by Ouspensky
The other considerations were very simple ones. Many people indeed could not pay. And although in principle G. put the question very strictly, in practice he never refused anybody on the grounds that they had no money. And it was found out later that he even supported many of his pupils. The people who paid a thousand roubles paid not only for themselves but for others.
Chapter Nine
AT ONE lecture G. began to draw the diagram of the universe in an entirely new way. "So far we have spoken of the forces that create worlds," he said, "of the process of creation proceeding from the Absolute. We will now speak of the processes which take place in the already created and existing world. But you must remember that the process of creation never stops, although, on a planetary scale, growth proceeds so slowly that if we reckon it in our time planetary conditions can be regarded as permanent for us.
"Therefore, let us take the 'ray of creation' after the universe has already been created.
"The action of the Absolute upon the world, or upon the worlds created by it or within it, continues. The action of each of these worlds upon subsequent worlds continues in exactly the same way. 'All suns' of the Milky Way influence our sun. The sun influences the planets. 'All planets' influence our earth and the earth influences the moon. These influences are transmitted by means of radiations passing through starry and interplanetary space.
"In order to study these radiations let us take the 'ray of creation' in an abridged form: Absolute-sun-earth-moon, or in other words let us imagine the 'ray of creation' in the form of three octaves of radiations:
the first octave between the Absolute and the sun, the second octave between the sun and the earth, and the third octave between the earth and the moon; and let us examine the passage of radiations between these four fundamental points of the universe.
"We have to find our place and understand our functions in this universe, which is taken in the form of three octaves of radiations between four points.
"In the first octave the Absolute will include two notes, do and si, with the 'interval' between them.
ABSOLUTE
Interval
Fig. 20
"Then an interval, and the 'shock' filling it, unknown to us but nevertheless inevitably existing, then mi, re.
ABSOLUTE
Interval
la sol fa
Interval i i First Shock mi re
la sol fa
Interval
Fig. 21
'Then will follow notes la, sol, fa: that is, Interval ABSOLUTE
Fig. 22
Interval С
"The radiations reach the sun. Two notes are included in the sun itself, do, an 'interval,' and si, then follow la, sol, fa—radiations going towards the earth.
ABSOLUTE
Interval
la sol fa
□ First Shock
la sol fa
Interval
mi
re
SUN
Fig. 23
"Then an 'interval' and the 'shock' of organic life which fills it, then mi and re. The earth: do, an 'interval,' si, and then la, sol, fa—radiations going towards the moon; then again an 'interval,' a 'shock' unknown to us, then mi, re, and the moon, do.
"These three octaves of radiations, in which form we shall now imagine the universe, will enable us to explain the relation of matters and forces of different planes of the world to our own life.
"It must be observed that, although there are six 'intervals' in these three octaves, only three of them actually require to be supplemented from outside. The first 'interval' between do and si is filled by the will of the Absolute. The second 'interval' do-si is filled by the influence of the sun's mass upon radiations passing through it. And the third 'interval' do-si is filled by the action of the earth's mass upon radiations passing through it. Only the 'intervals' between fa and mi have to be filled by 'additional shocks.' These 'additional shocks' can come either from other octaves which pass across the given point or from parallel octaves which start from higher points. We know nothing about the nature of the 'shock' between mi-fa in the first octave Absolute-Sun. But the 'shock' in the octave Sun-Earth is organic life on earth, that is, the three notes la, sol, fa of the octave which starts in the sun. The nature of the 'shock' between mi and fa in the octave Earth-Moon is unknown to us.
"It must be noted that the term 'a point of the universe' which I have used, has
Fig. 24
a quite definite meaning, namely, a 'point' represents a certain combination of hydrogens which is organized in a definite place and fulfills a definite function in one or another system. The concept 'point' cannot be replaced by the concept 'hydrogen' because 'hydrogen' means simply matter not limited in space. A point is always limited in space. At the same time, a 'point of the universe' can be designated by the number of the 'hydrogen' which predominates in it or is central in it.
