“Matter or substance necessarily presupposes the existence of force or energy. This does not mean that a dualistic conception of the world is necessary. The concepts of matter and force are as relative as everything else. In the Absolute, where all is one, matter and force are also one. But in this connection matter and force are not taken as real principles of the world in itself, but as properties or characteristics of the phenomenal world observed by us. To begin the study of the universe it is sufficient to have an elementary idea of matter and energy, such as we get by immediate observation through our organs of sense. The ‘constant’ is taken as material, as matter, and ‘changes’ in the state of the ‘constant,’ or of matter, are called manifestations of force or energy. All these changes can be regarded as the result of VIBRATIONS or undulatory motions which begin in the center, that is, in the Absolute, and go in all directions, crossing one another, colliding, and merging together, until they stop altogether at the end of the ray of creation. Fragments: Five

“From this point of view, then, the world consists of VIBRATIONS and matter, or of matter in a state of vibration, of vibrating matter. The rate of vibration is in inverse ratio to the density of matter. Fragments: Five

“In the Absolute VIBRATIONS are the most rapid and matter is the least dense. In the next world VIBRATIONS are slower and matter denser; and further on matter is still more dense and VIBRATIONS correspondingly slower. Fragments: Five

“In order to understand the meaning of this law it is necessary to regard the universe as consisting of VIBRATIONS. These VIBRATIONS proceed in all kinds, aspects, and densities of the matter which constitutes the universe, from the finest to the coarsest; they issue from various sources and proceed in various directions, crossing one another, colliding, strengthening, weakening, arresting one another, and so on. Fragments: Seven

“In this connection according to the usual views accepted in the West, VIBRATIONS are continuous. This means that VIBRATIONS are usually regarded as proceeding uninterruptedly, ascending or descending so long as there continues to act the force of the original impulse which caused the vibration and which overcomes the resistance of the medium in which the VIBRATIONS proceed. When the force of the impulse becomes exhausted and the resistance of the medium gains the upper hand the VIBRATIONS naturally die down and stop. But until this moment is reached, that is, until the beginning of the natural weakening, the VIBRATIONS develop uniformly and gradually, and, in the absence of resistance, can even be endless. So that one of the fundamental propositions of our physics is the continuity of VIBRATIONS, although this has never been precisely formulated because it has never been opposed. In certain of the newest theories this proposition is beginning to be shaken. Nevertheless physics is still very far from a correct view on the nature of VIBRATIONS, or what corresponds to our conception of VIBRATIONS, in the real world. Fragments: Seven

“In this instance the view of ancient knowledge is opposed to that of contemporary science because at the base of the understanding of VIBRATIONS ancient knowledge places the principle of the discontinuity of VIBRATIONS. Fragments: Seven

“The principle of the discontinuity of vibration means the definite and necessary characteristic of all VIBRATIONS in nature, whether ascending or descending, to develop not uniformly but with periodical accelerations and retardations. This principle can be formulated still more precisely if we say that the force of the original impulse in VIBRATIONS does not act uniformly but, as it were, becomes alternately stronger and weaker. The force of the impulse acts without changing its nature and VIBRATIONS develop in a regular way only for a certain time which is determined by the nature of the impulse, the medium, the conditions, and so forth. But at a certain moment a kind of change takes place in it and the VIBRATIONS, so to speak, cease to obey it and for a short time they slow down and to a certain extent change their nature or direction; for example, ascending VIBRATIONS at a certain moment begin to ascend more slowly, and descending VIBRATIONS begin to descend more slowly. After this temporary retardation, both in ascending and descending, the VIBRATIONS again enter the former channel and for a certain time ascend or descend uniformly up to a certain moment when a check in their development again takes place. In this connection it is significant that the periods of uniform action of the momentum are not equal and that the moments of retardation of the VIBRATIONS are not symmetrical. One period is shorter, the other is longer. Fragments: Seven

“In order to determine these moments of retardation, or rather, the checks in the ascent and descent of VIBRATIONS, the lines of development of VIBRATIONS are divided into periods corresponding to the doubling or the halving of the number of VIBRATIONS in a given space of time. Fragments: Seven

