EJ_Gold - The Human Biological Machine

Transcription

The
Humdn 5iologicdl
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E.]. GOLD
A GATEWAYS PUBLICATION
METAPHYSICS/TRANSFORMATIONAL
PSYCHOLOGY
FROM A STRICTLY BIOLOGICAL AND
psychological point of view, we are destined
to a painfully brief existence as human
beings. Can anything really be done, in an
evolutionary sense, that would unlock our
full transformational potential and raise
us above the futility to which we are
presently condemned? The Human
Biological Machine as a Transformational
Apparatus, the introduction to a large
body of writings of E.J. Gold, a recognized
leader in the field of transformational
psychology, is an answer to this question.
E ] Gold has hit the nail squarely on the head...
To complete one's own inner transformation is
the only task worth taking seriously.
Everything else is secondary."
"
.
.
Robert S. de Ropp
Game and Self-Completion
, author 'of The Master
,
"I think The Human Biological Machine as a
Transformational Apparatus is not only Mr. Gold's
most innovative book but perhaps the most useful
item in contemporary post-Gurdjieffian literature."
Claudio Naranjo
Structures and How to Be
author of Ennea-type
ISBN: 0-89556-046-1
The
Humdn Biologicdl
Mdchine
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Lrdnsformdtiondl
ApPdfdtus
E.]. GOLD
The Labyrinth Trilogy
Book I
©1991 by E.J.
Gold
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
First Printing: May 1 7 1985
Second Printing: November 23,1986
Third Printing: June 1, 1991
,
Published by:
GATEWAYS/IDHHB, INC.
PO Box 370
Nevada City, CA 95959
(800) 869-0658 or (916) 477-1116
No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical,
including photocopy, recording or any
information storage and retrieval system now known or to
be invented, without permission in writing from the
copyright holder, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote
brief passages in connection with a review written for
inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast.
"The Library of Congress has catalogued the first issue of
this title as follows:"
Gold,
E.
J.
The human biological machine as a transformational
apparatus / E.J. Gold. - Nevada City, CA :
Gateways/IDHHB.
159p. : 22 cm.
c1985.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-89556-046-1 (pbk.)
ISBN 0-89556-064-X (he.)
1.
Occultism.
BF1999.G6216
1985
$12.50
I. Title.
131--dc19
85-60946
AACR2 MARC
FOREWORD
E.l.
Gold has hit the nail squarely on the head.
Man is
an unfinished animal endowed by nature with the capacity to
complete itself. It can then take charge of its own evolution
and become worthy of the proud title Homo sapiens. The
alchemical process of self-completion is shrouded in mystery
and understood only by a few people in each generation. The
Great Work consists in transforming a helpless other-directed
puppet into an inner-directed, unified being that understands
its place in the scheme of things. Nothing can be more
important than the attainment of this understanding. Without
it we are at the mercy of our dreams and delusions and our
technical devices become more of a menace than a blessing. If
a great catastrophe is to be avoided a growing number of
people must grasp the central truth. To complete one's own
inner transformation is the only task worth taking seriously.
Everything else is secondary.
Robert S . de Ropp
author of
The Master Game
EDITOR'S PREFACE
From a strictly biological and psychological point of view,
we are destined to a painfully brief existence as human
beings. Can anything really be done, in an evolutionary
sense, that would unlock our full transformational potential
and raise us above the futility to which we are presently
condemned?
The Human Biological Machine as a Transformational
Apparatus, the introduction to a large body of writings of
E.J. Gold, a recognized leader in the field of transformational
psychology, is an answer to this question.
In the spring of
1983, E.J. Gold traveled to New York and
began an astonishing series of talks to public and private
gatherings. In these talks, he went far beyond a restatement
of themes and ideas he has presented for over
20 years. He
swept away the superstructure of his theory and began
afresh to formulate the basis for his practical course of
transformational work. The results are collected in this
startlingly original volume, The Human Biological Machine
as a Transformational Apparatus.
The clarity and brilliance with which the author treats the
human condition in this book is reminiscent of Plato's
dialectic. Like the opening sections of the Republic, The
Human Biological Machine as a Transformational Apparatus
begins by establishing both the need for deep personal
inquiry and the subject and method of that inquiry.
These spring from one and the same source. If we have
studied our situation as Mr. Gold has, we know that the
body - including the mind - seems to have a will of its
own which manifests itself in utterly incomprehensible
desires and tastes. We are helplessly bound to its immediate
gratifications, forced to live with the consequences, both
small and at the same time incalculably
large,
domination, always falling short of our higher ideals.
of its
Existing passively and silently within the human
biological body is a deeper self with the potential for
continuation. Frdm this point, the book takes us into the
field of the mystics and guides of all traditions: the
continuation of the deeper self is dependent upon achieving its
transformation through special use of the body-machine
during a human lifetime.
Only this specific transformation obtained through
precise efforts can provide us with real freedom from the
compelling attraction of organic life. Establishing this point
logically or intellectually is a task suited to contemporary
writers in phenomenology and psychology. Mr. Gold's true
interest lies elsewhere, in the "how" rather than the "why" .
Using the human biological machine as a weapon against itself
by activating its higher transformational functions is an exact
science. and what is called for is a manual, a toolkit for
accomplishing the task. It is by no means an impossible task,
nor is the strategy particularly complex. The basis ci the
method is disarmingly simple.
On the other hand, it is a formidable path to pursue,
precisely because of its effectiveness . It suggests commando
raids on the hypnotic conditioning and constraint of ordinary
life, which the body will of course resist with its own
stubborn will and cunning. What the novice needs more than
philosophical justifications is "field expedients"- battle
tested alternatives for survival behind enemy lines.
As a manual, the present book introduces a clear,
concise and understandable method for obtaining real and
lasting results under any lifestyle conditions we may find
ourselves in at the moment. It is a modern presentation of
ideas that have existed outside mainstream knowledge for
thousands of years, in vehicles such as the oral transmission of
shamanism and the Hermetic treatises of the medieval
alchemists.
A better literary comparison than the Republic is the
practical meditation manual, whether it be from Buddhist,
Hindu, Islamic or J udaeo-Christian esoteric tradition. The
fulfills the function , for a contemporary citizen of a post-
in dustrial n at ion , of a monastic m an u al like The Clouds of
Unkn owing or the Philokalia , which P.D . Ouspensky cite s .
Readers who appreciate, among conte mporary sources,
the concreteness of Tibetan Rinpoche Chogyam Tru ngpa ' s
Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism , initiate Eugen
Herrigel ' s Zen and the Art of Archery, and artistiKabb alist
Samual Avital ' s The Mime Workbook, w ill value the
pragmatic , n itty-gritty approach of Mr. Gold ' s book.
This book in particular establishes Mr. Gold as one of a
handful of inner explorers who conduct their research with the
ultimate integrity , using themselves as subj ects. A uthors in
this category include G . I . Gurdjieff, S imone W eil , Henri
Michaux, An ais Nin and more recently D r . Joh n Lilly, i nventor
of the "sen sory attenuat ion tank" and fou n der of the
Human/Dolphin Fou ndation .
Zalman Schachter-Shalom i , rebbe of B ' nai Or Religious
Fellowship and Professor of Jewish Mysticism at Templ e
University , Philadelphia, the author of another fine practical
manual , The First Step, h as described Mr. Gol d well i n his
comment on this new book:
"E.]. Gold is not just an armchair guru . Each of his
teach ings on the p ath is the result of h is empirical work with
himself an d h is associates . From th e Balin ese monkey chant
to intentional out of body experiences h e h as done it ,
describe d i t , and taught it . This prolific upaya master
deserves our attentio n . He has specialize d in scandalizing
the ego and getting people to awaken to their paths as lon g
as I have k nown h i m - over twenty years . "
Like few contemporaries , Mr. Gol d has n o t only
conducted this inner research painstakingly over many years ,
but also taken the trouble to map the territory, annotat e the
maps and write the travelogue to m ake a veritable "hitch
hiker's gu ide " through the perils and pathways of inner
transformatio n .
T h e original series o f human b iological machine tal ks
were given over the course of a ye ar. The talks culminated
with a formu l ation that is e ntirely new and original , the idea of
"the chronic defe nse mechanism against the waking state of
the machine." Everyone who heard material on the chronic
was thunderstruck, even if accustomed to Mr. Gold 's
brill i ance and improvisational genius in giving expression to
the ideas of his p articular lineage. This was a new idea, a
brand new v antage point for working with obstacles that the
body-machine continually p resents to' anyone wishing to be
transformed and to evolve .
Several t alks expanded and refined this idea u ntil it
became a full-blown technique for use in everyday life by
anyone . . . artist , engineer, waitress, doctor , housewife . I t
is the universally applicable practice, something that will work
in any situ ation.
In the l anguage of this boo k , Mr. Gol d ' s interest is
exclusively in working towards the evolution of the essential
self, never i n th e modification of the "human b iological
mach ine" for its greater comfort or security. "Beyond
Person al Enhancement" is one of the chapter titles that cou l d
serve a s a sub-title for this exceptional book which, if used as
intended - as a b eginner's manual - p acks the p u nch of a
living teach ing b u rsting forth with the power of millenia of
accu mulated force and knowledge behind it.
.
Linda Corriveau, Editor
May 1,1985
.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Forward
iii
Edi to r ' s Preface
v
1
1
The S ituatio n
The impartial observation of the limits of life i n a fi s h tank can
provide us with an important clue as to the real nature of our
planetary situation and a basisfor asking ourselves what the m eaning
and purpose of life can be.
2
5
What to D o ?
If our world is actually related to other worlds. then w e m ust ask
ourselves what w e can accomplish that would be significan t and of
objective value and consequence beyond its lim ited confines.
3
11
Our Potential for I n n e r Evolutio n
The key to accomplishing something of objective value lies in our
potentialfor inner evolution; special methods can teach us how to use
our body, m ind, and emotions to transform our essentia l selves.
4
The Hu m a n B i ological Machin e as
a
Tran sform ati o n al Apparatu s
17
Contrary to popular belief, inner transformation does not produce
behavioral and psychological results that can be easily recognized
from the outside. Real results are of an entirely diff e rent nature.
5
Beyond Personal Enhancement
Most psychological m ethods provide us with a means to achieve
personal enhancement by changing behavioral patterns of the
·machine·. Real transformational m ethods enable u s t o achieve
objective change by transforming the 'essential self and completely
disregarding the effect we have upon others.
22
6
Beginning Work.
2S
The purpose of beginning work is to bring the machine into the
waking state and to enable it to function as a transfonnational
apparatus. Transformation is not an aim in itself but a stepping stone
to a whole new way of life which we seek.
7
Sheep in Sleep
29
Because the machine-although fully functional in the ordinary
sense-lives its whole life in the sleeping state. our work begins in
sleep. We must leurn to use the elements of sleep to overcome the
machine·s defense mechanism against the waking state.
8
Inner Aims
36
By making our fonnulation of our inner aims toward transformation.
more exact. we may eventually develop a real work aim. not
something mental and subjective but an aim which is practical.
immediate. accomplishable and which could actually serve a greater
more objective aim.
9
Study of the Machine
41
Although we are separate from the machine. we have become
hypnntized. immersed in the sleeping state nf the machine. One nf
the purposes of studying the machine is to gather evidence which can
help us define the exact nature of this sleep.
10 The Machine as an Electrical Field
S4
The human biological machine is a powerful dominant electrical field
which can-if its transformational functions are activated by the
waking state. act electrically upon the essential self ... another. less
powerful but more subtle electrical field which forms the true self.
11
The Repair of the Machine
S9
Because life experiences-mnemonically stored in the muscles of the
body-have distorted the electrical field of the machine. repair of
these anomalies in the general electrical field are necessary in order
for the machine to function effectively as a transfonnational
apparatus.
12 The Essential Self as an Electrical Field
Information in the evolutionary sense is transmitted by impingement
of one electrical field upon another. The electrical field of the
essential self undergoes the exact change necessary to free it from its
compulsive electrical affinity for the human biological machine.
67
13
71
Help
Real help is not someone doing somethingjor us. or a lessening of our
personal suffering and struggles. Real help has no calming effect
quite the contrary-it makes the machine squirm itself into evolution
by-reflex.
14
76
Alchemy
Alchemy is not a way of producing behavioral change in the machine;
it is a way of notating change that occurs on a much deeper level It is
not a cause. but an effect. a reflection of the inner evolution of the
essential self.
15
81
Bringing the Woman to Life
If we follow the machine as a lover would unrelentingly fix his gaze
upon his Beloved, filled with astonishment. rapture and gratitude.
the machine will come to life. awakening and responding to the power
of adoration with a profound emotion which will in turn bring about
our own transformation.
16 Attack at Dawn:
92
A Beachhead into the Fourth Dimension
In our beginning work, we often attempt to accomplish too much at
once. Our efforts are scattered and our energy quickly dissipates
itself We must discipline ourselves to improve the quality and
potency of our efforts by condensing them at first.
17 Warming of the Soul
99
Growth of the soul requires a form of human sacrifice. the exact
nature of which has long since been distorted in mainstream thought.
Evolutionary barriers-flaws in the diamond-are ground down by
abrasion.
108
18 Out of Body
Once we are able to bring the machine to stillness and silence. we will
experience ourselves as definitely separate from the machine with a
life apart from and far beyond the life of the machine.
19 The Chronic Defense Mechanism
Because of its fear of not being able to reintegrate the sleeping state,
the machine has learnt to defend itself against the waking state. Each
individual has a particular defense mechanism called the Chronic
which is triggered off whenever the machine is threatened with
awakening.
114
20 The Electrical Affinity of the
123
Essential Self and the Machine
The relationship between the essential self and the machine is based
on a seduction. an affinity-electrical in nature-between their
electrical fields. Evolution thus means transformation of the electrical
field of the essential self in such a way as to free it from this affinity.
21 Restimulation of the Defense Mechanism
139
By constantly restimulating areas of charge in the electrical field of
the machine. we are able to clear it of its ridges and eddies which
impede on the electrical field of the essential self.
22 Every Which Way But Up
146
The vision of the higher dimension indicates that the waking state
has been achieved; without the vision of the higher dimension, the
waking state cannot be used for transformation.
23 An Experience
153
The account of an experience which Janet. a medical doctor located in
New York City. had with her chronic and how she was able to use it
to cross into the waking state.
Index
161
E.J. Gold, Portrait of Redfin as a Young Man,
2-3-91, Pastel on Sennelier, lO"x13".
CHAPTER 1
The Situation
The impartial observation of the limits of life in a fish tank can
provide us with an importan� clue as to the real nature of our
planetary situation and a basis for asking ourselves what the
meaning and purpose of life can be.
If we take the time to closely observe a fish tank, we will
notice that the tank is a closed environment, a totally
independent ecosystem which depends upon a delicate
balance of interior equilibrillm and interspecies order. The fish
tank is a miniature world in itself.
Each living creature in the tank has its place and function,
and everything is connected to everything else.
The plants are compatible with the pH balance of the water
solution and they are neither too big, nor too smaJ1; their root
system is adapted to the bottom soil so they neither float away
nor rot.
The fish, too, have their necessary and inescapable roles
and functions in the social and ecological hierarchy of the tank.
They are selected-by human beings living outside the
tank-according to an artificial mutual compatibility; deadly
enemies would not survive for very long in a small sealed
environment.
2
The Human Biological Machine as a Transformational Apparatus
Some of the species and members of species are dominant,
some are submissive in relation to the others; still others seem
to avoid getting involved in any relationship with the other
fish.
Some fish live near the surface of the tank, never venturing
to the bottom; some remain at the bottom for the whole of their
lives, and some live in between.
The bottom scavengers, usually suckers and catfish, are
the garbage collectors of the tank; they eat the rotting
m aterials which have filtered down from the top, and at the
same time they clean the rocks and the glass, thus ensuring
that harmful moss and lichens will not proliferate and upset
the delicate balance of the tank.
Those that live in the middle such as the sharks, redbellies
and guppies, manage to live off what the fish at the top have
not eaten as it was introduced into the tank from outside by a
human hand.
Some fish will be quicker than others, and consume more
food and expend more energy than others.
Those who live near the surface, such as the goldfish and
redfins, will always be the first served, so they, in a certain
sense, dominate the others. Others like the eel will seem
perfectly at ease anywhere in the tank-top, middle or bottom.
A few creatures in the tank will seem totally oblivious to all
its activities. The turtle will quietly go about its business and
basically ignore and keep away from the other inhabitants of
the tank. However distant it may seem to our observing
glance, it will nevertheless be in harmony with everything and
everyone in the tank.
In spite of all the apparent activity in the tank, its dwellers
have extremely limited contact with each other; not only do
they not m ove around from one level to another, but they have
no need or means to share whatever information they happen
to acquire SUbjectively about the tank they inhabit.
The top dwellers know very little about life at the bottom,
and the bottom dwellers know very little about life at the top.
The Situation
3
Still, let us suppose that, for those who are hungry to learn,
information will be available, somehow slowly making its way
around from fish to fish and from species to species, filtering
almost unnoticed through their isolation, but that it is seldom
pieced together by any one fish into a coherent picture.
In looking at this sealed environment, we cannot help but
be struck by the fact that we are looking at an entire self
contained world, surrounded by an ocean of air, just as our
planet is self-contained in the sense that it is a harmonious
environment, and it is also suspended in an ocean-an ocean
of space, a near-vacuum even less dense than our planetary
atmosphere.
Just as the fish are tied forever to their denser liquid
atmosphere, and would die without it, we are also tied to our
gaseous atmosphere and would soon die if we were unable to
breathe it.
We may be very surprised to see quite clearly from our
vantage point outside the tank that, although this miniature
world is surrounded by our world and is a part of it, it is more
or less completely cut off from any other similar world outside
itself, including its larger relatives, the oceans, seas, and
lakes, and that, just as in our world, the inhabitants of the
fishtank are completely ignorant of anything outside their little
world, and cannot even perceive objects and events outside
the tank in our world', the nearest dimension just once
removed beyond their own.
Unless some accident or very unusual discovery happens to
occur in the course of events, the fish will remain totally
unaware of anything beyond the tank. They will continue to
believe that their tank is the beginning and end of all possible
worlds and never question their existence in the tank.
For all practical purposes they will be right, insofar as they
are utterly incapable of participating actively and consciously
in an outside world; however, if the routine in this next highest
dimension is in any way disrupted, their own world will suffer
the consequences on a very large scale.
What might be a small disturbance in our world will be felt
as a major upheaval in their own world.
4
The Human Biological Machine as a Transformational A pparatus
The fish in a tank are utterly dependent on humans for
their survival. If it were not for humans, no food would be
introduced into the tank, and the pumps and filters would soon
cease to operate. This clearly establishes the precariousness of
their situation, and if any of the fish were observant, would
provide them with an important clue about their world.
They have no way of knowing that there could be much
more room to swim around if they were not in the tank, and
they have no way of making observations which would lead
them to question the invisible barrier against which they
continually bump.
They have nothing with which to compare their experience.
How could they understand that the invisible walls are not the
edge of creation, only a glass partition? ...
These observations lead us to ask ourselves what the real
meaning of life could possibly be for a fish in the tank. And
along the same line of thought, what can be considered a real
accomplishment?
E.}. Gold, Mr. Johnson Takes a Vacation,
4-15-91, Pastel on Sennelier, lO"x13".
CHAPTER 2
What to Do?
If our world is actually related to other worlds, then we must
ask
ourselves
what
we
can
accomplish
that
would
be
significant and of objective value and consequence beyond its
limited confines.
What could a fish trapped in a fish's body with a fish's
mind, doomed to a relatively short life in a sealed tank possibly
do that would truly be significant and of consequence not only
subjectively, but far beyond the small satisfactions of his small
world?
If the fish were able to build a sandcastle, for example,
would it really have accomplished anything of objective
significance? Would it change anything for the fish? Would its
fate be improved? Could it hope for anything better for itself?
If the fish were able to leave the tank and go back to the
ocean, would this really change anything for them? Once they
were back in the ocean, should we suppose they would have
any real hopes of a better life?
6
They might die from sheer shock, from the trauma of
adapting to a new environment; they might no longer be able
to fend for themselves, and survive on their own ...
But what would be the point of returning to the ocean?
What would be the nature of something better for them?
Some of the fish, realizing the futility of their lives, might
focus on the central factor of their lives-the food. They might
decide that it would be worthwhile to study the food, and after
a while they might decide to give dissertations and workshops
on how to properly select and eat food; whether to eat it as it is
falling, or to catch it while it is still floating on the top, or wait
until it reaches the bottom.
But what would this preoccupation with food mean,
ultimately? Would they be any better off in a real sense? Even
if their health and well-being were slightly improved, would
their lives be any more significant? Would they have ach ieved
a higher purpose?
Suppose that some of the fish, having suddenly
remembered a bit of information their mothers gave them as
minnows, decided to expound the merits of deep breathing, or
rapid breathing. or perhaps slow, rhythmic breathing-how
should we regard this effort on their part to relieve the tedium
of life in the tank?
If the fish decided to organize themselves, to establish
committees to take care of various interspecies problems, tank
territory problems, minnow-care problems, and they formed a
quorum to elect a leader who could give a definite direction to
their lives, would this really change anything for them besides
complicating their daily routine, and immersing them even
further in their limited concerns about life in the tank?
If some of the fish became historians, setting themselves
the aim of describing what life is like in the tank, for the
benefit of future generations of fish, what would this really
accomplish?
Or perhaps if one or two of the more intelligent fish had
serious thoughts about the meaning and significance of life in
the tank, and shared these thoughts with other fish, not in the
spirit of inquiry, but as authorities ... of what real benefit
would this be to themselves and others?
What tODD?
7
If the fish who lived at the top described to the fish who
lived at the bottom what life was like near the surface, then
already some of them would have an expanded view of the
situation. If the bottom fish described life at the bottom to
those who lived at the top, then again this information could
cxpand horizons.
Suppose all the fish shared whatever information they had
about their world, this again could certainly help them have a
better view of their overall situation.
By clearly reporting what they were able to observe in their
own territory, and organizing the data reported to them by
members of their own and other species, they might even
begin to glimpse the artificiality and limits of the tank ... They
might even begin to guess the nature of their world in relation
to another, much larger, world of which it was only a very
small and insignificant part ...
What if one of the fish-let us call this fish Redfin
suddenly grasped his situation and distinctly understood the
fact that he was a fish in a tank, and that he also was able to
make some accurate guesses about the nature of life in the
tank ...
Suppose that from this he was able to deduce the existence
of life outside the tank; that the world inside the tank was very
limited, that in fact it was only one world among many-one
way of living and breathing among many possible ways of
living and breathing.
Is there any hope that he could accomplish something of
objective value, considering that he is a fish confined to a
fishtank, perhaps forever?
What could he accomplish inside the tank, a sealed
artificial environment from which he could never hope to
escape and outside which he could not hope to survive if he did
manage to escape? What could he really do that would have
greater consequences than just change something about his
life in the tank?
If he has evaluated the situation, he must understand that
he will never escape the tank, and that nothing he can do in the
tank in the ordinary sense will have any real consequences in
the larger sense, and yet he is not satisfied with the small
8
Th e Human Biological Machine as a Transformational Apparatus
momentary pleasures which seem to satisfy the other fish, and
he realizes that after he dies, his life will have no meaning for
him, nor in the long run for anything or anyone else.
But even though he cannot change the fact that he will live
as a fish, and someday inevitably die as a fish, in a sealed
tank, and that his life ultimately will have no meaning in the
historical or geological sense, can he do something that would
really change anything about his situation?
To begin with, he would have to be able to piece together
everything that was known about the tank, for which he would
be dependent upon information gathered from other,
generally undependable, sources, because although he is
interested in obtaining a whole picture of the tank, he is still a
fish of a certain species and can only extend his explorations so
far and no farther.
He is dependent on information from others because his
own personal knowledge about the tank, gathered by himself,
would be far too limited to make any serious deductions.
But even if the secondhand information is distorted in
some respects, he could gather sufficient data to enable him to
obtain an overall view of the tank and actually grasp the fact
that the tank was artificial, had definite limits, and that its
purpose for existing-and his-was probably decorative,
although this last idea might not occur to him for some time.
In addition, he could gather information that would imply
that a fixed type and amount of food suddenly appeared in the
tank at more or less definite and predictable intervals, and
moreover, that other elements of tank maintenance seemed to
be in the hands of some unknown agency, acting from above.
By putting together all available knowledge and combining
it with his own experience, he might come to surprising
results.
For example, as he remembered his experience of
breathing at the surface of the tank he might suddenly realize
that he had sampled something on the other side of the
water-perhaps an ocean of air just like his own liquid
atmosphere only far less dense-which he recognized as an
atmosphere which was definitely poisonous and deadly to his
continued survival.
What toDo?
9
He would perhaps slowly remember that he had actually
dimly perce ived this alien atmosphere long ago , b ut never
paid m uch atte ntion to it or gave it much significance because
it was so un plea sant . . .
At the same time he wou l d know th at he could not surv i v e
on
th e other s id e of th e t ank because he h a d t asted t h e
atmosph ere surroundin g it. He wou ld k n o w that as a fi s h he
was not equ ipped for life outside the t a n k.
He would soon come to realize th at , even if he could leave
his miniature world and enter the high er dimen sion he had
discovere d , he clearly could not surv i ve life in the h igher
dimension .
So by gatheri n g informatio n in t h i s way , R e dfin could
eve ntually d i s cover the limits of th e tank ,
h i s world,
his
dime n s ion .
He co uld set himself the task of deter mining very pre c isely
the n at ure of these limits and by so doing , h e could definitely,
wit h the right perception of the avail a b l e facts , c l e arly gr asp
the fact t h a t the tank-h i s own dimen sion-was actu ally p art
of our worl d-which would b e ,
in relation
to
his
world ,
another , higher dimension.
If Redfin were able to deduce the existence of this hig her
dimension s urro u n d ing the tank, and he also knew that the
walls of the tank were tr a n s p are nt, h e would real i ze that the
higher d i m e n s ion must b e v i s ib l e to him-mus t always h ave
been visib l e to h i m-if h e could only readj u st h i s vision to
penetrate b eyond what he knew to
be
the
l i m its
of h i s
universe.
He would be able to realize th at the h igher d i m ension had
been visible all along; that h e had always seen it, b ut bec ause
his
vision
automatically
rej ected
and
rendered
invisib l e
everything beyond the tr ansp arent wal l s of the tank, he h a d
not understood w h a t he
h ad b e e n se eing,
and h a d been
unaw are of its significance.
If he knew that the walls of th e tank were transpare nt a n d
that therefore h e had s e e n but rejected perceptions of the
h i gher d i mension all along, h e wo uld understand that he was
unab le to p erceive it because of a psychological b arrier .
10
The Human Biological Machine as a Transform ational Apparatus
He would realize at once that he would first have to break
through this artificial barrier created by his own mind before
he could directly perceive the higher dimension.
He would see that, because his mind was conditioned to
reject perceptions of the higher dimension, he might have
trouble recognizing objects and events beyond the tank, but if
he could overcome his automatic mental and emotional
rejection, he would be able to obtain definite first-hand
evidence of the higher dimension outside the tank.
His vision is prevented by psychological convention from
penetrating beyond the glass walls of the tank, but if he dares
to break with convention, it need not remain confmed to his
own little world.
But even if he knows that his vision is blocked by artificial
mental and emotional barriers and that in fact he has always
seen but rejected the perceptions of the next higher dimension
which he now deduces to exist all around him, how is he to
come to actually see it? His vision is conditioned to the
confines of the tank.
What unusual movement will be necessary for him to be
able to turn around and see with his own eyes the world which
has surrounded the tank all his life and which, if he could only
open his eyes, would appear to him at this very moment?
E.J. Gold, Our Potential for Inner Evolution,
3-13-91, Pastel on Sennelier, 10"x13".
12
The Human Biological Machine as a Transfonnational Apparatus
situation, escape to a higher dimension is both totally
irrelevant and unnecessary .
He might see something as astounding as a living creature
as big as his entire universe. If he could understand that this
creature was part of a dimension once removed from his own,
he could deduce from this that there were other higher
dimensions as well, perhaps an infinite number of dimensions
all totally inaccessible to him, but even if inaccessible, he
could, from the standpoint of his own lower dimension deduce
from the evidence of at least one higher dimension, the
existence of a highest dimension, the dimension of the
Absolute.
He might not realize it at first, but not only is the next
higher dimension visible from his own, but all higher
dimensions as well are in plain sight if he can make the
adjustment in vision which would enable him to bypass the
machine's natural rejection of their perception.
He cannot learn much about these higher dimensions, but
since they seem impossibly remote at the moment, it makes
little difference to him in his immediate dilemma, but their
very existence and the possible existence of the highest
dimension give him the only clue he really needs to achieve his
own transformation and evolution.
Redfin might immediately decide to tell everyone about his
discovery and ask others what they know or have deduced
about it. He would not think this strange-after all, the higher
dimension is easily visible just outside the transparent barrier
of glass, requiring only a minor adjustment of vision to
penetrate and render invisible the glass barrier which occludes
its perception.
Why, the moment he points it out, he reasons to himself,
they ought to be able to see it for themselves!
In his first excitement, he might dart this way and that
about the tank, telling all those who were willing to listen
whether out of curiosity, or the desire to collect more material
for gossip, or out of a sincere desire to learn something-what
he had so unexpectedly discovered about their situation, and
how urgent it seemed to him to act on it.
Our Potential for Inner Evolution
13
He would soon discover to his complete puzzlement and
seething frustration, that very few-if any-of the other fish
were at all interested in what he had to say.
Some would be too busy and preoccupied with the business
of the tank, some would· not have the intelligence to
understand what was being conveyed, others would not care to
be distracted from their amusements, and others still would
just not want to be bothered with something out of their
comfortable routine.
The fact is that most of them simply would not care about
the limitations of their world, and certainly would have no
interest in the existence of other higher and encompassing
dimensions, even if they were easily observable.
Not only would they find the idea incomprehensible and
disturbing, but they would have no idea what to make of it.
From their own view of themselves in relation to their world,
they would be unable to find any value or potential to
themselves in this.
And how upset they would be with Redfin! What if he were
right, and there was another higher dimension outside the
tank? What would be the point in knowing about it?
And when they contrasted their own petty lives against the
background of an incomprehensibly vast reality ...
How insignificant it would make them feel, especially if he
could prove that an unthinkably greater being lived in this
higher dimension and fed them, and look ed over them, and
seemed interested in their affairs, and who not only took care
of their most immediate needs, but who, according to many
first-hand witness reports, actually lifted them up out of the
tank into some sort of heaven-possibly Redfin's higher
dimension-after they died.
What could Redfin do, if he suddenly realized that he was
alone with his new-found truths-that there was little or no
hope of reaching anyone else, and if he did, what he had
discovered would be inevitably distorted into some religious
belief or psychological theory.
He would have little or no hope of obtaining any real
answers from the other fish, at the same time he would not
14
The
Transformational Apparat us
have grown too far beyond what he had been b efore , and he
woul d still fee l the weight of the old, lost illusions . . .
What aim could Redfin set himsel f after this shocking
discovery ? What m ight be demanded of him? And woul d he ,
as he is, b e ab le to answer these deman d s ?
Cou l d he ever really hope to hav e an object ive view of l ife
understand what it means to
outside the
d imension right in the
be i n a lower
face?
Even if
the s e things , how
in hims elf something
coul d he use
which wou l d
something entirely
different, s omething which would free him from his ordinary
fate in l ife as a fish in a tank?
He knows that whatever he might be able to learn , guess or
deduce about the higher dimension itself would be i rrelevant
to his immedi ate aim .
H e would soon come t o realize that the most important
thing for him at the moment would b e just to know that higher
b e visible to him at this
dimensions
overcome his psychological
very moment
rejection of
knowing this, he might also
come to real ize
of th eir percept ion is
somehow tied
Eventually
deduce the possibil ity of
changing himself in some way-certainly not physically, so it
would hav e to be psycho-emotionally and perh aps in other
more subtle ways as well-so that he could serve a h igher
dimension without actually living in it.
If he w ere abl e to see the higher dimension, an d had b een
able to d educe the possibility of change , he would soon see
for
th at his only
would b e to som ehow make
and thus to a higher set of
himself useful
law s to which
adapt .
Evolution
compelli n g necessity,
without which
above the vague wish to
evolve b eyond
(),,/"
Potentialfor Inner Evolution
15
The first glimpse of a higher dimension could serve to
provide the only clue that he would really need to understand
l'Xactly how he could raise himself from his ordinary destiny as
a fish in a tank, and use his life for some objective purpose, a
purpose far beyond his life in the tank, but eventually if he
hoped to go further, he would have to achieve more than just
an occasional glimpse.
If Redfin were to accomplish anything of objective value,
he would have to discover that his only recourse would be to
(hrow himself onto his own potential for inner evolution, and
(ilat this would involve, at least in the beginning, the necessity
of overcoming the natural biological rejection of the perception
of the higher dimension.
Redfin might, if he were thrown back on his own resources,
discover some method which would utilize his only real
possession, the only thing which can never be taken from him
throughout hr·s life in the tank-his own body, with its mind,
sensations and emotions.
He might further be able to deduce a method of using his
body, mind and emotions for his own evolution-while still
remaining a fish in a tank-and he could conceivably, if he is
very fortunate, also discover a use for his life, if he could find a
way to activa'te his own inner evolution.
In doing so, he would inevitably discover in the course of
events a much higher purpose than his own small purposes,
which would if he were able to bring himself into alignment
with it, raise his whole life beyond the petty confines of the
tank, and place him on a path which would require that he
perform tasks of real significance, not necessarily of
significance to himself.
He might not even understand the aim and purpose of his
activities for a very long time, but his life would be of genuine
significance to something much greater than himself.
In the course of his new discoveries, he might also come to
realize that a part of himself is definitely not Redfin-not a fish
in a tank-and that the evolution of this other, ordinarily
unseen and unsuspected part of himself, is his only real
chance to raise himself beyond his otherwise futile existence.
16
The Human Biological Machine as a Transfonna tional Apparatus
And why shouldn' t he be able to discover this unseen part
of himself? Hasn ' t he already discovered a higher dimension
outside the tank-a d imension which. if he had known how to
look and what to look for. he would have seen all along ?
He knows now that he need only turn his gaze inward and
break through the psychological barri ers which reject the
perception of the unseen part of h imself to find an essential
self which is not the fish in the tank. and which he understands
now would have been equally visible all his life, had he only
known what he was looking for, and had he known how to
recognize it when he found it.
