A question about the General Law

[slowone]

Hi all,

I have a question regarding the General Law.

I have a good friend who is training to be a counsellor. IMHO I think she will be a great counsellor and hopefully help a lot of people in the course of her work. In her training she has obviously to do a great deal of work on herself in terms of therapy.

I know that talking to Perceval he was saying that someone who undertakes working on themself through psychotherapy could be described as doing the work even though they wouldn't place that work in terms as we would here.

Anyway she is experiencing a lot of problems in terms of getting her husband to collect the kids etc to facilitate her to attend her course. I realise that in laymans terms this could seem to be a resistance/fear on his part of her growing/changing as a person.

So this is my question is this resistance on his part a manifestation of the General Law? In as much as the more she is becoming aware of her programmes through her study and therapy and the more she gets close to being her authentic self (in some way) does the General Law kick in to try and prevent her even though she is unaware that she is doing "The Work"?

In this way has he become an "agent" for a form of attack? Is any attempt by anyone to move beyond their programming liable to an increase in pressure from the General Law? Not just people who have consiously undertaken it as is done here?

 

[agni]

So this is my question is this resistance on his part a manifestation of the General Law? In as much as the more she is becoming aware of her programmes through her study and therapy and the more she gets close to being her authentic self (in some way) does the General Law kick in to try and prevent her even though she is unaware that she is doing "The Work"?

Hi Slowone,

From what I currently understand, yes, it's manifestation of General Law. It does not care how things are named or called around here, anything that hinders possible escape from it's control will be challenged disregarding how aware of it the person is at the moment. IMHO.

 

[Buddy]

So this is my question is this resistance on his part a manifestation of the General Law?

I suppose it could be the general law regardless of the reasons, but as a practical matter, I was wondering if her training is something that has recently started? If so, do you know anything about the reasons for the difficulty with the husband - whether they are seemingly legitimate concerns about scheduling or something, or maybe just excuses?

 

[RyanX]

So this is my question is this resistance on his part a manifestation of the General Law? In as much as the more she is becoming aware of her programmes through her study and therapy and the more she gets close to being her authentic self (in some way) does the General Law kick in to try and prevent her even though she is unaware that she is doing "The Work"?

slowone,

I could be mistaken, but I think the General Law refers to all those aspects of life as it normally exists in our world. In other word, the General Law is the default for everything in this world. It is only through conscious efforts that one can escape the mechanical grip of the General Law and move into the Law of Exception.

I'm not sure if what your friend is doing falls under the Law of Exception. From the way you've described it, it sounds like that may be the case. In which case, if your friend has tried to step outside the normal stream of the General Law, this could be considered a test of sorts.

From Gnosis:

[quote author=Mouravieff]It must be realized that in placing himself under the aegis of the Law of Exception, man goes against the General Law, which he is even called upon to overthrow, if only on an individual scale. He must not forget--under penalty of 'surprise attack'--the salvation depends on victory over the Devil, which as we have said, is the personalized moral aspect of the General Law[/quote]

Then again, your friend's decision might be equally mechanical, and thus it, in itself is just another manifestation of the General Law. It's hard to say without more information. They key, I think are if these are conscious efforts on the part of your friend. Does she have some long term plan? What are her motivations -- to help people, or just status and financial gain, or something else entirely? If one is not conscious of doing the Work on oneself, can they really be said to be doing the Work? That doesn't mean that she has to use all the same 4th Way vocabulary, but I would think it has to be somewhat close. Remember, psychological knowledge is highly corrupted, so doing Work under the aegis of this corrupted system would probably lead to mechanical results, OSIT.

 

[Gonzo]

Hi slowone,

I agree with Bud. Although the General Law is constantly at play, the devil is in the details. Looking at the situation from such a macro level might prevent one from seeing the most obvious of reasons and possibly solutions.

In practice we need to be aware of both the universal laws on a macro level and their manifestations into challenges and opportunities on the micro level.

What difference would it make if the General Law were at play and, through synchronicity, the husband's actions (or inactions) interfere with her path? Either way she has to deal with the micro level.

Is there a possibility she has played a role in this as well, perhaps by not adequately sharing and inviting to plan together?

I am reminded of an old judge I once met who told me there's his side, her side and, somewhere in between, the truth. Although I thought he was a bit of a misogynist, I could see how such a statement could be a fair generalization when subjectivity and perception are taken into consideration.

This is something that needs to be dealt with as a couple if possible (not knowing how sane her husband is).

Are you close enough to both of them to see both sides of the equation? If not, I wouldn't be too hasty in making any assumptions. He may have a completely different perspective to offer. He may be having issues around responsibility, fatigue, a sense of her withdrawing.

I appreciate and relate to your concern and interest and hope you can channel those energies into service. But I have learned that sometimes people just need to go through stuff on their own as it is part of their learning path or karmic burden.