“Let us imagine a line of increasing VIBRATIONS. Let us take them at the moment when they are vibrating at the rate of one thousand a second. After a certain time the number of VIBRATIONS is doubled, that is, reaches two thousand. Fragments: Seven

“It has been found and established that in this interval of VIBRATIONS, between the given number of VIBRATIONS and a number twice as large, there are two places where a retardation in the increase of VIBRATIONS takes place. One is near the beginning but not at the beginning itself. The other occurs almost at the end. Fragments: Seven

“The laws which govern the retardation or the deflection of VIBRATIONS from their primary direction were known to ancient science. These laws were duly incorporated into a particular formula or diagram which has been preserved up to our times. In this formula the period in which VIBRATIONS are doubled was divided into eight unequal steps corresponding to the rate of increase in the VIBRATIONS. The eighth step repeats the first step with double the number of VIBRATIONS. This period of the doubling of the VIBRATIONS, or the line of the development of VIBRATIONS, between a given number of VIBRATIONS and double that number, is called an octave, that is to say, composed of eight. Fragments: Seven

“The principle of dividing into eight unequal parts the period, in which the VIBRATIONS are doubled, is based upon the observation of the non-uniform increase of VIBRATIONS in the entire octave, and separate ‘steps’ of the octave show acceleration and retardation at different moments of its development. Fragments: Seven

“The seven-tone scale is the formula of a cosmic law which was worked out by ancient schools and applied to music. At the same time, however, if we study the manifestations of the law of octaves in VIBRATIONS of other kinds we shall see that the laws are everywhere the same, and that light, heat, chemical, magnetic, and other VIBRATIONS are subject to the same laws as sound VIBRATIONS. For instance, the light scale is known to physics; in chemistry the periodic system of the elements is without doubt closely connected with the principle of octaves although this connection is still not fully clear to science. Fragments: Seven

“Let us again take the ascending octave, that is, the octave in which the frequency of VIBRATIONS increases. Let us suppose that this octave begins with one thousand VIBRATIONS a second. Let us designate these thousand VIBRATIONS by the note do. Vibrations are growing, that is, their frequency is increasing. At the point where they reach two thousand VIBRATIONS a second there will be a second do, that is, the do of the next octave. “The period between one do and the next, that is, an octave, is divided into seven unequal parts because the frequency of VIBRATIONS does not increase uniformly. Fragments: Seven

“If we grasp its full meaning the law of octaves gives us an entirely new explanation of the whole of life, of the progress and development of phenomena on all planes of the universe observed by us. This law explains why there are no straight lines in nature and also why we can neither think nor do, why everything with us is thought, why everything happens with us and happens usually in a way opposed to what we want or expect. All this is the clear and direct effect of the ‘intervals,’ or retardations in the development of VIBRATIONS. Fragments: Seven

“What precisely does happen at the moment of the retardation of VIBRATIONS? A deviation from the original direction takes place. The octave begins in the direction shown by the arrow: “But a deviation takes place between mi and fa; the line begun at do changes its direction and through fa, sol, la, and si it descends at an angle to its original direction, shown by the first three notes. Between si and do the second ‘interval’ occurs — a fresh deviation, a further change of direction. Fragments: Seven

“In developing further, the line of octaves or the line of development of VIBRATIONS may return to the original direction, in other words, make a complete circle. Fragments: Seven

“We have spoken so far chiefly about the discontinuity of VIBRATIONS and about the deviation of forces. We must now clearly grasp two other principles: the inevitability of either ascent or descent in every line of development of forces, and also the periodic fluctuations, that is, rises and falls, in every line whether ascending or descending. Fragments: Seven

“Observations based on an understanding of the law of octaves show that ‘VIBRATIONS’ may develop in different ways. In interrupted octaves they merely begin and fall, are drowned or swallowed up by other, stronger, VIBRATIONS which intersect them or which go in an opposite direction. In octaves which deviate from the original direction the VIBRATIONS change their nature and give results opposite to those which might have been expected at the beginning. Fragments: Seven