He has found a way to transcend his ord inary destiny as a
living decorative object ; he knows and understands that he can
never escape the tank as long as the fishy part of himself lives,
and yet, if he understands the method of personal evolution,
the use of the body, m ind and emotions as a transformational
apparatus for the essential self, he has no immediate need to
leave the tank in order to achieve his transformation and
evolution, nor to change his outer life as a fish in any way.
A fish he is, and a fish he will remain; what has really
changed is his potential to take a much more meaningful place
in the larger scheme of things .
Like Redfin, perhaps we have already measured the limits
of the tank, evaluated our lives in relation to the tank and to
the other fish in the tank, and come to recognize clearly that
nothing we do in the ordinary way, that is, in relation to our
environment or to the other fish will be of an y real
consequence.
Let us assume that we know this and , like Redfin, we have
had momentary glimpses of the next higher dimension from
which we have deduced the existence of an Absolute
dimension, and that from this we have further recognized the
futility of life in the ordinary sense.
If we have seen that mu ch-and we would not now be
drawn to these ideas if we had not seen at least this-we would
then be able to deduce the ex istence of an unseen part of
ourselves and its potential for some form of evolution using the
body, mind and emotions as a transformational apparatus . But
what , specifically . are we to do now?
E.J. Gold, Transforming the Inner Self,
4-5-9 1 , Pastel on Sennelier, l O "x1 3".
The Human Biological
Machine as a
Transformational Apparatus
Contrary to popul ar
produce behavioral
recognized from the OUlts llte.
transfomlation does not
that can be easily
of an entirely
different nature .
We are in a way victims of several diseases of civ ilization ,
one strong symptom of which is the characteris tic intellectual
arrogance of our present culture.
Intellectual arrogance can b e defined as the assumption
that we fully u nderstand an idea the first time we h ear it , just
because we h appen to recognize the word s and think we
understand their deep ,
We should recognize
many years , if
ever, b efore we arrive
u nderstanding of these
ideas, an d even then
un derst anding
if we have personally
measured them
against observable
18
The Human B iological Machine as a Transform ationa l Apparatus
W h at w e as civilized h uman beings m ay have trouble
understan d i n g is t h at ideas are fully graspe d only when t h ey
reflect a corresponding i n n e r change; we come to u nderstand
only w h at exists in ourselve s , and nothing e xists i n ourselves
which
we
have
not
taken
within,
digested
and
de eply
con sidered with m u ch more than j u st the m ental apparat u s .
In o r d e r to ful l y u n d erstand an idea, w e m u st h ave actually
put it to use, b ecoming familiar with all its s u b tle ramific ations
and connectio n s with oth e r i d e as already formed in u s through
previou s experience .
New ide a s , particularly ideas considered in this prepara
tory work , will not fit into any known category . It is imperat i v e
th at we c o m e to u n derstand that these ideas a r e n o t availab l e
in th e mainstream, a n d t h at w e h ave never actually heard
t h e m before , even though we may think we are somewh at
familiar with them through other source s .
We
will
consider
several
i mportant
ideas
in
thi s
introduction to t h e Work and , as we hear these ideas , we m u s t
remember t h a t we do n o t understand t h e m completely , and
that , altho u g h we might clarify a point or two, we can never
compl etely understand them
just by talking about them or
thinking abo u t them.
I n ou r beginning work, w e wil l t urn our first attention
toward t h e body , with its mental ,
emotional
and
motor
apparat u s e s , which when taken as a whol e , i s called in this
syste m ,
the human biological machine .
Although it h a s cou ntless inner SUbj ective states which
may give t h e impre s s io n of an unapproachable com plexity , the
hu man b iological machine h a s only two definite objective
states
w hi ch
are
of
any
real
i nterest
to
us
in
th e
transform ation al sense . The machine is either in t h e waki n g
state or t h e s l e e p i n g state .
I n t h e ordinary course of life ,
apart from momentary
accidental awak e nings , the machine i s asl e e p , and d u r i ng t h i s
sleeping state , it exercises its own w i l l u p o n the situat i o n , and
at the same tim e , its higher transformational functions are n ot
activated .
19
In the sleeping stat e , its attention is completely fi xate d o n
i t s o w n inner sUbjective
thoughts ,
emoti onal
states
and
sen sation s , or on those distractions and attract i o ns outside
itself wh ich happen to impose themselves t h ro u g h t h e thick
veil of its sUbj ectiv e fix ation on itself, which is the real
meaning of the ancient m yth of Narcissu s .
in o u r lives
In spite of a long and
O u r experiences i n t h e s earch for real meani n g
h ave all more or l e s s been the same .
sincere s earch for serio u s knowledg e , we never seemed to be
able to fi n d real answers , practical answers . . . We were never
able to fi n d ideas t h at worked and t h at act u al l y produ ced
measurable resu l t s .
M o s t of u s eventually came to t h e con clu sion t h a t people
who were already i n t h e Work had for some reason decided to
form a conspiracy to b e obscure and mysterious .
B ut t h e p it iful truth i s t h at very few peopl e , even very
famous and h ighly acclaimed directors of work com m u n itie s ,
act u ally know t h e b asic fact of wor k ; that only a n awakened
h uman b iological m achine can produce a transformation al
effect upon the essential self-that part of us w h i ch is not the
m ach i n e .
The m ajority o f work communities a r e fou n d e d on t h e b asis
that it is t h e essential self which is aslee p, a n d w hich m u st be
arou s e d from sleep . Because they remain u n aware of t h e
e ssential self' s identification with t h e sleep of t h e mach in e ,
and t h e machine ' s potential a s a transform at ion al apparat u s
only w h e n in the waking state , they have no h o p e o f achieving
any aut h e ntic transformatio n .
F e w p e o p l e k n o w this important secre t , yet e ven knowin g
thi s secret does not g u arantee t h at they k n ow everyth i n g
necess ary for t h e transmission of these idea s ; t h e y m ay n ot
know how to communic ate t h e ideas to s o mebody else, and in
any case , they m ay only know the i d eas mental l y , h aving never
actu ally applied them i n a p ractical way to themselve s . A real
teacher ought to b e able and willing to demonstrate his or her
own tran sformation a n d waking state, and not j ust talk about
The Human BiologicalMachine as a Transjorm ationalApparatus
20
it . Talk i s cheap , and anyone who h a s listened to a few l e ctures
and seems sincere , can convince the i g n orant.
If we have seriously s earched for s o mething l ik e a school , it
is obvious
to u s
t h at
ordinary
metho d s cannot p ro d uc e
anything other t h an ordinary re sults ,
extraordin ary
m e t h o d s of
a
school ,
and th at only
m eth o d s
which
the
are
u n k n o w n a n d unavailable i n t h e mainstream o f ordinary l ife ,
can p ro d u c e school result s .
In thi s s e n s e , it can be und erstood t h at a school i s a
com m unity of people gathered toget h e r for th e p urpos e of
awakening their m achin e s and u sing t h e awak e n e d mach i n e
for the
purpose of transformation toward
their p o s s ib l e
evolution .
Th e s e
e arly
definitions of a
school ,
of work,
sleep ,
awakening and transformation are to b e taken as temporary
and i n co m p l et e ideas . W e will further d efine the ideas of
sleep , awakening and transformation in the course of t h i s
intro d u ction to work w i t h a school .
If t h e
awakening of the
m achine
and
the
resulting
transformation of the essential self cou l d b e p roduced in any
ord i n ary w ay , then an y one who h a s ever lived an ordinary l ife
s h o u l d have b e e n transformed and there would b e no nece s s ity
for schools .
A n d ye t, schools exist , a n d if we know nothing else abo u t
t h e Law of Conservation of Energy , we d o u n d erstand t h a t
nothing e x i s t s without n e ce s s ity .
We also should have deduced that,
if transfo r m ation
pro d uced results which w e could recognize in someone el s e ,
then w e m i g h t think that every gen i u s w h o ever lived ought to
have achieved transformation . But even the greatest h u m a n
b e i n g s i n the w h o l e parade of history h a v e faile d to achie v e
transformation i n a n y real s e n se o f the word .
B u t h ow c an we even think of coming to a school unless w e
u n derstand right from t h e very b eginning the fou n d ation, t h e
b a s i s , t h e deepest p re m i s e of t h e Work : th at t h e h u m a n
biological machine-but only i n i t s awakened state-is t h e
tran s formational appar atu s for the p o ssib l e evolution of t h e
essential self?
Tlt e Human Biological Machine as
a
21
When the machine is awake, its attention turns inward
l oward the essential self, that part of ourselves which is not
lhe machine When its attention is thus fixated on the
essential self, this produces definite transformational effects
For our very beginning work, we can think of the human
b iological machine as an alchemical factory which, if it can be
awakened from its mechanical sleep, produces the transfor
mation and evolution of the essential self.
The essential self may become drunk with the sleep of the
mach ine, completely identified with it . The essential self may
even come to think of itself as asleep, but the fact remains that
the essential self, is neither awake nor asleep .
How can we see this mysterious essential self?
The human biological machine reflects the presence of the
essential self in much the same way a Wilson Cloud Chamber
can demonstrate the presence of unseen particles
Although we cannot see the essential self directly , we can
see the results of the path it took, its effects on the machine.
The W ilson Cloud Chamber is a device which graphically
shows the path, not of what we are measuring, but of
something invisible which collided with something we can see
and measure.
We can measure visible particles in the Cloud Chamber ,
particles which moved because of a transfer of energy that
occurred during an impact with something we could not see,
and from this deduce a great deal about the thi n g we cannot
see. We can tell quite a bit about this invisible essential self
just by measuring its effects .
Like the Cloud Chamber, the human biological machine is
a reciprocal biofeedback apparatus in relation to the essential
self.
Because both the essential self and the machine are
electrical in nature, the two fields impinging upon one another
produce a third electrical field which can be expressed
mathematical ly. In addition, each field can radically affect the
other , which can work to our evolutionary advantage. Later,
we will discuss this important idea in detail .
.
.
.
CHAPTER 5
Beyond Personal
Enhancement
Most psychological methods provide us with a means to
achieve
personal
enhancement
by
changing
behavioral
patterns of the 'machine' . Real transformational methods
enable us to achieve objective change by transforming the
'essential self' and completely disregarding the effect we have
upon others.
In the b eginnin g , we will be concerned almost exclu s ively
with the awakening of the machine from its sleep, a state to
which all h u m a n s are subj e ct in the ord inary course of life . Our
earl iest work will b e to raise ourselves from t h e h elpless
fixation of t h e machine upon its ordin ary organic purs uits.
Even a s u perficial study of our situation d e m o n s trat e s
clearly t h at i n o u r present condition , we are utterl y powerles s
t o prevent ourselves from being carri e d along b y t h e machine
in these p u rs u it s , the m aj ority of which go completely c o ntrary
to our h i g h e st aims , aspirations and intentions .
E.]. Gold, Beyond Personal Enhancemen t,
4-22-9 1 , Pastel on Sennelier, l O"x13".
The Human Biological Machine as a Transformationa l Apparatus
24
At its best , the h u man b iological m achine should fu nction
as a chemical and electrical factory through which we pass in a
definite series of proce s s e s , enterin g at one end of th e facto ry
in what we call birt h , emerging at the other end du ring th e
death of the machine as something quite different , in much t h e
s a m e w a y that a n y raw material would enter a factory a n d
emerge as a fin ished product a t the oth er end .
We say in both cases that a tran sform ation h as occurred ; in
the first instance an extraordin ary i n ner transformation visible
only to a train e d observer , and in the secon d cas e , an ordinary
transformat ion visible to the untrained eye .
While in hu m an form w e take upon ourselves all t h e
attrib u te s , aspect s , a n d knowledge of a h u m a n bein g . I f t h e
m achine has b e e n dead during o u r p assage through it , whe n
we leave i t a t t h e e n d o f life , w e lose everything, all the
knowledge and all the experience w e had accumulated .
If the electrical force of tran sformation is activate d , the
essential self i s ch anged , transformed, so th at we retain the
knowledg e , the attributes , of a h u m an being . But th i s is tru e
only if we h ave passed through somethin g living,
something
which h a s had a definite electri cal effect upon our ess ential
self.
If we h ave p assed through s o m ething dead,
col d ,
something
lifeles s ,
someth ing
dark,
the
som ething
e l ectrical
transformational effect is ab sent . In this cas e , the essential
self em erg e s at t h e end of life com pletely unch ange d .
I t i s a terrible waste o f the opportu n ity o f h u man life, a
genuine s i n ,
to h ave failed to u se the h uman
biological
mach ine for our pos sible evol utio n .
Most people feel that th ey are wasting their l i v e s , and at
one time or another recognize that if they really wanted to ,
they could find o u t quite easily the real purpose of hu man l ife .
I t is
not
a p articularly well- kept secret,
a n d even
a
su perficial s earch soon reveals the answer . If we understand
th at most hu man b e ings do
in fact
know that they cou l d know
their purpose for exi stence hut do nothing about it , we
understand the basis of sleep, which i s sometim e s formulated
as , the secret keeps itse lf .
E .}. Gold, Beginning Work, 2-3-91 ,
Pastel o n Sennelier, lO"x1 3" .
CHAPTER 6
Beginning Work
The purpose of
waking state
h",,�I_'nln
and
apparatus . Transformation
machine into the
transformational
in itself but
a
stepping stone to
Th e purpose of the m ajority of our special exercises is not
particularly mysterious. It is the aim of all our beginning work
to bring the m achine to l ife, to raise ourselves fro m its
hypnotic and compelling b iological fixations, to shake off the
coils of desire, our immersion in its w asteful sleep, thus
producing from the ordin ary hu man machine a fun ct ioning
transformational
cumulative , the
Since the
periods of awakening
sense, it m akes no
asleep or for how
difference how often
long. Nothing is lost.
rememb er to awaken it
again by whatever
brin g it back to life .
26
Th e Human Biological Machine as a Transformationa l Apparatus
The s p ecifi c activiti e s of the machine are irrelevant in
relation to our transform ation ; what really m atters i s w hether
the machine i s awake or asleep .
In t h i s s e n s e , we must keep in mind that our r e al aim is not
transfor m ation . Transformation is a stepping stone to the
Work , a special w ay of life which is possible for us o n l y after
our essential selves h ave b e e n transform e d , and our m achines
are more or l e s s stab l e in t h e awakened state .
W h en
becomes
our
a
transformation
is
com p lete,
the
machine
tool for work . It has cleared itself of those thi n gs
which made it non -fu n ctional as a w ork too l .
The Work c a n only be seen and u n d erstood through an
awakened machi n e . We cannot see the Work if our machine is
asl e e p , so o n e of the p u rposes of awakening the m achi n e is to
be able to study the Work.
W e should take the opport u n ity to use the awaken e d state
to study the Work, so t h at we will k n ow what to do w ith our
transformation once it is achieve d .
I t is i m portant t h at w e u s e t h e few awakened p eriods
availab l e to us, t h at w e not putter them away in pursuits of
pleasures of the flesh ; that we actu ally
do s omethin g w ith
them for o u r possible evolutio n .
How to b est u s e these periods of awakenin g is
an
e ntirely
different q u e stion which will b e e x pl a in e d in d etai l later o n .
M o s t of u s here a r e still beginners and s h o u l d therefore
devote ourselves to beginning work . In ou r present state,
before our transformation has occurred , o u r study is limited to
the study and application of variou s metho d s of awakeni n g the
machine .
It is the task of a s chool to act as our temporary guid e , and
to introduce u s to the transformat ional apparat u s , our true
teacher; to help us develop a working relation s h ip w ith the
machine toward our possible evolution .
To awaken the factory and turn i t toward its transforma
tional fu nction req u ires knowledge-exact know l e d g e .
W e m u s t k n o w exactly w h i c h lower and higher motor ,
refl exive , m e nt al and e motional app aratus e s must b e activated
for e ach effect in the transformat io n al proce s s .
27
Beginning Work
Although the specific activities of the m achine h ave n o
rel ation to i t s awak e n in g , a n d awakening cannot b e produced
by any specific activities, certain sp ecial exerci s e s can help u s
t o gain t h e will necessary t o coax two attributes of t h e essential
self into action in order to bring t h e machine into the waking
state .
We will soon discover, as we begin to g ather serious
con cl u sive evidence of the m ach i ne ' s slee p , and the exact
nature of t h i s sleeping state , that the e s sential self-which is
not in the sleeping state but a state quite ap art fro m anything
belonging to the machine-possesses no attributes of its own
other than its i m partial presence and the simple w il l - of
attention
which ,
in
the
e arly
state,
is
u n e x ercised
and
therefore weak .
We will also soon realize t h at in spite of its h igher aims and
aspiratio n s , the e s s e ntial self has no will i n t h e ordinary sen s e ,
by which it can compel the machine t o l i v e according t o its
higher n at u r e .
So we m u st u s e what we actu ally do h ave i n t h e e ss ential
self, the two genuine attributes of the essential s elf-presence
and will-of- attention-to bring t h e mac h in e i n to t h e wak i n g
state , and for t h i s we will b e forced to d e v e l o p a strategy , a n
exact strategy by which w e c an
effectively
activate the
transformational properties of t h e human b iological mach i n e
without a l s o a t t h e s ame time i n advertently triggering t h e
m achine ' s d efense mech anism a gainst the w a k i n g state .
We will t a l k more about thi s defense mechan i s m , what it
means and how to d i sarm and de-activate it l ate r , but first we
m u st u n d erstand several things.
On the biological level , the h u m an b iological machine i s a
ch emical factory j ust like any other chemical factory , o perating
under the s am e b asic ch emical l aws. It is reg u l ated b y very
small electrical p u l s e s coursing t hrough t h e m yo - ne urological
system , wh ich i s to say , the muscles and nerves .
In addition , we must h ave some i de a of h ow the factory
operates , w h at it actually is, of what it is capabl e , and how to
make it function as an apparat u s for the tran sformation of
energy, the stuff of which our essential selves are m ade . We
will stu d y the machine as a chemical factory in the course of
28
The
Transfonnational Apparatus
our beginning work . At the same time, we will study it as an
electrical fiel d and even as a self-propeUed mechanism
responding to inner and outer stimuli, conditioned and
regulated by several important primate d irectives and
biochem ical imperatives which w e will discuss in a l ater tal k .
Because
the caus ative agent of
transformation ,
i ntended to directly
and the results of
produce transformation
such exercises
for the purpos e o f
Our exercises
state , fro m which state it
bringin g the
is possible to activate the machine' s tran sformational
function s .
If we expect to awaken the m achine and activate it as a
transformation al apparatus, w e must develop the higher
faculty of discernment ; we must recognize periods when the
machine is awake and , more importantly, periods when it is
not.
We must
because we must be
whether the
able to use
awake , we will not work
If we think
to awaken it
awake, we will obtain no
producing i maginary
real result s
results . Also we could e asily hurt ourselves and others by
trying to do something i n sleep as if w e were awake.
At the same time, if the machine is awake , we must not
waste the awakened state o n things of sleep .
If we know for a fact that the m achine i s asleep , and we
also know when the machine is awake, we will b e abl e to apply
a variety of methods to produce definite transformational
results .
But how
a doubt whethe r the
machin e is
E.J. G old, Sheep in Sleep, 4-2-9 1 ,
Pastel on Sennelier, 1 O " x 1 3 " .
CHAPTER 7
Sheep in Sleep
Because
the
machine-although
fully
functional
in
the
ordinary sense-lives its whole life in the sleeping state, our
work b egins in sleep. We must learn to use the elements of
sleep to overcome the machine ' s defense mechanism against
the waking state.
If we realize t h at our attention is totally immersed in a
sleeping m achine , we u n derstand that we cannot possibly do
things as we would if it were awake.
We must recognize that if the machine is asleep , a n d we
are to work seriously to awaken it , we must b e g in our work in
sleep, u si n g the elements of sle e p .
B ut ,
e v e n while immersed
machin e ' s slee p ,
in
identification
if we know that i t is the machin e
with t h e
which is
asleep, w e c a n u s e special work methods which are specifically
designed to be used in the sleeping state.
Becau se all work must necessarily begin i n sleep-after
all , if our machines were already i n the wak i n g state , w e would
h ave n o need for work o n o u rselves in the first pl ace-we must
u s e all the e l ements of t h e sleeping state to overcome the
sleeping
state ;
the
weaknesses,
desire s ,
h al l u cinations ,
30
fix ation s , organic pursuits of pleasure , and su ggestibility of
the s l e e p i n g machi n e .
Sleep in itself i s n o t bad . It i s our fixation
on sleep while at
the s am e time t h in k i n g t h at we are awake , which can cause
u nconscio u s suffering, and we remain fixate d in the machin e ' s
sleeping state b ecau se w e d o not know how t o overcome the
m achin e ' s defe n se mechanism against the wak i n g stat e . In a
short while , we will discuss th is idea, but first we must come to
understand several ideas which form t h e fou n d ation for our
work to d i s arm the defe n se mechanism of the machine again st
the waking stat e .
If we a r e fre e fro m t h e s e du ctive influences of t h e sleepi n g
stat e , b y wh ich I m e a n that we a r e free fr o m o u r own natur al
desires for the momentary pleasures and s e d u ctions of t h e
sleeping stat e , we c a n u s e t h e m i n a d ifferen t w a y , w h ich w e
cou l d c a l l jiu-jitsu
yoga , u sing t h e hab its and h ungers o f t h e
machine to overcome the machine ' s w i l l to r e m a i n a s l e e p .
F o r t h i s we a r e forced to come to a schoo l , where we can
find an outside g u i d e , a helper, to obj e ctively observe t h e
machine a n d tell us exactly which l everage t o apply .
We cannot d e p e n d upon our own mental ap p aratus for thi s .
It i s , after all , j u st another part o f t h e machine , a n d i f w e
depen d u p o n i t to make i t s o w n rul e s b y w h i c h w e a r e t o guide
our work , if we trust the mach in e to invent metho d s for its own
awaken i n g , its sleep wil l only b ecom e deeper and final l y , in
the end , we will d rown in the machin e ' s dreams .
I f w e really wish t o seriously work toward our possib l e
evolution , w e m u st clearly realize t h at we are sheep i n sleep ,
that
the
sleeping
machin e
is
a
completely
mec hanical
apparatus , responding strictly by reflex to a v ariety of i n n er
and outer influence s .
Should we atte mpt t o work u n d e r t h e a s s u mption that the
machine i s already awake , then we will not work to awaken the
machin e .
In ad dition , there is a greater danger. If we allow ourselves
to become victims of a h al lucinatory m etho d which provides
the illusion a n d sensations of imaginary awakening, we may
try to use work m et ho d s which properly belo n g to an awakened
machin e .
31
Sheep in Sleep
We can u s e o u r attention to watch carefully and i n t e nsely
everyt h i n g
the
m achine
doe s .
We
soon
gather
enough
evide nce to convince u s without a s h re d of dou b t t h at it thinks
by auto matic a s sociatio n , th at it can con d u c t an i nternal
dialogue w ith itself, and respond in very com p l e x p atter n s to
all possible situations without our d irectio n , a n d even without
the p articipation of our attention ,
that it knows
all
the
appropriat e gesture s , all the correct social , intellectual and
emotional
protocol . . .
To o u r a s to n i s hment, as w e study the activitie s of the
m achine , we see the hands g esticul ating w il d l y , s e e mingly
with a mind of their own , the mouth i s s uing p roclam ations
which do not even vaguely resemble our real feelings and
attitud e s , w hile the whole mach i n e b u s i ly follows the daily
routine of life , fan atically obeying artificial a n d arbitrary
sch e d u l e s and timetables that somebody made up o ut of t h e
b l u e , a n d w allowing i n o n e upset a ft e r anothe r about some
imaginary trifl e or oth e r .
W e q uickly c o m e to u n dersta n d the sinister p urpo s e o f
social rit u al ; we see h o w it h e l p s to p e rpetu ate t h e m ach i ne ' s
sleep ! W e see th at life i n the ordin ary s en s e i s rit u a l ized
because a sleeping machine works o n ly for its own s u rvival ,
and it m u s t continue to function d ay after day , without a
master .
If our work is to really b e g in in s l e e p , we m us t somehow
bring ourselves to the realization , w ith the full impact of t ruth ,
that the machine is really asleep; t h e n we w ill h ave taken the
first real step toward crushin g t hat p ersonal vanity behind
which i s insecurity , b e h i n d which i s a d eep fear which w e can
only allow to e x p r e s s its el f as vanity , which will not allow us to
admit even to ourselves t h at we h ave falle n from our h igher
state ,
that
we
have b e come corrupted
by our biological
bapti s m , o u r total immersion i n the slee p of the h uman
m achine .
O u r v a n ity convinces u s t h at t h e m ach ine i s awake and
su pports this ill u s ion w it h activity , s e n s ation an d associative
thought .
32
The
Transfonnational Apparatus
All arguments against the sleep of the machine w hich use
activities as evidence-how can we go to work every day if the
m achine i s really asleep? How can we hold a decent
conversation? How c an we cook? How can we play? How can
w e eat? How can we even dress ourselves if the machine is
asleep ?-make the mistake of u sing the ordinary d efinition of
sleep which is
meaning w e give to it
here .
Let us imagine
and that someone is
trying to convince
drunk. But how can we
b e convinced of
the more sober we
fee l I
When the m achine is asleep , we cannot be convinced th at
the machine is asleep . It is even more difficult for someone
else to convince us because at the moment they call our
attention to the machine ' s sleep, w e become more alert , more
on guard and , in spite of ourselves, the machine begins to
awaken.
Th e n , when w e relax, sleep b e gins to reas sert itself and
once again we
rules for ourselves,
but the truth is
a straight lin e .
I f w e can
ourselves, if we can
bring ourselves
m achine is really and
it.
truly asleep , we
U s ing the
we will try to sense
our immersion in the sleep of the machine, even though our
mental apparatus lies to itself and to us, that we seem to be
awak e, to have volition , free will .
I f w e can only obtain some definite proof that the m achine
i s aslee p , then w e will know that we are walking around in a
dream , just as in the children's rhyme,
merrily,
33
Sheep in Sleep
Before we go any further, we should t ry to u n d e rstand
what the words of this rhyme act u ally tel l u s .
Th is i s n ot a n ordinary children ' s rhy m e . W h e n u s ed i n a
special w ay , it can stimulate definite alte rations in t h e brain
and n ervous syste m .
If w e can s e parate i t from its automatic mental association
with childre n ' s n ursery rhymes, we can
see that it was
accidentally overhe ard sometime in the p a st and t h at it was at
some t i m e , b efore its degeneration i nto a p l ay-verse , obviously
the product of a s ch ool .
Let u s s ee if we can do somet h in g right n o w , to use this
disarmingly simple rhym e to h e l p u s sense t h e sleep of the
m achin e .
We should now fi n d a b alance point for our m achine , a
posture in which we feel t h at we would b e able to sit virtually
forever. We will park the machine in t h is posture , and not
move it until the exerc i s e is complet e .
We wi l l n e x t remove t h e social m a s k w hich i s h e l d i n place
by facial t e n s ions , noticing in p a s s ing the e xtreme amount of
e nergy we ordinarily commit toward the m aint e nance of t h i s
social m as k .
We h av e n o n e e d to b e social in th i s s ituation , and in any
cas e , w e need this energy for our work ju s t now , so w e should
be able to allow ourselves to relax the facial mask, which
should go completely lim p .
T h e e y e s are to remain o p e n during the whole o f t h i s
exercise a n d each time we repeat the rhyme, w e w il l t r y to
sen se t h e
sleep
of t h e
m ach i n e ,
with
a
mood
of mild
astonishment, as would a very young child .
If we hope to enter th i s s pecial dimen sion , we m u st b ecome
as children , a n d re-Iearn consci o u sly what w e have forgotte n
about ourselves a n d o u r experienc e of t h e world .
Now , very softly , and in a very relaxed tone we will repeat :
' Row, row, row the hoat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life Is but
a
dream.'
34
The
I n the same s l ow cadence, we will repeat t h is mantram
over and over again until the sensation c om e s over u s that it is
the machi n e wh ich is asleep .
In this b eginning exercise , we w il l try to s e n s e the sleep of
the m ach i n e , u s i n g th i s mantram to remind ourselves that it i s
not u s , b u t t h e machine , which i s asleep .
I f t h e s e n s ation of the sleeping m achine goes away , w e
m u s t t ry again u ntil th e sensation remain s .
Thi s exercise i s t h e very b eginning fou n d ation o f work . If
we do n ot h av e a good foun d atio n , we cannot b uil d upon it, so
we should take the time to realize, to actually sen se t h at t h e
mach i n e i s i n fact asleep , not j u st i n an ab stract philo sophical
way but in a very real sense.
If w e know the machine i s a s l ee p , we h ave o n e foot o n the
path . If w e can sense t h at the m achine i s aslee p , we h ave two
feet on the path . From then on , at least t h i n gs c annot get any
worse , they can only get b etter.
The s e n s ation of the sleepin g machine
will make all
intellect ual arg u m e nt for work unnece s s ary .
In our daily life , regardless of the circumstances in which
we find ourselves immersed , we m u st try to actually obtain ,
and then h ol d , the s e n s ation of the sleepin g m achine , a t first
doing nothing to awaken it d ire ctly .
Observation alone will act upon it to aw aken it slowly and
gently .
We will work to keep this s e n s ation active in some p art of
our attention all day lon g , no matter how d i stracti n g the
activities .
Remember always t h at i t i s the mach i n e which i s aslee p ,
and that we are not t h e m achine . . . t h at w e h ave been drawn
down , s e d u c e d into the sleep of the mac h i ne .
It will take a while to catch on to the idea , but once we d o ,
we will h a v e our first real taste o f w h at it r eally means to work.
Of course
we
all
h ave our
ordinary obligatio n s
and
respons i bilitie s , a family to take care of, we go to work , h ave
tax probl e m s . . .
All of this is u seful and we should not try to change it.
When we try to change our lives , if we happen to accidentally
succee d , w e lose the only h andholds we have on our work.
Sheep in Sleep
35
It does not m atter what we do in l ife . We do not have t h e
time to a l l o w the m achine to settle i nto a new life and establish
whole new p attern s . We must l ive our life as i t is, and just
begin with thi s first s mall step .
We can p e rfor m any activity , h o l d any ordinary j o b i n l ife ,
live any way we wish to a n d , if w e j u s t attune ourselves to our
sen s i n g , w e can begin our work i n sleep b y gathering the
evid e n c e , u sing a special form of attention called sensin g , b y
which we m e a n only t h at we have b ecome intensely aware o f
t h e s e n s ations of t h e m achine, to convince ourselves o f t h e
sleep of t h e m ach i n e .
O u r intellect may t e l l u s t h a t w e are awake , b u t our sensing
tells u s that t h e m ac h i n e i s a sl e e p .
O u r b e liefs may convince u s that we a r e awake , b ut o u r
s e n s i n g t e l l s u s that the m achine is asle e p .
O u r vanity may i n s i s t t h a t we a r e awake , b u t o u r sen s in g
t e l l s u s that the m achine i s asl e e p .
O u r h i g h e r p hilosophies and religions may i n s i s t t h a t we
are awake , b u t o u r sensing tells u s t h at t h e machine is asleep .
If we c an sense that t h e mach ine is asleep , we h ave t aken
the first real step toward awaken ing it .
Until the n everything in our l ives , espec i ally o u r work, is
imagin ary , j u st fantasy . If we c a n only sense t h e machine ' s
sleep i n e v eryth ing w e do , n o matter how comple x , how rapid ,
how exhilarat e d or seemingl y exalted !
Of course it all b e g in s with the though t , ' I s it possible? I
have h e ar d a vag u e rumor that m y machi n e is asl ee p . Can it
really b e true ? '
This t h e m e wi ll form the in n e r b asis of e veryt h i n g w e do in
the b e g i n ning .
We now h ave b efore us ou r first work , to obtain occasional
glimp ses of the truth ; to gather defi n it e evidence that the
m ach i n e really i s aslee p .
CHAPTER 8
Inner Aims
By
m aking
i.nner
our
work aim , not SOlltliettUln
which is practical,
actually serve
a
aims
toward
eventually d evelop
transformation
u.. . u�,.nl"'"
subjective but
a
an
real
aim
acconll p U!,hable and which could
2rE,at€3r
Even if we were successful in life in the ordinary sense, we
probably very quickly realized that the things that we coul d
accomplish in ordinary life simply would not satisfy u s in any
serious w ay .
Above all , w e became dissatisfied w ith life a s w e were
more or less forced to l ive i t . We knew that there was more to
l ife, but we didn ' t
W e couldn ' t
exactly how to g o
about fin ding what
for , but we did
This feeling of
have a vague
dissatisfaction
principal reason we
come t o a s chooL
E.J. Gold, Inner Aims, 4-5-91 ,
Pastel o n Sennelier, 1 0 "x13".
38
accu mulation of work ideas . We m u st come to und erstand very
quickly and very clearly that com municatin g about the ideas is
not actu ally using the id eas, and w e came here not j us t to
discu s s ideas b ut to learn to use t h e m .
I n our work i t i s demanded o f u s that w e un de rstan d
exactl y w h at we are trying to do . The oute r form may change
radical ly
tomorrow,
and yet the
u n derlying th read
must
remain t h e same , the sub-text underneath our changing work
forms must remain the s ame.
When we first come to a school , the question i s put to u s ,
why are w e h e re , what d o w e wish for oursel v e s , w h at d o w e
seek here , w h y d o w e impose ourselves upon t h i s co m m u nity ?
Our original aims in our work will chang e , and they may
change s u rprisingly ofte n . There are only two reason s to
ch ange our aim.
The first reason is that i n the course of pursuing one aim ,
our vi sion has grow n . W e are able to formulate our aim more
clearly and more to the point.
As we begin to learn , our
te mporary aim will change with an understanding of th e
greater purpose of the Work .
When we ch ange our aim , we m u st be ab s olutely certain
that we are not ab andoning the aim j u st b ecau se we feel l ike
giving u p . We ch ange aims only when the p revio u s aim no
longer serves the greater purpose .
The second re ason that we might change our aim is that we
have actually acco mplished it. We have one great p urpose for
being in a school and then a variety of s m aller aims which
serve t h at greater p u rpos e .
I f w e were
in certain work communities i n other countrie s ,
and w e answered i ncorrectly when w e were asked why w e
were here , we would b e asked t o leave the community and ,
from that day forward , we woul d never be ab l e to pe netrate
that com m u n ity-we wou l d never get past the person w h o
gave the interview a t the gate .