"If we now examine the first of these three octaves of radiations, that is, the octave Absolute-Sun, from the point of view of the law of three, we shall see that the note do will be the conductor of the active force, designated by the number 1, while the matter in which this force acts will be 'carbon' (C). The 'active' force which creates the note do in the Absolute represents the maximum frequency of vibrations or the greatest density of vibrations.
"The expression 'density of vibrations' corresponds to 'frequency of vibrations' and is used as the opposite to 'density of matter,' that is to say, the higher the 'density of matter' the lower the 'density 'of vibrations,' and, vice versa, the higher the 'density of vibrations' the lower the 'density of matter.' The greatest 'density of vibrations' is to be found in the finest, the most rarefied, matter. And in the densest matter possible vibrations slow down and come almost to a stop. Therefore the finest matter corresponds to the greatest 'density of vibrations.'
"The active force in the Absolute represents the maximum 'density of vibrations,' while the matter in which these vibrations proceed, that is, the first 'carbon,' represents the minimum density of matter.
"The note si in the Absolute will be the conductor of the passive force designated by the number 2. And the matter in which this passive force acts or in which sounds the note si will be 'oxygen' (0).
"The note la will be the conductor of the neutralizing force designated by the number 3, and the matter in which sounds the note la will be 'nitrogen' (N).
"In the order of the action of the forces they will stand in the succession 1, 2, 3, that is, corresponding to the matters 'carbon,' 'oxygen,' 'nitrogen.' But by density of matter they will stand in the order: 'carbon,' 'nitrogen,' 'oxygen,' that is, 1, 3, 2, because 'nitrogen' by retaining the number 3, that is to say, by being the conductor of the neutralizing force, stands by its density of matter between 'carbon' and 'oxygen,' and 'oxygen' appears as the densest of the three.
H6
"'Carbon,' 'oxygen,' and 'nitrogen' together will give matter of the fourth order, or 'hydrogen' (H), whose density we will designate by the number 6 (as the sum of 1, 2, 3), that is, H6:
The first triad
do С 1 1 1 si О 2 3 2 la N 3 2 3
"C, O, N retain their numbers 1, 2, 3. 'Carbon' is always 1, 'oxygen' is always 2, and 'nitrogen' is always 3.
"But being more active than 'oxygen' 'nitrogen' enters as the active principle in the next triad and enters with the density of 2. In other words 'nitrogen' has a density of 2 and 'oxygen' a density of 3.
"So that the note la of the first triad is the conductor of the active force in the next triad which it enters with the density of 2. If 'carbon' enters with the density of 2, then 'oxygen' and 'nitrogen' must correspond to it in densities, repeating the ratio of densities of the first triad. In the first triad the ratio of densities was 1, 2, 3; in the second triad it should be 2, 4, 6, that is, 'carbon' of the second triad will possess the density of 2, 'nitrogen' a density of 4, 'oxygen' a density of 6. Taken together they will give 'hydrogen' 12 (H12):
The second
triad
"According to the same plan and order the following triad will be constructed: fa, 'shock,' mi. 'Carbon' which was 'nitrogen' in the second triad enters with a density of 4; the 'nitrogen' and 'oxygen' corresponding to it must have a density of 8 and 12; together they will give 'hydrogen' 24 (H24):
The third triad
"The next triad mi, re, do, by the same plan and order will give 'hydrogen' 48 (H48):
The fourth triad
"The triad do, si, la will give 'hydrogen' 96 (H96):
The fifth triad
the triad la, sol, fa—'hydrogen' 192 (H192): The sixth triad
la С 32 32 32
sol О 64 96 64 H192
fa N 96 64 96
fa, 'shock,' mi-'hydrogen' 384 (H384):
The seventh triad
64 64
192 128 H384
192 128 192
H768
mi, re, do—'hydrogen' 768 (H768): The eighth triad
mi С 128 128 128 те О 256 384 256 do N 384 256 384
do, si, la—'hydrogen' 1536 (H1536): The ninth triad
do С 256 256 256
si О 512 768 512 H1536
la N 768 512 768
fa С 64 — О 128 mi N
la, sol, fa—'hydrogen' 3072 (H3072): The tenth triad
H3072
5x2
1536 1024
la С sol О fa N
512
1024 1536
512 1024 1536
fa, 'shock,' mi—'hydrogen' 6144 (H6144): The eleventh triad
1024 2048 3072
H6144
fa С 1024 1024 — О 2048 3072 mi N 3072 2048
mi, re, do—'hydrogen' 12288 (H12288):
The twelfth triad
re О 4096 6144 4096 H12288
"Twelve 'hydrogens' are obtained with densities ranging from 6 to 12288. (See Table 1.)