“And it is only in octaves of a cosmic order, both descending and ascending, that VIBRATIONS develop in a consecutive and orderly way, following the same direction in which they started. Fragments: Seven

“The right development of these octaves is based on what looks an accident. It sometimes happens that octaves going parallel to the given octave, intersecting or meeting it, in some way or another fill up its ‘intervals’ and make it possible for the VIBRATIONS of the given octave to develop in freedom and without checks. Observation of such rightly developing octaves establishes the fact that if at the necessary moment, that is, at the moment when the given octave passes through an ‘interval,’ there enters into it an ‘additional shock’ which corresponds in force and character, it will develop further without hindrance along the original direction, neither losing anything nor changing its nature. Fragments: Seven

“In an ascending octave the first ‘interval’ comes between mi and fa. If corresponding additional energy enters at this point the octave will develop without hindrance to si, but between si and do it needs a much stronger ‘additional shock’ for its right development than between mi and fa, because the VIBRATIONS of the octave at this point are of a considerably higher pitch and to overcome a check in the development of the octave a greater intensity is needed. Fragments: Seven

“In a descending octave, on the other hand, the greatest ‘interval’ occurs at the very beginning of the octave, immediately after the first do and the material for filling it is very often found either in do itself or in the lateral VIBRATIONS evoked by do. For this reason a descending octave develops much more easily than an ascending octave and in passing beyond si it reaches fa without hindrance; here an ‘additional shock’ is necessary, though considerably less strong than the first ‘shock’ between do and si. Fragments: Seven

“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. Fragments: Seven

“In order better to understand the significance of the law of octaves it is necessary to have a clear idea of another property of VIBRATIONS, namely the so-called ‘inner VIBRATIONS.’ This means that within VIBRATIONS other VIBRATIONS proceed, and that every octave can be resolved into a great number of inner octaves. Fragments: Seven

“These inner VIBRATIONS proceed simultaneously in ‘media’ of different density, interpenetrating one another; they are reflected in one another, give rise to one another; stop, impel, or change one another. Fragments: Seven

“Let us imagine VIBRATIONS in a substance or a medium of a certain definite density. Let us suppose this substance or medium to consist of the comparatively coarse atoms of world 48, each of which is, so to speak, an agglomeration of forty-eight primordial atoms. The VIBRATIONS which proceed in this medium are divisible into octaves and the octaves are divisible into notes. Let us imagine that we have taken one octave of these VIBRATIONS for the purpose of some kind of investigation. We must realize that within the limits of this octave proceed the VIBRATIONS of a still finer substance. The substance of world 48 is saturated with substance of world 24; the VIBRATIONS in the substance of world 24 stand in a definite relation to the VIBRATIONS in the substance of world 48; namely, each note of the VIBRATIONS in the substance of world 48 contains a whole octave of VIBRATIONS in the substance of world 24. Fragments: Seven

“The substance of world 24 is, in its turn, permeated with the substance of world 12. In this substance also there are VIBRATIONS and each note of the VIBRATIONS of world 24 contains a whole octave of the VIBRATIONS of world 12. The substance of world 12 is permeated with the substance of world 6. The substance of world 6 is permeated with the substance of world 3. World 3 is permeated with the substance of world 1. Corre-sponding VIBRATIONS exist in each of these worlds and the order remains always the same, namely, each note of the VIBRATIONS of a coarser substance contains a whole octave of the VIBRATIONS of a finer substance. Fragments: Seven

“If we begin with VIBRATIONS of world 48, we can say that one note of the VIBRATIONS in this world contains an octave or seven notes of the VIBRATIONS of the planetary world. Each note of the VIBRATIONS of the planetary world contains seven notes of the VIBRATIONS of the world of the sun. Each vibration of the world of the sun will contain seven notes of the VIBRATIONS of the starry world and so on. Fragments: Seven

