
our symbol, that is, in ea#h note we shall again find a whole o#tave, sub)e#t
within itself to the same laws as the primary o#tave, of whi#h the tone under
#onsideration is a part. If you will now re#all what was said by me about the
sequen#e of the stages of the pro#ess of the formation of the o#tave and will
#onne#t it up with the manner in whi#h we #onstru#ted the figure of the
symbol with the aid of the numbers of the period, you will mark the pla#es of
the tones on the symbol and get a sket#h of the o#tave in this form3
'igure =. &he -nneagram &ones
&hat is how the matter stands as regards the outside geometri#al stru#ture of
the symbol. Its form is pre$determined by the fa#t that it serves to e%press the
law of the 1 whereon the o#tave is built. It is septimal relative to the tone
";o", that is, in a #ertain sense the tone ";o" may be #onsidered neutralizing.
hen it was a question here of applying the laws of the o#taves to the
stru#ture of the #hemi#al elements, every substan#e derived on the basis of
laws was symboli#ally termed a "hydrogen" of various gradations of density
and other qualities whi#h went to define it as a substan#e. By the law of the 0,
it was built up from a#tive, passive, and neutral substan#es #orrespondingly
termed "o%ygen", "#arbon", and "azote" (or "nitrogen"), that is, the following
stru#ture was obtained3
7E/E : F .
In the same sense as the tone ";o", though being a resultant, is at the same
time a neutralizer of the o#tave, so, too, the "hydrogen" was at the time
mentioned as simultaneously being a resultant and a neutralizer, that is, it was
related to "nitrogen". &he substan#e of "hydrogen" is the synthesis, the result
of the re#ipro#al a#tion of three substan#es3 of the a#tive "o%ygen", the
passive "#arbon", #ombined with the neutral "nitrogen", that is to say, it is
built up a##ording to the law of the trinity. In the same way, too, the tone
";o", the ape%, marked by the number =, is in its #ompletion #onstru#ted on
the same law and, #onstituting the triangle =, 0, A, binding into one the three
dots whi#h do not enter into the period (as we will name the #omple%
geometri#al figure within the symbol) ties into one the law of the 1 and of the
0. &he period does not in#lude two of the numbers )ust mentioned. &wo of
them #orrespond to the gaps in the gamut, the third is, as it were, superfluous
and at the same time takes the pla#e of the fundamental tone not #omprised in
the period. But if you will remember that ea#h thing or phenomenon whi#h
a##ording to the law of relativity is able to #ooperate with a phenomenon
homogeneous and "having equal rights" with it, sounds like ";o" in its own
#orresponding o#tave, therein you will per#eive this fa#t symbolized, that
";o" #an go out of its own #ir#le and, a##ording to law enter into relations
with another #ir#le, that is to say in another #y#le play the role, whi#h in the
#y#le under noti#e is played by the sho#ks filling up the gaps in the o#tave.
&hat is why here, too, having in itself this possibility, it is bound up by the
symbol of triunity with those pla#es where there are sho#ks of outside
prin#iples, where the o#tave is for )oining purposes permeated with what is
only outside it. &he "law of the 0" steps, as it were, outside the law of the 1,
the triangle glistens through the period and these two figures by their
#ombination give the internal stru#ture of the o#tave and its tones, of its
atomisti# stru#ture, as it were. 9ou will be within your right in asking the
question why one of the gaps $ 0 $ is in its own pla#e between "mi" and "fa",
and the other $ A $ has got between "sol" and "la", whereas its pla#e is between
"si" and ";o". I shall endeavor to give you what e%planation is for the non#e
possible of this phenomenon. If the #ondition were observed that the se#ond
gap should be in its own pla#e, we should get this #ir#le3
'igure 4C. &he -nneagram Gaps
If we now group the = elements of the #losed #ir#le that we have before us in
the following way
'igure 44. &he &hree &ernaries
we shall get a symmetri#al stru#ture of the three ternaries, that is, ternary of
the ternaries, 0 equals triunity. &he laws of symmetry are little studied with us
in the west, but even so you probably know what is #alled symmetri#al
asymmetry, that is, symmetry, based on laws, appearing as asymmetry. +nd
the symbol that we are now e%amining, representing as it does the figure of a
perfe#t synthesis of the laws of the o#taves, while being symmetri#al in form,
also in#ludes that asymmetry of whi#h we are now speaking (see drawing).
