This paper is based on the following structure:

1. Centers in their primal state –ESSENCE
2. Centers invaded – PERSONALITY, FALSE PERSONALITY
3. Centers matured, developed and balanced – serving essence aim and wish.

Man being asleep means man being trapped within patterns largely laid down in him due to education, culture and a vast variety of social structures. These influences are in general received passively through his sense organs. These “impressions” are deposited in various areas in what constitutes his “hardware”; his four lower centers. As this programming proceeds, it has an accumulating effect where man becomes a reflexing organism – a shadow of accumulated impulses.

Unless we have some knowledge of the structure and functions laid down originally in the four lower centers, we can have no realistic hope of effectively understanding their potential or their limitations. The saying “you are your worst enemy” can surely be addressed to various levels of being, but, fundamentally, I think it is common sense to try to understand it in relations to dysfunctions in the lower centers and how we identify with them. After all, if we want to go somewhere, we always have to start from where we are.

The Gurdjieff Work says that man is born a self-developing organism. His “hardware” must therefore have an undeveloped ability in contrast to his higher centers, which is said to be fully functional. It is therefore necessary to explore the lower centers and part of centers to recognize their basic characteristics.

Quote: “In the common presence of a man, and for the spiritualization and manifestation of each of the enumerated three separately formed parts of his entire whole, there is an independent, as it is called, “gravity-center-localization”; and each of these gravity-center-localizations, each with its own entire system, has, for its general actualization, its own peculiarities and predispositions inherent in it alone. In consequence of this, in order to make possible the rounded perfecting of a man, a special corresponding correct education is indispensably necessary for each of these three parts, and not such a treatment as is given nowadays and also called “education.” Only then can the “I” which should be in a man, be his own I.” (Quote ended) (A&E, page 1190-1191)

Gurdjieff’s parable of  “Carriage, horse and driver” (see “Gurdijeff’s Early Talks”, page 319 ) is one example of lower centers.

As you probably are aware of, the moving center and the instinctive center are often counted as one. The sole reason why I have separated them is for clarification, as their individual functions differ considerably.

So we will look at the four following centers:

Here, we will recognize the tremendous importance of the negative half of the emotional part of the instinctive center.

It can seem obvious that the intellectual part of this center’s mere reason for supervising the organic body is to keep it alive, but my speculation is that in the intellectual part of its intellectual part, it is laid down a higher reason for such survival; to keep the body alive so that it can potentially serve as a factory for the production of higher hydrogens, in addition to those produced only to keep the factory ready. In this perspective, the highest part of this center is a link between our biological organism and higher worlds.

A factory without a production line is unthinkable in the view of this Work, and so is the idea that there would be created a human organism with no link to creation.

Obviously this center is connected with our movements, but it is also the center that relates us to our physical environment. Examples could be calculations made while driving a car in order not to collide into others, etc.

Learning to ride a bicycle is an example of the close connection between this center and the instinctive center where the balance-nerve gives impulses to the moving center. Learning to keep balance demands the attention of the intellectual part, but as memory grows attention can traverse down and finally end up in the moving/mechanical part. This part supervises and controls all movements that we have become accustomed to.

If we take a look at the figure, we will see some practical example of activities in the subdivisions of the moving center.

Although we can have many thoughts and ideas about ourselves and others, our primary and fundamental conception of ourselves and others are of emotional nature.

If we take a look at the figure, constituted of two diagrams, we find examples of whole parts of this center, a subdivision in its moving/mechanical part and various examples of negative emotions in the “negative halves”. I put it in quotation marks simply because this center does not have a negative part. All these “emotions” are unreal and acquired.

Why would sarcasm be in the intellectual part of the emotional part of the negative half?

This center deals with ideas, words, concepts and its skill, capability and strength is comparison.

Quote: “All my manifestations and experiencings flowed from my vanity” (Quote ended) (Meetings with Remarkable Men, page 245-246). These are the words of Professor Skridlov, recognizing how he had been invaded by impulses foreign to his true nature. Vanity, pride and all other subjective self-emotions are due to identification with self-images related to wrong programming and wrong use of centers.

Already on page 226 in Meetings with remarkable Men Gurdjieff describes what was to be Professor Skridlov’s critical juncture, quote: “I will describe, in as much detail as possible, one meeting of ours and the ensuing long journey together, during which Professor Skridlov reached a turning point in his general inner psyche, in the sense that, from then on, it began to be activated not only by his thoughts, but also by his feeling and his instinct. These latter even began to predominate, or as is said, to take the initiative.” (Quote ended)

Studying oneself in the context of centers is a practical tool towards a more objective perspective. Both our emotional and intellectual centers have the ability to be content and satisfied with imagination. Due to this and thousand and one other reasons, centers do not work properly. Centers and parts of centers are not cooperating, but are in conflict with each other, “responding” to challenges stemming from our outer and inner world. Becoming so involved and busy we are not sensitive to what our outer or/and inner world need. And it is within this need we can find the elucidation to right use of centers. Logically, we can come to the conclusion that a balance is necessary, but it is a tremendous difference between this kind of necessity and need, as need is a consequence of the first conscious shock. The study of wrong use can contribute to a growing understanding of why our ordinary behavioral patterns can be characterized as Gurdjieff puts it: “unbecoming to man”

Quote: “And in regard to the second primordial fundamental cosmic law, and, namely, the Sacred-Triamazikamno, common-cosmic objective science also formulates with the words: “A new arising from the previously arisen through the “Harnel-miaznel,” the process of which is actualized thus: the higher blends with the lower in order to actualize the middle and thus become either higher for the preceding lower, or lower for the succeeding higher; and as I already told you, this Sacred-Triamazikamno consists of three independent forces.” (Quote ended) (A&E, page 751)

For any change to take place, there must be three forces. And as change takes two main routes, that of evolution and that of involution, it is important to understand what determines either.