I also hope my comments aren't presumptuous about you or the other parties involved and if they are, please correct me.

Gonzo

 

[slowone]

So this is my question is this resistance on his part a manifestation of the General Law? In as much as the more she is becoming aware of her programmes through her study and therapy and the more she gets close to being her authentic self (in some way) does the General Law kick in to try and prevent her even though she is unaware that she is doing "The Work"?

Hi Slowone,

From what I currently understand, yes, it's manifestation of General Law. It does not care how things are named or called around here, anything that hinders possible escape from it's control will be challenged disregarding how aware of it the person is at the moment. IMHO.

Thank you for replying,Agni,Bud,RyanX,Gonzo

I think perhaps in this case there is more detail, but I think perhaps I phrased the question badly. I used my friend as an example because from what I know of the situation it made me think the following.

If someone who knows nothing of the work begins on a course in their life of trying to discover more about themselves and what makes them behave in certain ways through therapy/counselling and begins to gain insight and change perhaps becoming more aware, more one less many I's. Is that enough to prompt the general Law into a counter response?

Add to that if their path then led them to believe that they could help others, not through want of personal gain, or status but a true belief they could help, again, would that be enough to prompt a counter attack?

Is it possible that even this level of movement towards awareness of oneself is enough to trigger the General Law?

As a footnote I can help with the practical difficulties in some way which will ease her problem which I am glad to do, but the whole thing just got me thinking that even the slightest sign that someone may be waking up on even the most small level seems to rattle the cage bars enough to elicit a counter response, to provoke barriers.

Is it possible that all these little awakenings however small add energy to the STO dynamic? and even these as insignificant as they may seem in the grand scheme are still aggravating enough to the STS energy that it instantly kicks in to shut them down?

 

[Buddy]

If someone who knows nothing of the work begins on a course in their life of trying to discover more about themselves and what makes them behave in certain ways through therapy/counselling and begins to gain insight and change perhaps becoming more aware, more one less many I's. Is that enough to prompt the general Law into a counter response?

Add to that if their path then led them to believe that they could help others, not through want of personal gain, or status but a true belief they could help, again, would that be enough to prompt a counter attack?

Is it possible that even this level of movement towards awareness of oneself is enough to trigger the General Law?
[...]
Is it possible that all these little awakenings however small add energy to the STO dynamic? and even these as insignificant as they may seem in the grand scheme are still aggravating enough to the STS energy that it instantly kicks in to shut them down?

Please consider these as just my thoughts: Behavior is what counts the most, OSIT.
Since the general law applies generally, I'd say yes. But as to usefulness of the answer, we need to look at the specific circumstances, as the devil is in the details. In specific daily life situations, the general law may simply be manifesting as the homeostatic mechanism of the body's old chemical balances tending toward pulling you back into familiar routines, habits and rituals that keep part of your mind from needing to be awake in order to track all the happenings around you and to self-remember as much as possible.

Depending on circumstances, the general law may simply act as a resistance to a change in routine, or it could seem like every time you turn around people are behaving contemptuously and angrily towards you because something about you're awakening is disturbing their 'sleep'.

This is where the practice of self-observation or self-remembering and external consideration and the strategic enclosure comes in handy.

 

[The rabbit]

if their path then led them to believe that they could help others, not through want of personal gain, or status but a true belief they could help, again, would that be enough to prompt a counter attack?

You only have to think politician , some of whom im sure must start out with good intentions , though not really not knowing what one is dealing with in truth submit to corruption , or are tricked into believing they are doing good , but in fact are not.They become useful idiots.

Is it possible that even this level of movement towards awareness of oneself is enough to trigger the General Law?

I would say the GL is always there.

As a footnote I can help with the practical difficulties in some way which will ease her problem which I am glad to do,

Has she asked for your help , or hinted?

Is it possible that all these little awakenings however small add energy to the STO dynamic?

I dont think any good is ever wasted

and even these as insignificant as they may seem in the grand scheme are still aggravating enough to the STS energy that it instantly kicks in to shut them down?

Well so far it has not closed down Laura or sott etc , but we all know it keeps on trying , being aware of what one is truly dealing with as much as possible is the only way , meaning Knowledge protects. I think , and obviously my own opinion , one must hope to stumble onto the "Work" somehow and proceed from there. It is all well and good to have good intentions , but if one does not take on board hyperdimensionality , pure evil , psychopathy , ops and so on , then usually one wont be able to understand why things happen in ones life to knock one of the path. A few quick thoughts.

 

[luke wilson]

I to have a quick question about the general Law:

How does one get free of the general Law?

Is it by losing self-importance?

So if you have a person, who has defeated all the self-importance within him/herself, will they then automatically be free from the general law?

