NEGATIVE TRIADS GROUP WORK/ January - 2006 |
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NEGATIVE TRIADS - General Group work << back to negative Triads
Compiled with comments by Steven Stehr
In Santo Domingo I was part of a seminar in which 43 people came together January 20, 2005 for ten days of Work. At the very beginning small groups were formed to take on the investigation of Negative Triads with an aim to report their findings.
These groups met together daily to discuss themes, give observations and then offer what had been uncovered at the larger gatherings.
Starting with the material from John G. Bennett’s books “The Dramatic Universe” and “Deeper Man” the knowledge of the origins and effects of negative triads were applied to the group awareness of a progressively greater theme, The Wish to Be.
With guidance from José Reyes, these investigations offered a new understanding of the operation of negative triads in Relationship and Emotional Center Problems. We split into different small groups to find a possible recipe for problem solving in the emotional center. The necessity just to see the obstructions of negativity in life is needed to proceed on a path towards Real Being.
I was asked to assemble and compiled as far as is possible what could be preserved of the final findings which look at the lower world: of the triads.
Imagination, Self-Love, Fear, Waste, Subjectivism, Identification.
The following is some of what was compiled in the Six Small Groups. (some were published before separately and have a link in their triad group)
My apologies for any omissions or commissions or errors in these documents.
Steven Stehr
Anchorage, Alaska
Feb. 24, 2005
An Introduction to Triads:
The person who has written most about triadic laws is John G. Bennett. In his autobiography “WITNESS” he states that the fundamental nature of the action of triads came to him while on a walk in the woods in 1941. Mr. Bennett was familiar with the concept of triads which G.I. Gurdjieff had originally revealed in talks and writings.
Gurdjieff had spoken of the triad as a fundamental law of the universe in his book “ALL AND EVERYTHING”. The Primary Triad, referred to as Triamazikamno , was composed of three primary forces; the Affirming, Denying and Reconciling, all events and occurrences were comprised of these forces.
John Bennett was able to see and write about the nature of triadic forces as they were operating on a cosmic level as well as in human nature. He envisioned the subsequent action and principles of the triads as they filtered down from creation to man to be the meeting of the forces which comprise events.
Giving the first three primary forces a number 1-2-3 to correspond to Affirming, Denying and Reconciling, Bennett combined these in their six possible variations. He revealed a function and name for them and discovered each resulting triad’s fundamental nature by its place in sequence and gave it a value. Thus he wrote was triad 123 was INVOLUTION, 213 EVOLUTION, 231 IDENTITY, 132 INTERACTION, 312 ORDER AND 321 FREEDOM. Furthermore he said, each of these triads has corresponding negative counterparts of which were labeled Imagination, Self-Love, Fear, Waste, Subjectivism and Identification.
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INVOLUTION
1-2-3
IMAGINATION
THE LAW OF INVOLUTION IS THE LAW OF THE CREATIVE
PROCESS. IN IT’S NEGATIVE COUNTERPART, IMAGINATION,
THERE IS THE APPEARANCE OF DOING BUT REALLY JUST
THE OPPOSITE IS OCCURRING, TALKING, PLANNING,
DREAMING THAT NEVER RESULT IN ANYTHING MATERIAL.
Imagination
Imagination spoils every experience and continuously separates me from what I really am. It separates me from the purity of a given moment, destroying it trough automatic reflection.
Imagination is like a mirror, which images the moment in a strange way, thus negating it’s quality.
Imagination becomes alive especially in moments, which are touched by value, flooding the mind with thoughts of anxiety, or self esteem or suspicions about oneself or others.
Those thoughts get their energy from unreleased emotions.
The possibilities of how Imagination manifests itself are unlimited like the creative power of the higher worlds, of which they are the no substantial counterparts.
They tend to spoil my work and those relationships, which are of utmost value for me.
Even the wish to become what I really am is stolen again and again by imagining becoming someone.
In the gospel, Jesus says to his apostles that there is rather a camel going trough the eye of a needle than a rich man may enter the kingdom of heaven. Then it is asked how there can be hope then and Jesus answers, that for man it is impossible, but for God all things are possible. So the richness of negative triads can only be compensated through the reconciling power of divine mercy. That is what I have to wish for in my prayer.
Dirk
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Comments from Nina:
http://www.gurdjieffdominican.com/imagination_06_J.G.Bennett.html
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EVOLUTION
2-1-3
SELF-LOVE
EVOLUTION IS THE LAW OF THE RETURN TO THE
SOURCE BUT ITS NEGATIVE FORM, SELF-LOVE, IS THE
LAW OF DISAPPEARANCE INTO OURSELVES.
Self Love / Narcissism
It consists on the impulse to self-adulation. This strange and terrible manifestation of the will seems absurd to outsiders since this self-adoration responds to a false image of the Self, which, to a great extent, is differs from the person’s true abilities / capabilities.