We m u st p erfect our aim in order to even gain adm ittan ce
to many com m u n itie s w here these ideas can be learn t . In a
way , it would help u s to be turned away from commu n ity after
comm u n ity until w e had sharpened and formulated our aim
39
Inner A im s
exact l y , and u n t i l we had developed a reaJ aim , s omethi n g
which cou l d actually s e rve a greater a i m , n ot somethi n g
subj ective and fantastical .
However, in this cou ntry , we are n ' t turned away from
com m u n ity after community. We are accepted w it h open arm s
regardl e s s of our vague gropings for meaning in our lives ,
because we d on ' t h ave communities with high ethical , high
integrity stan dard s . Only if w e express an aim w h ich is
act u ally again s t t h e aim of the work community are w e asked
to leave .
So now teachers are forced to take it u po n themselves t o
educate
pupils
from
the
first
beginn ing
groan i n g s
of
discomfort with ordinary l ife to t h e formul ation of higher aims
which cou l d realistically b e achieved and appl i e d to this life
right now .
In
any
case ,
formulated an
in
the
begin ning
we
would
obj ective aim for ourselves
not
h ave
by ourse l v e s ,
because the m aterial and e q u ipment for the formu l ation o f a
real aim is simply not available in the mainstream information .
So even had we wanted to , even if we had real ize d t h at our
aim was insufficient , w e could not h ave formulated it better
until we came to a school and obtained information abou t work
which i s not avail able i n books or in l ecture s .
We n e e d s pecial h e l p even t o understand w h y w e come t o a
school . B u t once we do understand what we are trying to
accompli s h , it is our respons ib ility to make certain that people
i n g e nerations fol lowing ours also are educated from their first
v ague discomforts to an u nderstandin g of a real a i m .
W e are a l so expected t o educate others i n t h e u nderlying
facts and u n derstandings which are t h e basis for this work to
the extent t h at they will not sim ply repeat w h at they h ave
heard as an a i m , but turn aro u n d a n d e d u c ate people who
come after them towards an u nderstan ding of what it means t o
work . It i s a process o f educatio n , n o t o f information .
All along t h e l in e the q u estion of o u r p u rp ose in being in a
school will apply, because in the process of accomplishing our
greater
p u rpose
form u l ate d .
many
s m aller
aims
w il l
come
to
be
40
lf these new aims are to be real a i m s , they m u st actually b e
accomplish abl e .
The n ature o f our earliest aims i s that they d o change
according to our u nderstanding. As our understanding grows
ou r aims will reformulat e .
O u r very fi r s t a i m in a s c h ool will b e a definit e , obj ective
school aim which we are expected to accomp lish . Before that
all our aims are s u bj ectiv e , b ased upon hearsay, speCUl ation ,
vague
wonder ,
some
t h ird ,
fourth
and
even
h u n d redth
generation information , and equally vague year nings .
From t h e time we first enter a school u n til t h e time we are
initiated into t h e first obj ective aim, a l l our aims will b e
subj ective and personal , and i t can n ot b e otherwise .
While t h e m achin e is asleep, the only e q uipment with
which we coul d u nderstand the g reater aim i s the mental
apparatus a n d t h e mental apparatu s cannot grasp the greater
purpo s e .
T h e obj ective a i m s o f o u r work as a community lead
i ne xorably toward the greater purpose . Each of these aims is
accomplish abl e and the proof of their objectivity i s that they
are acco m p l i s h ab l e .
Perhaps we h ave devel oped a sense of a potential for
evolutio n . We thought somehow, somewhere , we b e lieved in a
higher form of l ife , something greater. B u t without definite
evidence this c a n only b e a b e lief and not somet h i n g which we
could verify in our own experie nce .
We can imagine that most of us h ave formulated t h i s
belief, t h at there m u st b e som e p u rp ose in life , t h at there must
b e more to it tha n j ust an endless round of p l e a s ure and p ain
and
pursuit
of
this
attraction ,
and
immersio n
in
t h at
d i stractio n , a n d so o n .
T o a n s w e r t h i s belief woul d require t h at w e were ab l e t o
somehow compre h e n d the greater purpo s e .
E.J. Gold, Study of the Machine,
2-5-91, Pastel on Sennelier, 1 0"x1 3 " .
Although w e are
I'il':tUU""U::
hypnotized, immersed
we h ave become
of the machine.
One of the purposes
evidence w hich
sleep .
The idea that the machine i s asleep does not automatically
call for b elief or faith, b ecause we can easily see for ourselves
that the machine i s asleep .
Although as essenti al beings we have separate existence
apart from the machine , we have become distracted fro m our
native state which lies far beyond space and t im e , hypnotically
attracted to the
fascination , and
we are presently
of sensation and
emotion , entirely
a s a result of our
total identification
machine, partakingwhether w illingly
sleeping state .
Actually , in
fortu nate for us
becau s e , although
42
the cause of much needles s s ufferin g , it als o provides us with
the opport u nity for transformation , which would otherwise b e
impossible without t h e m achine ' s functioning a s a transfor
m ational a p p aratu s .
In
its
present
state ,
functions e ntire l y b y
emotional
and
motor
the
refle x ,
human
b iological
answeri n g
apparatuses
the
with
mach i n e
its
mental ,
vario us
stimuli
presented by the environment and even by t h e machin e ' s own
imaginin g s and accidental stimulations of m emory and m ental
s i m u l ations of possible event s which seldom happen as t h e
m achine proj ects a n d extrapolates them .
We can learn how to see a n d s e n s e t h e machine' s slee p ,
a n d w e c a n gather incontrovertible eviden c e o f t h e machine ' s
sleeping state beyond a shadow of a dou b t , evidence strong
enough to stand up in a court of l aw .
S t u d y of t h e m achine' s sleeping state can a l s o serve a
second purpo s e , helping us to define the exact n ature of this
sleep.
B u t first of all , before we can even set out to gather
evidence of any kind about the machin e , w e must agree that
we do in fact live o u r lives in a h u m an b iological mac h i n e .
We m u st s e e that, although we have s p e nt ou r whole lives
immersed in total i dentific ation with the machine , and t h e very
fibre of our b e i n g s h as been since b irth ine xtricably woven
into the life of t h e m ach i n e , offering p l e nty of opportun ities for
stu d y , we h ave never act u al l y studied the m achine and its life .
B u t it is n o t enough to j ust study t h e m achine in the
ordinary w ay ; t h at is , identified with the mach i n e . This would
b e the s a m e as the machi n e studying itself. We must l e arn
somehow to stu d y the m achine objective l y , from outside , in
much t h e s a m e way that an anthropologist would study any
other primate-and ultimately, the h uman b iological machin e
is a prim ate , w it h more or l e s s the s ame prim at e directives and
biological imperatives common to t h e s p e c ie s-in it s n atural
habitat.
If we c a n not agree to these two beginning i de a s , then
everything t h at follows i s useles s , and w e m ight as well go
somewhere e l s e where we can h e ar what we want to h e ar-
43
perhaps some n i c e , comforting s p i ritual mythol ogy-in our
never-ending search for the mean ing of life , b e ca u s e we w il l
have n o further possibility h ere .
In the beginning of o u r stu dy of the m ac h i n e , our first
definition of sleep w ill b e that it i s
not a wake , whatever that
means . . . and we will begin to define this sleeping state in
depth as we proce e d , so its meaning will definitely change as
we penetrate more and more deeply into thes e ideas .
In addition , we m ay know a l ittle someth i n g about what it
means for the machine to be not asl e ep , becau s e we may h ave
experienced glimpses of the awakened state fro m time to t i m e ,
e v e n if only b riefl y .
I n any cas e , we know or we h ave guessed that t h e r e i s
another state very different fr o m t h e ordin ary stat e , which is
possible for the m achi n e , and which l e ad s to anoth e r , very
different multi-dimensional experience of l i fe t h an that to
which we h ave b ecome accusto m e d .
We also k n o w from o u r o w n e x perience that we do not
ord i n arily live in this different state , although w e may think of
this exalted state as real l ife , as we and the mach ine o u gh t to
live it if w e only cou l d .
W e a l s o know that i f w e have e x p e rienced thi s state-let u s
c a l l i t t h e waking state-we have experience d i t o n l y briefly
and p a rt i al l y , and then fallen from it for some inexplicable
reason , into a state of comparative d arkne ss , a d ark and
gloomy d u ngeon of m i serable existence, j ust a shadow of what
we s aw to b e possib l e .
To our
u tter
astonishment,
w e come t o
realize that
everyone e l s e regards this dark and g loomy sleeping state as
quite acceptable and even comfo rt able and agre e ab l e .
W e eventually come t o under st an d that our first faltering
ste p s into the w aking state are only the b e g i n n i ng of real
awake n i n g .
But to our disappointmen t , we soon find t h at our first
obj ective aim i n a school is not, as we would e x p e ct , to awaken
the machi n e , but to allow th e m achine to r e m ai n in the
sle e p i n g state while w e gather evidence to s atisfy ourselves
44
that we do indeed live in a m achine , and th at the m achi n e is
defi n itely asleep .
Some of t h e evidence of sleep which we g ather will b e
indirect . For example. w e may accidentally stumble i nto a
state where we see th at the m achine is alive , that it has
awakene d , even if only momentarily and accidentally.
W e can d e d u ce fro m this that until now, since t h e ordinary
state is very d ark and dense in comparis o n , the m achine must
h ave been asleep .
We b e g i n to d iscover the horrifyi ng truth-that in spite of
our strong wish to remain awake , we do not know how to
m aintain the wak i n g stat e , and we are force d time and t ime
again to w atch h elplessly as the sensitiz e d p e rceptio n s and
sen sations close d ow n , and the machine fall s b ack on ce again
under t h e cloak of darkness .
We speak of the sleeping and waking states in terms of
perceptio n s and s e n s ations because it is a machine-state .
B ecause it is a machine state and the machine h a s two defi n ite
and distinct experiences which are measurab l e by its senses
and sen s ations , the d ifference between the two stat e s of
waking and sleeping are very clear.
I n one state we really see, hear. feel , taste , touch , know ,
rem e mb e r .
All
our
senses
and
mental
and
e motional
functionings are clarified and magnified, thou s a n d s of time s .
In t h e
sleeping
state ,
w e live
in
dark n e s s ,
w e fee l
disconn e cted , harsh , angular , trapped a n d i s o l ate d ; we live
and breat he in darkness . This is a good b e g in n i n g definition of
sleep in relation t o waki n g .
W e can gather direct evide nce of the sleeping s t ate while
in the sleeping state, because we know t h at our p r esent state
is nothing like w h at we remember of the glimpses we h ad of
what it was to really b e alive i n the machine . Of course , as w e
remember th at w e a r e presently in t h e s l e e p i n g s t ate , the
m achine will inevit ab ly begin to awaken , t h u s interfering
momentarily with our dire ct ob serv ation of its s l e e p .
In our l ittle g l i m p s e s o f the awakened state , b ecau se t h ey
are only glimpse s , and t herefore moment ary an d incomplete ,
we should remember t h at our e xperiences of t h e s e states are
imperfect .
Stu dy of the Machine
45
Secondl y , we shoul d realize th at, b e ca u se the machine was
not ful l y awake d u ring these glimpses of awaken in g , t h e
m a c h i n e still e xert e d its will , and b e cau se t h e m achine was n ot
fully awake , and vestigial traces of the sleeping state r e m ained
somewhat active to a g re ater or l e s ser degre e , w e i n e v it ab l y
experienced some discomfort w h i c h woul d n o t b e p art o f a
complete w ak i n g stat e .
Thi s i n itial discomfort during t h e process of e nterin g t h e
w ak i n g state from the sleeping state is t h e principal r e ason w e
fall back i n t o t h e sleeping state .
In o u r first glimpses of the awaken e d s tate , because w e
w e r e i d entified w ith t h e s l e e p of the mach i n e , w e m u s t have
felt some apprehension , a feeling of impending doo m , of being
o n t h e top of a roller coaster that was about to let go , or of
h aving b e e n pulled b ac k o n a slingshot, j u st at the point o f
h u rtling through a corridor toward s o m e unknown destinatio n .
W e d i d n ' t know what was goin g to h appen if we allowed
ourselves to go all the way, but we
can
understand this
experie n c e ; w e can know exactly what will happen i f w e allow
ourselves to b e carried all the way through t h e e xperience,
thro u gh w h at the ancients called the Cave .
We c a n make an almost exact analogy to the p roc e s s of
entering t h e waking state from the sleeping state with t h e
examin ation of a similar situation.
A l most all of us h ave had the e xperience of waking i n the
middle of the night and finding that one of our arms h a s gone
to sleep .
As t h e blood b egan to p u mp back into the l i m p , d e ad and
useless arm , we may have had the defmite impre s s ion that w e
w e r e a b o u t t o h a v e a h e art attack and die .
Th i s i s a very important experience becau s e it produces
e x actly the same s e n s ation as does the awakening m achine .
In t h e sleeping stat e , the whole machine , in c l u d in g its
emotional and mental apparatus e s , perceptio n s , senses and
sens ations , are completely numb .
We can b arely se e , we can b arely hear, we c a n b arely
sens e ; in a sleeping machine, although our activities may
deceive u s , w e live l ife at the absolute m in i mu m .
46
The Human Biological Machine as a TransJormationalApparatus
As we begin to massage the machine awake, the tingling
sen sation becomes too much to bear, so we return to the same
state as before and it becomes blissfully n u mb again .
This is a nearly perfect analogy of what happens to u s in
the awakening proces s . We may not have the courage to
contin ue the p rocess of awakening past the point of
discomfort .
Certain alarming sensations w ill definitely occur a s the
machine b egins to awaken : tingling, falling, vertigo,
dropping, collapsing, exploding, expanding inside a skin that
is stretched too tight, pins and needles , flamin g, curling ,
shortening and lengthening, agitation , weakness , confusion,
coldness , sweating , vertigo, restles sness.
We may recognize these symptoms as the same symptoms
which sign al the death of the machine and , in a way, the
waking state is very much like the death of the machine,
because in the waking state , the machine has lost face , in the
sense that it no longer has the force to impose its own will
upon the situation, and even more importantly , its negative
emotions, which provide it with a sense of contin uity , have
inexplicably vanished .
When the machine first comes to life , we may find the
experience too excruciating, too emotionally , mentally and
physically painful, too exhausting , and we may decide to allow
the machine to fall back into sleep.
Eventually if the machine remains in the sleeping state ,
gangrene will set in and the machine will die . This is the chief
cause of ordinary death . If the machine were awake, it would
also eventually die, but not in the same way .
The machine is so near death when it i s asleep, that when
death comes, we will hardly notice it, and it won ' t be so bad .
But when death comes to a living machine, the diffe rence
is so much greater that we will in fact , be acutely aware of its
passing . Because we are alive , life is more precious to us and
death will be that much more poignant . We can consider this
as a warning. Perhaps it is better to remain in the near-death
state of sleep.
Study of t h e Machin e
47
W e will try to recall the exact sensation-or l a c k of it
when we woke up in the middle of the nigh t , to discover that
one of the arms had fall e n asleep . The arm is completely limp ,
totally limber . It h a s absolutely no motio n , no s e nsation ; w e
m a y s e e it as something which i s literally d e a d , some strange
object dangling from the s houlder. O ur first thoug h t in that
situation must have been that it may never com e b ack to l ife .
We want to recall the full mental, emotional a n d sensing
m emory of that l imp , l imber d e ad arm and realize t h at our
whole machine i s now i n the equivalent condition in relation to
its possible awakened state .
W he n we awaken the machine, it will not be n e ar d e ath but
other m achines will be near d e ath , limp, l i mb e r , closed ,
running automatical l y i n darknes s and this i n itself will also b e
terrifying .
Perhaps we h av e h a d a glimpse of people as a utomaton s ,
empty p u ppets , running o n mechanically, s o near d eath as t o
be all-but- dead . . .
What keeps the machine i n sleep i s our fear of th e
discomfort o f awakenin g . This is the real mean i n g of inertia.
B ut wh at is it that keeps u s-the e s s e ntial self, which is not
the m achi n e-immersed i n the sleep of the machine ?
Remember what it was l ik e to run for a very long time.
Most of us have done this . At a certain point we m u s t h ave
gotten the defi n it e impression that if we cont i n u e d run n i n g ,
t h e machi n e would d i e , and if we stop p e d run ning , we would
descend into a peculiar kind of hell in which w e would spend
the next th irty
minutes
gasping for breath
an d
m aking
ourselves p ace b ack a n d forth so the h e art could recover its
normal balance .
At this point we m ade one of two possibl e decisions
either w e cont i n u e d past this stag e , at our definite ris k , o r
returned to the sedentary stat e . W e k n e w t h at if we persiste d ,
there was a d i stinct possibility that the machi n e might h av e
dropped dead . Perhaps w e were right not to p u s h th e mach i n e
t o o far .
However, if we h a d the courage or stu p i d ity to p u sh on
furt h e r , it seemed to u s as if w e had broken through an
48
Th e Human Biological Machine as a TransformationalApparatus
invisible b arrier to a new, higher dimension ; we may actually
have felt that we could circle the entire globe with hun dred
mile leaps and bounds.
This parable is only offered as an example ; long-distance
running is not recommen ded, and is definitely not representa
tional of the state of the awakened machine.
It is just a way of comparing two definitely distinct states of
the machine . Actually, if we compare the s econd wind of
running state with the state we experienced in glimpses of real
awakening , we will see very quickly that the state of physical
exhilaration places the machine even further in sleep .
Th e states between sleep and waking are not at all calm .
Some of them are quite painful and we must learn to endure
certain typ es of pain without inflicting it upon ourselves or
being stupid about it . We must learn to endure the severe
sen sations of the awakening machin e , knowing that it leads to
the eventual cessation of p ain .
W e must not allow our foolish mental apparatuses to
develop the idea that this indicates that we are expected to pull
out our toenails, d isfigure ourselves , or slice the arm with a
razor blade, or any other foolish or bizarre practice. We mu st
understand the differentiation between tolerating pain which
occurs in the course of events and deliberately inflicting pain
upon oneself unnecessarily and foolishly .
There h ave arisen a number of methods which utilize
exhaustion , physical , mental and emotio n al , as a means of
carrying the mach ine across the threshold from the sleeping
state to the waking state .
It is true that the machine can be forced into awaken ing by
the use of certain very strenuous exercises , b ut these methods
are only for the use of people who are desperately in a hurry
because of serious illness or because of pending death , who
have no time to use gentler and more perm anent awakening
methods .
Every real school has a variety of methods , some very
cath artic , some very gentle , running the entire range intended
for different pupils with different needs . The cathartic
methods are reserved only for those in dire, desperate need,
49
Study of the M aehme
because under ordinary condition s they are u n n ec e s s arily
dangerou s and life -threatening.
Some of the c athartic m e thod s represent very real t hreats
to mental health , to emotional stability .
V e ry rapid methods of awake n i ng the m achine do exist, b u t
their percentage o f casualties
and failures i s very high .
B etween the casualties and t h e failu re s , the chance of success
in t h e s e methods i s far too small.
A very popular schoo l existing today i s fou n d e d o n th e
princi p l e s of j u s t s u c h a cathartic method . Its foun d er m u st
have atten d e d a school for a s ho rt time a n d acci d e ntally
d iscovered or overheard one method for
awake n i n g the
mac h i n e u s u ally reserved for cases of d ir e emergency .
He evidently thought t h at o n e single techn i qu e would
m ake a m arvelou s method,
so h e quickl y l eft the work
com m u n ity and fou n de d his own communit y , where h e applied
this technique , which h e called the fast path , to everyone who
came , obviously thinking t h at it would be j u st wonderful fo r
everyon e to wake up their mach i n e s really in a h urry b y next
S aturday at the very l atest .
He
did
not u nderstand
that
catha rtic
techniques
are
reserved as a tool only for the desperate, for thos e who h ave a
very short t i m e remaining to t h e m in the machine , a n d who are
forced to work quickly in a desperate race agai ns t t i m e .
Ordin arily our s y s t e m i s noncathartic and extremely m i l d ,
developing t h e will of t h e e ssential s elf gently , and awakening
the machine slowly , so t h at it does not g o too far o u t of
balance .
At t h e same t im e , b e cau se we u se a noncatharti c meth o d ,
w e c a n b egin to study t h e Work w hile t h e m ac h i n e i s i n a
waking state . It is only in the w akin g state that t h e Work can
b e studied . We will discuss this in d etail at a l at e r time .
In a d d ition to its two objective states of waking a n d
sleeping , the machine also has a variety of s Ubjective state s .
A s w e g ather evidence to convince ourselves once and for
all to o u r own s atisfaction th at the m achine is a s l e e p , some of
our evidence will be fou n d by the observation of the machi n e ' s
sUbj ective s t at es .
50
The Human Biological Machine as a TransformationalApparatus
When th e machine is awake it does not and cannot have
sUbjective states because all the machinery for sUbjective
states is gone. In our glimpses of the awakened state , we may
have noticed the absence of sUbjective state s .
O f course, because the machine was not completely awake,
some vestigial traces of the machine ' s ordinary states would
have remained, but unless we give them force they cannot
produce an imbalance which would send us down into the
sleeping state once again .
In our early experiments with the waking state, we w ill
undoubtedly notice the presence of phantom thoughts ,
ph antom beliefs , and phantom attitudes, but we should easily
recognize them as p hantom, nonreal . . . something generated
by the intellectual or emotional functions of the mental
centrum , a leftover from the sleeping state .
If these did happen to have noticeable force, then we would
have been driven by them, by what is called in some
traditions , the wind of karma. These phantom reverberations
of organic h ab its of the m achine may tend to remain with us
for quite some time , long after we have extricated ourselve s
from the machine, and if we do not deal with them now by
repeated awakenings , they will tend to persist long after the
end of our organic sojourn in the life of the machine.
The first objective aim is to gather evidence of the
machine ' s sleep . We can do this now , as we are , even in sleep .
As a matter of fact , if we think about it, it is only in sleep that
we can gather evidence of the machine ' s sleep .
This is an accomplish able aim . All we need for the
gathering of evidence of the machin e ' s sleep is a minimum of
attention ; we don ' t even need the help of any supernatural
agency like the mysterious ' soul ' or some other ethereal
observer .
A l l we really need is sufficient ordin ary attention o f th e
mental apparatus to gather enough good evidence to satisfy
ourselves that we do in fact live in a human biological machine
and that in relation to anoth er, much higher state , it is asleep .
As we first begin, because we turn our attention on the
mach in e , naturally we won ' t find the machine sleeping. It will
51
awaken p artially because it is under the awaken i n g spotlight of
attention . Unfort u n ately , this i s one of the big gest p rob l e m s
a b o u t t h e observation of the machine.
W h e n we observe the machine it awakens s l ightl y , enough
so t h at we c annot real l y s ay that it is asleep .
D i rect observation
of the
m achine
has
changing the thing t h at is b eing observed .
the
effect
of
It is a b road
application of t h e Heisenberg Principle .
If we cannot g ather evidence of t h e machine ' s sleep b y
direct observation o f i t s slee p , w e can gather a different k i n d
o f evidence b y comparing i t s present state t o t h e state in w h i c h
we rememb e r the machine was at least p arti ally awak e , a n d
we can s a y that it i s n o t th at way .
We g ather t h i s direct evidence by contrasting o u r p r e s e n t
experience of perceptio n s , s e n se s , sensations a n d knowle d g e
against t h e b ackground
of thos e
expanded
p erceptions ,
sh arpened and magnified sense s , t ingling s e n s ations of real ,
living t i s s u e , a n d v ast all- e ncompassing knowledge which w e
remember vividly from t h e partially awakened stat e .
E v e n if we h a v e never experienced a s i ngle glimp se of t h e
awaken e d s t ate , we need not p roceed j u st on faith alone ; e v e n
without
a
d i r e c t e x perience of t h e awakened stat e , w e can
com p ile more th an sufficient indirect evidence of sleep to
con vince any j udge and j ury t h at the machi n e is asleep beyo n d
a s h a dow o f a doubt .
Indirect evidence is comprised of two type s of eviden c e ,
the first of which we will call ' circu mstantial evidence' .
We s ud d e nl y fi nd ourselves slightly awake , h aving popped
out of o u r total sleep for t h e moment . B ec au s e we are no
longer entirely i mmersed in s l e e p , we cannot observe the
sleep of t h e machi n e directly .
We know t h at what a sleeping machine doe s when it i s
asleep c a n only b e compiled after t h e fact. W e m a y b e sta rtl e d
awake , only to realize t h a t t h e m achine h as e x e rted i t s will
over the s i t u atio n .
We may s e e a variety of additional symptom s of s l ee p .
Sleep presents i n many different ways . In sleep , t h e machine
exert s its own will and we have no voice i n its b ehavior;
our
52
higher aims are lost in the organic storms of the m achine as it
follows one organ i c d i straction and attraction after anot h er .
W e are carried along helplessly b y the
mach ine
in
its
mechanical p u r s u i t s .
A n o t h e r s y m p t o m of t h e s l e e p of t h e machine i s that we
find ourselves for some inexplicab l e reason actually following
what we know to b e trivial aims.
We fin d ourselves protecting property, trying to e n h ance
our
personal
behavior
and
appearance .
To
our
utt e r
amazement we fin d ourselves really caring about the k i n d o f
c a r we d r i v e or t h e quality of manufacture of our Italian s h o e s
and fou rtee n - k arat g o l d chains , or whether o r n ot we l o o k g o o d
in s u n g l a s se s .
We s u d d e n l y d i s cover that w e care what people thin k abo u t
us and w e really are concerned about which politician g e t s i n to
office . We find o u rselves immersed in the e x c itement of a
Tu pperware pl astic food- storage container sales party, and i n
a fre n zy o v e r e x actly wh ich Tupperware s e t we s houl d b u y .
A n d i f not T u ppe rware , t h e n t h e new m iracle Cambri d g e
weight-loss diet powder or t h e new French Moulinex food
processo r .
I f we happen t o obs e rv e the machi n e d u ri n g t h e e ve n t , the
machine will awaken slightly , and no longer exert its w il l . It
will behave q u ite d ifferently . We must n ot try to stop the
machine fro m its activities i n sleep before we have gathered al l
the evidence we n e e d that the mach i ne is asleep .
In t h e b eginning we must not exert a n y effort to awaken
the mach ine . W e m u st be quite cle a r on this fact .
B u t we can look b ack on th e machin e ' s behavior and
activities over the past several m inute s , hou r s or d ay s , and
note t h e
p atterns
of b eh avior,
fixations ,
moods ,
states ,
subj ective state s , p u rs u its of the m ach i n e , interests of the
mach ine , a n d the exertion of the will of the machine over the
sit u ation .
This should give u s more than s ufficien t circumstantial
evidence that , although the machine i s not completely asleep
ju st now , it definitely was asleep until w e h appened to snap
out of it j u st enough to b e able to make our observation .
53
This type of evidence i s i ndirect because w e b ecame awa r e
o f the sleeping s tate o n ly after the fact ; we l o o k b a ck at t h e
previous state of t h e m achine . Even though vestige s of th e
sleeping state remai n , we can never truly obs erve the m ach i n e
in
sleep ,
because
all observation
a wakens
the
machin e
slightly .
The be st evidence of the machin e ' s s l e e p will not b e
gathered b y ourselve s ; it will b e g athered b y others w h o m ak e
their o b servations o f o u r machine while i t i s in sleep . W e wil l
cal1 this ' hearsay evidence ' .
We c a n u s e this type of ob s e r v ation from the p latform of a n
outside o b server to g ather v e r y exact data a b o u t the sleep o f
o u r machi ne , insofar as it is observ ab l e from outsid e .
W e will g athe r evidence o f the m ach ine ' s sleep for th irty
days exactl y , keeping precise records in special notebooks
l abeled ' Exhibit
A',
to mean direct evidence , ' Exhibit B ' , to
indicate c ircum s tantial evidence and ' Exhib it C ' to denote
h e arsay evidence , using as m any notebooks a s neces sary over
the observ ation period .
AI1
evidence
must
be
clearly
indicated
as
direct,
circumstantial, and hearsay.
B ecau se our machines are asleep , we cannot t ru st t h e m to
help u s remember to make these observatio n s every day
without fai l ,
so we are forced to rely
upon
an
age-old
salesman ' s trick ; we will set a time limit for ourselves .
We m u st agree to m ake the s e ob servatio n s for a ful l th irty
day s ,
but
n o more . This is a once in a lifetime effort . If we are
to g ather the force for observ ation in s ufficien t potency, we
must agree that no matter what h ap pens , afte r the t h i rty d ay
observation period , we will n ever a g ain m ake t h i s effort .
If we recall the l ast glimpse of the
awakening of the
machine th at we had , we may realize to our shock that it
was n ' t a l l th at recent , and it is because these momentary
glimpses are so far apart that we are abl e to g ather s o much
evidence so q uickly that the machine is asleep most of th e
time , and even whe n it i s n ' t , it might as well b e , because it
clings to the vestiges of the sleeping state even during th e
waking state .
CHAPTER 10
The Machine
as an
Electrical Field
The human hiological
machine
is
a
powerful dominant
electrical field which can-If Its transformational functions are
activated by the waking state, act electrically
essential
self
• • •
another,
less powerful
but
upon
more
the
subtle
electrical field which forms the true self.
Hundreds of y e ars ago , before the time of Luigi Galvani , a
p rofe s sor of a n atomy at Bologna Universit y in Italy , very little
was known about the h u m an b iological machine , and it w as a
long
time
before
anyone
thought
to
apply
Galvani ' s
experiments with muscular electricity to the idea that a h uman
being is an e lectrical field within a l arger electrical field which
we call b iological l ife .
Galvani h ad b e e n dissecting some frog s . H e h appened t o
touch t h e disconnected l e g o f o n e frog with t w o different
metal s , p roducing a s l ight electrical current in the leg . He was
astounded to see the leg twitch and contract in muscular
spasm s , in spite of the fact that the leg h ad been ent i rely
severed from the frog' s body .
E .J. Gold,
The Machine as an Electrical Field,
3-15-9 1 , Pastel on Senn elier, l O " x 1 3 " .
The Machine as an
55
Galvani became convinced that electricity was the driving
force behind the motor functions and nervous system and
brain of the body; that ani mal electricity was the l ife-force
itself.
This idea was popularized by M ary Wollstonecraft Shelley
in her romantic novel . Frankenstein .
discoveries by science that
Here is the
the human m achine
for , and directed b y ,
filled with latent
electricity , and
electrical energy ,
charge any n erve ,
contraction .
setting its
different way, if we only
We can use
know the e xact mental and emotional keys to activate in order
to produce the reflex reaction we w ant from the m ach in e .
Now scientists all over the world are b eginning t o prove
that what ancient school s taught , that the human b e ing is
essentially an electrical field, is l iterally t ru e .
School s h ave long taught that t h e h u m an being under
ordin ary condit io n s ,
h ab its of l ife, is only
force , but th at t h e
partially able to
human biological
tran sformed into a
powerful l iving
enormous unit s
o f electric al force ,
life-force i n every
nerve and muscle
Th is living e le ctrical
has b een verified b y
science, is only a small part o f t h e evolutionary process , yet
this secret , drawn from ancient teachings wh ich h ave
remained hidden for tens of centuries from the mainstream of
human l ife , can be used to b uild up the human biological
machine ' s storage of v ital energy .
Eventually we inevitably discover t h at true mastery of the
self is m astery
which the self i s
compose d .
N o t o nly are
unable to function as a
living electrical
on dead batteri e s ,
because their
dissipated by nervous
fidgeting , agitation ,
ragged breathing ,
56
The Human Biological Machine as a Trans!ormationaJApparatus
melancholy , deep irritab ility, emotional u ph e aval s and other
des tructive h ab its of the m achine .
Electric ity is stored in the nerve centers and b rain masses ,
but it is easily possible to increase the potential of thes e
energies s imply b y eliminating th ese bad hab its a n d then
awakening the machine .
The m achine ' s fu nction as a mach ine is b oth electrical and
chemical .
For
instanc e ,
when
the
machine
is
startle d ,
fri ghten e d o r upset, adrenalin i s automat ically released, and
immed iatel y
we
sense
d efinite
chemical
and
e lectrical
change s .
One such change i s that t h e skin sweat s , adding s altwater
to the s u rfac e , which reduces the resistance of the ski n , as
anyone who has a background in b as ic physics knows .
A current passes more quickly through s altwater and the
presence of a saltwater solution on the skin m akes it a b etter
conductor .
The moving centrum
in
the tail brain d irects a signal to
those m u scles in the p articular part of the body it wi s h e s to
mov e , an d those m u scles contract to t h e degree corresp onding
to the el ectrical force which enters th e muscle.
W e c an test this pure galvanic response b y app lying an
electrical
current
accord ingly
to
un dergo
a
dead
m u scle .
contraction
an d
The
muscle
relaxation
with
will
the
appl ication a n d removal of the electrical current .
Much of our ordinary muscle ten sion is the re s ult of an
overab u n dance of electrical force in the muscl e . The ti s sue
becomes tense as electrical resistance bu ilds up .
The m u scle b u ilds a charge and is un abl e to release it. We
say th at electrical force h as packed up in the m u s cl e .
A t some point this electrical force woul d b uild u p and then
be releas e d s p as modical l y . The muscle act s as a c ap acitor
under m icrovoltage and m icroamperage .
Think of the h u m an b iological machine as a tran sforma
tion al apparatus wh ich , becaus e it i s a powerful do minant
electrical fiel d , can-if it is properly activated , b y w h ich we
mean awake-act el ectrically upon the essential s elf, wh ich is
anothe r , less powerful but more subtle electrical fiel d .
57
The Machine as an Electrical Field
Under the influence of t h e awake ne d h u man b iological
mach i n e ,
the
e s s e ntial
self
will
u n dergo
a
serie s
of
transformation s which are electrical in n ature .
Very minute electrical changes occur in the m achi n e in
m icrovolts and microamperes of current .
Almost all this
electrical activity i s in the four to twenty- e ight Hertz , or cycles
per-second fre qu ency spect ru m .
S o m e electrical fields a re very d estructive t o t h e subtle
electrical a ctivity of t h e machin e , and we must take this into
account if we expect it to operate as a transformational
apparatu s .
The whole
planet i s permeated with e l e ctro- magn etic
waves generated b y variou s electrical trans m i s sion d evices ,
for
examp l e ,
the
normal
commercial
electrical
current
alternating at s i xt y cycle s per seco n d .
T h e s e currents pass through the atmosphere
and
are
destructive to tran sform ational efforts . Our w ork must take
into account the effect of a variety of transmitted fre quen cies
ran g i n g from stan dard waves to microwav e s com in g from a
variety
of
a ppliances ,
electrical
power
sources
lines ,
s uch
as
automobile s ,
r ad io s ,
electrical
telephone
lines ;
anywhere we h ave a flow of e lectricity, we also have its
corresponding e le ctro-magnetic w ave , and both the m achine
and the e s s ential self are affe cted b y this , p articu larly b y wires
which carry electrical energ y .