In order to avoid that Heropass diminish The Holy Sun Absolute, The Creator God changed the law of seven. One of the consequences of this was that chance and hazard appeared.

As no change is possible unless three forces come into play, and chance and hazard are part of the “game”, predictability, or rather our ableness to maneuver, must rely on the possible combinations of the three forces. Where else?

It is within the variety of combinations of triads that our actions are determined.

Quote: “As Everything In The Universe Is One, so, consequently, everything has equal rights, therefore from this point of view knowledge can be acquired by a suitable and complete study, no matter what the starting point is. Only one must know how to learn. What is nearest to us is man; and you are the nearest of all men to yourself. Begin with the study of yourself; remember the saying “Know thyself” (Quote ended) (Views From the Real World, page 25)

If man studies his own physical organism he will find six major functions:

GROWTH - 123
DIGESTION - 213
ELIMINATION - 132
CORRUPTION - 312
HEALING - 231
REGENERATION - 321

The fact that these six processes can be interpreted psychologically, opens the door to the question: Is it possible to have a greater understanding of the wrong and right use of centers by viewing them in relation to the six processes? Although various perspectives can be related to all of the processes, we will look at only two of them, namely CORRUPTION and REGENERATION, as they seem most in alliance with the question. But first we need to clarify what these numbers represent. 1 represents life, 2 represents matter and 3 represents form. Their position relative to each other determines their functions: Active, Passive or Neutralizing.

Thoughts, feelings and movements with no real directions and purpose are what characterize wrong work of centers. They operate so to speak on their own agenda, disconnected from a larger whole and their own potential ability to support inner growth. The meaninglessness in their agenda more than indicate that what is active is only form. In the triad of corruption, this hollowness occupies the active position.

The nature of form is to carry a content and present it. (It has also the ability to strengthen and intensify the expression, often through restriction.)

In the passive position in this triad, we find life. I will not try to define life, as any definition would rely on an intellectual function, being itself a fragment of life, and therefore unable to explain itself. But, what can be said is that it is possible, through giving oneself the first conscious shock, to have an experience of the mystery we call life that can awaken a deep longing to join it. Anyone with such a longing will be able to recognize that the passive position of life, in this triad, is absurd and corruptive relative to inner growth.

Whatever comes out of such a triad, based on unsolved psychological leanings, will increase inflexibility, repetition and open more doors to wrong use of centers.

Doubt is an underestimated ability. Inner separation and self-observation will gradually weaken the trust put into the various feeling of “I”, inextricably tied to wrong use of centers, and will gradually strengthen the connection with the silent seer. It is within this process that the necessary preparation for regenerations is found. Something has to die for something to be re-created. The principle of the process of regeneration is to intentionally apply one’s skill or mental ability – FORM - to convert one’s experiences – MATTER - in imitation of life.

On a given level, the initiating force behind the recreated ability to only think when thinking is necessary and ignore the habitual subjective emotional reaction is beyond word and concept, but recognizable when a certain ability of tolerance towards one’s existence is present. It might sound as a contradiction and a paradox that there, at the threshold of regeneration, is both choice and no choice, but where the road of meaninglessness ends the road of meaning proceed.

Everything we see appears to us according to where we stand in ourselves. Our view of the functions in our lower centers is no exception. The ability and potential in centers, when recognized by Deputy Steward, can evoke fascination that is easily reduced to a mental concept. The same function recognized by Steward can bring about an admiration that becomes reduced to silence and a deeper seeing. Sensations in the body can, for instance, momentarily be experienced by Steward as an echo of the Higher Worlds and bring the understanding that: I am a fragment of a larger whole.

A certain balance of centers through being-Partkdolg-Duty is an important factor for the triad of regeneration to come into action.

And further, Gurdjieff points to consequences and potentials thus:

Quote: “…the beings having this three-brained system can, by the conscious and intentional fulfilling of being-Partkdolg-duty, utilize from this process of Djartklom in the Omnipresent-Okidanokh, its three holy forces for their own presences and bring their presences to what is called the ‘Sekronoolanzaknian-state’; that is to say, they can become such individuals as have their own sacred law of Triamazikamno and thereby the possibility of consciously taking in and coating in their common presence all that ‘Holy’ which, incidentally, also aids the actualizing of the functioning in these cosmic units of Objective or Divine Reason. ” (Quote ended) (A&E, page 145).

When lower centers cooperate in accordance with Higher Aim, they contribute to open the door to Higher Centers, and, as relatively harmonized, become reminding factors and stabilizers for the human being who has taken the obligation to live in an outer and an inner world.

Weighting the observed wrong use of center on the scale of corruption, I will be reminded of the outcome; the difficulties in my live will not only remain, but also lawfully increase. What a reminding factor!

Remembering the triadic nature of regeneration will call to mind the necessity of seeking a passive position where something higher has the “upper hand”.

I would like to end this lecture with the following words from George Adie:

“Remember how Mr Gurdjieff would say: “Life from new begin?” This is one meaning of it, that the mistakes and blunders, the slumbers and dreams of the past have told their tale. We’ve learnt from them, and that’s it. Real work is where you can choose and decide and apply yourself to your aim – that is our work.”

- George Adie (Joseph Azize Reviews, https://gurdjieff2013.wordpress.com/category/joseph-azize-writes/)