But that is not all3 by #arrying the gap to what seems to be not its own pla#e, it
thereby shows to him who knows how to read it, what sho#k is needed, and
when and wherein, to #arry from "si" to ";o", whi#h in its turn e%plains the
#ir#umstan#e already mentioned in the le#ture on the me#hani#s of the world
stru#ture, namely, that the transition from la to si is, from the point, of view of
the differen#e in the number of vibrations of the tones, of greater length than
all the other transitions in the o#tave. +lmost as definite too are the
indi#ations in the symbol of the sho#k needed at the gap "mi"$"fa", whi#h I
am not able to talk about in detail at present. +ll I #an do is to remind you
on#e more of the role of these sho#ks in the pro#esses going on in man and the
universe.
hen we were e%amining the appli#ation of the law of the o#taves to the
#osmos, it took the following form as far as it #on#erns the step ",un $ -arth"3
'igure 45. &he 7osmi# /#tave
It was also mentioned that the transition ";o" to "si", the filling up of the gap,
pro#eeds inside the ,un"s organism3 when it was a question of the +bsolute, it
was pointed out plainly that this transition is an internal a#t of will. &ransition
from "fa" to "mi" is performed me#hani#ally by the aid, as it were, of a spe#ial
ma#hine enabling the "fa" whi#h enters it, by a series of pro#esses and without
altering its tonality, to a#quire the properties of the "sol" standing above it,
and together with it the ability to pass on by itself (in the shape as it were of a
store of internal energy) for #onversion into the following tone $ in this
instan#e "mi". &he thing is absolutely the same throughout all the pro#esses. If
we will pro#eed to e%amine the pro#esses off the nourishing and working of
the human organism, we shall find in them $ as we have more than on#e
mentioned here, these same gaps and sho#ks. ?et us re#onstru#t the s#heme of
the working of the physi#al body of man in the way that we have already done
here. &hree kinds of food are taken in by man. -a#h of them is the beginning
of its own o#tave (4st, 5nd, and 0rd ";o").
&he first o#tave, that of the food of the bottom storey we have e%amined fully
enough to e%plain the nature of the gap. hen in its pro#ess of #hanges it
rea#hes the stage #orresponding to the note "mi" (0rd "mi") it approa#hes the
gap whi#h by itself it is unable to #ross. &he 5nd ";o", air, whi#h #omes to its
aid, and whi#h we take in by breathing, passing over into the 5nd "re" and
blending with the 0rd "mi", is transferred by us into the 0rd "fa". &he food we
take in by eating and drinking is introdu#ed into our body in the
overwhelming ma)ority of #ases in greater quantities than are needed. It
#annot be fully assimilated, that is, the #hemi#al pro#ess by whi#h the
substan#e ne#essary for the maintenan#e of life is produ#ed in our body,
requires the #omponent parts to be in stri#t #orresponden#e. &o elu#idate this
let us take any e%ample from #hemistry. 2it#hen salt is the union, in #ertain
#ir#umstan#es, of the mineral natron with #hloral gas (:a7l). If we take 50 lbs
of natron and 08.8 lbs of #hlorine, we shall get e%a#tly 8<.8 lbs of household
salt. If with the same quantity of #hlorine we took 0/ lbs of natron, instead of
50, in that #ase 1 lbs of natron would not amalgamate. In e%a#tly the same
way, if we took >/ lbs of #hlorine to 50 lbs of natron, >.8 lbs of the former
would remain free. In both #ases there would be 8<.8 lbs #ommon salt. In
other words natron and #hlorine #ombine in #onstant #onditions as to weight
in the proportions of 50308.8. +ll #hemi#al elements possess this property of
proportional #onstan#y, and that property of theirs gave the basis on whi#h
their atomi# weights were dedu#ed. ,imilarly, for the produ#tion in the
organism of a substan#e whi#h is #hara#terized by definite properties, it is
ne#essary to bring the original substan#e into stri#tly definite #orresponden#e
with another, with whi#h it enters into re#ipro#al rea#tion. &his bears on the