“If we now examine the first of these three octaves of radiations, that is, the octave Absolute-Sun, from the point of view of the law of three, we shall see that the note do will be the conductor of the active force, designated by the number 1, while the matter in which this force acts will be ‘carbon’ (C). The ‘active’ force which creates the note do in the Absolute represents the maximum frequency of VIBRATIONS or the greatest density of VIBRATIONS. Fragments: Nine

“The expression ‘density of VIBRATIONS’ corresponds to ‘frequency of VIBRATIONS’ and is used as the opposite to ‘density of matter,’ that is to say, the higher the ‘density of matter’ the lower the ‘density ‘of VIBRATIONS,’ and, vice versa, the higher the ‘density of VIBRATIONS’ the lower the ‘density of matter.’ The greatest ‘density of VIBRATIONS’ is to be found in the finest, the most rarefied, matter. And in the densest matter possible VIBRATIONS slow down and come almost to a stop. Therefore the finest matter cor-responds to the greatest ‘density of VIBRATIONS.’ Fragments: Nine

“The active force in the Absolute represents the maximum ‘density of VIBRATIONS,’ while the matter in which these VIBRATIONS proceed, that is, the first ‘carbon,’ represents the minimum density of matter. Fragments: Nine

“It is not difficult to agree that air is a kind of food for the organism But in what way impressions can be food may appear at first difficult to understand We must however remember that, with every external im pression, whether it takes the form of sound, or vision, or smell, we receive from outside a certain amount of energy, a certain number of VIBRATIONS, this energy which enters the organism from outside is food Moreover, as has been said before, energy cannot be transmitted without matter If an external impression brings external energy with it into the organism it means that external matter also enters which feeds the organism in the full meaning of the term Fragments: Nine

“So far,” he said, “we have looked upon the ‘table of hydrogens’ as a table of VIBRATIONS and of the densities of matter which are in an inverse proportion to them. We must now realize that the density of VIBRATIONS and the density of matter express many other properties of matter. For instance, till now we have said nothing about the intelligence or the consciousness of matter. Meanwhile the speed of VIBRATIONS of a matter shows the degree of intelligence of the given matter. You must remember that there is nothing dead or inanimate in nature. Everything in its own way is alive, everything in its own way is intelligent and conscious. Only this consciousness and intelligence is expressed in a different way on different levels of being — that is, on different scales. But you must understand once and for all that nothing is dead or inanimate in nature, there are simply different degrees of animation and different scales. Fragments: Sixteen

“The ‘table of hydrogens,’ while serving to determine the density of matter and the speed of VIBRATIONS, serves at the same time to determine the degree of intelligence and consciousness because the degree of consciousness corresponds to the degree of density or the speed or VIBRATIONS. This means that the denser the matter the less conscious it is, the less intelligent. And the denser the VIBRATIONS, the more conscious and the more intelligent the matter. Fragments: Sixteen

“Really dead matter begins where VIBRATIONS cease. But under ordinary conditions of life on the earth’s surface we have no concern with dead matter. And science cannot procure it. All the matter we know is living matter and in its own way it is intelligent. Fragments: Sixteen

“But, as I have already said, to determine the level of being by the ‘table of hydrogens’ it is usual to take the middle story. “With this as a point of departure it is possible for example to solve such problems: “Let us suppose Jesus Christ to be man number eight, how many times is Jesus Christ more intelligent than a table? “A table has no stories. It lies wholly between ‘hydrogen’ 1536 and ‘hydrogen’ 3072 according to the third scale of the ‘table of hydrogens.’ Man number eight is ‘hydrogen’ 6. This is the center of gravity of the middle story of man number eight. If we are able to calculate how many times ‘hydrogen’ 6 is more intelligent than ‘hydrogen’ 1536 we shall know how many times man number eight is more intelligent than a table. But, in this connection, it must be remembered that ‘intelligence’ is determined not by the density of matter but by the density of VIBRATIONS. The density of VIBRATIONS, however, increases not by doubling as in the octaves of ‘hydrogens’ but in an entirely different progression which many times outnumbers the first. If you know the exact coefficient of this increase you will be in a position to solve this problem. I only want to show that, however strange it looks, the problem can be solved. Fragments: Sixteen