The Mi-Fa Interval - I am Wired to Change My Mind

The Mi-Fa Interval - I am Wired to Change My Mind

I would like to start with a few observations (without judgment):

I have known many people who have divorced, only to remarry another person who is remarkably like the first spouse.

I have also known many people who have changed jobs or careers, but the new job or career is not that much different from the first one.

I have many books in my personal library, and I would like to think I have read them all. In fact, the ratio is more likely 1:2; for every book I have read, there are two that I have not finished. You will find bookmarks about one-third of the way through the unread books.

And when I purchase a new electronic device, I read “some” of the instructions, but I can honestly say I never read the entirety. Just enough to get started . . . and then something happens. This post is about the “then something happens” phenomenon.

I am no different than other people. My high school chemistry teacher used to joke in the lab, “When all else fails, read the instructions.” Why do I start something and lose interest about one-third of my way? Why do I cut corners, or why does my interest wane in something I am doing and know well?

By conscious awareness we mean that state in which one’s mind and feelings are in no way distracted from what one is doing and saying. ─ Al-Ghazali

In the Fourth Way, we call this happening the Mi-Fa interval in the octave of whatever I am doing, just fill in the blank. When the Mi-Fa arises, there is a change in energy level, a change in the rhythm. In human terms, that often means a change in interest. What seemed easy is not. What seemed interesting no longer is. A new thing is more interesting; it seems easier, more attractive to me. In my mind, the internal dialogue goes this new way, and so I justify a change in direction. The distraction, mostly in my head, diverts me from my original purpose.

The idea is well known in music theory, as well as in bookstores and among dieticians. People do not sustain interest and effort to master things, including daily chores, routine matters, and difficult pursuits. This is why it is necessary to observe this phenomenon and to constantly begin anew; restarting efforts is necessary because I deviate from the task at hand, the octave I am pursuing.

The Work is no different. To rewire myself, I need to observe and carefully study my mechanics and develop the will to sustain the Work. It takes time. At this Mi-Fa interval, I need more energy, more effort to remember myself. There are no shortcuts nor rest breaks in the long race.

Do not let your mind be distracted. In this way you will come finally to the Lord. ─ Bhagavad Gita

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The Hare and the Tortoise by Æsop, Milo Winter (illustrator)