qualitative as well as the quantitative side of the phenomenon. &he food
whi#h is taken into man"s organism is also #onverted from the substan#e
produ#ed at the stage of the 0rd "mi" into the substan#e at the stage of the 0rd
"fa" with the aid of a #hemi#al admi%ture from ";o" of the air. &his means
that the pro#ess of breathing enters into rea#tion with the pro#ess of
assimilation and digestion of food. &he final substan#e of this pro#ess will be
the substan#e at the stage of the 0rd "si", whi#h in order to pass into the
#ompleted ";o" requires a fresh sho#k. +s the s#heme we have submitted
shows that 0 o#taves parti#ipate in this pro#ess, their influen#e affe#ts the
final result by defining its quality, that is, in the graduated transition from one
stage to another, there are everywhere e%a#t determinants. &he substan#e of
stage 0 must set out to re#eive a result known beforehand whi#h defines the
requisite quantity and quality of the substan#e we are #onsidering. &his is the
reason why any breathing e%er#ises without an a##urate knowledge of all the
laws will not give the result that is required. But let us even suppose that a
man #an regulate two of the #omponent parts of the pro#ess, two of its
determinants $ food and breathing. .ere again this will not be suffi#ient. It is
in su#h #ases ne#essary to know and to be able to regulate the 0rd determinant
$ the food of the top storey $ the first o#tave, that whi#h we have here agreed
to #all "impressions". /nly with a full and harmonious #orresponden#e of all
three kinds of food, by strengthening or weakening the different parts of the
pro#ess, do we get the requisite result. &hat is why all sorts of breathing and
other e%er#ises that are not in stri#t #orresponden#e with other pro#esses
#onne#ted with them may infli#t irremediable in)ury on the one doing them.
&he sho#k whi#h #omes from outside, by the substantial nature of the air in
the me#hani#al pro#ess of breathing, and whi#h fills up the gap "mi"$"fa" is
similar to the sho#k that bridges this gap in any other o#tave. +nd the very
pro#ess of the development of the o#tave within the human body, the
transmutation of the 0rd ";o" of food over a series of stages into the ";o" of
the ne%t o#tave, is similar to the same pro#esses in other pla#es.
'igure 40. &he -nneagram of 'oods
hen we #onstru#ted the first #osmi# o#tave of our already e%isting world ray
(passing through the sun and earth), its separate tones were disposed as
follows3
'igure 4>. &he 7osmi# /#tave
&hen this original o#tave a##ording to the law of the triunity was split up into
three subordinate o#taves, and this same ray was #onstru#ted somewhat
differently, namely3
'igure 48. &hree$,toried 7osmi# /#tave
In this way the #osmos resembled by the three$storied nature of its stru#ture
the same three$storied stru#ture of man. here, in the #osmi# o#taves of the
se#ond order, the gap "fa"$"mi" is pla#ed, under the a#tion of all influen#es
that here #one together, a pro#ess o##urs similar to the pro#ess of the passage
of food in the human organism $ by the #onversion of the ";o" of one o#tave
into the ";o" of the ne%t o#tave. &hat is why at these pla#es are outlined the
"ma#hines", in a manner of speaking, that are there, similar to the human
body. Hery roughly the pro#ess of transition "fa"$"mi" may be represented
thus3 the #osmi# "fa" goes into that "ma#hine" similar to the food of the
bottom storey and begins the #y#le of #hanges. 7onsequently, at its beginning
it sounds in the ma#hine as ";o", the 0rd ";o". &he substan#e of the note
"sol" of the #osmi# o#tave, whi#h assists the tone "mi" (0rd) within the
ma#hine to pass into the tone "fa" (0rd), filling up the interval between them
and sounding as ";o" (5nd), serves as the substan#e entering into the middle
storey similarly to the air when breathing, +t its own pla#e the #y#le of the
tone of #osmi# "la", whi#h enters the top storey of the ma#hine as first ";o",