"These twelve 'hydrogens' represent twelve categories of matter contained in the universe from the Absolute to the moon, and if it were possible to establish exactly which of these matters constitute man's organism and act in it, this alone would determine what place man occupies in the world.
do С 1 X г do"
si О 2 3 2 Лб si ► H6
la N 3 2 3. С 2 2 2' la .
sol О 4 6 4 -Hi 2 sol -Hia
fa С 4 4 4 N 6 4 6, fa'
— О 8 12 8 »На4 — -H24
mi N 12 8 .J С 8 8 8' mi.
re О 16 24 16 -Н48 re -H48
do С 16 16 i6- N 24 16 24- do'
si О З2 48 З2 ►Н96 si ■H96
la N 48 3* 48 С З2 З2 З2" la .
sol О б4 9б 64 - Н192 sol •H193
fa С 64 64 64 N 96 64 96 fa"
— О 128 192 128 'Н384 — H384
mi N i9a 128 192, С 128 128 128- mi.
rc О 256 384 256 .Н768 re -H768
do С 256 256 25fr N 384 256 384. do"
si О 512 768 ►Нх53б si Н1536
la N 768 512 С 512 512 512 la.
sol о 1024 1536 1024 -Н3072 sol -H3072
fa С 1024 1024 1024" N 1536 1024 *536, fa'
— О 2048 3°72 2048 -Н6144. — H6144
mi N 3072 2048 3°72. С 2048 2048 2048" mi
re о 4096 6144 4096 -Н13288 re •H1328I
do N 6144 Table 4096 1 6144. do
"But at the place where we are situated, within the limits of our ordinary powers and capacities 'hydrogen' 6 is irresolvable; we can take it therefore as 'hydrogen' 1; the next 'hydrogen' 12 as 'hydrogen' 6. Reducing all the hydrogens that follow by 2 we obtain a scale from 'hydrogen' 1 to 'hydrogen' 6144. (See Table 2.)
"But 'hydrogen' 6 is nevertheless still irresolvable for us. Therefore we can also take it as 'hydrogen' 1, take the next 'hydrogen' after it as 'hydrogen' 6 and reduce all the following again by two.
"The scale obtained in this way from 1 to 3072 can serve us for the study of man. (See Table 3.)
"All matters from 'hydrogen' 6 to 'hydrogen' 3072 are to be found and play a part in the human organism. Each of these 'hydrogens' includes a very large group of chemical substances known to us, linked together by some function in connection with our organism. In other words, it must not be forgotten that the term 'hydrogen' has a very wide meaning. Anysimple element is a 'hydrogen' of a certain density, but any combination of elements which possesses a definite function, either in the world or in the human organism, is also a 'hydrogen.'
"This kind of definition of matters enables us to classify them in the order of their relation to life and to the functions of our organism.
"Let us begin with 'hydrogen' 768. This 'hydrogen' is defined as food, in other words, 'hydrogen' 768 includes all substances which can serve as 'food' for man. Substances which cannot serve as 'food,' such as a piece of wood, refer to 'hydrogen' 1536; a piece of iron to 'hydrogen' 3072. On the other hand, a 'thin' matter, with poor nutritive properties, will be nearer to 'hydrogen' 384.
" 'Hydrogen' 384 will be defined as water.
" 'Hydrogen' 192 is the air of our atmosphere which we breathe.