In other words, is selfimportance what keeps us imprisoned within the general law?

In the glossary it says

But for man, it happens differently. When man attempts to migrate from the General Law of life to the Law of Exception then it can only be done by CONSCIOUS efforts.

So, I take it self-importance cannot be defeated mechanically.

Is it true, if for example I say, self-importance makes us mechanical.

Is that a true statement just the way it is without adding or removing anything?

 

[luke wilson]

This is abit in opposition with what Mouravieff says in Gnosis. There I dont remember him mentioning self-importance. Instead he talks about the absolutes.

He says, that we are under the rule of the absolute 3 which in short is raw animal sexual energy and this is infact what gives the general law its power and what keeps us imprisonned within it. According to him, if I remember correctly, we need to overcome that and move to the aegis of the absolute 2 who is represented by the love of the Son who sends us B influences. Divine love, not animalistic love.

What I find hard about this, is that, they are technically vague concepts and can be interpreted a million different ways by different people. Why is self-importance not addressed by Mourivieff or any of the other european esoteric writers? I havent read Ouspenky or Gudjieff yet but I assume they dont talk about it because, If I had to throw a wild guess out there, I'd say they all came from the same school. Instead we get that concept from Don Juan through Castanedo all the way from mexico. Am I right? Instead what we get from the european writers is mainly the concept of energy centres(Lower and Higher Centres).

 

[ana]

I to have a quick question about the general Law:
How does one get free of the general Law?

How about trying first to answer those questions :)

What is the general law, How does it affects me?
Why do I want to get free of its influence?

 

[luke wilson]

What is the general law

The world of A influences.

How does it affects me?

It affects me because we are immersed in a world of A influences which rears us and brings us up in its own image so that we think nothing else but it exists. It is the beginning and end of life. For these reason, my acts are influenced by it.

Why do I want to get free of its influence?

Because I have seen it is not the beginning or end of life. There is something beyond it. I dont know what but I know there is something there and I want to get to that other thing. You can see the influence of the other thing in the world eventhough it is usually masked by A influences.


Ok I answered your questions Ana. Now it's your turn :)

 

[Approaching Infinity]

What is the general law

The world of A influences.

I think Ana was hoping you'd go a bit deeper. ;) Maybe start with the words. What is a "law" and how might it be "general"? What effects does this law have on people and things? How does it act upon them? What are its main features? If you don't first have a really clear understanding of the concept (or any concept), any 'thinking' you do about it will be simply an exercise in mental masturbation, or as Gurdjieff might put it, "pouring from the empty into the void."

 

[luke wilson]

Ok, thanks Approaching Infinity. I'll give it a second go, best I can...

What is a "law"

A law is like a rule that appears unbreakable and in someway there is a sense of 'marriage' involved where we are bound to it and maybe it to us.. How does a law get to be a Law? I dont know!!! Because God says so(?) :D

How is it general?

Because it applies to everything within its allocated scope and not lets just say, a single person.

What effects does this law have on people and things?

People dont have a choice, or very little choice to act against the rule which has now become Law. So in the case of the general Law, people act like 2D animals, only this time they have brains and self-awareness..

What are its main features?

I would say in this case, its main feature as it has undisputed authority in the animal kingdom is, animalistic sexual energy with all that entails, aggression, passion etc etc. That is why the animal kingdom(2D) is the way it is and somehow that law has invaded into our world. The world of men. But we know there are 2 types of men. Ones with no soul and ones with. Does it act the same on both of them? I dont know but I would say it has undisputed authority on ones without a soul and leaves the others in a state of perpetual inner conflict because they are literally stuck between 2 worlds. The animal world and the one above that...

Please tell me I am not just performing mental masturbation here(I can take it if I am, hit me with the cold hard truth)... I've really thought about what you said AI and this is what I have come up with.

 

[ana]

What is the general law

The world of A influences.

I think Ana was hoping you'd go a bit deeper. ;) Maybe start with the words. What is a "law" and how might it be "general"? What effects does this law have on people and things? How does it act upon them? What are its main features? If you don't first have a really clear understanding of the concept (or any concept), any 'thinking' you do about it will be simply an exercise in mental masturbation, or as Gurdjieff might put it, "pouring from the empty into the void."

Yep :)

Thanks for your responses Luke.

A law is like a rule that appears unbreakable and in someway there is a sense of 'marriage' involved where we are bound to it and maybe it to us.. How does a law get to be a Law? I dont know!!! Because God says so(?

The Cs say we are tied to the reality we experience and its laws by our awarenes level. Also that learning builds spiritual growth, so maybe all we need is to concentrate our efforts to learn and understand, working hard to put into practice our knowledge in all aspects of our life making every choice as conscious as we can, so we grow step by step wich will naturally lead us to the next level of experience.