A Question of Balance
- smcculley
- Feb 23, 2024
- 4 min read
A Question of Balance
Why is a school necessary for conscious evolution? Given all that’s been written and posted on this forum about the tools and techniques that enable an individual to introduce and prolong presence, who needs a school? If only it were that simple; if only reading these posts or reading books by Peter Ouspensky, George Gurdjieff or Rodney Collin were all that is needed for the permanent fusion of higher centers.
Remember we wrote about the law of octaves, how nothing proceeds in a straight line; that processes, whether natural or man-made, deviate? So too, without a school, does self-remembering. Without constant effort and a re-affirming of the aim, self-remembering deviates and descends into imagination until we imagine we’re remembering ourselves. At this point no conscious work is possible and staying deluded is, for the lower self, a more comfortable and comforting situation.
But this is the value of school work. School provides the scaffolding as it were, that prevents the student from falling (into imagination), as well as the form that supports efforts to engage the third state of consciousness. This form is comprised of three lines of effort, three lines of work, that ensures conscious evolution does not deviate.
The first line of work is the effort a student makes to remember themselves. The second line of work is made up of students assisting each other to remember themselves, and the third line of work is work for the school with no other agenda than it’s maintenance and betterment as directed by the teacher.
Rembrandt’s masterpiece The Night Watch (included is a link to the larger image on the Rijksmuseum website), is a pictorial analogy of all three lines of work. Looking into the image, we see a captain, a second in command, and a myriad of various other roles. The gentleman occupying front and center directs the enterprise. Beside him, his lieutenant receives orders and relays them probably to his subordinates, who in turn, relay the direction to the rest of the company. Following the captain’s direction is third line work. Whether it issues from the captain himself or via one of his lieutenants, the captain sets the tone, tenor and direction.
Each individual portrayed in this scene is responsible for themselves. It’s their personal efforts that get them to the meeting point on time. Whatever it takes to be part of the night watch, each individual needs to make his or her own personal efforts to be part of the company. Joining the night watch, although a community effort, is up to each person to choose whether or not to participate. It’s not a conscripted company. This is where each individual must work with their own particular circumstances in order to participate, or not.
And what of the members of the company who join, but may face difficulties? Looking at the image we see various members of the company interacting with each other. Perhaps there’s a difficulty in following the captain’s direction, or another member observes a difficulty in another that he/she recognizes and offers a knowing piece of advice to his/her comrade in arms. Perhaps a more experienced member of the company recognizes that a newer member hadn’t eaten beforehand and offers a morsel they brought to help the younger member continue until a rest is declared. This is second line of work, helping others with their aim.
Yet every effort on each line of work keeps the company together as a group and as individuals, all moving in the same direction with the same aim. As the same group works with this common aim, night after night, they get to know each other’s weaknesses and each other’s strengths, offering observations and encouragement. Moreover, as each evening, week, month, year passes, all become more sensitive and responsive to the captain’s direction.
Work on the three lines can occur simultaneously, or on one line or two. Sometimes more effort on the first line is needed, sometimes on the third line, and other times more of a focus on the second line is required. The constant on all three lines is self-remembering - conscious effort. As if to underscore this, if you look very closely into the painting, all the way in the back, his face nearly hidden, barely noticeable, is Rembrandt himself, observing the entire scene, just as Observing I inconspicuously and silently observes.
When an interval occurs on one line, there’s always another effort on a different line of work that will fill the interval in conscious evolution. The more and longer school work is applied, the more profound is the understanding of what it means to evolve, and how to balance one’s three lines of work. As students mature, they themselves become more balanced and development of conscious evolution occurs.
In the first line of work you take—knowledge, ideas, help. This line concerns only yourself, it is entirely egocentric. On the second line one must not only take but also give—communicate knowledge and ideas, serve as an example and many other things. The third line concerns the whole idea of school and all the present and the future of the work. ~ Peter Ouspensky
Post by Charles R
The Night Watch, Rembrandt, 1642
Rijksmuseum, Holland
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