The flow
of electricity
in
a w ire creates a r e l atively
tremendous e lectrical fiel d along its axi s , s etting u p a n ew
pattern in t h e field surroundin g it such as appears on a
computer disc when p l acing a p aper clip upon it , producing an
electrical anomal y , a local variation in the fi e l d caused by the
appearance of a n e w , smaller electrical field w it h in the b o dy of
the l arger e lectrical fiel d .
A radio station operating in t h e Russian city o f Minsk
send s radio waves through the atmosphere , w h ich re ach us not
only
through
electrical
c h anges
in the
atmo s p here ,
b ut
through the e arth itself, by makin g slight alterations in t h e
m agnetic structure o f the e arth .
58
Although we cannot register the reception of these
atmospheric electrical anomalies in the form of radio signals
amplified in our bodies , nevertheles s the combined effect of all
transmitted electrical signals , echos, skips and bounces which
are only some of the atmospheric phenomena of radio waves
passing through us at any given moment causes an unending
series of profound topological distortions in the body ' s local
electrical field .
Radio wave s , x-rays, ultraviolet radiation , high -frequency
transmissions and very low frequency transmissions such as
those used between submarines and their home bases, and
many other artificial radiations produced by human ingenuity ,
radical ly alter the whole electrical field of force of the Earth
from moment to moment, twenty-four hours a day .
Th e earth is a giant magnet and wherever we fmd a
magnet, we also find electricity. Wherever we find gravity, we
find electricity and magnetism.
Microchanges in the body can alter not j ust the body ' s
health , b ut its higher fu nction a s a transform ational
apparatus .
E.J. Gold, The Repair of the Mach ine,
2-3-91 , Paste l on Senne l ier, l O" x 1 3 " .
CHAPTER 1 1
Because life experiences-mnemonically stored in the muscles
of the body-have distorted the electrical 6.eld of the machine ,
repair of these anomalies in the general electrical field are
necessary in order for the machine to function effectively
as
a
transformational apparatus.
The machine stores all its memory electromagneticall y ,
and releases it according to elect r och em icall y transmitted
in structio n s .
The
entire
headbrain corr e s ponds
to
the
i n formation
handling p art of a computer, called the proc e s so r , and the
data- storage units are represente d by the m uscle s ; the buss
lines which strap acros s the whole syste m ,
p roviding
a
common referent-base to which the oppositely charged voltage
variatio n s repres e nting information encapsulat e d within an
electrical carrier wave of raw electrical voltage refer, is
represented b y the central nervous syst e m ; and th e dat a
retrieval mechanism i s represented by the autonomic n e rvou s
60
system
and th e basebrain which calls up inform ation by
sti mulation of precise portions of the myo neu ral netw ork .
Take a moment to realize the implications of this . It means
that the entire experiential history of the machi n e i s stored in
the s m aller ele ctrical fields of th e muscle s .
Each n e w exp erience tends t o overlay and refer t o all
previo u s
similar experiences or experien c e s
wh ich
seem
similar whether they are or not . The storag e mechani s m is
incap ab l e of determining the actu al reliability of its estimation
of simil arity , and often the seeming simil arity is completely
fal s e .
Experiences which s e e m t o b e the same t e n d t o be stored
in the same me mory sector , although they may not necessaril y
be related to t h e same event and th e sim ilarity may not be
evident when examined closely . Similarities m ay b e based
upon one element within the experience, and the element m ay
not be actually significant .
For exam p l e , events may seem similar to the storage
mechanism because they contain an obj e ct which is co mmon to
each ,
or
a
color ,
odor
or emotion
which
p roduces
the
apparency of similarit y .
Event u al l y , because the se experiences a r e stored electri
cally in t h e muscle s , the machine becomes bent with age j ust
from the sheer weight of life -experience.
Impre s s ion s , or memory -event s-event s in th e sense of
their meaning in physics, math e m atics and chemistry-are
directed by the machine to various storage elements in the
muscles , not necessarily as they occur, and definitely not with
any ordered logic . Th ey accumu late in the m uscle system
accordin g to
the
machine ' s own
internal
reasoning
and
cu stomary h ab it .
The muscles are operated b y wh at i s called myo-electrical
cu rrent, cond ucted by the neural network which run s through
th e m u s cl e s .
With repeated aggravation, t h e muscles t e n d to remain ·
more or less permanently constricted , which radically distorts
the shape and function of the muscles , in turn d istorting the
el ectrical field of the machine as a whol e .
61
Store d i nformation distorts the muscles be cause the
muscles store information as an electrical field whose shape
represents the information. This shaped electrical field can be
expressed as a geometric and algebraic mathematical function
which reflects the exact informational content of the muscle.
The muscles are shot through with very s m al l lowbehave more or
resistance electrical
less l ike electrical
they develop
themselves which
electromagnetic
reflect their function
altered by, and
tlel d s with in their
reciprocally alter ,
sphere of influence ,
In this sense, the shape of an electrical storage apparatus
can be said to determine its function, and the function in tum
reciprocally determines the form of the electrical field as the
storage apparatus accommodates itself to its contents and
function s .
Autom atically a s an experience is recorded in the m uscles ,
the local el ectrical field is correspondingly altered .
Repeated intentional stimulation
resti m u l ation of the
brain and the
over a p e riod of
alter the s m aller
and m uscles,
machine as a
which can h ave
performs exactly
functional transformational
as we intend it to . We will discuss the intentional re stimulation
of the neu ral network in a later talk.
It is the neural network w h ich control s , d i rects and
monitors the machine in its s eparate function s . and the
thalamus blends this i nformation into a b al anced whol e ; then
transmitting its analysis to the reasoning centrums , which m ay
respond with further instructions .
Unfortunately,
Extremely localized
curr ent may or
m ay not pass into
but when they do,
this also affects the
the m achine.
d ata-processor, the
muscles are the actual
and, because they
64
For a complete u nderstanding, we would need a
b ackground in Reimannian space theory , Wavicle Theory,
theory of local gravitational effect s , the low-energy plasma
theory , the General and Special field theories-within which
we will find the Law of Relativity in a very different form from
its popularization-the gravitational attraction of n ucleic
functions and non-charged particles, functions of prob ab ility ,
in determinancy, quark-quark relationships, vector analysis ,
energy transfer, non-Euclidian geometric functions, topolo
gical fu nctions of complex-connected volumes , b e at-frequency
oscillation, electrom agnetic relationships to the light and
sound spectrum, and other brain-boggling mathe matical
concepts which relate to the impingement of two slightly
dissimilar electrical fields .
B u t all this i s unnecessary . We need only enough
information to understand the basic mechanics of the repair of
the machine as a transformational apparatus, not the repair of
the machine as a machine regarding its physical , emotional
and mental functions .
Even without a theoretical understanding, we woul d , with
a little stu dy, be able to see what needs repair .
The galvanic skin response meter will definitely tell us
whether or not there is an electro-magnetic anomaly-an
evoked reaction which indicates an electrical resistance, an
imp action-upon the general electrical field.
We will notice micro-changes in the electrical field of the
machine . The needle will move up and down the ohmic
spectrum , from five hundred to one million ohms , within
which the meter can measure even the smallest ob struction .
We can determine whether an electrical blockage was
eliminated completely and permanently by the response
indicated on the meter .
We can intentionally repeatedly stimulate-according to
an exact sequential plan-definite portions of the brain and
nervou s system, thus eliminating local distortions in the
electrical field which are , when they are active, measurable as
electrical anomalies, h aving definite and tangible electrical
effects and phenomena.
The Repair oft h e Machine
65
If t h e m uscles are i m pacted w it h electrical b arriers which
are activat e d b y the mach i ne ' s defe n s e m echani s m agai n s t the
waking st ate , t h e n we should s e e a l arge r res p o n s e of th e
meter. Wh e n we h a v e elimin ated the d i stortions i n the field ,
we will h ave
disarmed the d efense mechanism a n d
the
machine will naturally remain i n the w ak in g state u n l e s s we
intentionally p roduce t h e s leeping state for t h e p u rpose of rest
and con s e rvation of work-energie s .
Th e content o f memory itself i s not important ; we a r e only
interested i n t h e d i stortion it pro d u c e s upon the electrical fi e l d
of the e s sential self. W e do n o t know w h e r e m e mory i s stored ,
nor d o w e really care , because with the meter w e are able to
locat e and gain access to any p art of memory , not b y its
content and significanc e , but b y its electrical i m p act , its
distort i n g effect as an interference , a b lo ckage , in t h e general
electric a l field of the machine.
Random m emory storage implies random m e mory a cces
sibility .
If we know how to t hrow e lectrical anomalies
displacement s-into high relief again st t h e general
b ack
groun d of the whole electrical field , we know all we actually
need to k n ow to repair the machine a s a transfo r m ational
apparat u s a n d disarm t h e m ach i ne ' s
defe n s e mechanism
again s t the waking state .
B ut we do not h ave t i m e to analyze every little d et a il of the
functioni ng of the mach i n e . A complete analy s i s woul d b e too
time-co n s um i n g and far too compl e x . A n d the fact i s that this
i s unneces sary . It i s quicker and more efficient to re p air
everything in the machin e ' s functioning as a transformational
apparat u s , whether it needs it or not.
In o u r rep ai r work , we stimul ate the brain a n d nervous
system i n very specific way s , until the anomal y , the d i s p l aced
ch arge o r blockag e , disappears .
Becau s e this el e ctrical e nergy which h ad b e e n stored in the
muscles a s res i s tors i s now avai l abl e to t h e machine at l arge,
the
n e u ral
n etwork
enl arges ,
becomes
more
active
and
activat e s more ful l y as t h e electrical potential i n c re a s e s .
At t h e s am e t i m e , b l o ckages i n the n e u ro - m u scular system
also dis a p p e a r , allowing t h e whole neural network to flow
66
The HUl1Uln Biological Machine as a TransformationalApparatuli
more free l y .
The
entire body becomes
a
more
effective
electrical field which has an exact effect on th e electrical field
which we call the essential self.
Electri c ity in the body , which h ad formed into eddies and
disturbances because of the distortion factors stored in th e
muscles and nervous syste m , is fre e to flow as it did d uring
early
ch ildhoo d ,
before
condition ing
and
inhibitors
were
imposed by life-experiences an d s uggestion by mimicry of
othe rs , and the original shape and condition of the electrical
field of the mach i n e is re store d in general .
The electro-magnetic anomalies do not recur once they
have been eliminate d . Information and memory are not lost.
Actually,
they are enh anced because they become more
acce ssible now that we h ave
eliminated t h e painful
and
unwanted electrical field distortion which surrounded the m .
E.]. Gold, The Essential Self as an Electrical Field,
4-22-9 1 , Pastel on Sennelier, 1O"x13".
68
dominant e l e ctrical activity of the mach i ne . We will d i s c u s s
m o r e a b o u t t h i s l ater, i n relation to t h e m achine ' s t e n d e n c y to
impose its o w n w i l l when i n the sleeping st ate a n d its total l ac k
of w i l l i n t h e w a k i n g stat e , during which the relatively w eak
will of t h e e s s e nt i al s e lf b e comes active i n t h e sense that it is
n o longer buried under t h e dominating force of t h e mac h i ne ' s
will .
Our abi l ity to s u rvive in the fou rt h dimension w i l l b e
determined b y o u r familiarity w ith i t .
In a zero g ravity
simulator, w e woul d e x perience the con d itions of orb ital or
deep space flight .
In the waking state , we will effectively reprodu c e t h e
experience o f the h igher dimensio n s ; we w i l l l e arn w h at w e
n e e d to do to work a n d to s u rvive i n the higher dimensio n s .
The e s s e ntial self is an e l ectrical fie l d a n d the machine
generat e s an electrical fie l d which impinges on t h e esse ntial
self' s electrical fiel d .
Th e crystall ize d e l e ctrical field o f t h e being replac e s t h e
m achine as a body of matter. The machine as m atte r i s
replaced b y a steady- state electromagnetic image o f itself. Th e
crystallized electric field becomes a refl ection of i t s own
refl ection .
If t h e
machine
is
functioning
as
a
tran sformational
apparat u s then the machin e as a n electrical field should
eventually take t h e form of w h at the e s s e n t ial
s e lf will
somed ay become , at l east i n the electrical s e n s e .
W h at can t h e e s s e ntial self l earn from t h e m ach i n e ?
Nothing i n the intellect u al s e n s e , a n d w e m u st realize t h at
learning i n t h e e le ctrical sense, which i s c al l e d " understand
ing " i n o u r tradition , means somethin g q uite d ifferent from
what is ordinarily understood by the word " learning " .
Information i n the evolution ary s e n s e i s tran smitted b y
impingement
o f one
electrical
fi e l d
upon
a noth e r .
The
'
electrical fie ld of the e s s e ntial self u ndergoes ch ange-which
we call
" transformation " , by which w e mean the exact
changes necessary to free it from its electrical affinity for t h e
h u m an b iological machine within which -it takes i t s current
The Essential Self as an ElectricalField
69
involu ntary residence-as a result of " l earn i n g " from t h e
electrical field o f the mach i n e .
Th at i s , it learns from t h e machine ' s electrical field if t h e
m ach ine i s not in the sleeping state and the field i s n o t
damaged o r distorted b y condition in g .
I n add itio n , another factor i s necessary if t h e m achine i s t o
function as a teacher to the essential self, impos in g i t s field
fu n ct i o n s upon t h at of t h e essential self.
Even t h ough the m achine w i s h e s , in a way , to fulfill its
function a s a transformational apparat u s , in the s a m e w ay that
all living organisms " wi s h " to fulfill their gen u i ne objective
fun ctions ,
it
al so
has
develop e d
a
powerful
d efe n s e
mech a n i s m against the w a k i n g state . W e wi l l d iscus s this a t
l e n gth v e ry s oo n ,
i n relation to the p ractical method for
bringing the machine into the wak i n g stat e .
The greater t h e s im i l arity o f t h e electrical fi e l d of the
m ach in e to th at of t h e e ssential self, the greater the possib ility
for the principle of contagion to alter t h e electrical field of the
essential self.
Like affects like , and the n eventually , l ike becomes l i k e ,
indicating the exact method for t h e possib l e evolution of t h e
essential self.
Stroke a needle with a magnet . W h at h appens ? The n eedle
becomes
s lightly
m ag n etize d .
Its
ele ctromagnetic
field
becomes s lightly aligned with t h at of the magn e t .
Repeatedly stroke the electrical fi e l d of the e s se ntial self
with the e lectrical fiel d of the machine a n d the e s se n t ial self
become s al igned with the machine .
We can use the awakened machine to get o u r o wn way,
m ake o u r own rul e s , p u r s u e one form of trivia o r another, or
we can exert our will toward the awake n i n g of the m achin e for
our possible evolution .
We m ay experience a situation in w hich t h e m ach ine ' s
electrical b lockages are temporarily removed b y artificial
means-drug s , hypnosis . or some sort of s h ock-and th e
m achine fun ctions momentarily as it should, as a pure , vital ,
living e l e ctrical apparat u s .
70
In an e x perience in which the machi n e ' s e l e ctrical field is
temporarily c l e ared artificially of its distortion s , we h av e all
the voluntariness of a p a s s e nger o n a rol l e r-coaster .
We are forced to w atch ourselves h elple s sly a s we are
slammed aro u n d fro m one state to anoth e r , propelled through
these experiences gent l y , but in e xorably .
Accidental l y o r intentionally perceiving anothe r dimen
sion , crossing a b arrier to another dimen s i o n , we might notice
the loss
of significance
and meaning-a lack o f logic a l
cohere n c e ; a n d y e t at the same time , w e might sudden l y
experience t h e deep , l iving connectedne s s of everything
being of subject and obj e ct as much as of oneself.
Perceiving i n more than one dimension at a time i s very
u n u s u al , it i s more u s u al to perceive in o n e d ime n sion a n d
then to return t o another. Ordinary perception i s s i n gl e
d im e n sio n a l .
A normally functioning human b e i ng s h o u l d h ave t h e
ability to perceive and function in several dim e nsional l e v e l s at
the s a m e time .
Perceiving in single dimensions produces the i l l usion of
sep aration b ut if w e are able to fu nction as a multi-dimensional
being , then we will view o urselves a n d our s u rro u n d i n g s a s
miniat u r e
elect r ical
fie l d s ,
anomalies
wit h i n
one
giant
e lectric al fiel d , and eventual l y the e lectrical field of the
essential self will stab i l iz e itself
in t h e transfo rmed s t ate .
E .}. Gold, Help, 4-22-91 ,
Pastel on Sennelier, l O"x13".
72
The Human Biological Machine a s a Transformational Apparatus
The will of the machine toward self-gratification and sleep
is very different from the high ideals of the essential self,
which has m arvelous plans .
Periodic e motional storms constantly serve as reminders
that the machine has a will of its own .
The essential self, with its great ideal s , is unfortunately not
the director of the machine and , u nder ordinary circum
stance s , can n ever be the director of the machine or anything
else incl uding itself. As it is, the essential self is a slave , not a
master , and yet it was made to be master .
Our biggest lie about ourselves , besides the absurd idea
that man is not just another species of primate belonging to
the animal kingdom on the Earth , is that the essential self is
the director-the ab solute autocrat-of the machine, when we
can clearly see from our daily experience that it has no will
over the machine whatsoever.
The machine exercises its destructive will, compl etely
disregarding the intentions of the essential self. This conflict
gives the illu sion of many different identities each acting on its
own .
Really , there are only two ; the intelligence which
formulates the higher aims and aspirations , and the primitive
brain , which is the real director of the machine, becau se its
savage will is completely dominant .
We are in the grip ofthe machine' s private insanity , forced
to live as we would never live if we were able to actually exert
our wil l upon the machine , to control and direct its activities
every moment of the day .
Yet we teIl ourselves t h e lie that t h e mental apparatus i s
the director o f the machine. Originally , the meaning o f virtue
was that the noble aims and aspirations of th e es sential self
had reached down through the mental apparatus and rooted
itself into the deepest part of the machine and that the aims
and aspirations of the deepest darkest part of the m achine had
in fact become the same as those of the essential self.
In our beginning work, we first encounter the idea that we
are expected to apply a method, some techniqu e unknown to
u s in ordinary life , which can somehow help us to penetrate
Help
73
through to the deepest, darkest part of the mach ine and p l ant
our ideals i n it . Our ideals become an incarnate real ity in fle sh
and bloo d . At l ast, we are one with the m ac h i ne , in this sense
at least .
This is a very ancient idea expres s e d in the m aj o rity of
Greek p h i l o s o p h y , which was expressed at that time not j u s t
by g atherings to discuss i nteresting ideas , but schools of
practical knowledge . We will find these same ideas in Plato ' s
Symposium. an d i n the teachings of Pythagoras .
Once w e h ave seriou sly stu d ied the m achine and clearly
u n d erstood the real n ature of our situ ation , we will see t h at we
have only three choice s .
We can refu s e to acknowledge our total lack of will over the
mach i n e , and pointedly ignore the inner e motional storm s and
external u p h e aval s c a u s e d b y the mach ine agains t all our
higher intentio n s .
T h e second choice is t o lower o u r stand ards, to make i deal s
for ours e l v e s w h ic h conform more to the a ctual
swinish
behavior of the machine .
Th e third choic e i s the most difficult. W e can search for a
meth o d , a p ractical mean s , by wh ich the machine is brought to
a state which act u ally reflects the h ig h e st i d e als
of our
es sential self in the deepest fibers of its b e i n g .
It i s not necessary to bring t h e mach ine to i t s k nees on
every i s su e . It i s only necessary to aw aken the m ach i n e
because only a s l e eping machine e xercise s its w i l l .
An awak e n e d mach i n e cannot possess n egative force , and
since negative force provides the force for the e x e rtion of its
will , an awakened m achine has no will of its own . Without the
force of its own will , the machine comes to a stan d st il l .
When t h e m achine i s awake, even the subtle suggestions
of the e ssential self, which h a s no weapon b u t attentio n , are
sufficient to d i rect the machine.
There i s n o way to fight the mach i n e directly , to m ake a
direct attac k , and win . No method of training and d ri l l i ng the
machine to conform to h igher aims and aspirations can remain
i n force throughout the l ife of the mach i n e . At s ome point, all
ordinary methods of training the m ac h in e to obedience w ill
fai l .
74
We can h av e the b e s t intentions in t h e worl d , t h e best
aesthetics , the most marvelous plans for ourselves , yet if t h e
m ac h in e c o n t i n u e s to b e h ave monstro u s l y , all o u r plans will
come to nothing, all our h ig h ideals will b e u s e less .
We m u st accomplish two things . First, we m us t fi n d some
way to d efine , delineate , clarify what are our exact i de al s .
The n we must s e e t h at w e d o not h ave t h e will t o bring t h e
e n t i r e m a c h i n e i nto action as a unified whol e .
Whe n we form u l ate an aim , if the mach i n e h a s n o will o f its
own , we are u n ifi e d , a true republic . Thi s in ner u nity of h igher
aspiration s of t h e e s s ential s elf and the deepest most primitive
p art of t h e machin e , is the real meaning of the ideal of Utop i a ,
the p erfect republ i c .
I a m , b u t m o r e t h an this , I have become. In ancient t i m e s ,
the awake n e d m a c h i n e was referred to as th e " l iving father"
because it was recognized that the machine i s the father of the
sou l . When the machine and I reflect one a nothe r , t h e n the
mach i n e , the fat h e r , and I are one , and t h e m achi n e is a
reflection of my innermost being.
When we m ake the o uter as t h e inner, the inner as t h e
o u t e r , t h e n I and t h e father-the essent i al s e l f and the human
biological machine-are one .
I t m u st b e clearly understood that t h e Work c annot b e
stu d i e d through a sleeping m achine ; t h e Work mean s not hing
to a sleeping machine . A sleepin g machine c ares only for
itself, its a i m s , its problems and its p u r s u it s .
A sleeping machine i s hypnotized b y it s own SUbjective
fixat i o n s and b eyond those fixation s there is no objective
reality .
It is d e af a n d blind to t h e Work and even to h igher ideal s ,
becaus e i t i s asleep . T h e Work cannot b e defined b ecau se i t i s
l iv i n g , growi n g , and changing. The word " li v i n g " was once
the same as t h e word " awake " .
The e s s ential s elf has no w il l , except the w i l l - of-attentio n .
It c a n p l ac e i t s attention on somet h i n g , i t c a n direct its
attention . By b at h i n g the machine in its attention , it awakens
the m ach i n e .
Th e force of the attention of t h e e s sential s e l f is s low a n d
75
Help
subtl e , like t h e tortoise . The machine ' s attention i s l i k e t h e
rab b it , r a p i d l y darting this w ay a n d t h at , distract e d by every
little t h i n g , convinced of its own i n n ate superiority . Thi s i s t h e
idea behind t h e ancient m y t h o f t h e tortoise an d the h are .
The s ubtle force of attention is our only weapon agai n st
sle e p . It i s a v e ry effective weapon if we are abl e to s ee t h at
because
it
is
subtle
it
must
be
applied
u nremittingl y ,
unwaveringly , over a very long period of tim e .
I f someone e l se u s e s t h e force o f attention t o wake up o u r
m ach ine , t h e w i l l o f o u r own essential self w i l l n o t develop . A n
awakened machine i s not e nough. W e also w ant t o d e velop the
will of t h e e s sential self so that when t h e machine is awake,
and its w i l l h a s vaporiz e d , we are able to exert o u r w il l toward
our possible evolution .
If we refu s e work, we refu se help . Work is help. If we want
real hel p , and not our i m aginary ideas of what h e lp i s , we must
accept it i n the form it com e s , not i n the form w e expect . Real
help is not someone doing somethin g for u s , or a l e s s ening of
our personal struggles .
The sleeping m achine cannot recognize h el p . Hel p m ake s
the e n e m y s q u i r m ; if the enemy does not s q u irm , then it
is not
real help .
It i s i m p ortant to recognize the con s e quences of asking for
real h e l p ; if we w ant c al m in g , we should a s k for c al mi n g . If we
want real help we must ask for real help , and u n d erstand it
when it i s giv e n . We may not like the res u l ts , but real res ults
will m ake the m achine squirm-no p ai n , n o gai n .
We m u s t develop a d efin ite courage t o a s k for help because
we m ay actu ally get what we ask for .
Humility
is also
necessary ; w e m u s t b e able to recogniz e t h at we are not
capable of helping ourselves .
The n in additio n , we must h ave the stamina, t h e fortitud e ,
t o s u rvive the help .
Purity and v i rt u e help us place ourselves in a situation in
which h e l p can b e given . W h at v irt u e r e ally mean s is that the
m i n d a n d t h e machine are one , in the sense t h at w h at the mind
conceives , t h e machine achieves .
CHAPTER 14
Alchemy
Alchemy is not a way of producing behavioral change In the
machine; It is a way of notating change that occurs on a much
deeper level. It Is not a cause , but an effect, a reflection of the
inner evolution of the essential self.
We
normally think that we h ave our whole
l ives
to
acco m p l i sh this wor k , but the fact is that our e nergy for
transform ation will h ave dissipated itself by the time we are
older .
We must h av e completed the transformational p rocess
before w e run out of the resilience and flexib ility required to
com p l ete the alch emical process of transformatio n .
Alchemy is a d iscipline in which a n ind i v idual u s e s the
machine
to
refine
d ifferent
substances ,
combining
and
sep arating and processing them by vario u s mea n s , over a long
period of time, through the use of slow h eat-by w h ic h is
E.J. Gold, Alchemy, 2-3- 9 1 ,
Pastel o n Sennelier, 1 O " x 1 3 " .
A lchemy
77
meant the application of inexorable and unwavering attention
- producing a chemical and electrical mutation of the machine
which is only a reflection of a much deeper internal m utation of
the essential self.
With ordinary methods , we can learn chemistry , a very
simple subject , wherein we pour a chemical substance from
measure our results
one b eaker to another.
because the process is
I n the process of
deal in g with
the chemical factory
human biological
machine .
In this case, we
one beak er to
another. To obtain exact result s , we must stimulate by very
precise means definite sectors of the brain and nervous
system , which in turn stimulate m u scle an d nervous system
interaction s , releasing chemicals through the use of heat and
electricity , causing sub stantive changes in the m achine.
We are not d e aling with beakers and test tubes, b ut with
very minute chemical changes which are governed b y the
glandular system , brain
If we know
exactly how to stimulate
system, it will
system , and
in turn stimu l ate the
chemical change s .
retardation was
et coagula .
Becau s e we are stimulating the b rain and nervous system ,
and not just pouring from one b eaker to another, we are forced
to use psychological and emot ional methods to sti mulate the
brain and nervous syste m , which in turn will stimulate th e
gl andular system i n a n exact way , producing t h e exact
changes we wish to produce .
Suppose t h at we know exactly what it i s we want to do .
Suppose we know, in
exact strategy
for change .
If we w ere ordinary
stimulate
cookbook or other
thought s and emotions
and
retard chemical and
78
The Human Biological·Machine as a Transformational Apparatus
W e are s u pp osin g in this case that the d eeper i nternal
transmutation is a product of the mach ine ' s change , but the
fact i s that we do not wish to change the machine directly at
all ; we w i s h to u s e changes in the machine as a roadmap, by
which we c an follow a much deeper inner change.
Alchemy i s not a way of producin g ch ange in the m achine ;
it is a way of notating ch ange as it occu r s .
If we were to fol low the in dication s of alche my, trying to
artificially p roduce alchemical results directly in the mach in e ,
without t h e deeper i nternal change o f w hich t h e y a r e o n l y a
reflectio n , we would not see real results ; j us t changing the
temperature
of
the
thermometer
does
not
ch ange
the
temperature of the body .
Re al alchemy is not a c au s e , but an effect , a refl e ction of a
change i n the e s sential self.
A n alchemical notebook is a traveler ' s record , a log book , a
m ap , notating the ch ange which has been brought about in the
mach ine by a deeper internal mutation . In this way , the h uman
b iological machine can b e utilized both as a transformation al
apparatus and as a biofee d back device indicatin g tran sforma
tional chan ges as they occur by noting their effects upon the
machine .
A l l t h e apparent complexity of alch emy d i s appears when
we realize t h at all of the alchemical notatio n s are result s , not
causes , of real c hanges in the essential s e lf, which occur in a
c u m u l ative sequence.
So
the
alchemical
sequence
notated
in
alchemical
notebooks i s a roadmap of the evolution of the essent;al self.
When an alchemical event occurs i n the machine , w.e can
check it
against
our
roadmap
to
see
our
progre s s
and
determine our next step according to our w ork- strate g y .
A n d we c a n b e s u r e t h at this chang e i n the e s sential self
has occurred u n l e s s we h ave acte d directly upon the machine.
to produce this change a rtificially j u st for our p ersonal
e n h an cement .
It is possible to artificial ly produce what are alchemical
changes in the machine without the cau s e , what is calle d the
Alchemy
79
First Cause or t h e First Wate r . T h e First Cau se is the deep
change occurrin g i n the e ssential self.
The catalyst is the machi n e which p roduces tran sfo r m ation
in the e s s e nt i al self, which is the n reflected i n the machine
which i s t h e n cap able of additio n al transfo r m at io n a l effects
upon the essential self, p rovided the mach ine i s awake to exert
these tran sform ation al effects , which are reflected b y the
tran sformed e s s ential s e l f u po n the mach i n e .
Th e h u m a n b iological machine then b ecomes a differen t
transformat i o n a l apparatus produ cing a d iffer e n t c h ange i n
essential s e l f w h i c h
is
reflected
in
the
mach i n e ,
w h i ch
produces a fu rt h e r change i n the m achin e , and becau se it i s a
d ifferent mach i n e produces a d iffe rent tran sformat i o n a l effe c t ,
and so forth .
It
is
changing
b ecau se
it
reflects
the
c u m u l at i v e
tra n s formatio n s of the e s s e ntial self, beco m i n g a differe n t
mach i n e p r o d u c i n g a differen t c h a n g e wh ich i s reflected i n t h e
mach i n e prod u c i n g a d ifferent ch ange reflecting t h e mach i n e
in an u p w a r d s p i r al of m u t u a l reciprocal i n itiatio n . O n c e t h i s
proces s b e gi n s , t here i s no stopping it .
If the m a ch i n e falls asle ep , the proces s does not stop,
it
simply ceases to continue.
The alchemi c al p roc e s s is cumu l ative . It does not regre s s ,
b u t it may n ot cont i n u e for a h u ndred-tho u s a n d year s .
At
each
complete
alchemical
process ,
the
p rocess
is
stab il ized . T h e r e i s no reversal s o , once b e g u n , it m u st b e
fin i s h e d , otherwise we will b e forced t o live i n pai n ; t h e cup
w i l l not pass from u s .
B u t t h i s i s j u st a te mporary-in th e
l arger
s c a le
of
evolution - c e s sation of the process of cont i n u ation . It i s
not a n e n d , n ot a stop , n ot an escap e . There i s n o e scap e . W e
a r e not a stranger h e r e . W e d i d not come h ere fro m a d ifferen t
p l a n et .
A n alchemical notebook i s not a cookbook ; i t i s a map . Can
we see the difference b etween a cookbook a n d a map? A
cookbook we wou l d fol low like a recipe , work i n g backwards .
O n e is l in e a r , o n e is not l inear . Th e cookbook we follow
step-by - step , with a map , we can l ook anywh ere we w a n t .
80
What do we actually need to know about alch emy?
Awakening of the mach ine produces transformation, and
transformation is reflected in alchemical results in the
machine .
If w e know how t o read the map sufficiently to find t h e little
red arrow th at says , "you are here " , and we know how to
move this little red arrow when appropriate, in other words ,
we recognize changes in the machine when they occur, by
having some attention on the machine , then we know
everything necess ary about alchemy except the details of the
map , which anyone can learn just in the course of working to
awaken the mach ine.
E.}. Gold, Bringing the Woman to Life,
2-5-9 1 , Pastel on Sennelier, 1 0"x13".
CHAPTER 15
If we foUow the machine as a lover would unrelentingly fix his
gaze upon his Beloved, 8llecl with astonishment, rapture and
gratitude, the machine wiD come to life, awakening and
responding to the power of adoration with a profound emotion
which will in tum bring about our own ti'ansformatlon.
We h ave already estab l i shed that in order for the h uman
biological m achine t o b e operati onal as a transformational
apparat u s it m u st be in the waking state , and that only i n the
waking s t ate c a n this function b e fully activated .
How c an we intentionally bring about the waking state
whenever w e wish to and, at the same time, know definitely
that w e h av e act u ally accomplished this?
Let us begin by cons idering the relationship of the m achine
and the essential self as a work p artners h i p . What are t h e
conditio n s of t his p artnershi p ?
Perhaps a p arallel w i t h h u man rel at ionships c o u l d h e l p u s
in t h i s m atter, since i n t h e m , we c a n ob serve a s i m i l ar proce s s .
82
If we look at the relationship of a man and a woman and ask
ourselves what it is that a woman really wants from a man , the
answer is quite evident .
A
woman wants a man ' s complete, utter, totally non
wandering attention to be placed entirely upon h erself. She
wants to b athe in it , to immerse herself in it, and when she is
able to receive this from a man, she in turn responds with
adoration .
She does not really want anything else from h i m , and
everything she does-from cosmetics an d having babies to
going with him as a sailor on a barefoot cruise or sitting grimly
under a blanket at a Homecoming footb all game-serves this
aim . She will do anything necessary to obtain this attention ,
and the
more
deeply
profoun d
the
attention ,
the
more
centered on herself it i s , the better.
Why else do you suppose that she invests many hours
during the majority of her youth learn ing a variety of exotic
walks and postures which she feels will make her seem unique
and interestin g ?
W h y does she spend hours b efore t h e mirror training her
mach ine to s mile , to laugh , to frown, to t alk in a variety of
tones expressing a large repertoire of moods?
Why does she learn to theatrically manipulate her mouth
and eyes ?
Why does
she cover her face an d body w ith
scrubs ,
mudpacks and cosmetics , endure chemica l treatments i n her
hair , spend hours under a hair-dryer, invest hour after hour
removing body hair, giving herself a manicure,
pedicure ,
curling her eyelashes and arranging her coiffure ?