In our group, we have identified our tendency to self-love in its negative aspect. This means that self-love is the expression of the Law of Evolution in the “96 World”.
In this way, it averts from its pure nature, which would lead us to the fusion with Universal Unity; but instead it turns to a false “I”, to the external, to a false personality.
All, or at least most of us, have shared the experience of having developed an adoration of a false “I” which we construct from childhood, either due to lack of love, rejection, fear, or because of our parents’ expectations.
We observed how we construct and put into place habits about that false personality, which is characterized by the over appraisal of oneself, self-centeredness, and the tendency to selfish behavior.
In its positive aspect, this Law and its expression in our lives make us grow and return to the source. However, as Gurdjieff indicates, every reality is like a two-point ruler. In its negative aspect, it can be considered the worst of all features and the most difficult to transcend since it can confuse us with the idea of being successful people with a very good self-esteem.
To defeat / overcome this tendency is called the small Liberty that precedes the great Liberty—the liberty of the exterior world.
Only when we are disillusioned with ourselves are we capable of defeating the great hurdle / barriers sent by the devil—“Mrs. Vanity and Self-love.”
In this way a new self-love emerges; and although similar on the outside, they are quite distinct in the inside: Love for divine essence, which will bring us back to the Source, is the ultimate and most desired moment in the Octave of our salvation.
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IDENTITY
3-2-1
FEAR
IDENTITY IS EXISTANCE A CCORDING TO ONES ESSENSTIAL
PATTERN, THE NEGATIVE FORM IS FEAR WHICH IS TYPIFIED
BY AVOIDANCE AND DENIAL OF REAL MORTAL ACTIVITY.
The following are the various write-ups and notes from the theme of fear. At the beginning of a section we will note whether the section is made out of notes or whether the section is somebody write up about his or her experience.
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Fear
Like all other negative emotions, fear is crippling and bears upon our own lack of progress with our inner life. First and foremost, it must be made clear from the start that fear is a condition of sleep. Only secondly can we elucidate on its mutating property or what the Work describes as a negative triad.
To illustrate the latter, let’s refer to the story with the bees in the countryside. The presence of blossoms and the idea of cultivating honey were all clear messages to be aware of the possibility of bee stings. At this injunction, imagination had already turned into fear. One imagines one is working on visualizing possibilities for the countryside while all the time imagination has us by the throat and we get stung. Here, fear creates a tendency to exaggerate and imagine that another 18 bees will attack. A paralysis and unwillingness to move ensues. (Sleep, Imagination, Fear)
The shock of the sting begins to work upon the sleep-imagination-fear trio. A sense of self-preservation kicks in and it is possible to see that the foot is caught in a vine attached to the branch with the hive. They are only 5 bees. Some have already stung and are thus disabled from doing so again. The real possibility of danger lies only with 2 or 3 bees. My fellow students are with me, I repeat to myself that fear is not real, and a possibility to avoid the bees entirely becomes evident.
Once able to resume the way back to the house, a sense of self-pity develops. If I have been stung I must deserve special treatment and attention. To avoid this trap, I decide to keep quiet about being stung. Still, there is a twisted desire that one of my fellow students will let others know I have been stung. (Fear, Self pity, Inner-considering).
I am unable to describe the 3-2-1 or 2-3-1 or 1-3-2 plays. Which negative emotion is the active force of the triad etcetera is not a part of this exposition. Such technical details are however very important. Emotions experienced as innocent at one level or world, will become an impediment to our aim at another level. The bee story serves to illustrate that fear is like a wild- weed, relentlessly appearing over and over again in a different part of the garden, sometimes hiding among the dandelions or camouflaging as a turnip, pretending to be.
In The Dramatic Universe, Bennett talks of the unreality of fear. He describes a facsimile of the real self that is unable to withstand the presence of the real. Fear is thus described as the mechanism of this non-self to avoid its own inevitable annihilation in the presence of the real.
I believe that fear of annihilation may be a factor in keeping us from embracing our own nothingness and thus surrendering to our Maker.
Viviana
Katiuska's Comments from the notes of Michel.
I find that fear is mixed with many situations of my life. Usually I project a certain image in the outside world. This projection is made automatically and as I observe myself I notice how fear is the reason behind the projection. For example there is an image that I project when I send my children to school. I can see all the pretension surrounding this image. Even up to a certain degree this image is necessary yet there is fear behind it.
One should clearly separate the fear that is instinctive from the fear that is related to our imagination. Instinctive fear is needed and can keep us alive in situations. I also wonder as an open question whether what other fears aside from the instinctive fear should be regarded as good fear. For example there might be a value added to the fear of death.
Perla's comments from the notes of Michel.
