At one of the following meetings, after a fairly long talk on knowledge and being, G. said: “Strictly speaking, you cannot as yet speak of knowledge because you do not know with what knowledge begins. “Knowledge begins with the teaching of the COSMOSes. “You know the expressions ‘macrocosm’ and ‘microcosm.’ This means ‘large COSMOS’ and ‘small COSMOS,’ ‘large world’ and ‘small world.’ The universe is regarded as a ‘large COSMOS’ and man as a ‘small COSMOS,’ analogous to the large one. This establishes, as it were, the idea of the unity and the similarity of the world and man. Fragments: Ten

“Seven COSMOSes, taken together in their relation to one another, alone represent a complete picture of the universe. The idea of two analogous COSMOSes, accidentally preserved from a great and complete teaching, is so incomplete that it can give no idea whatever of the analogy between man and the world. “The teaching on COSMOSes examines seven COSMOSes: “The first COSMOS is the ProtoCOSMOS — the first COSMOS. “The second COSMOS is the AyoCOSMOS, the holy COSMOS, or the MegaloCOSMOS, the ‘great COSMOS.’ “The third COSMOS is the MacroCOSMOS — the ‘large COSMOS.’ “The fourth COSMOS is the DeuteroCOSMOS — the ‘second COSMOS.’ “The fifth COSMOS is the MesoCOSMOS — the ‘middle COSMOS.’ “The sixth COSMOS is the TritoCOSMOS — the ‘third COSMOS.’ “The seventh COSMOS is the MicroCOSMOS — the ‘small COSMOS.’ “The ProtoCOSMOS is the Absolute in the ray of creation, or world 1. The AyoCOSMOS is world 3 (‘all worlds’ in the ray of creation). The Macro-COSMOS is our starry world or the Milky Way (world 6 in the ray of creation). The DeuteroCOSMOS is the sun, the solar system (world 12). The MesoCOSMOS is ‘all planets’ (world 24), or the earth as the representative of the planetary world. The TritoCOSMOS is man. The MicroCOSMOS is the ‘atom.’ Fragments: Ten

“Each COSMOS is a living being which lives, breathes, thinks, feels, is born, and dies. Fragments: Ten

“The conditions of the action of laws on each plane, that is, in each COSMOS, are determined by the two adjoining COSMOSes, the one above and the one below. Three COSMOSes standing next to one another give a complete picture of the manifestation of the laws of the universe. One COSMOS cannot give a complete picture. Thus in order to know one COSMOS, it is necessary to know the two adjoining COSMOSes, the one above and the one below the first, that is, one larger and one smaller. Taken together, these two COSMOSes determine the one that lies between them. Thus the MesoCOSMOS and the MicroCOSMOS, taken together, determine the TritoCOSMOS. The DeuteroCOSMOS and the TritoCOSMOS determine the MesoCOSMOS, and so on. Fragments: Ten

“The relation of one COSMOS to another is different from the relation of one world to another in the astronomical ray of creation. In the ray of creation worlds are taken in the actual relation in which they exist in the universe for us, from our point of view: the moon, the earth, the planets, the sun, the Milky Way, and so on. Therefore the quantitative interrelation of the worlds one to another in the ray of creation is not permanent. In one case or on one level it is greater, for instance, the relation of ‘all suns’ to our sun; in another case, on another level, it is less, for instance, the relation of the earth to the moon. But the interrelation of the COSMOSes is permanent and always the same. That is to say, one COSMOS is related to another as zero to infinity. This means that the relation of the MicroCOSMOS to the TritoCOSMOS is the same as that of zero to infinity; the relation of the TritoCOSMOS to the MesoCOSMOS is that of zero to infinity; the relation of the MesoCOSMOS to the DeuteroCOSMOS is that of zero to infinity; and so on. Fragments: Ten