)oins up with the, so to say doubled #y#le whi#h we have now got. In the final
sum total of the pro#ess "fa", whi#h has #ome into the ma#hine as 0rd ";o" is
#onverted into the 0rd ";o" an /#tave higher, and leaves the ma#hine as a
tone whi#h is able to pass into the ad)a#ent tone. Before this I said that "fa",
without #hanging its tonality, a#quires the property of "sol", and also its
ability to pass into the ne%t tone, that is, into "mi" in the #ase now #onsidered,
hat I meant is this3 as we see, the ma#hine"s food are the #osmi# tones "la,
sol, fa". In the order of their sequen#e, by the law of the triunity "la" will be
the a#tive, "sol" the neutralizing, and "fa" the passive prin#iple, &he a#tive,
rea#ting (linking up with the aid of the neutralizing) with the passive gives
some result. It has been pointed out at another time that if the number defining
the qualities of the a#tive is "4:", then the same figure for the passive ">:"
,and for the result "5:", that is, it may be outlined symboli#ally thus3
'igure 4A. !agnitudes &riangle
If, in the pla#es of these magnitudes we substitute the tones that feed the
ma#hine we shall get this symbol3
'igure 41. &ones &riangle
whi#h at the same time shows that the substan#e "fa" by blending with the
substan#e "la" gives in the result substan#e "sol". But as this pro#ess o##urs
within the o#tave, whi#h as it were unfolds itself inside the tone "fa" in the
manner indi#ated for "do", when e%amining the symbol, it may be stated that
"fa" without #hanging its tonality, a#quires the properties of "sol".
e have in a way been diverted from our original aim of e%amining the
symbol. +s a matter of fa#t, those of us who know how to listen have
approa#hed nearer to an understanding of it. +s a perfe#t synthesis it #ontains
in itself all elements of knowledge of the law e%pressed by it, and out of it
may be dedu#ed and developed in detail in the most a##urate fashion all that
we have )ust been saying. By all I have said today, I have not e%hausted even
the smallest part of what #an be said on the sub)e#t. In the future we shall
on#e more return to it and dwell on it in greater detail. I by no means think
that I have been able to e%plain anything, as I did not pursue that aim. !y task
was to give my listeners a sensation of the taste of the understanding with
whi#h one must approa#h the sear#h after the laws of truth. /n#e more I
repeat3 in order to understand in these matters, #onstant efforts are ne#essary.
Before #losing the le#ture, I wish to say a few words on what is termed
"Initiation". Initiation is #ustomarily regarded as some a#t whereby one man
"&he 2nower" transfers to another man "&he non$knower" knowledge and
powers hitherto not pe#uliar to him and without any trouble on his part*
assigning it as thing whi#h be#omes his inalienable possession. But from all
that has been said by me today, you will already be able to understand, that
there is no su#h transfer and #annot be. &here is only self$initiation, whi#h is
got by #onstant and stubborn work, by #onstant efforts. :o one #on#eals the
knowledge of truth. It simply #annot be transferred, )ust as the finest
mathemati#al ideas #annot be transferred to a man una#quainted with
mathemati#s. +nd in questions relating to the transfer of a knowledge of the
&ruth, matters are more #ompli#ated than in the e%ample quoted. 9ou have
been able to #onvin#e yourself of this today. It is possible to tea#h a man
mathemati#s, but an understanding of the truth he #onquers for himself. +nd
woe to man, if under the influen#e of the poison of what seems &ruth, and
striving after "pra#ti#al" results without possessing a perfe#t understanding
and knowledge of what must be done and how to do it, he starts
e%perimenting on himself, often doing himself irreparable harm. .armony is
destroyed and it is in#omparably better to do nothing at all than to do without
possessing the knowledge.
(:ote3 + similar version of this talk was presented in 7hapter 4> of In ,ear#h
of the !ira#ulous by (.;. /uspensky.)