The Law of Octaves
We can see the law of seven everywhere in the natural world and in everything we do internally and externally. If we understood the law of octaves, we could see more clearly how the universe unfolds, or how a tree grows, or how learning requires special efforts at certain, very specific, points.
The law of octaves explains many phenomena in our lives which are incomprehensible. ~ Gurdjieff
The law of seven is the basis for the seven-note musical octave. The idea is that in nature, and in the universe at large, nothing continues forever in a direct line. Everything must deviate at definite intervals. If we take the standard seven-note octave, plus the first note to a new octave, we get eight notes: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, and do.
The Law of Seven and Intervals
The law of seven says that within these eight notes of an octave there are two definite intervals, one between mi and fa, and one between si and the new do. The intervals are the mi-fa interval and the si-do interval. On an energetic level, what this means is that the vibrations that are increasing (or decreasing) at a consistent rate naturally slow down at these two intervals.
Octaves can be ascending, where the vibrations increase. Or they can be descending, where the vibrations decrease. In an ascending octave the notes run forward, so that the first interval occurs in the middle at the mi-fa, and the second interval occurs at the end, at the si-do. In a descending octave the notes run backward: do, si, la, sol, fa, mi, re, and do, so that the first interval falls at the beginning and the second interval happens toward the middle.
The Mi-Fa Interval
Reading this essay can be a simple example of an ascending octave. Often what happens is that we begin with emotion. The subject inspires us, but then about half-way through, the emotion drops off. Suddenly we don’t understand why we began reading in the first place or why we want to learn what it teaches.
This is the feeling of a mi-fa interval, a kind of emotional confusion about what we are doing and why we are doing it. At this point it is very easy for the octave to become something different, to change direction, or to deviate. In this example maybe we will set aside the essay and go on to read something else. The new thing will be a new octave, with new inspirations and emotions, but again, the same thing will happen near the middle. Again the emotion will drop off and we will feel confused about our motivation.
To move on, to complete the octave—in this case to continue reading—requires a certain effort. An effort to bridge the interval. That effort may take many different forms. It may be quite simple; we may simply use our will to read on, knowing that if we do this, our feelings of emotional motivation will eventually return. We may have an external force motivating us. Maybe we need to learn the material in the book in order to pass a test, and maybe passing the test will allow us to find a better job or allow us to make more money. The point is that we need some kind of effort to keep the octave from deviating. Once this effort and a new note can sound, the emotion returns, and the octave may continue for a time.
The Si-Do Interval
The second interval in an ascending octave happens near the end, when we are nearly ready to move on. The feeling of the si-do interval is: I just want this to be over. Again, the emotion drops off. We’re ready to move on, but not yet finished. Or we may feel we have finished. A second effort or shock must now come to complete whatever we happen to be doing.
Trajectory of a Descending Octave
In descending octaves, the first interval comes at the beginning. In other words, the octave starts with a change of direction. Intervals in descending octaves are not bridged, or if they are, they are bridged mechanically. The octave happens automatically, usually changing direction at each interval. Many natural processes, things that just happen, like decay, are descending octaves. The detonation of a nuclear bomb is a good example of a descending octave. When we see films showing the detonation of nuclear devices, we see that there are two very definite intervals where the force of the explosion drops off. Since it is a descending octave, the first interval appears at the beginning, at the point right after the so-called mushroom cloud. The second major interval appears at about half the distance from the point of detonation and the outer ring of the destruction.
Observing the Law of Seven
The law of seven is a little more difficult to observe than the law of three. The law of seven requires observation of a process that unfolds over a period of time. And there are octaves within octaves. If we go back to our example of reading, we can say that reading a book in its entirety is a single octave, but we can also say that each chapter is an octave, and that each section is an octave. And all of these different octaves have intervals. But the shorter the octave is, the less severe the interval, which means that the interval will be easier to bridge.
Like everything else our inner work—our efforts to remember ourselves, and to be present, and to transform suffering—are subject to the law of octaves. What this means is that the law of seven can become a tool that can help us understand how to keep our efforts moving forward; that is, toward more and more presence.
Using the Law of Seven to Overcome Intervals
The idea of octaves demonstrates again the necessity for effort in our inner work. What the law of octaves teaches us about being present, for instance, is that there are times when we are not going to understand why we want to be present, or why we want to connect to higher centers. Another way of looking at this is that we will not always feel emotional about being present. It is a law that we will be able to be present for a time and then an interval will come.
Nothing can continue at its present rate of vibration forever, including our attempts to be present. Something will always happen. Maybe we will simply forget about it, or maybe we will become identified. Something will happen to break the chain. But if we can observe the moment where we lose our motivation, we have an opportunity: we can use our intelligence and experience to make a special effort to continue to be present. And this type of effort, where there is no motivation, has a greater possibility to create being than the efforts we make when we are motivated. This is because, at the moment when we bridge this interval, there is no momentum, and so it becomes necessary for us to work directly from will.
William Page is the author of the blog BePresentFirst. This article is an excerpt from https://bepresentfirst.com/the-law-of-seven/. Other recent articles of his include: https://fourthwaytoday.org/we-always-make-a-profit/ https://fourthwaytoday.org/difficult-times/ https://fourthwaytoday.org/freedom-of-the-real/ and https://fourthwaytoday.org/memory-and-higher-states/.