The life o f a n actress i s not natural t o her, b ut s h e knows
that by these artifices she will almost certainly be able to
attract and absorb the attention of a man , at least temporarily
while she still h as whatever it was that netted his roving
attention , and she knows that he will still respond to her even
if he happens to realize intellectually that she has artificially
produced the glitter and fl ash which has happened to catch his
eye and keep his attention riveted for the momen t .
And
want ?
if this i s what a woman really wants , what does a man
83
He wants h i s attention to b e free to wan d e r wherever it w i l l
go . He wants t o b e distracted and amus e d . His att ention i s
scattered and fickle . It is almost as if t h e t w o genders w er e
entirely different speci e s , each the oppos ite of t h e o t h er .
I n orde r to anticipate the m any d irections h i s w an dering
attention will take , a woman will accommodate herself to h i s
interests as they s uddenly change tack and direction .
If he is interested in compute r s , she will u n acco u ntably
develop an interest in them even if s h e had never b e e n
interested in the m before . If h e i s interested in science s , she ,
too , will fin d some way to be i nterested and to b e u s eful to him
so t h at s h e can appear in h i s field of attention as h e pursues
his momentary fascination .
A woman w h o is really a woman wants this attention , a n d
s h e w i l l do ab solutely anything, n o matter h o w degrading or
debased or s el f-effacing to her own interests , to g ather t h e
scattered attention o f h e r m an a n d draw it t o h e rs e lf. Of course
she may eventually give up entirely and p ursue her own
interests if she i s unable to obtain this attention from a man by
these artifices .
B ut if s h e h a s any success at all i n t h i s game , s h e w il l
remain interested i n one thing a n d one thing o n l y ; a comp l et e ,
d e e p relationship . She w a n t s to b e reached , to b e touc h e d , t o
be fulfilled.
Fulfillment is
a v e ry weak word which cannot
really
express t h e intense anguish which characterizes a woman ' s
experiencp i n her relationships with men , and wor d s alone
can not do j ustice to the deep feelin g s of incompleteness and
disap pointment t h at haunt her.
W it h t h e deepest part of h e rs e lf, with a l l her h e art , she
wishes to b e found and to
be
known .
And so every woman has learned to b e co m e yet another
glittering
attract ion ,
hoping that
a m an ' s
attention
w ill
someday fall upon her , even if only accidentally-and finally
come to rest u po n her, warming her heart an d bathing her in
the inte n s e radiation of total adoratio n .
It rarely h appens that a man gets the me s sage , and many
wom e n , though g ifted and intelligent, h ave felt i t necess ary t o
resort t o vario u s forms o f personal fascin ation i n order to
84
win-or steal-the attention of a man. Fascin ation seemed to
be their last recourse .
To fascinate means not only to put under a spell , to charm ,
to captivate, but also to hold motionless , to hold someone ' s
attention b y being very interesting o r delightful, o r even
annoying, bitchy , argumentative or congenitally ill . Anything
that comp els the attention can be a method, and when
everything seductive fails , then nothing remains but the sad ,
plaintive and b itter mechanisms of neurosis, psychosomatic
illness and little personal tragedies which are the common
weapon of the contemporary housewife . Seductive or n aggin g ,
both mechanisms serve the same function .
A woman knows instinctively that her life can be completed
through a man , but she may be unaware that this can never be
achieved through an ordinary relationship with a man.
She knows that something unusual must somehow occur,
but j ust what this may be escapes her, and her search among
men in ordinary life is doomed to end in failure .
She does not know how to get his real attention but without
the Work , even if she were able to obtain and hold his
atten tion, she would not really know what to do with it.
She does not know, and in the ordinary course of life cannot
know , that what she wants from a man can only b e obtained
through the process of mu tual initiation and transforma tion.
A man is in general even more ignorant than she is about
this , because his interests lie completely outside the domain of
deep relationships . All he knows is that he wants a new toy ,
and then, when he finally obtains it, he quickly tires of it and
no longer wants that toy . . . Then he wants another new toy ,
and yet another.
As long as his attention continues its inces sant, re stles s
wandering , he c a n never be initiated .
How are these two unrelated but mutually reciprocal
species to be brought together?
Shall the woman say to the man: Put your full attention on
me.
This Is how you can accompUsh what you are after. I know
after. Be with me, be fully with m e , don 't take
what you are
your attention away from me for a single moment.
Bringin g the Woman to Life
85
Thread your way through my labyrinth of love and fin d me.
H you find me you wUl find what you
been after all your Ufe.
are
after, w hat you have
Were a woman to actually say this to a man , h i s body w o u l d
m a k e a hole in the w a l l exactly corresponding to its momentary
shape as it h u rt l e d through , b ecause h e could n ot open the
door q uickly enough l
How can a woman convince a man that b y this m utual
reciprocal i n itiation , something genuine can b e achieve d ; t h at
initiation i s not out there somewhere , that it is not even deep
with i n h i m se lf,
that it is within her?
This h as been the dilemma of women for tens of thousands
of years , how to communicate to a man what a woman so
deeply intuits about the process of mutu al initiation , without
causing his fragile ego to hopelessly fragment .
Yet a woman is willing to s it and wait very p atiently for
y e ars for a m a n to develop from the state of restl e s s activity ,
chatter a n d excitement , to a state of calm where he is able to
j u st s it and b e with her ; where his attention stops its restless
wandering a n d fal l s completely an d utterly upon h e r .
A man can b ecom e , if h e is wil l i n g to m ake the sacrifice , a
special type of alchemical fuel to be consumed in the warming
of a woman ' s wo m b , her heart of initiation , and in the process
of h is ann i h il ation h e is totally cons u me d , ann i h ilate d , a s the
woman comes to life .
Only w h e n s h e comes to life is s h e able t o resurr e ct h i m .
Like Osiris , he m u st trust in his Isis , offering h imself up
unselfishly as fuel for her i n ner fire, completely and without
hesitation , without the slightest consideration for himself, in
the same w ay that a mother will s ac rifice herself for the s ake of
her childre n .
A m a n m u s t learn fro m a woman that inten s e heart
b ursting adoration wh ich makes a woman want to d evote
herself to a man without concern for h e rself.
A woman knows how to place all of her attention o n a m a n .
She
instinctively
knows
how to
follow
h is
moods
and
86
dispositions . She i s always there, always w ith h im . She knows
what he nee d s . She knows what he feels . S h e knows h i s heart
more than he h i m self does .
S h e h a s learnt t o read h i m l i k e a book . S h e knows h i s
movement s , h i s posture s , h i s voice , h i s intonations a n d facial
expre ssion s , h i s breathing .
Even t h e s mallest det a i l reveal s something to h e r , a n d she
is able to fol low it and b e t here with him.
A m an , on the other hand, i s u s u ally totally oblivious to a
wom an ' s c h an ge s . He does not see and cannot sense her inner
moods a n d outer movements ; he does n ot know h ow to follow
her, how to read her, and in any case he does n ot c are to; it is
his o p in ion that she should follow him , and not h e h e r .
B u t if h e w i s h e s to be i nitiated , h e m u s t i n all thing s fol low
her.
If
she b l i n k s , he must b l in k . If she is happy , he must b e
happy a l s o .
If she
is sad , h e t oo should be s a d . As h e r moods
melt one into anothe r , h e must go where she goes , and do as
she doe s , not l agging behind but always simultaneously.
He must lose h i s breath , his h eart , h i s m in d to her, cleave
to h e r , follow h e r , be one w ith her; move a s one , breathe as
one , think as one, feel a s one, sense as o n e , as s h e does
instinctively . He m u st l e arn the woman ' s most basic s ecret
' wheresoever thou goest , t here a l so will
I
go ' .
So long as a man chooses the i m aginary outer freedoms, h e
is choo s i n g the life of catt l e , doomed t o w a n d e r from o n e
gl itteri n g attraction to another. If o n l y a man could u s e his fu l l
attention . . . give himself as a woman knows h o w to give
herself!
I n e s s e n c e , for a man to achieve what he really wants to
achieve , h e m u s t lear n from a woman to b e a woman and , at
the same time , m aintain his s a n ity as h e loses h i s gender
identification and discovers what a woman really i s .
I f a woman hopes to a ccomplish her own fulfill ment, she
must fin d a real man who is willing to penetrate these deep
inner secrets of a woman in order t o attain t h e real depth of a
relatio n sh ip . S u ch a man is calle d an
alchemist.
Pity a woma n ; she cannot tell what she knows ; to p rotect
his fragil e vanity , she must appear passive , she m u st wait , she
m u st b e very cautiou s . She must not frighten her man .
87
She can only reveal herself when h e actually h as foun d his
way through the l abyrinth and arrives at her chamb e r . By this
time, he will h ave lost much of w h at he imagined himself to be
as a man; the fire will h ave burned away his gender pride, and
he will be able to confront h imself and her as two s ides of the
same coi n . This is the true journey that b eckon s .
Now , in t h e same way, if w e could view t h e h u man
biological machine as a woman , as our initiato r , our true
teacher, and we could effectively place o ur restless , wandering
attention completely upon it, the m achine wou l d come to life ,
just as a woman comes to life when a m an ' s attention is p l aced
upon her, completel y , absolutely , u nwaveringly .
The essential self is uneducated. If l eft to itself, it will
remain p as sive and do nothing . It will j ust contin u e to exist ,
patiently waitin g things out.
The m ach ine provides the motivation for work . It
un derstands the necessity for work . In spite of its will to
remain asleep , it also yearns to serve a h igher pu rpos e .
W e m a y b e s urprised t o d iscover that i t is actually t h e
machine which seeks a school . T h e essential s e l f is too
detached , too complacent, for such concerns .
The machine b eh aves oddly i n ordinary life . A s w e study
its p atterns of behavior, we discover that these peculiarities
are signs of anger and frustration .
It falls into the pursuit of trivia because we rarely allow it to
perform its obj ective function .
A s these tran sformations take place , the machine will also
undergo a series of ch anges. But these changes are not
artificial interferences i n the machine ' s beh avior or condi
tioning. We must not alter this for fear of reversing the
transform ational process .
If we tamper even slightly w ith the machine , we may
destroy its p roperties and capabilities as a transformational
apparatus . In our observation of the machine , we must not be
judgmental or critical ; we must strive to achieve impartiality
and detach ment.
We are not working to change the machine . It must not
change artificially if we expect to benefit from its
88
The Human Biological Machine
as a Transfonnational Apparatus
transformational potential . We must realize that in changing
the m ach ine directly , we would unknowingly alter the very
factors which make transformation possible .
This i s exactly the opposite of personal enhancement
methods .
As we begin our work, the relation existing between the
essential self and the machine is somewhat remote and
strained.
The only will that we can actually exert over the machine is
the will of attention , but this will is weak and so we are
continually seduced into identification with the sleep of the
machine .
I n the course of ordinary life , w e learn to want attention but
not to give it. We make basic assumptions about ourselves ,
which eventually become hardened beliefs . If the machine
does not conform to our beliefs about ourselves , we lie to
ourselves by reducing our attention on the machine still
further.
Our time is limited , we have only so much time at our
disposal , we don ' t have all our lives. Before tran sformation
begin s , we must use our attention to study the process of
transformation and the methods of awakening the machine.
In addition , we must study methods of using attention to
awaken the machine, methods of the unremitting pl acement of
attention, and then somehow develop the will to actually place
the attention on the machine.
We do not ordinarily have the will to place our attention
unremittingly on the machine . A certain intensity of attention
is required to arrive at any results whatsoever .
To obtain this intensity of attention, we must provide
ourselves with an outside source of force; we can borrow the
will to place our full attention on the machine by adding
something to it .
Th is additional force which gives us the extra will
necessary to fixate our attention on the machine is called
adoration.
89
Adoration is an emotional ingredient, but not t h e emotion
of the mach in e . It is a h igher emotion which can b e aroused in
the e ssential s elf.
This implie s , h owever, that the emotional centru m is fully
functional , not the caricature we usually take to b e our true
emotional centru m , not machine reverberations emanatin g
from t h e mental centrum .
In other words , b efore w e c a n bring the m achine t o life , w e
must h av e brought t o life t h e one centrum which is ordinarily
dead in every human being, the feeling centru m .
W e assume that the e ssential self, because i t is spiritual, i s
endowed w it h special h igher power s , that it i s capable of many
wondrous things. But the fact i s , the essential self, i n its
present stat e , i s q uite limited. It has only two characteristics :
presence and the ability to p lace and fixate its attention .
If we can bring the attention to stop its restless wandering ,
and at the same time overcome our own complacency about
our situation in relation to our possible evolution , we could
learn to use the machine as a tran sformational apparatu s .
By intentionally placing o u r u nwavering attention directly
upon the machine, and following its every motion with the
emotio n al intensity of adoration , we develop a deep
rel at ionship with the m achine.
We m u st learn to lovingly observe not only the obvious
motor-centru m activities of the machine , but also its mood s ,
thoughts , preference s , a n d attitudes, its qualities and
weaknesses, what we pride ourselves on, and what we p refer
to disregard .
How can we really observe the machine under our fixed
gaze of unwavering attention if we do not love what we are
observing? How will we even remember to hold the machine in
our full attention if we are not transfiXed by the machine, filled
with gratitude toward its every movement , filled with
astonishment and rapture?
We must fol low the machine as a lover u nrelentingly fixes
his gaze upon his B eloved, root o ur attention w holly upon the
machine and not let it d rift. W e must clearly obtain glimpses
of that part of the machine which is l azy and unwilling to work,
90
and grad ually sep arate ourselves from it, work our way out
from under its influence .
If we understand how the adoration of the woman b rings
her to life , then we u n derstan d how to use adoratio n to focus
our attention upon the machine and bring it to life i n the same
way .
Simple attention is mental , but adoration is a fun ction of
the e ssential self. Adoration is much more potent.
Obviously , when we speak of adoration of the m ach in e , we
are not referring to something romantic and stupid . We intend
to envelop the machine in the same intense mood of adoration
which we would n aturally feel toward a lover in the ordinary
sense.
In certain schools , demonstrations intended as analogies to
the wind-and-water tech n ique of aw akening the mach in e
which
is to
say ,
the
inexorabl e pressure of u nremitting
att ention upon the machi ne-are sometimes given to pupil s .
Some of these demonstrations have h a d the unfortunate
destiny of being distorted and alienated from their o riginal
meaning and p urpose ,
and no longer
serve their
proper
function as i s so often the case with teach ing t ool s , methods ,
and ideas .
One such tool is a bell used in Tibetan B u dd hist sch oo l s . It
is called the bell of the Dhanna, the bell of the teach ing.
We should take especial note that it is called the bell of the
Dh arma-the teach ing-and not the bell of the Sangha-the
work comm u n ity-or the bell of the B ud d h a-th e teacher,
because it is a demonstration of the method of awakening and
transformation , a vivid portrait of someth ing to be accom
plished through a defin ite method.
Rubb ing the edge of the bell, a vib ration begins and , once
the beIJ is v ibrating at fuIJ p itch and resonance , we must
continue rubb ing the edge of the bowl without interrupting the
v ibration if we wish the vibration to pers i st .
I f we are carel e s s , inattentive or hesitant , we will break the
flow and the ringing will cease . We must then begin afresh .
We m u st continue this exercise until we are able to make the
b e ll ring and keep it ringing in definitely .
91
Bringing the Woman
If w e lose th e vibration , the singing bowl must be brought
slowly and carefully b ack u p
past
a definite
b arrier ,
a
threshold of vibration before it will again produce the ful l
soun d . I t i s not easy t o make the bowl really s i n g and ,
like a
woman ' s awakenin g , requires patience and subtlety.
Another demonstration u sed
schools to visualize the
is the Japanese
flute . It can be made
of b amboo ,
or even p l astic .
The easiest
flute , and its sound i s
However , the real
perfectly adequate
Shakuhachi is a
is difficult to p lay .
The bamboo Shakuhachi with
a
root b ase is the tru e
t e ach i n g i n stru ment , b ecause only perfect effortl e s s breathing
and no-mind mindfulness-which we call p u re presence and
the unremitting attention powered by the e ssential higher
emotio n of adoration-will produce a vibrant and mellow
sound from it .
The S h akuhachi
how to breathe
o ne ' s fmal b re ath
All of these
heightened level
Th ey a l l i l l ustrate
a perfect b reath ,
flute , as if giving
lover.
of t h e quality and
awakened machi n e .
machin e requires
con stant attention and p resence , with an inexorab le but gentle
pre s sure , powered by the subtle force of adoration .
We learn from the singing bowl a n d the Shakuhachi th at
the machine will go dead-fall
back into sleep-the very
life, falters or is
moment t h at attention, which has brought it to
withdrawn , even momentarily.
If we consciously adore the m achine , it will respond b y
reflex t o o u r adoration
higher emotion
brings about our
higher e motion. Thi s
an swers our adoration
Attack at Dawn :
A Beachhead into the
Fourth Dimension
In our beginning
much at once. Our
dissipates itself. We
quality and potency
accompUsh too
our energy quickly
to improve the
cOlloe:nS:1n2 them at first.
In our beginning work , because we are excited about the
prospect s , we are probably trying to do too m u ch at once . Our
efforts, because of their frequency, diminish in force and are
not effect ive.
Our attention wanders here and there, or i s distracted by
many inner and outer influences, and we d o not seem to h ave
our serious work
much will to awaken
effo rts .
Our attention
our e nergies
many exercises
toward work efforts
into one m ajor
We can condense
effort at one definite time each day , until we get a
good grip on it.
E.}. Gold, Attack at Dawn, 3-15-9 1 ,
Pastel o n Sennelier, l O"x 1 3" .
A t tack at Dawn: A Beachhead into the Fourth Dimension
93
If we could only take one thing with u s to a desert island it
should b e the method for awakening the h uman biological
mach i n e . We would need nothing else to realize the full
potential of l ife in a human biological machine . W ith this
method, which does not require special extern al condition s ,
we coul d accomplish everything possible for a h u m an being .
If we were locked away in a room with only a single chair ,
plain wh ite walls and a bare l ight b ulb, even if we were a fish
in a tan k , we coul d still do our work if we knew how to awaken
the machine without the need for special exercises .
Even if the machine were h elpless in bed, we would still
have the machine ' s perceptions , memories and sensations,
and as long as we have the machine itself, we h ave everything
we need for our possible evolution.
If we u nderstood the m achin e ' s perceptions , states and
sen sations , we would know w hether it is awake or asleep, and
coul d , if w e k new how, act upon this information j u st by
placing our will of attention upon the mach ine , regardless of
its state or condition, to awaken the mach ine and utilize its
transformational fun ction.
But the main point is that, if we inten d to try to awaken the
machine , w e must not do anything else at the same time . We
must place a pure hermetic seal u pon the t ime we have set
aside for this effort . We h ave got to make up our minds that we
will tolerate no distraction during this time .
This firm decisio n , which tolerates no exception whatever,
is the only discipline we need at this time.
Even with an u ntrained attention , anyone ought to b e abl e
to set aside five minutes a day during which nothin g else
enters to distract o r attract the attention-no outside worries ,
no b u siness con cerns, no anticipation of the d ay ' s p roblems ,
no nervous agitatio n , no upsets, no d aily p roblems , n o
emotional outbursts , n o arguments, no amusements , n o
entertainment-ju st for fi v e minutes o u t of a whole day l
When we first begi n , we establ ish an exact, very s hort,
period of time that w e know we can set aside without
distraction s . Boil ing the work-time down to a mere five
94
The Human Biological Machine. as a Transformational Apparatus
minutes serves to help us extract the es sence of a whole day ' s
effort .
A very short but definite period of work is l ike e stab l ishing
a beachhead , a foothold, on strange territory .
I n a sense, we are est ablishing a beachhead in the F ourth
Dimension , hoping to someday build a colony in this strange
new worl d .
W e m u s t n o t b ite o ff more t h a n we c a n chew or the
beachhead will be defe ate d . We must not try to d o too much at
once , if we expect to see results .
If we work along too many d iffere nt l ines at once, we
become confu s e d , our work loses force and our effort s lose
potency.
We must set aside the same exact time-period every day ,
t o t h e exact second-then w e know that every d a y w e h ave a
certain amount of time to work-and only th at short amount of
time-during wh ich time we are to try to awaken the machine ,
thinking of nothing else , doing nothing else , worrying about
nothing else .
If the time period is not too long, our whol e , un distracted
and unwandering attention should be able to focus on this
effort without fail .
Between these periods of effort from one d ay to the next,
we must not allow ourselves to work to awake n the machine ,
even accidentally. We must allow the machine to run wild, to
do anyth ing it wish e s , but the period for work is s acre d ,
sacrosanct-inviolable . We must hold the beachhead totally
secure against any distraction if we hope to gain any g round
whatever .
This works best if we agree with ourselves to ho l d this
beachhead at the s ame time every day , without fail . W e must
not lose our foothold on the Fourth Dimension by wan dering
away fro m our beachhead even for one d ay , or we are forced to
begin again , not at the same point we began , but lowe r ,
because w e h ave exposed a seriou s weakness.
Because we are concentrating our effort i nto j u st five
minute s , we increase the potency of our effort . After a l l , we
A ttack a t Dawn: A
Dimension
95
have a ful l twenty-three hours, fifty-five minutes and four
second s remaining to us each d ay to gather our energy for this
single five-minute effort, if we do not waste our energy in
fidgeting, nervous activity, worry , anxieties, in secu rities ,
vanities , exhilarating sport s , and other forms of negati v ity . It
is the potency of effort that we are interested in .
Of course,
five-minute work
obligation , we will
of Hfe , but we must
important-where our true
ask ourselves
be it our work or our
priorities are-and
up t h e other from
ordinary h ab it s ,
then on .
We m u st also find a way to pay for-to value-those
precious five minutes of work e ach day. After all , w e inten d to
allow ourselves only five minutes each day and no longer to
work to awaken the machine.
We m u st find a way to value this time in much the same
way that we value money, whether we are aware of it o r not.
We must find a way to p ay for this time-especially if we do
not use it for our
p rofit from it b ecause
we have wasted
concerns, or h ave
dissipated ourselves
negative e motion .
twenty-three hours ,
We will be
not allowed to work
fifty-five minutes
should act as a
to aw aken the
dynamo, building the potency for our beachhead in the Fourth
Dimensio n , generating the force for our attack at daw n .
This does not mean that w e should not withhold outbursts
of negativity. Our n umber-one rule in work is that we m ay not
allow ourselves to manifest negatively. Withholding m anifes
tations of negativity for th e pu rpose of accumulating inner
alchemical heat is an
norm in a work com m unity, and
the stress-related
result are just
transformation .
another hazard
Because we
the potency of our
effort, we m u st
storage battery , each
96
other ' s storage capacitor. We are accumulating energy for a
five minute work period for the following day. We are not to
deplete each other ' s work force .
Ordinarily , we rob each other' s work energy by drawing
others into our negative states . Even if we do not take others '
work energy directly , we force it out of them by forcing them to
become p articipants in our negative states . This is a form of
emotio n al rape .
We must respect each other ' s capacity to accumulate force ,
t o gather the greatest possible potency ; this i s t h e only
strategy we really need for work .
Theft or rape are crimes against a person ' s work . If we do
this to ourselves, we are raping and robbing ourselves. The
shock of realization of the grave con sequences of our negative
behavior can assist us in gaining the artificial will necessary to
remember our intention to awaken the machine .
During this time. we will keep a work-diary , a record of
combat against the will of the mach in e . This diary is
obligatory , and n o one is exempt . In the diary we w il l keep
notes about what was and was not effective, what w e think
might h ave worked , and so on.
Once we h ave established the beachhead, we can expand
our invasion into the Fourth Dimensio n . We can think of
ourselves as an invasion force, receiving our pre-invasion
briefing the evening before D-Day .
Each o f us will land i n t h e Fou rth D imentio n , take a five
minute piece of territory , and establish a fi rm beachhead.
Once we h ave established the beachhead and stab ilized the
situatio n , we will begin to expand our operation; we will
coordinate our invasion force and link up our b e achheads, then
expand our invasion further into the Fourth D imensio n .
Of course there are always c as ualties; the majority o f
casualties in a n y invasion is always on t h e beach .
During the remainder of the day , when we are not working
to awaken the machine . we can study the machine, evaluate
the sleep of the machine and see how difficult it would be to
extend our beachhead into th is enemy territory . Does the
A ttack at Dawn: A Beachhead into the Fourth Dimension
97
m ach ine h ave fre quent emotional storms ? Is it very deeply
asleep ? How committed is it to its habits?
We may observe the machine o n a total rampag e , and for
the first time we m ay realize that eventu ally, someday, sooner
or l ater , we are expected to awaken the machine during the
rampage , every single moment of it.
We can use our time to b egin our evalu ation of the sleep of
the mach ine , the l ife of the machine, how much will it e xerts
over the situation , how difficult the terrain .
We prob ably already h ave a good idea of which territorie s ,
which states, a r e going t o be difficult.
As a general rule of thumb , the more the will of the
machine i s exerted over the s ituation , the more resistant it will
be toward its awakening .
What is worse , if it happened once , it is likely that we will
encounter that same terrain many, many time s in the l ife of
the machine.
Spend the d ay evaluating the sleep of the machine and
evaluating how difficult it would be, b y asking yourself
specificall y , ' Well, how hard wou l d it be to wake the m achine
up in this sit u ation? What kind of problems is the machine
m aking for me here ? '
In a sen se, we are gathering military intell igence to expan d
our b eachhead with the purpose of eventually extending our
invasion. W here before we were gathering evide n ce that an
invasion was necessary , now we are g athering intell igence,
information which we can use to e xtend our invasion into the
Fourth Dimen sion .
Remember that our aim right now is to establish a
beachhead and at the s ame time to study the machine ' s
activities-to gather the necessary intelligence t o expand and
extend the b e achhead .
This is no joke. For five minute s every day we will l iterally
hold territory in another dimension , a dimension about which
we know absolutely nothing.
The only weapon the e s senti al self has is the will of
attentio n . A small weapon , a subtle weapon , b ut a very
98
powerful weapon over a period of time . It is gentle b ut as
inexorab l e as the wave s of the ocean upon a rock .
Ev entually , all rock is redu c ed to dust. J u st by the gentle
b ut
u n re m i tt ing
action
of water .
The
gentle
act i o n
of
unre m itting attention has the same ab il ity to grind down even
the rock of Gibraltar into dust, sooner o r later . . . m ostly later ,
but t h is is the way with all noncathartic method s
Ev entually
,
t i m e grin d s eve ry grain
.
.
J u st the i nexorab le
power of unrem itt ing attention will awaken the machine from
its slow death . The awake ning will spread l ike fire under th e
unremitting gentle but
inexorab le
atte ntion ,
j u st
as
the
greatest of geological for m ations eventu ally gives w ay to the
inexorab le action of wind and water .
If we u n d erstand this sim pl e p rincip l e , then we u n derstand
the very b asis of zen . The only weapon we re ally have or need
is the gentle erosion of the sleep of the machine under the
inexorable pressure of the wind and water of attention
.
E.J. Gold, Warming of the
Soul,
2-3-9 1 , Pas tel on Sennelier, l O" x 1 3 " .
17
Warming of the Soul
Growth of the soul requires a form of human sacri8ce, the
exact nature
mainstream
since
been d istorted
barriers-flaws
diamond-are or()ul1ld
self as a diamond which
be cut and
develops certain
tendencies which enable it to enter the Work .
We m ay think of a diamond as too hard to cut , but it can b e ,
o r we would not s e e multifacete d stones such as the brilliant
and perfection cuts com mon to contemporary engagement
sets .
Although a diamond can be b roken with a chisel to make a
rough c ut , it can only be ground i nto exact faceting by another
diamond ,
d iamonds acting as a
sandpaper.
Of course ,
flaw , and it were u p
flaw , the flaw
center of the stone.
diamond cutter
like this; the flaw must
sacrificed .
1 00
We may lose some weight in the diamo n d , but it will b e
more v al u able a s a smal l er but better diamon d .
B ut first , before we can even c u t t h e diamond, w e m u st
remove t h e raw stone from its m atrix , composed of dirt and
much softer rock .
T o remove the matrix , we use wh at we c a l l friction-a
preparatory technique-to reveal the stone
in the ro ugh ,
applying a variety of techn iques .
People in the mainstream of human l ife commonly con fu s e
schoo l s with psycholog ical communities , b e c a u s e e s sentially
the s am e techniques are used to remove the matrix an d reve al
the rou gh stone within .
But then-an d this is where ordin ary psychol ogy and
philosophy fail s-they fe el th at once the rou gh stone i s
rev ealed an d the di amond is free from the m atrix , i t i s perfect ;
or, to obtain addition al fees from their clients , they may
continue to stubbornly continue cutting the matrix long after
the rough diamond i s revealed.
Only if the diamond i s free from the m atrix can the
abrasive proce s s t ake place . O nce the stone i s re vealed, w e are
no longer interested in the matri x , so we disconti nue our
grin d in g proce s s with the matrix.
For the m atrix we use much softer tool s , but if we expect to
cut a diamond we must use something equally hard; for this
purpose we will u s e other diamonds as a polish i n g mediu m .
If we are l ike diamonds in o u r es sence a n d t h e diamond can
be recut, then the great diamond of the Absolute , in whose
image we know our e s sential selves to be made , can also be
recut .
If we can think of the Ab solute as a diamon d , we can also
think of the work community as a diamo n d . But what if we
noticed a fl aw in the community? If we obstruct others i n our
work com m u nity, we-th e flaw in the comm u n ity-must be
cu t aw ay from the l arger stone for the s ake of the stone , even
though it reduces the size of th e stone , b ecau se a stone
without flaws i s increased in val u e .
Of
cou r s e ,
s m a l l fl a w s
need
not
be
cut
from
com m u n ity . The fl a w w o u l d have t o be very seriou s .
the
Wanning of the Soul
101
Only seven possible serious flaws could appear in our
com m unity- d iamond . Of these fl aws we probably know a n ger
the b e s t ; another serio u s fl aw is h at re d , and another flaw is
u ncontro l l e d lust. Most of u s are already familiar with t h e
s e v e n deadly flaws .
If we cut those flaws out of our own diamond by abrasio n
with o t h e r diamo n d s , we a r e not s o seriously fl a w e d t h a t w e
m u s t b e cut out of a comm u n ity .
B u t i f any o f those fl aws exists i n u s-resentm e n t , hatre d ,
anger, rev u l s i o n , disgust-to the e xtent that
we
actually
interfere with t h e work of others-if conditions are sti l l able to
evoke i n u s wild and dangerous refl e x e s of n e g ative e motion ,
then we are s ubj ect to removal from the l arger stone , and it i s
n e ither o u r choice , nor the choice of a teach e r .
W e u s e t h e word matrix both
in i t s lapidary sen s e , w hich i s
to say , that ston e which encases a harder stone , and also i n the
sense of mothe r .
If we realize t h at a community is compose d o f t h o s e who
have l ittle o r no m atrix remaining aro u n d the stone-j u st raw ,
rough d i a m o n d s-we c an easily u n derstand the d iffe rence
between o u r selves and those in the larger co m m u n ity , who
still have a great deal of m atrix and are concerned w ith th e
t h i n g s of t h e m atrix , with ch anging the m atrix , pol i s h i n g th e
m atrix and e n h ancing the matri x . O ur stone has b ee n e x p o se d ,
a n d w e are i n t h e raw, ready for cutting a n d p o l i sh in g .
The Great Work, the c u tting o f the Great D iamon d , with
our o w n d iamond-like e s se n t ial selves , i s called the p rocess of
Redemptio n . It will req u i re more than j ust w e ourselves to
accom p l i s h this work a n d to beco m e a p art of this work we
must su rre n der ourselves to the work com m u n ity .
If we hope to seriously take p art in this work , we must,
once and for all , give u p the things of t h e matrix and reconcile
ourselves to the seemingly end l e s s grin d i n g p r oce s s , the
'
cutting of t h e d iamon d .
In a work com m u n ity, our d i amond
m ay
be
severely
criticiz e d ; if w e became upset at this we wou ld realize at once
that t h e stone h a s not yet been free d fro m t h e matrix , because
102
The Human Biological Machine as a Tran sjormationalApparatus
only the m atrix could become u pset b y c riticis m . I n the
diamond i n d u stry , anot h e r word for criticism is appraisal .
All serio u s flaws m u s t be remov e d , a n d th e more obj ective
and ruth l e s s the appraisal , the bett e r . The best cutter will
appraise the diamond absolutely ruthl e s s l y , without consid
eration for t h e feelings of the flaws in t h e ston e ,
seeing
obj ectively and i m p artially what would b e b e st to bring the
ston e to its fullest possible potential .
Let us try to experience what it will be l ike to pol i s h t h e
d i a m o n d once the psychological an d emotional mat r ix h a s
been r e m o v e d . . .
We will i magine ourselves sitting cro s s - legged , holding a
heavy b al l of cold clay gently and lovingly in our cupped
hands.
As o u r atten t io n c o m e s to res t upon the clay, we w i l l
i m a g i n e ourselves to h ave somehow s u d d e n l y ascen d e d from
one of t h e lower dimensions i nto a h ig h e r s tate , in w h ich the
whole u n iverse i s visible , and to have taken the form of this
clay w h ich w e now cradle in our hands.
Somehow , w e do not know quite how ,
although only
moments ago w e were convinced that w e w ere on the planet
Earth , w e now fin d ours e l v e s viewing t h e u n iverse from the
out s i d e .
In o u r present exalted state , we v a g u e l y remember t hat i f
this ' cl ay ' i s the u n iverse , t h e n i t s interior m ust b e fille d w ith
trill ions u p o n trillions of l uminou s bodies, s tars a n d p lanets
suspended in s p ac e , speeding outward away from one anothe r
by t h e force of mutually repellent gravitation a l fields, a n d that
somew here within this little universe i s the almost unthi n k ab l y
miniscule
star
a round
which
our
most
recent
p l ac e
of
h ab itation , the p lanet Eart h , revo l v e s .
W e know th at e v e n with the aid of v e r y b ig telescop e s ,
those remaining i n side the universe c an not s e e us outside t h e
boundary of the clay , because, w ithin t h e bou n daries of the
u nivers e , the light bends and reflect s , curving back u pon
itself.
Warming of the Soul
103
Th e inside i s entirely dark except for the pinpoint
brightness of l ittl e stars swirling in their galactic clusters .
Although it looks small to us now, we know that the distance
acros s this little clay cosmos we hold in our hands is many light
years .
We ourselves are connected in some way to this littl e
both forms, the
universe; o u r consciousness
Creator and the
Now w e are going
this little clay cosmos
" becau se it
dimension , we would
comes from the earth .
At first , until we understand more about it, we are going to
penetrate inside it with our s pecial vision and locate ,
somewhere among all the galactic clusters of stars, that l ittle
yellow star n e ar which we will see the tiny spinning mudball
from which we j u st came .