“The idea of the possibility of broadening man’s consciousness and increasing his capacities for knowledge stands in direct relation to the teaching on COSMOSes. In his ordinary state a man is conscious of himself in one COSMOS, and all the other COSMOSes he looks at from the point of view of one COSMOS. The broadening of his consciousness and the intensifying of his psychic functions lead him into the sphere of activity and life of two other COSMOSes simultaneously, the one above and the one below, that is, one larger and one smaller. The broadening of consciousness does not proceed in one direction only, that is, in the direction of the higher COSMOSes; in going above, at the same time it goes below. Fragments: Ten

“In reality this means that if, for instance, a man begins to feel the life of the planets, or if his consciousness passes to the level of the planetary world, he begins at the same time to feel the life of atoms, or his consciousness passes to their level. In this way the broadening of consciousness proceeds simultaneously in two directions, towards the greater and towards the lesser. Both the great and the small require for their cognition a like change in man. In looking for parallels and analogies between the COSMOSes we may take each COSMOS in three relations: “1. in its relation to itself, “2. in its relation to a higher or a larger COSMOS, and Fragments: Ten

“3. in its relation to a lower, or a smaller COSMOS, “The manifestation of the laws of one COSMOS in another COSMOS constitutes what we call a miracle. There can be no other kind of miracle. A miracle is not a breaking of laws, nor is it a phenomenon outside laws. Fragments: Ten

It is a phenomenon which takes place according to the laws of another COSMOS. These laws are incomprehensible and unknown to us, and are therefore miraculous. Fragments: Ten

“In order to understand the laws of relativity, it is very useful to examine the life and phenomena of one COSMOS as though looking at them from another COSMOS, that is, to examine them from the point of view of the laws of another COSMOS. All the phenomena of the life of a given COSMOS, examined from another COSMOS, assume a completely different aspect and have a completely different meaning. Many new phenomena appear and many other phenomena disappear. This in general completely changes the picture of the world and of things. Fragments: Ten

“All that you have said,” I said, “refers without doubt to the problems of dimensions. But before I pass to them, I should like to elucidate one point, which is not quite clear to me. It is what you said about the MicroCOSMOS. We are accustomed to connect the idea of the MicroCOSMOS with man. This means that man represents a world in himself. A world analogous to the large world, the MacroCOSMOS. But you give man the name of TritoCOSMOS, that is, the third COSMOS. Why third? The first is ProtoCOSMOS; the second, the sun or DeuteroCOSMOS. Why is man the third COSMOS?” Fragments: Ten

“First of all we must examine what the ratio of zero to infinity means,” I said. “If we understand this, we shall understand the relation of one COSMOS to another. In the world accessible to our study we have a perfectly clear example of the relation of zero to infinity. In geometry this is the relation of one unit of a certain number of dimensions to another unit of a greater number of dimensions. The relation of a point to a line, of a line to a plane, of a plane to a solid, of a solid, that is, of a three-dimensional body to a four-dimensional body, and so on. Fragments: Ten

“If we adopt this point of view, we shall have to admit that the relation of one COSMOS to another is the relation of two bodies of different dimensions. If one COSMOS is three-dimensional then the next COSMOS, that is, the one above it, must be four­dimensional, the next — five-dimensional, and so on. If we take the ‘atom’ or ‘microbe,’ as you say, that is, the MicroCOSMOS as a point, then relative to this point man will be a line, that is, a figure of one dimension. The next COSMOS, the earth, will be a plane relative to man, that is, it will have two dimensions, as is actually the case for direct perception. The sun, the solar system, will be three-dimensional for the earth. The starry world will be four-dimensional for the sun. ‘All worlds’ are five-dimensional, and the Absolute or ProtoCOSMOS is six-dimensional. Fragments: Ten

