In Search of the Miraculous

remains and passes over to other centers, finding expression for itself through them; in

other words, the other centers rob the sex center of the energy which it does not use

itself. The energy of the sex center in the work of the thinking, emotional, and moving

centers can be recognized by a particular 'taste,' by a particular fervor, by a

vehemence which the nature of the affair concerned does not call for. The thinking

center writes books, but in making use of the energy of the sex center it does not

simply occupy itself with philosophy, science, or politics—it is always fighting

something, disputing, criticizing, creating new subjective theories. The emotional

center preaches Christianity, abstinence, asceticism, or the fear and horror of sin, hell, the torment of sinners, eternal fire, all this with the energy of the sex center. ... Or on the other hand it works up revolutions, robs, bums, kills, again with the same energy.

The moving center occupies itself with sport, creates various records, climbs mountains, jumps, fences, wrestles, fights, and so on. In all these instances, that is, in the work of the thinking center as well as in the work of the emotional and the moving

centers, when they work with the energy of the sex center, there is always one general

characteristic and this is a certain particular vehemence and, together with it, the

uselessness of the work in question. Neither the thinking nor the emotional nor the moving centers can ever create anything useful with the energy of the sex center. This is an example of the 'abuse of sex.'

"But this is only one aspect of it. Another aspect consists in the fact that, when the energy of the sex center is plundered by the other centers and spent on useless work, it

has nothing left for itself and has to steal the energy of other centers which is much

lower and coarser than its own. And yet the sex center is very .important for the

general activity, and particularly for the inner growth of the organism, because,

working with 'hydrogen' 12, it can receive a very fine food of impressions, such as none of the ordinary centers can receive. The fine food of impressions is very

important for the manufacture of the higher 'hydrogens.' But when the sex center

works with energy that is not its own, that is, with the comparatively low 'hydrogens'

48 and 24, its impressions become much coarser and it ceases to play the role in the

organism which it could play. At the same time union with, and the use of its energy

by, the thinking center creates far too great an imagination on the subject of sex, and

in addition a tendency to be satisfied with this imagination. Union with the emotional center creates sentimentality or, on the contrary, jealousy, cruelty. This is again a

picture of the 'abuse of sex.'"

"What must be done to struggle against the 'abuse of sex'?" asked somebody

present.

G. laughed.

"I was just waiting for that question," he said. "But you already ought to understand that it is just as impossible to explain to a man who has not yet begun to work on

himself and does not know the structure of the machine what the 'abuse of sex' means,

as it is to say what must be done to avoid these abuses. Right work on oneself begins

with the creation of a permanent center of gravity. When a permanent center of

gravity has been created everything else begins to be disposed and distributed in

subordination to it. The question comes to this: From what and how can a permanent

center of gravity be created? And to this may be replied that only a man's attitude to

the work, to school, his valuation of the work, and his realization of the

mechanicalness and aimlessness of everything else can create in him a permanent

center of gravity.

"The role of the sex center in creating a general equilibrium and a permanent center of gravity can be very big. According to its energy, that is to say, if it uses its own

energy, the sex center stands on a level with the higher emotional center. And all the

other centers are subordinate to it. Therefore it would be a great thing if it worked

with its own energy. This alone would indicate a comparatively very high level of

being. And in this case, that is, if the sex center worked with its own energy and in its own place, all other centers could work correctly in their places and with their own

energies."

Chapter Thirteen

THIS period, the middle of the summer of 1916, has remained in the memory of all

the members of our groups as a time of very great inner intensity in our work. We all

felt that we had to hurry, that we were doing too little compared with the immensity of

the task we had set ourselves. We realized that our chance of knowing more might go

just as suddenly as it had come and we tried to increase the pressure of work in

ourselves and to do all that we could while conditions were favorable.