We will allow our vision to penetrate deep within the clay
cosmo s , far b eyond
vision can see , far
down into the lower
W e are in no hurry ;
time here , so we
c a n work w ith n o
attention toward
the penetration into
must recollect
our fu ll attention .
If we have lost some part of our attention to our past , we
will not h ave enough force of attention in the present . If we
hope to accomplish our aim , we cannot afford to allow even a
p art of our attention to dwell in memories .
W e will now collect all our past attention into the present.
Some part of our attention also inevitably remains o n the little
world in the lower
searching with
our penetrating vision .
We will leave some
help guide o ur
vision.
But we might also
attention on our job or
on our bills that we
money. We cannot
The Human Biological Machine
104
as a TransjormationalApparatus
afford to lose our precious attention to such trivia ; a n d after
all , what b u s in e s s do we have with salaries and rent , now t h at
we fi nd ourselves outside the Creation ?
Because we require this att e ntion for our p enetrating
vis ion , we have the right to bring it to the pres ent for th i s
purpos e .
W e m ay h ave friends , children , husband s , wive s , fath ers ,
mothers , s i ste r s , brother s , cousin s , and oth e r s whom we have
left behind us, who felt th at they need u s , b ut j u st now , in this
circu mstance , we are of no help to them and , in any case, we
cannot afford to sp are this attention .
Because of our nece s s ity, we are entitled to b ring this
attention to our present aim .
U n doubtedly we also have some attention on the futur e ,
e v e n if i t is nothing more than gene ral worry about w h a t w il l
b e c o m e of u s and our l ife . B u t w e a r e f a r fr o m that life now ,
a n d we w i l l n e e d every bit o f attention we c a n muster.
W e will bring this attention also to the present .
We might h ave some attention on our personal h u ngers ,
cravin g s , fe ars , discomfort s , and even u p o n exactly how we
feel ab out our present situation.
Our h u ngers and also our insecurities abo ut ourselves
our vanitie s-even this little b it of attention cannot be s p ared
from the task at hand.
With a mentally visualized h and, we will l ift our atte ntion
away
fro m
our
personal
vanitie s ,
and
u s in g
this
same
visualized hand, we will repl ace the collected attention firmly
upon this clay obj ect as if attention were a tangib le s ub stance .
If we h ave missed or overlooked some attention , we can
coll ect it now , j u st l ike a tangible substance , and p lace it into
this object, as if the attention were an add itional piece of
livin g , palpitating clay.
We also no doubt h ave some p art of our attention o n our
phenome nal accu mulation s b ack on that tiny little p l anet ,
whatever
its
name
was . . . automobile s ,
cloth ing,
knick
knack s , fu rniture , carpet s , drap e s , p aintin gs , photograph s ,
book s , record s , stereo equipment , television . . .
Warm ing oftke Sou l
105
Naturally, we h ave superstitiou sly held some p art of our
attention o n them to guard them mentally against theft . If we
take our attention from them, it is possible they m ay be stolen ,
but that is the risk we m u st take.
We may return to an empty apartment, b ut we cannot
afford to waste this very big p art of o u r attention , an d we need
it n ow.
We will l ift the attention from the obj e ct s we h ave
accumulated , and push it into this clay substance we h o l d in
what we call our h an d s .
T o t h i s u n iverse we are l i k e a God . B ut if we h o p e t o do
anything w it h this Creation , even God n eeds all the attention
possible .
I f some p art o f our attention still remains o n something
anything other than the immediate necessity-we m u st collect
it at onc e , in the same way that we would pick up p ieces of clay
which have d ropped on the floor .
W e will hold t h i s clay cosmos i n the ste ady gaze o f our
unremitting attention and eventu ally, as the mood strikes u s ,
w e will imagine ourselves forming it slowly into some
interesting shape , u sing the l aws of a rtistic accident.
We suddenly recognize that this object , becau se it is t h e
obje ct of t h e totality o f o u r collected a n d concentrat e d
attention , is n o w actually the sum total o f o u r w h o l e attentio n ,
o f which w e are the source . . . that w e are n o w looking a t a
living embodiment of our own atte ntio n .
This clay substance , when infu sed with t h e whole of our
attention , is called the soul , which we hope to h e l p to grow ,
evolve , and infuse with l ife .
J ust n o w i t seems to be inanimate, l ifeless , j ust clay. This
moment would b e a good opportu nity, since we happen to hold
it in our h ands before us, and can see it quite easily , to feed it,
to nurture it, t o give it nourishmen t .
Let u s imagine ourselves doing j ust this . We will think o f
nothing else b u t p roviding i t with nourishment, w ith our life
force .
The Human Biological Machine as a Trans!ormatio1lillApparatus
106
We will discover that obstacles to this effort will arise in
ourselv e s , but we can move the m aside by ment al Tai Chi or
emotional Jiu-jitsu. Considerations must not interfere.
It happens only rarely that we have an opportunity to
perform this work of soul-warming . We may never h ave
another chance in our whole
life .
So we must
use
the
opportunity now to h elp our soul to grow , first by warming it
.
The soul is col d . It has not had nourishment for a long t i me .
We imagine ourselves studying it as we would study a love r ,
which is to say , o u r attention is compl etely r oot e d We cannot
.
seem to draw our attention away fro m our sou l , even for an
instant .
We will use every breath t o give it life . Our attention must
not stray , must not wander .
Our feelings toward this soul are very important . It
warm according to our love
.
will
. . our adoration . . . devotion . . .
our radiance to it .
We warm the soul by setting ourselves on
fire
,
a deep, slow
alchemical fire , feeding the soul with our own precious l ife
force .
W e are consumed in this proces s , but we do not consider
ourselves for a moment. The g rowth of th e soul require s
h u m an s acrific e . We m u s t allow i t t o consume u s . We are th e
alb u men ; we will give our lives that our belove d might live .
We do not do this entirely for alt ru i st ic reasons. If we have
studied , then we know the benefit to ourselves . Without this
process we know th at we will be dead long b e fore we die .
,
We m ay pass th r oug h many different moods as we warm
the soul . We may
j ust
hold it, or draw it to th e breast and
stroke it; we may warm each part by wandering touch ; d ance
with it , study its visible fo r m , hear it, feel it .
The warming force is called love-not romantic love , not
sentimental love , but the force which
is love , w hich is to say,
that-which-warms .
As t h e soul i s warmed, w e lose our own l ife forc e
-
in the
form of heat . As the beloved b e comes w armer than us , then
we become like clay , we lose our life and die . In effe ct , our
genuine nature has been ab sorbed by the soul .
107
Warming of the Soul
Thi s i s the secret of transfonnation ; that o u r l ife- force
learns to l e ave the rough clay of the body and enter and give
l ife to the finer clay of the sou l .
B efore t h i s , there i s no soul ; a s w e see , the s o u l is j u st a
lump of cold clay .
Through o u r sacrifice , the soul will live an d at t h e s am e
time, a s we die , w e p ass to the soul, where w e a r e resurrecte d .
We will b ring t h e sou l close t o the solar plex u s a n d when i t
begins to throb , when it feels hot, we w ill allow i t t o ab s orb our
force a s though feeding itself through an u m b ilical cord.
We m u st fee d it with the life-force from many, many such
bodies a s these , for a very, very long time, u ntil it i s fully
developed .
We can accelerate its growth and evol u t ion by givin g freely
of ourselves and b y awakening the m ach in e . If w e have not lost
our energy through negative states and m an ifestations , we can
acc u m u l ate m u ch more of this
life force than woul d be
produced in the ordinary course of n ature .
Slowl y , slowly , we will with d r aw , replacing t h e soul in the
lap gently , very slowl y . It i s sleeping now. We will i m agine
that we h ave put the sou l away u ntil next t i m e .
We d o n ot k n o w if we will be a b l e to do this again s o o n o r
o n l y a ft e r
a
v e ry l o n g t i m e . It m i g h t b e tomorrow , or it might
be one h u ndred thousand years , b ut at l east we h ave done a
little today .
CHAPTER 18
Out of Body
Once we are able to bring tbe macbine to stillness and sHence,
we wnI experience ourselves as definftely sep arate from the
machine with a life apart from and far beyond the life of the
machine.
Here is an experiment that h as been devised to help us
dissociate ourselves from our bodies and fro m the sensations
of our bodies:
W e are going to discover in th is experiment a whole body
of knowledge u n availabl e to the majority of h u man b e ings ,
because they are entrapped by their taboo s . They are not
allowed forbidden knowledge.
Life h as a way of keeping this knowledge from someone
who is not seriously pursuing it , yet someone who is seriously
pursu ing it cannot be stopped from obtaining it. If w e reall y
want it , we need on1y cross over the l in e .
Diffused v ision is the key t o the out-of-body experience . A t
some point , we will open o u r eyes , diffuse our vision, a n d find
that looking down we have no l egs , no body, no arms. This wil l
most certainly h appen to u s i f we pursue this seriously .
Strange things are going to start h appen ing.
E.J. Gold, Out of Body, 1 1 -1 8-90,
Pastel on Sennelier, lO"x13".
Out
109
ofBody
As we b e gin to provoke certain states and certain visio n s ,
r e a l phenomena will b egin to occu r , a l s o h al l u cin atory fal s e
phenomena w i l l b e generate d . Do not discou n t everything j ust
because there i s a lot of fal s e p henomena. Some things are
gen u ine .
When
this
m aterial
is
running
wel l
an d
the
fal s e
phenomena h a v e dropped away leaving what i s genuine , we
are read y to work i n the more dangerou s domain s .
Right now , what w e are doing i s safe , but at some point w e
will h ave to l e ave the safety o f the island and l aunch out to
more d angero u s re alms . Not now , and not u ntil we are very
skille d .
'
W e W a n t the mach in e to become compl etely relaxe d .
During th is experiment, w e must not allow move ment to
co ntinue
in the m achine , except for the nec e s s ary life - support
system s of h e artbeat and resp iration .
We do n ot wish to allow movement or anyth in g e l se which
will bring our awareness b ack to the mach ine ' s sensation s . We
want to lose the sensation of being in the machin e .
Once we h ave been able t o bring t h e mach in e t o stillness
and s ilence , we will b e able to use a very ancient trick to
experience ourselves as someth ing wh ich is very definitely
sep arate from the m achine and which has its life ap art from
and far beyond the life of the machin e .
S e ating ourselves before a full-length m i rr o r , with al l
electrical lights and appl iances turned off and a d ark candle
the sight of the can d l e
because we w ant no distraction s from
itself-b urning off to one side , b eh in d t h e b ack or
in
front o n
the floor-whichever works be st-we s h o u l d follow t h i s a s if it
were expre s s ing thoughts in our own mind :
"I
want to get the idea that wh at
I
refl ect ion , b ut the machine its elf, th at
mere
refle ction
suspended
in
of
the
m i d air
machine ,
or
through
see b efore me is not a
I
am a nothingnes s , a
viewing
a
the
machine
doorway
between
dimensio n s .
"I
m u s t convince myself that I a m not in the m achine, th at
I am viewing the m achine from
outside .
J 10
The Human Biological Machine a s a Transformationa lApparatus
" I remember having been
in the machine , but now
I am
looking at it from outside, and it looks very strange to me
very peculiar. It i s not at all what I thought i t was when I w as
in
it .
" I m u st not allow my penetrating gaze to wander fro m the
sight of the machine for a single in stan t ; I immerse myself in
the feeling of mild s u rprise that
I was able to leave th e
mach ine so easily, and that becau se I am fin ally free from the
mach in e ' s own view of itse lf, I see my l ife in the m achine very
differe ntly than I did when I was inside it .
" I very qu ickly realize that none of this is imaginary , that
really am outside the machine , looking at wh at
I
I always
considered to be m yself.
" I sn ' t it odd what a different view of myself " ! have , now
that I am outside the machine?
" When I was inside it , I thought of myself as looking quite
different. But, now that I am outside , I see the machine totall y
obj ectively , as others wo uld s e e t h e machine.
" Is n ' t it strange to b e looking into m y own eyes , studying
my own face ? Th e brain i s still in there , working away , j ust
thinking ab out its own thoughts , and thinking about its own
feeling s . Isn 't it refre shing to have left that b ehind?
"I h ave p arked the body , gotten outside of it . This is a
unique opportu nity to study it objectively from o ut side. What
size does it seem to b e ? Wh at is it feeling ?
" I wonder what sensations are coursing th rough it right
now . . . what fe elings are reverberating through it ? As
I study
the machin e , I fe el some compassion for it , b ecause it i s
mortal , i t w ill someday die .
" I know that it has pain , it has its own thought s , it h as its
own hopes an d fears ; it has sadne ss, happiness, and sicknes s .
" I know that i t h a s these things because I have shared
them with the machine for a very long time now.
" Th e machine taught me all about these things . It h as
taught me pleasure and pain; from the machine I h ave learned
to pursue the future, to hope for things to come , to long for the
past, to put m y faith in activitie s , idea s , and feelings .
Out ofBody
111
" The m achine looks rather strange and empty without me
inside it . It seems to h ave a life of its own . Its breathing and
heartbeat go on as usual . It could easily go about its business
without me, and no one would ever b e the wiser, no one would
ever need to know that I was not inside the machine , if I
decided not to return to it.
" W h at difference
if l did or didn 't go back in
there, since I have
thou ghts , feelings , or
sensations of the
" And not
provide all its own
al so makes its own
thoughts , feelings
decisions . How
m achine th at just does
everything itselfl
" Really I am very l u cky, because I need not concern myself
with the business of the m ach in e . My interference is
unnecessary . It i s an automatic machine .
" I wonder what it is thinking now . . . Let me take stock of
what I see , starting with the apparent size of the object. W h at
size is it , actu ally ? When viewed from outside, not in relation
to any of its
have any p articul ar
size .
" It seems
, just a m ach i n e ,
somethin g c arved
energy sculpture . . . a
solid m athematical
"Just a n empty
not seem capable of
anything . It seems absurd to think of it as anything that can
have thoughts and feelings.
" I suddenly realiz e how these thought-patterns I am
h aving now are a result of having been i mmersed in the sleep
of the mach ine , how much I have been conditioned to think
and feel l ik e the machin e .
" Looking a t t h e machine from o u t here , I c a n s e e that i t
does n o t h ave much
did have much time
from the beginning.
not to be stuck in
there any more ,
"The m achin e
and conditioned by
l ife t o remain
a transformational
it to overcome al l
apparatus . If I return
112
sorts of social taboos and psychological fears which it has
accepte d and which were intended to keep t h e machine in
sleep .
" Th e m achine looks as if it has suffered a great deal , and
has spent a lot of time doing things that it didn ' t l ik e , and that
were u n comfortab l e .
" I h ave t h e feeling that t h i s is someth ing l i k e w h at I will
experience when the machine die s ; I ' ll t u rn arou n d and look at
the dead m achine , and this is more or less wh at it will look
like .
" I know th at if I cannot get the machine to fun ction as a
transformational app arat u s , I will be drawn into it again . . .
" I know that if everything continues the way it is going
now , my tendency will b e to return to it , and at the moment of
its deat h , I will probably w ant to return to its moment of birth ,
staying in it again all the way through its l ife from b irth to
death . . .
" From this vantage point, the machine ap pe ars extremel y
simple , yet ridiculously sophisticated an d complicat e d , and
then the vision change s .
" From here ,
I can see some unexpected things th at I never
thought I wou ld look at or consider .
" If I can stay out of the machine a littl e longer, the
reverb er ations ,
thought s ,
feelings
an d
s e n s ations
of the
machine will surely die away .
" I fin d myself looking at it as if I were view ing some al ien
thing, b ut ,
I
suppose b ecause I h ave j u st gott e n out of it and
started looking at
it , I continue to think like th e machine , feel
like t h e machin e , h ave sensations l ike the m achine, beliefs like
the mach i n e , and attitu de s l ike the machine .
" At times I fe el as if I will want to return to its l ife , or that
even if I want to remain outside it or go elsewh ere, I m i ght be
drawn b ack into it by sheer force of h abit and mutual e l e ctrical
attraction .
" Wh e n I first saw the machine from out here, I felt an
incredib l e love and compas sion toward it , but now that I h ave
been out of it for a whi l e , I feel ab solutely e motionless about
this empty shell, this thing , sitting there in fron t of me . . . no
co mp ass ion or love toward it, at least in the ordinary way .
113
Out ofBody
" I feel love but not as the machine knows it . . . i mpartial
love , love without sensation , love withou t an obj ect.
" As I take stock of the situation, I notice that there is a
subtle difference in my focus, my outlook . . because I am
temporarily free from the life of the m achine, I am aware of a
different dimension outside my usual perception , even though
the
what I see i s more
"I must t ry to
all this is i n the
diffusion of my
means to achieve
the annih ilation of
which produces
of volume, dept h ,
the halluci natory
and distance .
I want t o achieve
vision which comes
when I allow the vision to relax, not tryin g to look at anything
sp ecific. I w ant to open my vision as wide as p ossible but not
focused on anyt hing in particular.
" Now I am starting a phase, in which I begin p roj ectin g an
intense feeling of adoration for the machine which I see b efore
me as I float free in space .
m achi n e , th at i t is
" It i s h ard t o
own , unless I give
entirely mechanical ,
it l ife, bring i t t o
" This is n atural
adoration t oward
the machine, and
life , it will return
the adoratio n , w hich
to myself, add to
it and send some m o r e Bring it b ack , add to it and send it
agai n , wave after wave of adoration .
" I a m both the giver and the receiver . Th e giving is the
getting. What goes aroun d comes aroun d . The machine can
only return adoration as it receives adoration, and as I receive
it , I add to it.
" Adoration of the machine gives it life , like touching
heart, a low voltage
more adoration . I
ever-increasing waves,
pour adoration
crescendo . . .
building slowly to
.
"
.
"
The Chronic Defense
Mechanism
Because of i ts fear
state , the machine
waking
state .
mechanism calle d
the machine is UU""RtP.1rIP.d
reintegrate the sleeping
itself against the
particular
d efense
triggered off whenever
The m achine ' s chronic is another name for the mach i ne ' s
defense mechanism , which acts a s a w ar ning that the m achine
is n c ar or abou t to enter the waking state and at the s ame
time , defends the machine against the waking state.
Suppose we see that anger i s our typical state . We coul d
deduce from this th at a nger may be our m achi n e ' s defense
mechan ism against
W e would soon
mechanism wh ich we
call the chronic
but only when
the machine ' s
m aintain s its
precarious balance�is
waki n g state .
,
E.]. Gold, Defense de Furner,
2-27-91 " Pastel on Sennelier, lO"x1 3".
The Chronic Defense Mechan ism
1 15
Th e n e arer the waking state , the more profound the
manife stations produced by t h e defense mech a n i s m . Th e n ,
when t h e w aking state no longer threatens , t h e defense
mechanism tends to subside.
A s t h e waking state is approached more closely,
the
chronic w ill manifest itself more and more dramat ically .
The b arrier b etween the sleeping state and the w aking
state is m aintained by the chronic . We actually are quite
frequently n e ar the w aking stat e , often b umping i nto the
waking state without act u ally crossing over the l i n e .
In fact , a s childre n , most of u s were in the w ak in g s t at e
most of the t i m e ; t h at i s , b efore the chronic was develo ped b y
t h e m achi n e to defe n d itself against the wakin g s t at e so t h at
it would be abl e to function acceptably in a social and c ultural
context .
S ocial , economic and cultural function ings are governed b y
the sleeping state . If things were otherwise, the elements o f
social existence would not b e important .
The machine develops the chronic in the first place
becau s e if the machine were to fall into the waking state and
remain in the w aking state , the event s of daily life would take
on little or no m e aning .
We would find ourselves in the midst of a v as t , b izarre an d
extremely h il ariou s comed y . The cultural imperatives would
seem extremely funny,
and
we would
view t h e
social
necessities a s m e aningless and ironically zany .
The test of t h i s idea can be proven b y the fact t h at those
who are abl e to enter the w aking state often do so w ith p eals
of helpless mirt h .
I f we examine t h e laughter and t h e p urpose of the laughter
as rej ection of paradox, we will see that it generally indicat e s
that we h av e t a k e n a l o o k at the sleeping state and fi n d the
pursuits of t h e sleeping state unimportant and even totally
nonexistent i n relation to the raw reality of the waking stat e .
In recognition o f this, t h e m achine h a s developed a n
automatic defense mechanism against the waking state ,
which often takes the form of some chronic negative e motion
such
as
anger ,
s arcasm ,
cynicis m ,
self- isolation ,
fea r ,
116
paranoia, hysteria , resentment, envy, pettiness, jealousy,
vengefulness, greed, p iety , boredo m , grief, loneliness ,
anxiety , helplessnes s , stupidity , h atred , compulsivenes s , and
so on , so th at it can continu e to function with sign ificance and
importance according to the expectations of others .
When we view the m achine as something which is actually
functioning correctly in the sleeping state, as far as its s u rvival
in the ordinary sense is concerne d , w e will h ave compassion ,
recogn izing the wisdom of the machine in its development of
the chronic as a d efense mechanism against the waking state
so that it can m aintain the sleeping state and therefore
function properly from the cultural view .
If we want to discover our chronic, all we have to do is go
into horizontal sleep and h ave somebody shake us awake in the
wee hours of the night or sometime in the pre - d awn and
observe our first reactio n . That will be our chronic .
Th e m achine does n ' t want to enter the w aking state . It
knows instinctively th at it will h ave a difficult time
reas sembling the sleeping state and resu m ing its social
functions . At the s ame time , it' s j u st like a child who at first
won ' t go into the b athtub , then after playing in t he tub a while ,
doesn ' t want to get out .
The machine doesn't want to enter th e waking state; it
resists it right u p to the l ast moment . But once it' s in th e
waking state , it can ' t imagine what it was ever doing i n the
sleeping state , why it preferred the sleeping state , why it
developed a defense mechanism against this wonderful
waking state, and may even wish never to return to the
sleeping state again .
But when it has returned once again to the sleeping state it
can ' t i m agine what it ever saw in the waking state , and it
wants to stay where it is now just as powerfully as it wanted to
remain in the w aking state a few moments or hours ago .
The m achine n aturally tends toward h omeostasis-the
impulse to remain where it is and to stabilize the existing
condition .
The Chronic Defense Mechanism
117
The machine ' s ultimate goal is to achieve t h e steady state
and remain there without change from then on, forever, if
possib l e . An u ndisturbed and unchanging routine in which
nothing new is ever introduced, is the m achine ' s idea of
Heave n .
From our previous studies of the m ach ine in the waking
state, we realize that in the waking state the mach ine no
longer has will , in the sense that it no longer has the force to
enforce its own patterns of behavior and d irection, because the
machin e ' s will depends upon the motor centrum which
functions w it h the force of negative e motio n , and n egative
emotion cannot exist in the waking state .
In the waking state , the machine i s in the same condition it
would be in if it w ere h ypnotized, which is to say, devoid of
m ach ine imperatives and the force necessary to impose them.
Ordin arily , the m ach ine in its early experiences in the
waking state tends to just sit or stand quietl y and d o nothing,
or p ace n ervously up and down or back and forth , or slump
over in the " p it y-me- slouch " , depending on its tendencies.
I n most peop l e , the defense mech anism developed very
strongly at about five years , b efore which it did not appear .
, Once t h e defense mechanism i s firmly established, w e can
become automatically fun ctioning members of our sophisti
cated trib al culture ; true adults in the most poign ant sense of
the wor d .
The defense mechanism w a s allowed to develop in the
machin e , but why? Only because somebody we implicitl y
trusted encouraged u s to develop t h e defense mechanism
against the waking state and to grow up-in a particular way
to adopt certain h ab its and make behavior modifications and
so fort h .
Tru sted individuals in o u r life-parents, teachers, peers ,
uncles and aunts and others who were clo s e to us-gave u s , in
fact, almost all those conditioning impulses-control
commands-which form the defe nse mechanism.
It i s this conditioning and the necess ity for a completely
automatic operation of the machine which produced the need
for the sleeping state .
1 18
The Humatl
TransJormationalApparatus
Th e defens e mechanism was developed by the m ach ine to
k eep the s l eep i ng state in place, and eventually the sleeping
state took t h e form of the defense mechanism, which further
auto m atized the effect
The defe ns e mechanism manife sts in behavio r , in po sture,
in expressio n , and even in goals and purposes.
Because we
did not resist the
inhibitio n s and
and even obviously
mechanical go al s ,
wh ich they imposed
upon us in mu ch
woul d typically be
victimized by a
close member of the
family , but i n
molestation i s on a
psychoemotio n a\ , and not a physical level , the dam age is no
less severe .
Th i s con ditio ning m ight h ave been imposed in a variety of
ways ; for in st ance , we m ight see uncle Arnold i n a vivid
demonstratio n of reflexive ang e r which seem s to have an
effect . Th i s anger reflex might eventually b ecom e the deep
core around wh ich the defense mechanism would b e formed.
Th e defen se
of fun ctions i n our
relations with
and without it we
would fin d OU rselves �V" H !J'� Vu'
life
A s we d i s cover ed
nonfunctional i n the
wakin g stat e , w e
allowed the m achine to
assume thos e social and cultural fun ctionings which we found
impossible or m eaningless in the wakin g state .
Th is take over of the machine would typically be completed
by the age of about five years , and a second level of
conditioning would occur once more at about eleven years.
But w h at h appens to the defense mechanism once the
m ach i n e i s i n the
state ? The m achine only d e fends
itself against t h e
the sleeping state .
No point clos ing
h orse is stolen .
A g ain , re mem ber
defends itself against
the waking st ate
brief respite of the
waking state ,
restru cture the functional
sleeping state .
.
.
119
When we can assure ourselves that we can re-enter the
sleeping state whenever we wish , we will be far less reluctant
to leave the sleeping state and enter the waking state . If we
have the key for reintegration of the sleeping state , we also
have the key to achieving the waking state .
In a sense, the intentional disintegration and reintegration
of the sleeping state is the key to the waking state . When we
are able to freely leave the sleeping state , enter the waking
state and then leav e the waking state and reenter the sleeping
state, the m achine will no longer fear the waking state , and th e
defense mechanism will slowly disarm itself, almost effort
lessly .
Th is idea and its resulting methods have fou n d expression
in many teach ings , from the shamanism of the Aurignacian
Period to Tibetan B uddhism and Western monasticism.
Th e m achine m u st be able to view the waking state without
fear-the fear that it might be trapped in the waking state
forever.
We can use the sleeping state to learn to solve the
problems of the waking state, and to prep are ourselves to
accomplish the Work, which is what we call that which is of
real value from the viewpoint of the waking stat e , h o ping to
someday enter the permanent waking stat e .
Th e sleeping state h as i t s definite val u e . After all , had w e
remained forever i n t h e waking state, w e c o u l d never h ave had
the necessity for a schoo l , because we wou l d not be suffering
in the sleeping state-which , after all , is our real motivation
for seeking a school in the first place .
The poi nt is t h at without special work on ourselves i n the
sleeping state , we cannot remain in the waking state for very
long . Eventually we descend into the sleeping stat e , and
unless we h av e found a school in the l ower dimension s , we
h ave no way of knowing that the method by which we can learn
to tolerate and fun ction in the waking state is hidden i n the
sleeping state in the same way that a pearl is h idden in an
oyster.
Ironically , the key to awakening is actually hidden in the
sleeping state .
120
The determined-and successful-pursuit of the waking
state eventually and inevitably act ivates the chronic, making
someone who is working on himself about as pleasant to live
with as an angry camel.
Naturally the machine avoids the waking state because it
dreads having to put the meaning of its ordinary existence
back together again. The sleeping state has to be
reconstructed each time from the waking state. It is all
shattered and fragmented into what the Buddhists call
skandas , which is to say , its primary components.
This is what the mysterious Bardo Thadal is all about: the
maintenance of the waking state by the intentional and
knowing reintegration of the primary components of the
sleeping state.
Using special techniques, these can be made to
periodically shatter just so they can be intentionally
reconstructed-in the process of rebirth. We can learn to take
oursel ves apart and put ourselves together again, l ike
Dodgson' s Rosicrucian mYth of Humpty D umpty.
The machine wishes to avoid the fragmentation, the loss of
face of the waking state, because to the machine the waking
state is like death.
Ritual and some forms of theatre, particularly mime, can
actually help us to produce good habits of intentional
reintegration of the sleeping state.
Only then, when we know how to consciously produce the
sleeping state, will the machine no longer fear the waking
state.
The essential self, of course, does not fear the waking
state; it prefers it, while the machine will do anything it can to
avoid it, fighting tooth and nail, clutching and grasping at
every lamppost and doorjam that happens to present itself on
the way to the waking state, like James Cagney as the b ig-shot
no longer wisecracking gangster who falls into total hysteria as
he' s being dragged down the corridor of Death Row toward the
green door.
Then once in the waking state, it will relax, and all the piss
and-vinegar will go out of the machine.
121
Although the chronic al so s erves the sleeping state , the
whole of t h e s l e eping state with all its activitie s , attitu d e s and
aim s , also serves to reinforce th e c h ron i c .
The
m ai n tenance
o f the
sleeping
state
is
the
most
important goal o r p u rpose of the m achine until it comes to a
school , if. indeed . it ever does.
If we ask anyone on the street , " Wh at i s t h e p urpose of
your existence ? " , they will give an answer wh ich tran slates
roug hly to. " My whole purpose i n existing i s to maintain the
sleeping state of the m achine . "
Anot h e r name for the chronic d efen s e mech an i s m i s Chief
Weaknes s , but never mind what name we give it ; it all boils
down to how the machine defends its elf against the waking
state .
In the w ak i n g state , all the e l e ments of s l e e p , all those
things which make u s suffe r under their dominant force .
will
be ab s ent .
The chronic and everything t h at serves the chronic w il l b e
absent . T h i s s h o u l d give us the clue that
th e chronic - and
everything which serves the chronic - actually forms th e
sleeping state.
U n l i k e hypnotism , in the n atu ral wak i n g state there is no
external source of will and therefo r e . when the machine enters
the wak i n g s t at e , i t tends to come to a grinding h al t , because
there ' s n o one out t here to teU it what to do , and n o h i nt fro m
inside , eith e r .
At t h i s p o in t . t h e machine is in dan ger of b e i n g conditioned
by an exte r n al sou rce of wil l . There h ave been political and
rel igious systems which took advantage of the fact t h at
external will can be imposed upon a m achine which has b e e n
brou ght i n t o a temporary wakin g s t ate t h r o u g h s h oc k and
strong emotio n , i n the same way that a hypnotist can impose
h i s o r h e r w il l , except t h at i n the c ase of t h e h y pnotist , the
waking s t ate also w a s imposed fro m outside .
Even though t h i s idea may not b e u nderstood i n s o many
words b y pol itic i an s , an d the t echnical d etails were never
122
The Human Biological Machine as a Transformat ional Apparatus
actually discovered, the practical aspects w ere understood
sufficiently to produce definite effects in Nazi Germany and in
the prisoner-of-war camps of North Korea .
The point is that, if an ordinary hypnotist can bring the
machine into a waking state and then impose external will
upon it, there must also be a way of forcefully preventing the
chronic defense mechanism from activating.
The waking state and the hypnotic state are related-the
only serious difference is that in the waking state there is no
hypnotist , but in both cases, the methods of bringing the
machine into the waking state are more or less the same .
Almost every method of producing the waking state takes
advantage of the fact that it is possible to use artificial m e ans
to prevent the machine from using the chronic to defend itself
against the waking state.
This effect can also be produced with psychoactive
substances, but although the defense mechanism is effectively
disarmed by drugs, the waking state is severely impaired.
But in any case , whether through hypnosis or self
produced efforts, we cannot successfu lly bring the machine
into the waking state until the machine is absolutely convinced
of its ability to reconstruct the sleeping state .
Part of a school ' s discipline is to learn several exact
methods of reconstructing the sleeping state from the
viewpoint of the waking state.
With the key to the sleeping state , we have eliminated the
machine' s primary objection to the waking state.
We can categorize people into definite typicalities
according to their chronic. In t his school, we happen to
separate them into eighteen distinct categories, but we could
just as easily decide upon any number of categories which
make sense to us and prove to be a workable shorthand system
of viewing the various defense mechanisms.
E.J. Gold, Seduction, 3-3-9 1 ,
Pastel o n Sennelier, 1 0"x13".
CHAPTER 20
The Electrical Affmity
of the Essential Self
and the Machine ·
The relationship between the essential self and the machine Is
based on a seduction, an aftlnlty--electrlcal In nature
between
their
electrical
fields.
Evolution
thus
means
transformation of the electrical field of the essential self In
such a way as to free it from this aftlnlty.
Once t h e e s s e ntial s elf' s attenti o n can be focused solidly o n
an electrically charged anomaly i n t h e m ach i ne ' s electrical
field , the attention of the essential
self is
s ufficient to
discharge the d istortion an d return that portion of the field to
normal .
When the e s s e ntial self b e comes aware of-and p roperly
identifies-the
field
d istortio n ,
the
attention
n aturall y
desce n d s upon it .
Thi s is an i m portant idea b ecau se t h e atte n tion of the
essential s elf i s a low-grade cleansing radi ation s imilar to that
encountered i n the waking state which h as the effect of
t emporarily d i s arming the chronic and at the same time,
stimulating
m achi n e .
the
waking
state
by
reflex-response
in
the
124
The Human Biological Machine as a Transformational Apparatu s
It is not necessary for us to know exactly what distortion is
being corrected by this cleansing radiation of the force of
attentio n .
W e may or may not h ave a name for t h e distortion, see any
significance in it, or visualize pictures associated with it, but
when the full attention of the essential self is directed u pon it ,
the field d istortion will dissolve . U sually, however, we will
envision some sort of mental and emotional p ictures and
moods associated with the distortion .
These mental associations are called significance ; they are
not the charge itself. Th e charge is not stored mentall y . It is a
direct functional impin gement upon the electrical fi el d .
Mental pictures are j u st a filing syste m , a way of assigning
some graspable meaning to simple electrical potential so that
the mental apparatus can keep track of the machin e ' s field
distortion s in which memory is stored .
If the mental apparatus didn't as sign meaning and
significance to these electrical anomalies, it would h ave no
way of recall ing memory , because without significance, all
field distortions look alike . After all , they' re j ust lumps of
energy in an energy field . . . a slight variation of gray in an
ocean of gray .
Experience itself, especially experience within the space
time m at ri x , is a way of labeling something that is happening
to us o n an electrical- mathematical level . Perceptual
experience and analysis of our experience is j ust one of many
possible ways of sorting it out , l abeling it, and filing it .