"'Hydrogen' 96 is represented by rarefied gases which man cannot breathe, but which play a very important part in his life; and further, this is the matter of animal magnetism, of emanations from the human body, of 'n-rays,' hormones, vitamins, and so on; in other words, with 'hydrogen' 96 ends what is called matter or what is regarded as matter by our physics and chemistry. 'Hydrogen' 96 also includes matters that are almost imperceptible to our chemistry or perceptible only by their traces or results, often merely presumed by some and denied by others.
" 'Hydrogens' 48, 24, 12, and 6 are matters unknown to physics and chemistry, matters of our psychic and spiritual life on different levels.
"Altogether in examining the 'table of hydrogens,' it must always be remembered that each 'hydrogen' of this table includes an enormous number of different substances connected together by one and the same function in our organism and representing a definite 'cosmic group.'
"'Hydrogen' 12 corresponds to the 'hydrogen' of chemistry (atomic weight 1). 'Carbon,' 'nitrogen,' and 'oxygen' (of chemistry) have the atomic weights: 12, 14, and 16.
"In addition it is possible to point out in the table of atomic weights elements which correspond to certain hydrogens, that is, elements whose atomic weights stand almost in the correct octave ratio to one another. Thus 'hydrogen' 24 corresponds to fluorine, Fl., atomic weight 19; 'hydrogen' 48 corresponds to Chlorine, CL., atomic weight 35.5; 'hydrogen' 96 corresponds to Bromine, Br., atomic weight 80; and 'hydrogen' 192 corresponds to Iodine, I., atomic weight 127. The atomic weights of these elements stand almost in the ratio of an octave to one another, in other words, the atomic weight of one of them is almost twice as much as the atomic weight of another. The slight inexactitude, that is, the incomplete octave relationship, is brought about by the fact that ordinary chemistry does not take into consideration all the properties of a substance, namely, it does not take into consideration 'cosmic properties.' The chemistry of which we speak here studies matter on a different basis from ordinary chemistry and takes into consideration not only the chemical and physical, but also the psychic and cosmic properties of matter.
"This chemistry or alchemy regards matter first of all from the point of view of its functions which determine its place in the universe and its relations to other matters and then from the point of view of its relation to man and to man's functions. By an atom of a substance is meant a certain small quantity of the given substance that retains all its chemical, cosmic, and psychic properties, because, in addition to its cosmic properties, every substance also possesses psychic properties, that is, a certain degree of intelligence. The concept 'atom' may therefore refer not only to elements, but also to all compound matters possessing definite functions in the universe or in the life of man. There can be an atom of water, an atom of air (that is, atmospheric air suitable for man's breathing), an atom of bread, an atom of meat, and so on. An atom of water will in this case be one-tenth
of one-tenth of a cubic millimeter of water taken at a certain temperature by a special thermometer. This will be a tiny drop of water which under certain conditions can be seen with the naked eye.
"This atom is the smallest quantity of water that retains all the properties of water. On further division some of these properties disappear, that is to say, it will not be water but something approaching the gaseous state of water, steam, which does not differ chemically in any way from water in a liquid state but possesses different functions and therefore different cosmic and psychic properties.
"The 'table of hydrogens' makes it possible to examine all substances making up man's organism from the point of view of their relation to different planes of the universe. And as every function of man is a result of the action of definite substances, and as each substance is connected with a definite plane in the universe, this fact enables us to establish the relation between man's functions and the planes of the universe."
Upon me personally the "table of hydrogens" produced a very strong impression which, later on, was to become still stronger. I felt in this "ladder reaching from earth to heaven" something very like the sensations of the world which came to me several years before during my strange experiments when I felt so strongly the connectedness, the wholeness, and the "mathematicalness" of everything in the world.[1] This lecture, with different variations, was repeated many times, that is, either in connection with the explanation of the "ray of creation" or in connection with the explanation of the law of octaves. But in spite of the strange sensation it gave to me I was far from giving it its proper value the first times I heard it. And above all, I did not understand at once that these ideas are much more difficult to assimilate and are much deeper in their content than they appeared from their simple exposition.