I have many years of experience battling fear. I see the effect of fear in my life and one of the main goals of my life is to get myself to be fully free from fear. I do not think that fear can be looked at from the perspective of its universal nature. Fear is something that is here and now and I need tools that help me work with it in my daily life.
In my case I fear other people will not love me. So my behavior based on fear is directed to win the love of people.
Michel's comments from his notes.
Fear is a paralyzing force. When one is having it, it feels as a trembling inside; as something that makes a spider web around your thoughts and feelings. It is like a certain poison that increases tenfold our capacity for unwilling sensation.
Fear cannot be judged by an external outcome. A soldier can be very brave when going into battle. He can carry his battalion over his shoulder and take over a given landmark. He can be cherishing by his fellow men as a fearless warrior. The case is that his outer world accomplishments say nothing about the reality of his inner world. Inside he could fear of exposing his image if he looses a battle. He could fearing of loosing the respect of is superior or the trust of his men.
Fear is the type of inner impulse that will have a person being married to another person for 10 or more years, they can fear of loosing money or a social status. Or simple fear of having a bad time alone.
Meriam's comments from Michel’s notes.
In my case I have build my life on fear. I can say that I build a career based on fear. From my adolescence I have tried to be useful to others. I have tried to be of service to others in any way possible. I even created an institute to help council people and make the workings of this institution the first goal of my life.
Note:
Other people gave many comments but there are no notes from them.
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INTERACTION
1-3-2
WASTE
THE LAW OF INTERACTION SERVES THE EXCHANGE
OF ENERGIES FOR MAINTENANCE AND PURPOSE IT’S
LOWER WORLD IS WASTE, UNNECESSARY ACTIVITY AND
DESTRUCTION OF RESOURCES.
Waste-Interaction
When we met the first time it took us about 20 minutes to be all together.
Waste is everywhere in our lives but usually there is no attention to see our waste behavior.
As you know there is a waste of energy in each center and all this facilitates the lack of interaction or imbalance in our centers.
But waste is a natural process in nature and necessary so that we can transcend to a higher world.
For us it has been very difficult to talk and understand waste. So I started to ask myself where is waste in my life?
Romeo
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Comments from Martha:
http://www.gurdjieffdominican.com/waste_group_06
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ORDER
3-1-2
SUBJECTIVISM
ORDER IS THE PATTERN OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE
AND IMPOSSIBLE, ITS INVERSION IS ORDER IN
THE WRONG PLACE, SUBJECTIVISM.
In the human level of existence subjectivism can take many shapes. One of them is the opposite of unity, it is the barrier that keeps us from becoming one... We all have our own views, conclusions, etc, etc, etc... We all have something to say, to go against or in favor. But I don't think there's anything wrong in having these impulses, the thing is that most of the time they are based on subjectivism; ideas and conclusions that have no contact with anything outside or higher than us. The more subjective a man is the less he will understand others. I feel the only way to confront our subjectivism is to work in group, is harder for 30 people to fall for a subjective idea than it is for one.
Carlos R.
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Here I will try to share my experience with subjectivism: It seems, that often I do not understand others, than I am in my own world of perception, of realization... in my own language. Even if I use for example the same words, it seems, that the meaning is different.
In contact with other people, it feels like each one speaks a foreign language, which reminds me of the building of the tower in Babel, when it was "raining" so many different languages, and afterwards there was no more understanding.
In an orchestra or a choir, this means a disconnection, a Cacophony. There is no harmony.
The choir we did have the evening of José’s birthday, was for me, a beautiful example of order.
Karoline
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In Rumi's famous story of the man who knocked on the door of a friend, the visitor was asked who he was and he answered, "Me."
He was told to go, for he was too "raw" [khâm]. The man was then "cooked" by the fire of separation and returned a year later.
Asked who he was, he answered, "Only you are at the door, O beloved."
His spiritual friend then said, "Now, since you are me, O me, come in. There isn't any room for two 'me's' in the house!"
(Mathnawi I: 3056-63)
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FREEDOM
3-2-1
IDENTIFICATION
FREEDOM AS THE LAW OF THE WILL TO BE HAS THE
INVERSION OF IDENTIFICATION, WHERE WE LOSE
OURSELVES IN WHAT WE ARE DOING.
Some everyday observations concerning Identification.
If ‘I am right and he is wrong’ Be sure that I am identified.
If I ‘argue and really needs to convince you’ I am identified.
If I feel that ‘I deserve to be treated better than that…’ I am identified.
If I feel ‘overwhelmed by the ‘multiple tasks I have to accomplish at a given day’ I am identified.
If ‘I really can’t stand that person’ I am really identified.
If I think that ‘I am, oh, so special’ I am identified.
If I am self-justifying –especially my resistance- I am identified.
If I talk to people from above {or look up to them from below} I am identified.
Comments from Leora:
http://www.gurdjieffdominican.com/identification_group_06