“As every COSMOS has a real physical existence, every COSMOS therefore is three­dimensional for itself or in itself. In relation to a lower COSMOS it is four-dimensional, in relation to a higher COSMOS it is a point. To put it differently, it is, itself, three-dimensional, but the fourth dimension lies for it in the COSMOS above and the COSMOS below. This last point is perhaps the most paradoxical, but nevertheless it is exactly as it should be. For a three-dimensional body, such as is a COSMOS, the fourth dimension lies as much in the realm of very large magnitudes as in the realm of very small magnitudes; as much in the realm of what is actually infinity as in the realm of what is actually zero. Fragments: Ten

“There is a great deal of material in what you have just said,” said G., “but this material must be elaborated. If you can find out how to elaborate the material that you have now, you will understand a great deal that has not occurred to you till now. For example, take note that time is different in different COSMOSes. And it can be calculated exactly, that is, it is possible to establish exactly how time in one COSMOS is related to the time of another COSMOS. Fragments: Ten

“Beyond the sun, that is, beyond the solar system, he has not and cannot have any existence, or in other words, from the point of view of the next COSMOS he does not exist at all. A man does not exist at all in the MacroCOSMOS. The MacroCOSMOS is the COSMOS in which the possibilities of the TritoCOSMOS are realized and man can exist in the MacroCOSMOS only as an atom of the TritoCOSMOS. The possibilities of the earth are actualized in the MegaloCOSMOS and the possibilities of the sun are actualized in the ProtoCOSMOS. Fragments: Ten

“The inexactitude of this view becomes evident if we try to conceive the existence of one COSMOS within the other, that is, of a lower COSMOS in a higher, of a smaller COSMOS in a greater, such as, for instance, the existence of man in organic life or in relation to organic life. In this case organic life must inevitably be taken in time. Existence in time is an extension along the fourth dimension. Fragments: Ten

“Neither can the earth be regarded as a three-dimensional body. It would be three­dimensional if it were stationary. Its motion around its axis makes man a five­dimensional being, whereas its motion around the sun makes the earth itself four­dimensional. The earth is not a sphere but a spiral encircling the sun, and the sun is not a sphere but a kind of spindle inside this spiral. The spiral and the spindle, taken together, must have a lateral motion in the next COSMOS, but what results from this motion we cannot know, for we know neither the nature nor the direction of the motion. Fragments: Ten

“Further, seven COSMOSes represent a ‘period of dimensions,’ but this does not mean that the chain of COSMOSes comes to an end with the MicroCOSMOS. If man is a MicroCOSMOS, that is, a COSMOS in himself, then the microscopic cells composing his body will stand towards him in about the same relation as he himself stands to organic life on earth. A microscopic cell which is on the boundary line of microscopic vision is composed of milliards of molecules comprising the next step, the next COSMOS. Going still further, we can say that the next COSMOS will be the electron. Thus we have obtained a second MicroCOSMOS — the cell; a third MicroCOSMOS — the molecule; and a fourth MicroCOSMOS — the electron. These divisions and definitions, namely ‘cells,’ ‘molecules,’ and ‘electrons,’ are possibly very imperfect; it may be that with time science will establish others, but the principle will remain always the same and lower COSMOSes will always be in precisely such relation to the MicroCOSMOS.” Fragments: Ten

Finally having decided to try to put together everything I thought on the subject, I took man as the MicroCOSMOS. The next COSMOS in relation to man I took as “organic life on earth,” which I called “TritoCOSMOS” although I did not understand this name, because I would have been unable to answer the question why organic life on earth was the “third” COSMOS. But the name is immaterial. After that everything was in ac­cordance with G.’s system. Below man, that is, as the next smaller COSMOS, was the “cell.” Not any cell and not a cell under any conditions, but a fairly large cell, such as for instance the embryo-cell of the human organism. As the next COSMOS one could take a small, ultramicroscopic cell. The idea of two COSMOSes in the microscopic world, that is, the idea of two microscopic individuals differing one from the other as much as does “man” from a “large cell,” is perfectly clear in bacteriology. Fragments: Ten