Our whole voyage through time and space from b irth to
death and beyond is simply a way of labeling , storing , filing,
and recovering what is h appening to us. It is a way of seeing
what is h appening . We file our electrical experience in
memory by assigning to each e lectrical event a definite,
rememberabl e sUbjective tactile hallucin atio n .
The electrical field o f the machine h a s n o meaning in
itself . . . it ' s j u st a moving, swirling , ever-ch anging pool of
dancing electrons, and things h appen to the electrical field ,
forming electrical eddies , ridges and cataract s .
Electrical Affinity of the Essential Self and the Machine
125
As t h i s h a p p e n s , tactile hallucinations explain w h at is
happening electrical l y . Every event , no matte r how real the
tactile h a l l u ci n ation may seem in the sUbjective sense, i s , in
the physics sense , an e l ectrical event comp letel y devoid of any
obj ective s ignificance .
Every e l e ctrical event h as d ur ation . We can follow the
event b y following the hallucination s which are a s sociated with
it . We mustn ' t trust the hallucin ations to tell u s wh at really
happened ; we m u st trust the raw electric a l m e mory itself,
which w e can fol l ow if w e h ave the training and d i s c iplined
skill to ob serve events
in their pure electrical state .
An event is something which seems to occur on a p h y s ic s
leve l , b u t t h e n when we e xamine it more closely , we see th at it
was act u ally o n a mathematical level .
We can fol l ow t h e exponential c u rve of t h e m athematical
equation which represents the effect o n the electrical field
which we call t h e h uman biological mach ine , w hich h a s h a d
a
furthe r effect by producing h allucinatio n s , t h e significance of
which form the subj ective res u l t which
we
call
personal
experience.
On .the experi ential level , we see and s e n s e a v ariety of
mental pictures , we seem to have significance fOf t h e m , and
we seem to h av e very real and very profo u n d l y convincing
sensation s wh ich are associated with the physical event . The
event then is stored electrical l y , a n d the tactile h al l u cinations
which w e a s sociat e with it are als o stored .
If w e dwell on t h e hal l u c i n ations
and the
s ubjective
significance of these hallucinations-what happened or w h at
seems to h ave h appened-the hall ucination m a y d i m i n i s h or
seem to h ave l e s s force , b ut the field distortion w il l t e n d to
persist .
We are not really interest e d i n the tactil e h allucinations
associated with field distortio n s . We use them simply as a w ay
of keeping track of w h ich field d istortions we are d e aling w it h
at the momen t .
Field distortip n s produce stres s i n t h e fi e l d , w h ich in tum
cau ses pain w h e n we try to address the d istortion agai n . We
can rel e a s e the stress with the cle ansi n g radiation of attention.
126
The Human Biological Machine as a Transformational A pparatus
thus blowin g away the electrical potential wh ich is stored there
and which m akes the electrical impaction that causes the field
distortion .
Fiel d distortion is produced by the impingement of other
electrical events which occurred in the past and which ,
because they seem similar , are brought into the event for
comparison .
These other, seemingly similar events , are brought in by
sugge stion . Suggestibility takes on a very d ifferent mean ing if
we consider that suggestibility is what convinces u s to bring
something from the past into a present event to comp are the
present event with the past event because they seem similar .
For in stance , this event may remind me of e i ght hundred
and ten seemingly simil ar events-all t rying to occupy this
same moment at the same time !
We all know that two or more things cannot occupy the
same space at the same time , and that if they did this would
te nd to crowd them beyond the tolerance limits of local space
and tim e , which produces what physicists and engineers call
tweak , another name for field-stress .
If we removed all the earlier seemingly similar e vents from
the present event , there would b e , in fact , no field-stress or
distortion , because all the stress in the event is caused solely
by the impingement of other events all trying to occupy the
same space at the same time .
The event itself does not contain stress unless other events
are brough t into it . Even a very profound event , such as the
electrical field of a baseball b at entering the electrical field of
the machine with a great deal of i mpact and force would not in
and of itself produce stress on the event , but because
impingement is b rought into the event , there is an overload,
producing a reflex state of sleep which is commonly c alled
unconsciou sness .
In our beginning work, we are learning to bring the
m achine into the waking state, and at the same time, to
remove sleep an d the effects of the sleeping state from the
entire l ifetime .
Electrical Affinity o/the Essential Self and the Machine
127
We w il l do this in a variety of way s . First, we will remove
the present sleeping state , and in the course of events , start
removing past sleeping states .
We will begin the repair of the past, going much further
than j ust the l ife of the machine. We will start repairing the
electrical fiel d of the essential self which goes back a very long
way-farth er b ack even than the time - space contin u u m .
Everything is an electrical fiel d ; everything is made of
electricity. The electrical field of the es sential self and of the
machine impinge one upon the other. Both of these are within
a larger electrical field called biological life , itself with in a
larger electrical field called the time-space contin u u m , w hich
exists within a still larger field which is so far b eyond electrical
events that it exists only as a pure , extremely complex
mathematical equation b u ilt out of very simple units or
building b locks which in their raw native state are total ly
undifferentiated, forming a more or less endless ocean of light
in infinite extension .
The equ ation which is the primal but totally p otential cau s e
o f a l l phenomena i s h e l d i n place by sheer force of will , and is
shattered intentionally by smaller sub-equ ations, expressed as
soun d , which causes the l ight to devolve into electrical
phenomena. We will talk about this in detail l ater on.
The e s sential self exists within and slightly o utside the
electrical field of the machine. It interpenetrates the electrical
field of the machine. Each interpenetrates the othe r, and they
affect one another. Each borrows from the other.
The electrical field of the essential self tends to seek a
certain electrical field for which it has affin ity called the field
affinity.
The essential self tends to gravitate toward that machine
for which it has the most affinity, and thus tends to repeat the
same experiential lifetime . It is as if it falls toward the hole
that it fits exactly , l ike a key which falls into the lock.
Even when the m achine is in the waking stat e , this affinity
continues . Only by actually changing the el ectrical field
through the process of transformation c an w e change our
destin y , or karma -by which is meant our tende ncy to fal l into
that particular field for which we h av e the most affinity .
128
Eventu ally, as transformation occur s , the elect rical field of
the e s sential self change s . This modification of t h e electrical
fiel d of the e s s e ntial self which free s it from the affinity
attract ion
to
the
machine
is
the
specifi c
and
technical
defin ition of the word transformation.
Specific ch ange s in the electrical fie ld of the e s sential self,
m ade with ex act knowle d g e , free it from the affin ity factors by
which it is drawn into involvement with lower electrical fields
in the lower dimension s .
As the ele ctrical field of the es sential self i s change d ,
transformed ,
it
loses
affinity
for
the
corre sponding negative el ectrical fie l d ,
mach i n e ,
for
its
and for the lower
dimensions in general .
If we h av e made the correct mod ifications in the electrical
field of the essential self, it begins to seek the stati c potential
of the higher-dimensional fiel d .
No m atter what changes w e m ake i n the machine as a
tran sformational
app aratus ,
its
field will
still
remain
an
affin ity- attraction for something. It h as a specific v alence in
the ch emical - electrical sense.
Chem ical valence is noth ing new or mysteriou s . It is u sed
in chemi stry to ind icate the n u mber of electrons which form an
electrical hole into which a po s itively charged p article will
want
to
faI l-want
to ,
in
the
math e m atical
se nse
of
inevit ab ility -by- probability .
A positively ch arged convex p article ' wants ' to be attracte d
into a n egative
pocket-what
could
be
called
a concave
electrical hole i n the general field.
Th is i s sex in the h ighest mathe m atical abstract , being
drawn into intimacy and involve ment b ecause two fields j u st
h appen to b e m atch e d positive to negative , convex to concave .
Several things are operating here : similarity of p icture ,
similar ity of emotional
content or emotional
sign ificance ,
similarity of intell ectual or mental s ignific ance , simil arity b y
particul arity-in t h e sense o f a seemingly s imilar smell , sight,
or color-a p erceptu al simil arity .
Th en there is simil arity by charg e , by whole ch ain s of
ch arge
going
b ack
for
ye ars ,
ev e n
centurie s
and
ElectricalAffinity of the Essential Selfand the Machine
129
more . . . seeming similarity by shape , content and intensity of
an electrical anomaly . The brain sees by co mpariso n , learns by
com p ariso n , and orients itself by comp arison .
We are suggestible in the sense that one thing which
seems similar to something else suggests that we include both
in a fusion of synthesis, and categorize them togeth er to save
storage space in the memory sectors .
We don 't think about this automatic comparative proce s s ;
i t doe s n ' t happen with our awarenes s . I t i s not an intellectual
process which occur s .
The similarity is suggested s o rapidly that without our
perceptual awareness , millions or billions or even trillions of
similar events c an get pulled into impingement, causing a
permanent distortion of that electrical event. Permanent, th at
is , unless we h av e a way of going back to it and clearing it
away .
This can happen dozens, or h undreds , or eve n thousan d s of
times in one single event . B ursts of impingement are brought
in by s uggestio n . That suggestion is el ectrical in nature . And
the suggestion is in a perceptual suggestion ; it is so rapid that
it h appens far below our level of awareness .
W e may know something happened. W e m ay fee l the
effect of the fiel d distort io n , b ut we don ' t know spe cifically
what happened until we look at the event , examine it , magnify
it and start combing it electrically for charge. Then we can see
what we did, what we unconsciously brought i n on o u rselves
by suggestio n .
W e w i l l fi n d th at not only did the m achine b ring its own
comparatives in, but it borrowed from the essential seI r s
electrical field; i t tappeq its o wn storage bank, a n d then, not
satisfied w ith that , it tapped the storage s ectors of the
essential self' s electrical field as well , confu sing the issue with
events that happened when the essential self w as n ' t even
vaguely h uman . It is easy to imagine what kind of distortions
that would produce on the machine ' s el ectrical field.
Let ' s call th e essential self 'A' disk. It h as the b asic
programs with which it processes information and with which
it experiences some sort of pas s age th rough the l arger
electrical field which we caIJ the time-space continu u m .
The Human Biological MachilU! as a Transformational Apparat/. s
130
In addition to this, it also has its own m e mory s tored as
itself. Th e e s s ential self
is its own s elf- memory in t h e sense
that m e mory is stored electrically in a specific shap e , in this
ca se , expre s sed as an individu u m , h avin g self- knowledge and
a sense of p erson al existence , and occupying a definite place
in the m ath e m atical equation which contai n s all subsets and
variab l e s , of which the e s sential self h appe n s to b e a part .
Memory of specific events are act ually dis tortion s wit h in
the field . We don ' t want to erase the entire memory but
instead clear the impinge ments which have caused matrix
distortio n s ,
p atterns wh ich make
some
p art s of memory
in accessible and even painfu l .
We w ant t o rehabil itate t h e memory because b ugs h ave
crept into the ' A' disk, into the essential self' s memory s ectors
as a result of its
encounters w ith vario u s
external
field
d i stortio n s produ cing internal feld distortio n s .
What would we call it wh en something starts to h appen ,
when me mory starts to fai l ? Bad s e ctors ? System cras h ? Some
peopl e ' s experience of themselves can b e d e scribed as a
system crash .
We can see a system ' s crash when somebody is total ly
caved in . We c an see somebody who has b ad memory sectors ,
areas of their own e lectrical fields which they would rather not
return to , l ook at , or acce s s . Nobody wants to encounter or
re stimu late b ad sectors .
' B ' d i s k is the experiential memory of the machine p l u s
whatever t h e machine h a s borrowed fr o m the essential s elf
and from oth er machines in the way of self-program ming and
con ditioning. If we take the basic program of the ' A ' disk
away , the ' B ' disk is noth ing . It has no being; it has noth ing of
it self.
It b orrows from the ' A' disk, the memory and programs of
the essential self for its very existenc e , for its life , for its s elf
awarene s s . It i s n ' t even self-aware witho ut the ' A ' disk to
impose aware ness upon it .
A machine c annot pos sibly b e self- aware . It borrows its
self- awarene s s from the e s sential self. It i s fil led with the
es sential self.
131
Electrical Affinity of the Essential Selfand the Machine
A n d for t h i s reason , it doesn ' t want the essential self to
ever go away ; when it doe s , it knows t h at it will lose its s e n s e
o f self- awar e n e s s , of fulfillment, of being fu ll w i t h l ife , o f
b e i n g full w ith presence . It doe s n ' t want to l o s e its v i s itor . I t
doesn ' t want it t o go away or t o leave it . Once it h a s b e e n
penetrated it w a n t s to remain penetrated .
S o it h a s the urge t o seduce t h e essential self into itself. I t
seduces
m athe m atically and e l ectrically, and when this
seduction is answered by the essential self. the resulting
compulsive affinity-attraction can be described as a malfunc
tioning of the essential self. indicating the remedy of
transformation.
Th i s force of affi n ity is based not on the associative min d or
the a ssociative e motions , b u t on analogies or s i m i l arities of
wave p atterns of light , sound and e l e ctricity .
Before transformation, the e s sential s elf
likes
biological
affin ity- structures and doesn' t care how t h i s is satisfie d . It
respond s to the machine as the mach i n e i n t u rn respond s t o
stim u l ation of t h e pleasure-cente r .
I d e ntification with the machine satisfies a c e rtain electrical
cravin g , a pleasu re center craving which has become an
aberration of the e ssential self.
The closer the affinity b etween the e s s e ntial self and t h e
mach ine , the m o re t h e craving i s r e d u c e d . . . t h e r e i s les s
interference wave . A beat freq u e n cy oscil l ation i s redu c e d , s o
t h e pain of cravi n g i s di mi ni she d .
Pain c a n express itself as yearning or as a craving . I t
act u ally s e e m s like a craving for a certain kind of pleasure or
fulfil l ment . b u t actually it is a red uction or a s u b s i ding of the
dissimil arit y ,
t h e field dissonance,
which
is
s atisfied b y
intimacy .
Of course , if the e ssential self h a d not b ee n drawn into t h e
machine , trans formation and evo l u tion wou l d be impo s s ibl e ,
so
alth o u g h it occurred by accident,
serendipito u s ,
a
fort u n ate
accident
we c a n t ake
which
gives
i t as
us
an
opport u n ity we would not have h a d othe rw i s e .
Remember t h at the machine h a s a powerful a n d activ e w ill ,
although it is not real will . The machine ' s will i s mechanical
132
and fixated , and so also the machine ' s attractio n for the
essential self is electrically seductive . B ut the e s s ential self
also h as the capability of using seduction as a too l .
T h e t w o seductions that i t u s e s a r e i t s o n l y rea l ability of
will . These two real p owers-the will of p resence, which
simply means the w ill to be present in the present , and th e will
of attention which means the will to p lace and fix ate the
attention on an obj ect , whether tangible, solid or abstract ,
concentrated or dissipated-are seductive i n the sense that
their application forces the machine to respon d reflexively
with the waking state in much the same way th at the motor
centrum of the m achine would respond to the stimulation of
lovem aking .
The e s sential self can apply stilI another seductive force to
add to the force of these two real powers. This added force is
called adoration. Adoration is the only genuine emotion which
the es sential self h as developed prior to transfor mation .
W ith the p roper training, we can learn to determine
wheth er we h av e successfully activated the will of attentio n ,
will o f presence , or the force o f adoration .
We can see whether the machine is active or p assive, and
whether the essential self is active or p assive in rel ation to the
machine .
We can also determin e the exact degree of i m pingement of
the two fiel ds . The more active the electrical field of the
mach ine , the more we say the sleep state is activ e . The less
active it is, the more the waking state h as been achieved and
the more the essential self s electrical field will be revealed.
Our awareness cannot obtain information on t h e electric al
field and electrical events without associative picture s . We
cannot grasp the field with our ordinary awarene s s , but we are
aware of pictures , feelings, sensations, an d thoughts within
ourselve s , and we do fol low our i nner dialogue in which we
draw constantly ch anging conclusions about everything in our
experience .
ElectricalAffinity of the EssentialSelf and the Machine
133
We are aware of our mental picture s , the s ignificance we
give them , our considerations , our emotions, or at least, of
how the emotions make us feel . We are aware of our
sensations which are produced b y the emotio n s-by their
impingement upon the mental field .
I f we d o h appen to become aware o f o u r o w n electrical
fiel d , we will notice a definite e lectrical flow occurring in a
specific pattern. We m ay think of ourselves in this sense as a
swarm of tiny bees in which each bee seems powerfully
charged with an electrical field of its own .
This is our first intimation of real consciousness. W e have
become aware of ourselves; we have known ourselves for a
moment or two . If we think about it , we realize we are just a n
electrical field within a n electrical field impinging upon an
electrical field for which we h appen to h ave affinity . And what
is the machine in the m athematical sense? A n othingness, a
hole into which we fell and in which we remained and will
remain, because it will never decay naturally and diss ip ate
itself into the larger electrical field of which it is an immortal
part .
It is our opposite number, our soul mat e , our ideal partner ,
and unless we do something abou t it, we h ave gotten together
forever . We h ave fallen into a black h ol e , and until something
seriou sly ch anges, we are going to stay in that black hol e ,
recurring around a n d around its centrum of gravity .
Now what can an electrical fiel d do about this situatio n ?
Transformatio n , we know , reduces t h e affinity b etween t h e
essential s e l f a n d t h e machine. The reduction o f affinity shoul d
therefore only occur after the m achine h a s served its function
as a transformational apparatu s .
I f nothing else happened , t h e machine a n d i t s essential self
would never b e attracted to a schoo l , but under certain
conditio n s , they are attracted by the same force of affin ity
which brought the essential self and the machine together in
the first p l ac e .
A school is n o t j ust a place where people gathe r t o learn
something new with the mental apparatus . A real school is
134
actually
an
anom aly-a
very
unusual
d isplacem ent
of
energy-in the l arger electrical field.
It produces affin ity for the es sential self' s field plus the
machin e ' s fiel d . B y accident or de sign -usually the re sult of
some delib erate i nterfere nce by a me mber of a sch ool during
the early for m ative year s , which could b e only a m o m e ntary
encounter
the
-
combined
field
of the
machine
and
the
essential self develop an affm ity for a school .
The field of the s chool will never ch ange
At a certain
.
point , our affin ity for the school will reduce and we wi1l leave .
Eit h e r the e s sential self has achieved its tran sform ation , in
which case it no lon ger needs a school , or the comb in ed field of
the e s s ential self and the machine return to th e ordin ary state ,
in which case it h a s no more affinity for the school than bill ions
of other s i m il ar fields . It either goes away because it has
evolved , or i t goe s away because it h as devolved .
In this s e n s e we have no more control over our presence in
a school than about our utterly i nvolu ntary presence in the
machine . People who leave a school don ' t reme mber the
school . They don t kno w
'
w hy
they
were there . It
is as if that
part of their m emory was erased . They ret u rn ed to ordinary
life and became ordinary agai n . Their reason for being in th e
school is no longer evident to them .
Tw o things m ay h ave happen e d . The essential self evolved
out of the m ach i n e , a n d , in this cas e , the m achine retu rn s to
ordin ary l ife empty , and has no memory of the school . The
essential selves have succeeded in transformation , but not the
Work ,
leaving them
free
from
the
mach in e ,
which
has
returned to ordinary life .
In a sense , these peop l e are dead , empty . You can see i t in
their eye s . There i s no-one home. The y have little or no
me mory of ever h aving been in a school , an d n o di scernible
purpose for h aving been in a school.
accomplish
wh at
they
set
out to
do ,
Or,
in
they failed to
w h i ch
case
a
degen eration occurs , and the es sential self and the m achine
both return to ordinary l ife ; they will have very good memory
but a sense of failure and anger - self-loat h ing
.
Electrical Affinity
135
Sometimes we m ay see the same model returning with a
different cu stomer. Some empties just hang around the schoo l
for years out of sheer h abit.
In the ordinary world this is very evident in the university
system . People go to college and then j u st remain around the
college by sheer momentum. many years after graduation.
school belongs to the
The memory
essential self. and
rises out of the
machine. the m achine
of actual events
which occurred
although it m ay
quite recall how or
vaguely recall
why-been a part
And of course this h appen s quite n aturally . After all , the
m ach ine has only a machine ' s memory , and it is abl e t o
remember everyth ing very clearly , that is , right u p t o t h e time
it went into the school and then it re me mbers everything
afterwards , but it h as selective amnesia about things that
h appened during its time in a school .
It won ' t h av e a sense of failure , just m il d bewilderment. It
can ' t imagine what
schoo! . This is most
evident in a machine
vacated by the essential
self.
In another case ,
eventually gives up the
struggle , subsides ,
its existence in the
Even though there is
m achine . This is
good memory-an d even fond memory-of the school and the
individual may keep u p his or her relation ship with the schoo l ,
he or she h a s failed a n d is p ainfully aware o f it .
There i s a third case . The essential self has achieved
transformation and entered the Work , in which case, the
mach ine and the e ssential self have become one ; the affinity of
the machine and the essential self h as been eliminated by the
elimination of b oth
p arty which h as a
new affinity for
In this case ,
the Work ; nobody
misses it; the machine
of the m ainstrea m
of life . We remove
a n d statistically
our activities are
and nature does not
respond with its crushing revenge.
The Human
136
Biological Machine as a Transformational Apparatus
If the e s s ential self is tran sformed to the degree that it
enters the Work , the machine and the e s s ential self are one
and
the
s ame-the
two
become
one.
A
secon dary
tran sformation occurs when one enters the Work , in which the
mach i n e is tran sformed as a new kind of transfo rmational
apparatu s .
Th u s , w e see three distinct cases . . . in the first case, a
total failure , a complete crash h as occu rre d ; the m achine
remains as it was and the e s sential self remain s as it was . They
both j u st go away , and i t ' s b ack to business as u s u al .
In
the
second
case ,
the
esse ntial
self
h as
evolved
somewhat , l e aving the e mpty machine to return to its u s ual
ro utine .
The
e s s ential
self
is no longer drawn into that
p art i c u l ar mach i n e , b u t because it is not entirely fre e it is
eventually drawn into something, but something much higher,
in which there m ay or m ay not b e an opportu n ity for fu rther
tran sformatio n .
Sometimes going into a high er dime n s ion c a n b e a dead
end in itself, because from there opportu nities might not
present themselve s .
In t h e third
case ,
a
mutu al
reciprocal
initiation
and
transformation occurs in wh ich the essential self doesn ' t go too
far b eyon d the machine , and the mach ine is brought along in a
mutually s p iral ling reciprocal in itiation toward transformat ion ,
so that for all practical purposes , eventual l y , the two electrical
fields b ecome so similar that there is n o difference b etween
the e s se ntial self and the m achine.
It isn ' t possible to e nter the Work without a m ach ine which
has been tran sformed, and at the s ame time , prep aration for
the Work provides the neces sity for tran sformation an d p l aces
u s in a situation in wh ich transform ation is an inevitab l e
necessity .
Ulti m ately , o u r own es sential annihilation i n th e p roce s s of
tran sformation can be turned back tow ard the machine , all
along the way .
Th is i s refl ecte d in the mystical poetry o f the lover and the
belove d . As each of them takes a step on the ladder, they turn
Electrical Affinity of the Essential Self and the Machine
137
to help the other in a mutual reciprocal proces s of initiatio n .
You help m e , I help you. Th is is expressed in the ancient folk
saying , " one h an d washes the other" .
We can , if we wish , leave the m achine an d enter into a
rel ationship with a much h igher individuum by freeing
ourselves from the seduction of the machine ' s electrical field ,
which would amount t o getting ourselves out of one hole and
into another hol e ; a more pleasant hole, a more exalted hole,
but still a hole.
Th e altern ative to that is to work with what we h ave right
now. W e can use our present situation to prepare for and get
ourselves accepted into the Work .
We may want to give it all up and reach for something
more exalted , b ut there is no guarantee that we w ill get into
the Work with something more exalted any more than we
wou l d with what we h ave now .
The chances are , in fact, far less b ecause we m ay dead end
into a situ ation so exalted and so profoundly u nchangeable
that from it, there is no escape .
Th e b est possible scenario in this event is that the essential
self woul d actually continue to evolve , but there are no
guarantee s ; it might do better or it might do worse than in the
present situatio n . Nothing is certain about this .
W e don ' t know where the better chance for getting into the
Work lie s . In a sense though , we do know what the odds are . If
we make an evolutionary mistake somewhere along the line , if
we forget the needs of the mach ine to evolve with u s , if we
leave the machine behind because we h ave taken two steps on
the ladder instead of one , then we have no choice b ut to seek
someth ing higher, because our relationship with the m achin e
will be automatically s evere d .
We w i l l find ou rselves in a situ ation in which we are forced
to seek a more exalted individuu m w ith which to enter the
Work , and in the meantime, in the h u m an world , we ' l l return
the empty . This shows a clear lack of consideration for our
work partner and indicates an unreadiness to enter the Work
in any c ase .
138
If we b ecome i mpatient with ourselve s , with the mach in e ,
with t h e s it u ation , or with o u r lack o f progre s s , w e m a y de cide
to t ake two rungs at a time even though we are well aware that
the machine can ' t possibly keep up with u s .
O u r first taste o f real freedom can easily seduce u s away
from the concept of divine
slave ry ,
by which I mean an
intentional working partn ership with the machin e .
W e must n o t forget that the machine is an empty hole in
th e electrical fie l d into which we h ave fal len . It is a place we
occu p y , not a thing in it self.
When a machine comes to a schoo l , we have in a sense
moved a hole from its rightful pl ace , its ordinary destiny . We
cou l d easily b ecome so excited about our temporary release
from our ordin ary destiny-and rest assured that it is only
te mporary , a s anctuary provided by the school for the purpose
of giving someone the freedom to work toward preparation for
the Work-that w e ultimately might be tempted to e scape and
so lose our p l ace in the Work , b ecause the life of the machine
is our rightfu l place in the Work if we accept the challenge .
Then we m u st find another potential place in the Work ,
another mach i n e , and hopefully , event ually be attracted to a
school agai n , u n der certain con dition s .
O f course i t may happen th at the new machine never
ach ieves those conditions or a school may not b e available at
that time . There are only so many who can b e in a school at any
given moment . We are under a set of very inflexible and
in exorab le electrical law s in a school .
Attraction
to
a
school
does
not
occur
by
interest ,
information or acciden t , b ut by el ectrical affinity . Without
affin ity for a school , one cannot pos sibly enter a school .
E.}. G old, Eddie Ridges, 2-2-91,
Pastel on Sennelier, lO"x13".
The Restimulation of the
Defense Mechanism
By constantly restimulating areas of cbarge I n t h e electrical
field of the m achine ,
eddies which impinge
its ridges and
the essential
self.
operates and
If we understand how
how it defends the machine
state, then we
can have at least some working idea of what it means to
deliberately stimulate and restimulate the chronic-the
machin e ' s defense mechanism against the waking state.
In order to u nderstand how the chronic is intentionally
restimulated in a school , we must remember very clearly that
the defense m ech anism which we call the chronic is a system
of conditioning which
a m achine -\vhich is in fact a
five-level electrical ficld�in
Th e essential s elf
field-it is an
electrical field . . . an
is oppositely
charged from the machine' s
of which h ave
reciprocal wave form
other .
1 40
The Human B ioiogicai Machine as a Transfonnationai Apparatus
It is also import ant to remember that the machine is not
actu ally a thing or an object, but an absence in the greater
electrical field which we call organic life .
The m achine is a tube-like electrical fiel d which exhibits
very specific v ariations along its length , which we represent to
ourselves as the p rocess of b irth , life and death in organic
m atter. But this i s just a way of explaining to ourselves
something which is happening on an electrical level .
We tend to impose b iological life significance upon
electrical phenomena, but the fact is that we are viewing a
blue-gray electrical field generated by sound-and even that is
just a simple way of looking at it .
The field has no color other than the color we assign to it .
We assign color in the first place because it helps us to
differentiate between the refractive and reflexive index of one
or another sub -field of electrical phenomena .
W e do so b ecause for one reason or another, w e happen to
be able to discern the subtractive effect of an electrical field
upon l ight which happens to fall w ithin the noticeable range of
the electro-magnetic spectrum.
Th e electrical field of the machine exists as a s ingl e event .
It doesn ' t start to exist at conception and end its existence at
the degeneration of the body-either through decomposition
in the ground or through highly accelerated oxidation in a
crematorium-contemporary human b e ings ' answer to real
estate shortages .
The machine exists as a single unit throughout its entire
existence . We tend to view cross-section s of it in a linear w ay ,
which gives t h e distinct impression that the machine begins its
existence at one point and ends its existence at another p oint ,
but act u ally we are looking at it sideways , as if we were
looking at a cross-section of a steel bar.
Suppose we examine the idea of a steel bar which i s five
feet long and one inch thick. We' ll imagine looking at it
broadside in front of us , holding one end with one hand, the
other end w ith the other h and . In this v iew , it looks l ike a
single obj ect with neither b eginning nor end except as it exists
or does n ' t exist.
141
The R estimulation of the Defense Mechanism
Now suppose we turned the bar en d-on and entered it from
one end . In t h i s view , we would see it in cro s s - sectio n , and
imagine t h at w e were able to somehow travel from one end of
the bar to the other end of the bar, and t h at it seemed to us
that
the
sUbj e ctive
impression
of t h i s
pas sage
ch anged
continually i n v e ry subtle w ay s , w hich we might call the
p a s s ag e of t i m e .
It wou l d seem as i f we h a d j u s t begun existing when w e
first entered i t at o n e e n d , a n d t h at we stopped e x i sting when
w e passed out the other e n d .
The machine i s j ust exactly l ike t h at . It i s somet h i n g th at
we are looking at from one end to the other from inside it , one
cross section at a time . W e are travell i n g through it s i deway s .
Th at i s n o t t h e way t h at t h e obj ective time flow happens .
W e are t r avelli n g across time , not through it. W e are t aking a
right angle cros s section t h rough the t i m e flow w h ich we call
sUbj ective t i m e .
Obj ective time is occurring at right angles to t h e time that
we ordinarily seem to perceive . So we might imagine this iron
rod with another iron rod , then another one , and so on , laid
down side b y side , off into the farthest d istance .
Th en we take a cro s s section of one , then the n ext a n d the
n e xt .
I t w o u l d give u s t h e impre s s ion that we were e xperiencing
the same thing over and over agai n , when in fact , we aren ' t .
Although i t i s very similar , the differences are subtle , almost
unnoticeab l e , and the differences don ' t become evident for
millio n s and millions of passes. From one pass to t h e n e xt ,
there doesn ' t appear t o b e much c h an g e .
If t h e
machine were in the waking stat e ,
we
would
experience the entire iron b a r as a wh ole picture and b e g in to
move through time. We would begin t aking forward motion
through time at right angles to the t i me that w e normally
experience .
Momentarily we take a b reathless step out of time and
space-a s p l it-second in the eternal moment-an d it seems as
if everyt h i n g i s standing still , b ecause the movem e nt that w e
ordinarily perceive is movement o f a cros s sect io n . Here ' s t h e
1 42
entire ro d , and we are trave lling sid eways in relation to how
we were j u st trave ll ing before . Nothing is moving , nothing is
happening , there is no time flow .
Somewh ere along the line w e will
re - enter the
s ame
lifet i m e ; we will pick up the scan at the s ame place , except that
we will be maybe three or fou r million iron rods down the l in e ,
but w e won ' t realize it, because each o n e i s exactly t h e same
as the other one except for the fact that it is down the line .
Eve ntually we will be concerned with the actual inner
workings
of the
defense
mechan ism
and
later
on
with
disarming the d efense mechanis m .
W e c o u l d view t h e disarm ing o f t h e defense mech anism a s
dismantling a dangerous a n d vol atile bomb , in which w e must
find a way to slip behind the triggers .
Th e defense mechanism is l ike a bomb that is about to go
off at any given momen t . And what is it exactly th at sets off
the defe n s e mech anism ? The approach-th e thre at-of the
waking stat e , turns on the defense mech an i s m , which then
conveys us s afe ly away from it .
If we were to accidental ly wander into a movie studio or a
m u s ic recording studio, a security guard would come along
and gently guide u s out of the are a .
T h e fu nction o f the defe n se mechanism i s t o convey u s o u t
o f the Forb id de n Zone-the waking stat e . Depending upon
how rapidly we entered this Forb i dden Zon e , the defense
mech anism will be more or less u rgent about con veying us
back to the sleep state .
Th e defense mechanism will be extremely court eous if we
j u st
h appen to wander a little bit toward the waking state . If
we
are
s l eepwalking,
it
is
understandable
that
we
w ill
sometimes drift toward the waking state in s p ite of o urselves .
Th e defense mechanis m in this case i s n ' t very active ; it is
rather cal m and it comes and t ake s u s by the h and , puts an
arm aro u n d our shoulde r , and moves us gently away in a very
cal m orderly fa sh ion from the Forbidden Zon e .
B u t , let ' s s ay that a shock happens to occur a n d we are
su ddenly propelled almost through the forb idden zone into the
waking state .
The R es timu lation of the Defense Mechanism
1 43
We have crossed the neutral zone and we are at this
moment in forb idden territory .
It ' s as if a Russian submarine hap pened to b e fourteen
miles off the Pacific coast . It woul d j u st be waved off, and
nobody would be particularly bothere d . But, let ' s say there
was a Russian sub marine i n the Hudson River. The reaction
would tend to be a l ittle more intense-one might consider for
example a small , tactical thermo- nuclear response over Kiev.
A sudden shock can propel the machine into the waking
state . . . or near the waking state . If that happens , the defense
mechanism will tend to be more severe or more violent. Now
j u st imagine it as a security guar d , and the reaction of a
security gu ard when we wander p ast the fro nt gate of the
Pentagon as opposed to the same security guard' s reaction if
he suddenly found us i n the War Room.
The defense m ech anism could go so far as to produce death
as an answer to the waking state . It is not very likely , b ut it
could . It certainly can produce extrem e n ausea, anxiety ,
severe upset, anger, hysteria, and s o on .
A s soon as we begin dramatizing the defense mechanism ,
the mach ine enters the sleeping state , and once again ,
everything is nice and quiet.
The dramatization will produce the sleeping state in the
mach ine if it has wandered too close to the waking state.
What happens is that electricity courses through ; we can
feel it coursing through us when we get angry and start
dramatizing the anger . If we feel the anger, we will notice a
profou n d electrical effect occurring throughout the machine . It
crackles with el ectricity . At that point, the defense mechanism
has come into p lay and h as t aken the m ach ine away from the
waking state .
