In Search of the Miraculous

results with the aims we have set before us or the attainment of aims in small things

which can have no consequences creates in mechanical man the conviction that he is able to attain any aim, 'is able to conquer nature' as it is called, is able to 'arrange the whole of his life,' and so on.

"As a matter of fact he is of course unable to do anything of the kind because not

only has he no control over things outside himself but he has no control even over

things within himself. This last must be very clearly understood and assimilated; at the

same time it must be understood that control over things begins with control over

things in ourselves, with control over ourselves. A man who cannot control himself, or the course of things within himself, can control nothing.

"In what way can control be attained?

"The technical part of this is explained by the law of octaves. Octaves can develop

consecutively and continuously in the desired direction if 'additional shocks' enter

them at the moments necessary, that is, at the moments when vibrations slow down. If

'additional shocks' do not enter at the necessary moments octaves change their

direction. To entertain hopes of accidental 'shocks' coming from somewhere by

themselves at the moments necessary is of course out of the question. There remains

for a man the choice either of finding a direction for his activities which corresponds

to the mechanical line of events of a given moment, in other words of 'going where the

wind blows' or 'swimming with the stream,' even if this contradicts his inner

inclinations, convictions, and sympathies, or of reconciling himself to the failure of

everything he starts out

to do; or he can learn to recognize the moments of the 'intervals' in all lines of his

activity and learn to create the 'additional shocks,' in other words, learn to apply to his own activities the method which cosmic forces make use of in creating 'additional

shocks' at the moments necessary.

"The possibility of artificial, that is, specially created, 'additional shocks' gives a practical meaning to the study of the law of octaves and makes this study obligatory

and necessary if a man desires to step out of the role of passive spectator of that which is happening to him and around him.

"The 'man-machine' can do nothing. To him and around him everything happens. In order to do it is necessary to know the law of octaves, to know the moments of the

'intervals' and be able to create necessary 'additional shocks.'

"It is only possible to learn this in a school, that is to say, in a rightly organized school which follows all esoteric traditions. Without the help of a school a man by

himself can never understand the law of octaves, the points of the 'intervals,' and the

order of creating 'shocks.' He cannot understand because certain conditions are

necessary for this purpose, and these conditions can only be created in a school which is itself created upon these principles.

"How a school is created on the principles of the law of octaves will be explained in due course. And this in its turn will explain to you one aspect of the union of the law of seven with the law of three. In the meantime it can be said only that in school teaching, a man is given examples of both descending (creative) and ascending (or

evolutionary) cosmic octaves. Western thought, knowing neither about octaves nor

about the law of three, confuses the ascending and the descending lines and does not

understand that the line of evolution is opposed to the line' of creation, that is to say, it goes against it as though against the stream.

"In the study of the law of octaves it must be remembered that octaves in their

relation to each other are divided into fundamental and subordinate. The fundamental octave can be likened to the trunk of a tree giving off branches of lateral octaves. The

seven fundamental notes of the octave and the two 'intervals,' the bearers of new

directions, give altogether nine links of a chain, three groups of three links each.

"The fundamental octaves are connected with the secondary or subordinate octaves

in a certain definite way. Out of the subordinate octaves of the first order come the

subordinate octaves of the second order, and so on. The construction of octaves can be

compared with the construction of a tree. From the straight basic trunk there come out

boughs on all sides which divide in their turn and pass into branches- becoming

smaller and smaller, and finally are covered with leaves. The same process goes on in

the construction of the leaves, in the formation of the veins, the serrations, and so on.

"Like everything in nature the human body which represents a certain whole bears

both within and without the same correlations. According to the number of the notes