The next COSMOS was the molecule, and the next the electron. Neither “molecule” nor “electron” appeared to me to be very sound or reliable definitions, but for the lack of others these could be taken. Fragments: Ten

“Among the formulas giving a summary of the content of many symbols there was one which had a particular significance, namely the formula ‘As above, so below,’ from the ‘Emerald Tablets of Hermes Trismegistus.’ This formula stated that all the laws of the COSMOS could be found in the atom or in any other phenomenon which exists as something completed according to certain laws. This same meaning was contained in the analogy drawn between the microcosm — man, and the macrocosm — the universe. The fundamental laws of triads and octaves penetrate everything and should be studied simultaneously both in the world and in man. But in relation to himself man is a nearer and a more accessible object of study and knowledge than the world of phenomena outside him. Therefore, in striving towards a knowledge of the universe, man should begin with the study of himself and with the realization of the fundamental laws within him. Fragments: Fourteen

“The understanding of symbols can be approached in the following way: In studying the world of phenomena a man first of all sees in everything the manifestation of two principles, one opposed to the other, which, in conjunction or in opposition, give one result or another, that is, reflect the essential nature of the principles which have created them. This manifestation of the great laws of duality and trinity man sees simultaneously in the COSMOS and in himself. But in relation to the COSMOS he is merely a spectator and moreover one who sees only the surface of phenomena which are moving in various directions though seeming to him to move in one direction. But in relation to himself his understanding of the laws of duality and trinity can express itself in a practical form, namely, having understood these laws in himself, he can, so to speak, confine the manifestation of the laws of duality and trinity to the permanent line of struggle with himself on the way to self-knowledge. In this way he will introduce the line of will first into the circle of time and afterwards into the cycle of eternity, the accomplishing of which will create in him the great symbol known by the name of the Seal of Solomon. Fragments: Fourteen

that is, in one case x between mi and fa, and in the other between sol and la, where it is not necessary. “The apparent placing of the interval in its wrong place itself shows to those who are able to read the symbol what kind of ‘shock’ is required for the passage of si to do. “In order to understand this, it is essential to recollect what was said about the role of ‘shocks’ in the processes proceeding in man and in the universe. “When we examined the application of the law of octaves to the COSMOS then the step ‘sun-earth’ was represented in this way: “In relation to the three octaves of radiation it was pointed out that the passage of do to si, the filling of the interval, takes place within the organism of the sun. It was pointed out in the cosmic octave in relation to the ‘interval’ do-si that this passage is accomplished by the will of the Absolute. The passage fa-mi in the cosmic octave is accomplished mechanically with the help of a special machine which makes it possible for fa, which enters it, to acquire by a series of inner processes the characteristics of sol standing above it, without changing its note, that is, to accumulate, as it were, the inner energy for passing independently into the next note, into mi. Fragments: Fourteen

“Therefore before even thinking of influencing practically the inner processes it is essential to understand the exact mutual relationship of the substances entering the organism, the nature of the possible ‘shocks,’ and the laws governing the transition of notes. These laws are everywhere the same. In studying man we study the COSMOS, in studying the COSMOS we study man. Fragments: Fourteen

“The cosmic octave ‘Absolute-moon’ has, according to the law of three, been broken into three subordinate octaves. In these three octaves the COSMOS is like man; the same ‘three stories,’ the same three shocks. Fragments: Fourteen

G. returned to the enneagram many times and in various connections. “Each completed whole, each COSMOS, each organism, each plant, is an enneagram,” he said. “But not each of these enneagrams has an inner triangle. The inner triangle stands for the presence of higher elements, according to the scale of ‘hydrogens,’ in a given organism. This inner triangle is possessed by such plants, for example, as hemp, poppy, hops, tea, coffee, tobacco, and many other plants which play a definite role in the life of man. The study of these plants can reveal much for us in regard to the enneagram. Fragments: Fourteen