It would not do any good to j u st ram our machine i nto the
waking state b ecause the defense mechanism will trigger, the
security guards will come. There i s no way to brazenly walk
into the waking state without attracting the attention of a
security guard-the defense mechanism .
1 44
We h ave got to find a way to get into the waking state
without triggering the defense mechanism, to get past the
security guard . We will do this i n a variety of w ays which we
call the Keys . But eventually we are going to outgrow the use
of Keys. It won ' t b e enough j ust to use the Keys to bypass the
security g u ard.
At some point , we are going to dismantle the defense
mechanism itself, leaving just enough defens e mechanism
that we don ' t wander accidentally from the sleeping state into
the waking state , but if we want to , we can pass the security
guard very easily .
The d efense mechanism is composed of a few hundred
component p arts-not a p articularly complex structure-each
p art of which is made from a very simple component
assembled in much the same way as DNA protein chains . It is
the electrical counterpart to DNA .
Eventually w e will disassemble the defense mechanism
entirely, l ike disassembling a bomb . But before we can
disassemble a time bomb we h ave got to d isassemble or
bypass the triggering mechanism itself. In order to gain access
to the triggering mechanism, we must u s e something akin to
jumper cable s .
After w e dismantle t h e defense mech anism , w e will find
ourselves in a d irect confrontation with a very d ifferent level of
problems and solutions than we' ve been used to. A t first, we
address problems and solutions of the sleeping state and of the
m ach ine and its rel ation ship to its environment.
In the lower levels of this work we will remain occupied
with the machine ' s sleeping state. We can ' t expect anything
other than this personal and environmental pre o ccupat io n in
our p resent condition .
We should not be surprised if we h appen to occasionally
enter the waking state as a result of our beginning work
efforts , b ut at the same time, we shoul d not be surpri sed if a
few moments l ater the sleeping state reasserts itself. This is
completely n at ural in the early stages of work .
Even as we reach higher level s of work , the sleepin g state
will naggingly continue to reassert itself. No need to worry ; in
The Restim u lation of the Defense Mechanism
1 45
fact , we want the sleeping state to work for us. We can u s e
b oth sleeping and waking states equally w e l l for o u r work .
The sleeping state is as valuable to a serious w orker as the
waking state . It has its own uses. So to begin w ith, we are
going to attempt to find a way to deal with problems of the
sleeping state and find solutions to those problems while
allowing the machine to remain n atural and relaxed in the
sleeping state .
Then comes the transition period, after which we enter a
more or less permanent waking state punctuated by sleep and
play , both n ecessary forms of rest and relaxation of the
tensions of the waking state .
Most of the p roblems of the w aking state result from the
inevitable phantom reverberations fro m the sleeping state
which contin u e to persist.
It is behaving as if in the s leeping state, yet it is in the
waking state.
At this p oin t , we now turn b ack to a lower level of work and
review some of the earlier material , but this time we do it in
the waking state . Now the same exercise s that produced
sleeping state p roblems and solutions before , suddenly
produce e ntirely different reactions an d totally different
res ults .
W e are not really going b ack over the s ame thing. We are
doing two different exercises that h ave the same wording, th at
ask u s to addres s the same questions , yet address total ly
different areas.
We will scan to see if the sleeping state still has hook s , to
see if there is anything left on machine levels .
CHAPTER 22
Every Which Way But Up
The quest
IUAU"'.1U
vision of the h igher
may strike
we must understand
of another
without knowing much
would
uu.uCU",jlun
about our certain trsnsJtor:ma
Th e reflex effect u pon the machi n e ,
produced b y t h e not automat ically produced VISion of the
higher dimension , not automatic in the sense t h at a definite
effort is required to produce and maintain thi s vision , will
res ult i n the definite arousing of certain unusual sensations
which should , i n turn , p rovoke the w aking state .
Any shock of a p articular nature will produ c e the waking
stat e ; h owever,
state by itself i s not
yet, at the same time ,
waking
h ig her dimension s .
able to
state in relation to
machine
its transformational
dimensio n s
W ithout
the higher dimension ,
well sit and do nothing, basking in the waking state as with
E.J. Gold, Every Which Way But Up,
3-1 -91 , Pastel on Sennelier, lO"x13".
147
any other momentary sensation of pleasure .
The waking state i nevitably produces the vIsIon of the
higher dimen sion s , although we may not know that this is
what we are looking at . I n turn, the v ision of the higher
dimensions correspondingly produces the waking state . One
does not exist without the other.
B ut at the same tim e , unless we know that we are viewing
the higher dimensions , we cannot fun ction in the h igher
dimensio n s , and will continue to fun ction as if in the lower
dimension and the sleeping state .
Th e waking state is not p articularly difficult to achieve . It is
achieved many times during the course of the average d ay
except th at we don ' t ordinarily have our attention set to catch
those time s . Your machine might even be in the w aking state
at this very moment . Normally the momentum of our prior
activities c arries u s through the waking state and, b efore we
realize it, the waking state is gone.
We need not think of this vision i n the mystical or
shamanistic sense . It' s no more of a mystical vision than what
we see all day every day. What differs is our way of operating
with w h at we see . When we see the higher dimen sions , the
d ifference is i n the detail.
Rather than seeing the brain ' s holographic representation
of the worl d , we will be looking at the world itself. Ordinaril y ,
we look a t t h e b rain ' s three- dimensional tactile h allucinations
projected within itself in holographic form.
But because the brain is limited to a s pecific and very finite
number of alterable holographic symbol units, the amount of
perceivable detail is always SUbj ectively the same . Details are
eliminated as necessary to accommodate the b rain ' s inherent
limit s . When we bypass the brain ' s inner holographic
proj ection of the worl d , we perceive it directly. When the
human b iological machine goes transparent , we look dire ctly
at the enviro nment . W e see it with all the detail that the
environment has.
When the detail improves , the color improves , the sounds
improve , all the perceptual qualitie s , the texture of the
1 48
The Human Biological Machine as a TransformationalA pparatus
environm e n t , t h e texture of our real ity changes radical l y , but
if we s e e a table i n front of us, we will still s e e t h e table there;
it ' s not going to turn into someth i n g l ik e a huge lemon or a
paisley couch . It ' s still going to be a t ab l e , only more s o .
W e w i l l b e a b l e to perceive t h e detail of the entire r o o m a s
i f we w e r e looking at o n e t h i n g and y e t we h a d o u r att e ntion
concentrated o n a single obj ect ; our attention will e x p and to
inclu d e
the
entire
fiel d of visio n ,
rather
than
b e coming
diffu s e d and scattere d .
T h e waking state i s produced by someth ing-or-other, b u t
even i f we don ' t q u ite know what , we do know th at i n the
waking stat e t h e b arrier to the perception of t h e higher
dimensions i s removed . So all we need to do is perceive t h e
higher d i m e n s ion i n o r d e r t o b r i n g the m a c h i n e i n t o th e
waking state .
Obta i n i n g
the
v i s ion of the
h igher
dimension
is
an
in dication t h at the wak i n g state has been achieve d , an d at the
s ame t i m e , without the vision of the higher dimension , t h e
w a k i n g s t a t e can ' t be u tilized for transfo r m atio n .
Two e l e ctrical field s impinging upon one another produce a
v ariety of effects . O n e effect can be that the dominant fiel d can
often alter the s ubordinate fiel d . In this case , the e s s ential self
is the subord i n at e fiel d .
It doesn ' t have very much w i l l over t h e machin e , b ut i t
does have t h e will o f attentio n , s o its principal tool i s attention ,
and its s econ dary tool is presence . We can only u s e those two
things . Attention i s the most powerful tool we can use to
produce t h e shock which brings the h u m an biological m achine
into the waking state .
Th e re are a v ar iety of way s in which we can u se atte ntion to
produce t h e s hock to bring th e machine into th e wakin g state .
which in turn produces the transformational e ffect upon the
e ssential self.
The vario u s i d e as t h at w e may h ave , things th at we try,
oft e n do not work, and the reason that they do not work i s
specificall y
because
they
don ' t
p ro duce
the
buildup
of
electrical energy , although they m ay produce a mil d shock . If
1 49
shock itself did it , skydiving would work to produce the wakin g
state, but it d oesn ' t .
There ' s a state o f exhilaration which is a false waking
state . It ' s so close to the real waking state t h at it ' s almost
undetectably different. However, there is a definite d ifference
between the state of exhilaration and the waking state of the
mach in e .
A good technique will take into account that there i s a fal se
waking state-a state of exhil aration, and/or e cstasy , and , by
taking that into account, will produce the waking state without
touching those things which produce the state of exhilaration
or ecstasy or both . In other words , good technique does not
produce exhilaration , but it does produce the waking state .
We can produce one thing which is right next to something
else . For in stance , we can precipitate strontium 90 which looks
like calciu m , because the two are chemically the same , except
that they are internally different . Strontium 90 and calcium are
interchangeable in chemical combination , although they are
completely different chemicals . They behave similarly . So if
we were trying to isolate strontiu m 90 , we would have to
isolate it fro m calciu m .
I n the same way, w e must l earn t o differentiate between
the waking state and the sleeping state of the
machine . . . remembering that it ' s the mach ine which is in a
waking or sleeping state and not the essential self, and that
the essential self does not wake or sleep . It h as simple
presence and is neither awake nor asleep .
Th e only reason the essential self seems to be asleep is
because it identifies with the sleeping state of the machine. It
falls into the sleeping state of the machine . Because the
m achine is in the sleeping state, the essential self is convinced
that it also is in the sleeping state. This is the correct definition
of identification .
Identification is not bad in itself; in fact, it ' s a wonderful
tool if it ' s u sed righ t . But if identification produces the definite
impression that one is asleep because the machine is aslee p ,
then identification is harmful rather t h a n u sefu l .
150
The Human Biological Machine as a Tran sformational A pparatus
In the waking state , the machine is not really there for all
practical p u rpose s . It doesn't exert its will, so there ' s no
difference between the essential self and the m achine . In the
waking state , the machine and the essential self are one , they
are i dentical .
In the sleeping state , electrical anomalies in the machi ne's
field produce various forms of pain and u ncons ciousness .
O f course , a s w e put our attention o n the machine and on
the possibility of sleep , we know that the machine will awaken
slightl y . And if we can remember that the machine is in the
sleeping state , we can be more alert to the potential for its
awakening ; and , when we notice something different we can
ask ourselves 'Is this the waking state ? '
It may or may not be. But just asking ourselves if it i s the
waking state means that we are alert to the possibility .
It ' s extremely unlikely that we would recognize the waking
state in the course of ordinary life . And it is very rare that we
would fin d ourselves in a situ ation where we suddenly look u p ,
and say , ' Hey, t h e mach ine ' s i n t h e waking state right now ! '
The chances are that the momentum of activity will carry
the vestigial effects of the sleeping state through the waking
state . The sheer momentum of our daily activity will probably
impose the sleeping state effects even when the machine is
awake .
So we don ' t often recognize that the machine is in the
waking state simply b ecau se we are continuing to c arry on as if
the machine were asleep . The machine i s not imposing its w il l ,
b u t o u t o f sheer h ab it a n d momentum , we conti nue t o carry o n
a s if t h e machine were still imposing i t s w i l l u pon u s .
So a method is necessary t o ensure that w h e n t h e machine
does enter the waking state, it does not carry forward out of
momentum those h ab itual sleeping state man ifestations and
effects which mask the waking state in the course of ordinary
life .
This method i s highly technical . It requires some skil l ; it
requires some artistry . But it is possible for anyone who is
seriously interested to learn it w ithin six month s to a year.
151
But with in the matte r of a month or two we can achieve the
waking state more occasionally than not. In oth e r word s , fairly
often . . . four or five times a week, m aybe even more. We
should b e able to achieve the waking state on our own volition ,
our own power.
We can ' t do anyt h ing without the waking state. A t the
same tim e , once the waking state has been achieved , our work
has j u st begun .
The u s e of the w aking state gives u s the opportun ity to test
this teaching in the sense that if we can achieve the w aking
state under our own power, if we can produce the waking state
in our own machine, from that moment on, we will never doubt
what i s coming . We will never doubt the rest o f it .
In other words , right now this is j ust a theory , an
interesting idea -if it work s . When we actually produce the
waking state in our own machine for the very first t ime-we
will be absolutely convinced of its reality . From that point o n ,
w e don ' t n e e d a n y convincing, a l l we n e e d to do is work.
It ' s j u st a matter of work effort and we are going to spend
years achieving this . It ' s not something that h appens over
night, but in each stage along the way , we will h ave adequate
demonstration that wh at we are working on is a reality . Not
many methods offer demonstrations and proofs along the way .
In some people , the waking state is spontaneously
produced quite ofte n . I n most people , however, it is not.
We will not even n ecessarily recognize that we are
receiving information from a h igher dimension, because we
don ' t really h ave the tool s for recognition . We wou ld b e most
unwise to tru st it till we understand what it actually is .
We don ' t need anything from the higher dimension in
order to accomplish our transformation . It ' s j ust not
necessary . It' s an interesting sidelight, but not something we
are actually going to require . And it is not conclusive. We h ave
no way of knowing what comes from a h igher dimension in
relation to our dimension . U nless we can see into the h igher
dimension and k now what it is - then w e h ave a
reference for it.
152
The
At that point , we recognize it as something from a higher
dimensio n only if we recognize from which higher dimension it
came and what p art it p l ays in the h igh er dimensio n .
I n terms of working alone or i n a gro u p situation , it
depen ds on how fast we want to work. If we want to work
individually and
achieving enough of a
then b y all means we
waking state
should work b y
to work a l ot faster
and achieve in
would take fiv e or six
decide that we prefer to
E.}. Gold, Dr. Janet III, 2-5-9 1 ,
Pastel o n Sennelier, 1 0 "x13".
CHAPTER 23
An Experience
The following Is the account of
an
experience which Janet, a
medical doctor located In New York City, had with her chronic
and how she was able to use It to cross Into the waking state.
" It w a s very l ate at night and I w as working in t h e
intensive c are u n it . The
pre s s u re ward .
to sleep , b u t
I
I
ICU ,
a s we c a l l i t , i s a very h i gh
was exhau sted and all
I
wanted to do w a s go
could n ' t , I h a d to fol l ow o n e of my p atient s very
closely if I did n ' t want to lose him .
" I kept hoping I would b e able to rest for a few minutes b u t
it was i m p o s s i b l e . I couldn ' t take a break a n d lie d o w n for a
while, I j u st h ad to keep goin g .
" At o n e p o i n t , i t w a s nece s s ar y to h ave a l a b t e s t don e
immediatel y . I t was a q u e stion of life or death . I was rea l l y
concerned w it h t h i s p atien t . B u t I w a s s o exhausted , all I
wanted to do w a s go to sleep . So I became annoyed t h at I
coul d n ' t get any rest. M y chronic j u st came right u p and
I
got
very angry .
" I already knew fro m prior observati o n t h at my personal
chronic was anger , so I was not particu larly su rprised to see it
once again . A nyway ,
I
got angry, s h arp and crisp as
I
u su al l y
154
Th e Human Biological Mac hine as a Transformational Apparatus
do when my chronic is activ e .
" I took a blood s ample and b rought it over to an orderly
and asked him to bring it to the lab for m e and h ave the test
run . The test takes about forty-five seconds all together. The
orderly refused to bring the s ample to th e lab b ecau se of Union
rights . You can imagine how that fired my chronic ! I was
furious !
" I went to the l ab myself and when I got there , the
tech nician wasn ' t in the l ab to run my blood right away . S o I
had to do it myself. I was seething ! My chronic was in ful l
operatio n .
" All of a sudden I caught my reflection in a l ittle mirror
hanging on the wal l . I j ust happened to turn around and there I
was face to face with my chronic. I s aw my chronic fully
operatin g . W h at a shock ! That was it. Everything went boom
and I was s uddenly awake. My anger was gone .
" Th e room ch anged slightly . It wasn ' t freaky a n d farout
like it has been or coul d be. It was j u st what it was for that
moment .
" B ut I knew. I absolutely knew th at my machine was in the
waking state and that this occurred in relation to the operation
of my chronic . I un derstood in what way I could use my chronic
to achieve the waking state . I knew how it worked and I knew
that if I could use my chronic more often in that way then I
could ach ieve the waking state more ofte n .
" Now I know that t h e state I w a s in is the l a s t step, t h e only
thing that is in my way to the waking state . I know that th at is
my protection device , the thing that is protecting me from the
waking state . For some reason at that moment there was no
danger from my entering the waking state, s o I was able to
m ake that transition . I can ' t tell why. At that moment I cou l d ,
a t other t i m e s I can ' t .
" Maybe t h e reason that i t hap pened t o me is becau se I was
aware of myself in that moment and I was p rovided with the
shock of seeing my chronic in the mirror. It was as if some sort
of strange alien mask h ad affixed itself over my face .
" Th e point is that maybe there is a way that we can provide
a shock for ourselves at the point at which we can re ally be
An Experience
155
observing ourselves and know we are just about there . I know
that I am not always going to be that lucky, to h ave a mirror
handy j u st at th at moment. In fact , I know that a mirror won ' t
work a second time.
" But we shouldn ' t have to depend on accidental shock .
There mu st be something that we can intentional ly do , if we
are aware e nough to know that we are n e ar the waking state .
" I am not quite sure what happened b etween the state in
which my chronic was operating and the state where suddenly
my m achine was awake. I am not s ure I can define wh at
h appened that made the change. But I' ll tell you what I think
happened .
" In a sense these circumstances were probably ideal
conditio n s . The shock happened to b e accidental at that
particular time, in that p articular instance ; the shock was the
transition factor but we should not have to depend upon an
accidental shock .
" The thing that made the difference was that as a res u lt of
being aware of my chronic and u s in g the presence techniques
that I have learned over the last year from working with G . ' s
books , when I get to the point where I start getting angry
because that is my chronic-I become aware of the fact that
my chronic is active and I remember to ob serve the machine
under the spell of the chronic. I didn' t have the word ' chronic'
for it before . B efore I was j u st being present . Now I can s ay I
observe the force of the chronic upon the machine.
" When I walked into the l ab I stood there stewing for no
reason . A radio was going and nobody was in there . The space
was such a mess.
" I was standing there alone knowing 1 was being angry for
no reason . 1 realized it was my chronic, and then saw my
reflection in the mirror . Had I not known at that moment that it
was my chronic I was seeing in the mirror , I coul d have been
completely overtaken by my anger. My anger was at the point
where I could h ave j u st chewed somebody out . I could h ave
called the tech and screamed at h im . I cou l d h ave done a lot of
thing s . I could h av e repressed it.
"In fact what I did was I observed it as my chronic and at
156
t h at moment caught my reflection and saw myself observing
my chro n ic and t h at i s when it went over. Th at i s when it really
all transform e d .
" I think there is something very important
in the fact t h at I
knew it was my chronic . When I thought of it as a n ger, even
though I was i n the presence e xerci s e , it d i d n ' t work. But as
soon as I correctly identified it as the chron i c , and identified
the chronic as that thing which indicates that my machine i s
most n e a r t h e waking state , anything, a mirror o r whatever
cou l d have served as a shock . It didn ' t m atter what it was .
" I could h ave seen a suture, or I could have seen a
butterfly cl a m p , or I could h ave seen a cloc k , anything could
have served to function a s a shock mechani s m at t h at p o in t .
Anythin g could h ave done it . All I h ad to do w a s realize t h at it
was the chronic and, because I was seeing the chronic, that I
was very near to the waking state . The mirro r h appened t o
serve the fun ction o f t h e necessary shock b e c a u s e it s howed
m e my own face u n der the domination of the chronic.
" To me this i s a way of working w ith signposts t h at can
help
us
to
fin d
the
waking
stat e .
That
might
sound
ridiculously , stupidly, simple b ut w h at other w ay do we h ave
of finding the waking state ? After all , we don ' t know w h at th e
w aking state is o r where it is e xactl y . We don ' t h ave a map . A l l
w e k n ow is th at it has a n a m e , the waking stat e . We d on ' t h ave
a map b u t there are signposts .
" W e k n ow how far we are fro m it and we k n ow how clo s e
we a r e to it by how strongly t h e chronic i s m anifesting . It i s
literally l ike p l aying the g a m e of hot and cold . B l in d man ' s
b l uff where i t i s said you are getting h otter o r colder a s you
approach or move away fro m the t arget obj ect .
• .
A n d rather than j u st seeing if it is hot or cold we can
intentionally p u t ourselves in the p o s ition to m ake it hotter,
which might mean that we are close r t o the w a king s t ate . The
key to getting really close i s to not explode t h e energy . The
hotter you keep it o n the i n s id e , the closer you are to the
waking stat e . A n ger i s my key . This does not mean t h at I
should go out of my way to make myself deliberately angry .
" Wh e n t h e chronic is working, i t means t h at I a m b u mping
into the waking state . Not going into the wakin g state , not too
An Experience
157
far away from the waking state but b umping into it . That i s a
good picture in my m i n d . What I h ave been d o i n g or trying to
do since then i s to be aware of when my chronic is operat i ng .
And I h ave been able t o even allow myself to cross over into
the waking state b y doing one of two thing s .
" Number o n e , certainly not t ryi n g t o g e t rid o f m y chronic .
And secondly n ot explodin g . Not allowing the cath arsi s . B u t
j u st b y realizi n g , b y t h e very n ature o f t h e fact that I a m
involved i n my chroni c , that it means that I am n e a r the waking
stat e , the n ext step i s either to stay where I am or to m ake the
leap . You can j u st observe it if that ' s all you w a nt to do. B u t
that i s y o u r signpost which say s , ' This w ay to t h e wak i n g
state . '
" That i s your absolute key that you are n e ar th e wak i ng
state . If you can recognize your chronic when it is happen i n g ,
not t r y to d efen d against it , not t r y to get r i d of it, n ot t r y t o
fl u s h i t down t h e toilet, not look a t i t as somethi n g n egative but
realize t h at that i s your key to the waking stat e , t h en you are
getting s omewhere .
" We m u st remember that when our chronic is
most
powerful then we are at our close s t point to the w aking state ,
and when it is l e s s powerful then we are further away . It is
almost u n noticeable when we are very far away .
" It stands to reason that a profitable lifestyle would p ut us
in a p o s ition where our chronic is perpetu ally e xcite d . Not a
perpetual state of cal m where we keep ourselve s as far away as
possible from the w aking state a s eviden ced b y an inactive
chroni c .
" We mus t t h i n k of ourselve s as completely absol utely
u nable to see our way . We h ave n ' t a map and our eye s are
closed . The only thing we h ave is the h ot or cold of the chronic.
The chronic i s a tool which i s our worst enemy and our only
frien d .
" We m u s t s earch o u t the s it u ations which most activate
the chronic . These are the situatio n s we should be
in
most of
the time , as m u ch as we can tolerate it without making
ourselves sick.
" If we can s ucceed
in
maintainin g ourselves in these
158
stressful situ ations , then eventually a shock will b e provided .
We should neither try t o explode through nor t o pul l back. J ust
stay there and explore , looking for a h ol e in the fence .
" B ut there is only really one thing that is nece ssary . We
must understand that nothing is actually instantaneou s no
matter how instantaneou s it may seem to us . There is a cause
j u st prior to something. If my machine enters into the w aking
state , because it was at the brink, then I can con clude th at
something sent me over the brink, b ut that is not important.
What b rought me to the brink is important . And I shou l d try to
get there as often as possibl e .
" Of course we won ' t always succeed in going over th e
brink . W h at I did was, I allowed my chronic to continue
without i ntervention by ob servin g it, by real izing that it was
my chronic .
" But there is somet h in g else that I wanted to get across
here because I think th at most peopl e think that their chronic
is something to get rid of. I u sed to apologize a lot for snapping
at people . I used to apologize a lot for b eing angry . And then
all of a sudden I realized that it is my chronic . Not that it is all
right to do things to other people , and I try not to, but I cannot
express it at people now and allow it to continue, a n d that is
very d ifferent . I can allow my chronic to continue its course
without acting it out, and without repressing it , and th at is
when it takes me to the point where in fact I can get to the
waking state .
" If you try to repress the feelings because you d on ' t want
to act them out or you don ' t feel t h at they are right , or you
think that there is something wrong with being fearful or
angry or fru strated or wh atever your chronic h appens to be, if
you don ' t stop it from going on its course , it can take you to the
point wh ere you can cross over .
" If you start intervening with your intellectualis m , if you
do anything other than observe it and allow it to be without
acting it out, then you lose the opportunity that it affords. W ith
me it is important to not act it out . My chronic is offensive to
peopl e , it is not good for me and it may cause a catharsis if I
act it out. I don ' t want this catharsis because it is not going to
An Experience
159
be h e lpfu l to my efforts to achieve the waking state .
" It i s j u st a m atter of realizing that you r c h ro n ic h a s been
activated and allowing it to take you . Like a guide , it w ill take
you by the h an d and l e ad you to the waking state .
" A n d that is p recisely without any q ue stion what I did th at
night . I knew I w a s being angry . I knew it w a s because my
sleep was b e i n g i nterrupted . I mean all of the rea so n s that my
chronic com e s to b e and that i s when it happened .
" As I was walking around carrying t h i s tube of b l oo d ,
before it e v e n happen e d , before it crossed over , I s a i d ' Here I
a m , boy i s my chronic doing it ' . A n d so I started to w atch it . I
didn ' t try to stop the feeling s . I realized that that was m y
anger and t h a t i s always going to happen to me , a t l east for t h e
t i m e being and I might as w e l l take a look at it . So I was
watching it , but I allow e d it to be and I didn ' t try to stop b e i n g
angry .
" You are going to try to get rid of the chronic by various
mean s . And o n e of the ways i s to j udge it. Another w ay i s to
intellect u alize it out of existence or to s ublimate it and to bring
it into a h igher plane . You don ' t w ant to do t h at . You want to
wallow
in
the
chronic
without
manifesting
the
chronic ,
although if you m anifest a l ittl e b it that i s fi n e . Not much
though . A n d l et it grab you by the han d . Let it take you to the
promi s e d l an d . The thing you h ate most is your guide .
" But th e key is to i d e ntify it a s the chronic. If you t h i nk of it
as j ust anoth e r state that you are in or if you are totally
absorbed in w h atever your feelings are and you can only think
about the m , if you forget that it is the chro n i c , it will take you
nowh ere .
" As soon as you correctly i d entify it as t h e chronic, it will
lead you to and possibly throug h the b arrier . It will actually
help you w here b efore it ob structed you . Because it i s a
guidepost . It is a signpost, a definite thing . If you follow it
without catharsi s , it will lead you directly into the w aking
state .
" If you go aw ay from it , or reject it , or are o b l ivious to i t ,
h o w c a n it l e a d y o u i n t o anyth i n g ? Y o u h a v e l e ft the pat h , y o u
see . There i s a straight and narrow p ath . A t l a s t
I
can say I
understand the phrase , ' St rait t h e g ate and n arrow the w ay . ' "
INDEX
Absolute, t h e . 1 2 . 1 00
Adoration . 8 2 - 83 , 85 . 1 06
definition of. 88-90 , 1 3 2
machin e , 8 1 ,
56
definition of,
Foreword. 76-78,
Analog sampling , 63
Anomalies,
in electrical fields, 59-66, 70 .
123-24 , 1 3 4 . 1 50
of, 59, 65, 1 23
cleansing radiation ,
essential self. 3 1 ,
74 , 89 , 1 23
of the machine . 1 9 , 2 1 , 75-76,
80
of a man, 82-87
on the machin e , 88-91
pressure of, 23 , 98
penetrate lower UUn"JI"lm� ,
1 03-06
produce shock to the
machine. 76, 1 48
sensing as form of, 3S
tool for awakening, 1 8 , 73 , 8894, 98, 1 48
to gather evidence,
see Will-of-attention
to
47
Autonomic nervous system. 59
Bardo Thodol, 1 20
Barrier
between sleeping and wakin g
159
electrical, 65
12
psychological , 9-10,
Beat-frequency oscillation, 64 , 1 3 1
Biofeedback
apparatu s , 2 1 , 62
device, 78
6·8, 79, 86, 9 1 . 1 1 1
rtiillil UJIl,
Buddha, 90
Cagney , James, 1 20
Cathartic methods, 48·49
noncathllrtic, 49, 98
Cave, the,
Chief Weakoess,
139, 1 53 ·60
Chronic,
Cleansing radiation, 1 23-25
Conservation of Energy, Law of, 20
Creation, 1 03 ·05
Creator, the, 103
D Day , 96
DNA, 1 44
machine, 46·48, 98,
Death , of
1 20 , 1 1 2 ,
·
Defense mechanis m , 27, 29·30, 1 1 4·
22
disarming of, 65, 142
disassembly of, 144
restimu lation of, 1 3945
also see
90
Dharma,
148
Diffused
Dimension , h igher/other, 3 , 9 , 1216, 48, 68, 70 , 97, 1 5 1 -52
as a dead end, 136
Fourt h , 68 , 95·96
illusion of, 70
9· 1 0 , 1 5 , 70, 148
vision
, 1 46-48
Dimension, lower, 1 02- 103, 1 19, 128
Discernment , higher faculty of, 28
Disintegration, of sleeping state,
1 19
Divine
Dodgson,
Dreams,
Ecosyste m ,
Ecstasy, 1 49
Edgerly, Webster, 62
Emotional
apparatus , 1 8 , 26
centru m ,
Essential self, 1 6 , 23
affinity for machine,
131
aims and aspirations of, 73
as a diamond, 99
attention of, 90, 97
attributes of, 27, 72, 8 1 , 120,
1 49
change in, 76-78
cumulative transformations of,
78-79
definition of, 1 9 ,
electrical transformations
64-66, 69, 70, 1 23 impingement. 67-68
First Cause/First Water, 79
Forbidden Zone, the waking state,
142
Fourth dimension , 68, 95-96
Frankenstein , 55
Galvani, Luigi, 54-55
Galvanic response, 56, 62-64
Glame-meter, 62
64
electrical field
1 23 -3 8 , 1 48
immersion in
machine, 47
initiation of by "'''''Hlne,
malfunctioning of, 1 3 1
partnership with machine, 69 ,
72, 74, 8 1 , 8 7 - 88 , 1 50
transformation of, 20- 2 1 , 24,
57, 69 , 1 48
will of, 23 , 49, 74-75 , 88, 132,
1 48
Evidence, of machine's sleep, 27,
35, 4 1 -43, SO-53 , 97
circumstantial,
direct, 44, 5 1 , 53
hearsay, 53
indirect, 44, 5 1 .
Evolution , 23 , 26, 30
as a necessity,
by reflex, 7 1
inner, 1 1 - 1 6
of the essential self, 20-21 , 69,
76, 78, 1 23
of humanity, 37
possible, 69
Exhaustion, as a method , 48
Exhilaration, 48, 1 49
Factory, 26
alchemical, 2 1
chemical, 2 4 , 27,
Fascination , 41 , 83
Fate, of a fish, S
Feeling centrum, 89
Field affinity, 127
HOI()graphlc replresentation, 147
biological machine , 42,54
affinity
essential self for,
1 23-32
as electrical field, 55, 63 , 67-
68, 125, 140
as a factory, 24 , 55-56
awakened, 19, 93, 1 54 -55
definition of, 1 8
reflector o f essential self, 2 1
transformational properties of,
79, 146-48
Sleep. Waking state
Dumpty, 1 20
1 49
of, 1 49
machine's sleep, 19,
4 1 -42, 88
Impartiality. in observation, 87
Impingement, 64, 67-68, 124. 1 26.
129-33
Isis, 85
Jiu-jitsu yoga, 30
Karma
definition of, 127
wind of, SO
love, 85, 87
IJIUIUMU;1JI1,
54
mOJlnlllg of, 4, 43
Symptoms ,
of death, 46
of sleep, 5 1
108, 1 12
hall u cination, 1 24-25,
6 1 . 67
Buddhism , 90, 1 1 9
Time-space continuum. 127, 129
Tonic , 63
Tortoise and the hare. 75
Transformation, 1 6 . 42. 62, 79·80,
107, 1 3 1 -36. 1 5 1
stepping stone,
electrical force of, 24 ,
energy for. 76
in a school . 20
inner, 1 7
ordinary, 24
technical definition of. 68, 1 27wa.lr.in g state
stres s , 1 26
Universe, 9, 1 2 . 1 02-03 , 105
Utopia, 74
Valence , 1 28
Virtue, 72, 75
Waking stat e . of the machine
as reflexive response, 1 32 . 1 46
as requirement for
1 9 , 28, 81 ,
defense mechanism against,
1 14·22.
28,
1 39-45
definition of, 43
discomfort in entering , 45
false , 1 49
uses
153- 1 60
1 23, 1 50
Wavicl e theory ,
Wheatstone Bridge. 62
Will
artificia l , 96
external source of, 142
free .
o f the
75,
45-46, 5 1 -52,
of the
68, 72-73 , 96-97, 1 1 7. 1 3 1 ,
ISO
Will-of-attention. 23 , 27. 74, 88, 93 ,
97. 1 3 2 , 1 48
Will of
Wilson
V";,,,,,, ''' .
rl. ., _ ;� � _
Womb, heart
21
90, 98
8S
Work, the, 1 8-20 . 26, 38, 74. 84, 99,
1 19 , 134-38
study of, 49
Zen, 98
Zero-gravity simulator, 68
Dear Inner Voyager:
The book which you have just read is the first in a
series of three practical books d esigned to offer explicit,
s traightforward,
clear
and
easy
to
understand
information
issuing
from
a
proven
method
of
work-on-self.
The next volume in this Labyrinth Trilogy entitled
Life in the Labyrin th is now available in paperback and is
recommended to those who have achieved a certain
understanding of themselves and are ready to go one
step further in their efforts a t work-on-self by
broadening
their
vision
and
learning
further
applications of the ideas a lready expressed i n this
volume .
The third volume which will be e ntitled The
Voyager's Practica l Guide to the Labyrinth is in
preparation a s this third edition goes to print.
These volumes address those of us who are
dissatisfied with the usual promises of enlightened
self-gratification, simple emotional fulfillment, or
personal enhancement. They speak to that part of
ourselves which seeks to transform itself for the benefit
of something higher.
We are pleased to be able to share this powerful
work ma terial with other seekers of the innermost path.
Further materials are also available for those who have
tested these ideas to their satisfaction and are prepared
to make much more serious efforts .
For further information write to:
Gateways Books & Tapes
PO Box 370-HBM
Nevada City, CA 95959
or call
Te l : (530) 272-0 1 8 0
Fax : (530) 272-0 1 84
O rd e rs : (800) 869-0658
emai l : i nfo @ gatewaysbooksandtapes.com

EJ_Gold - The Human Biological Machine

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