There is a well-known statement of the apostle Paul in which he says: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”[1]
I have always considered it rather strange that a disciple of Christ would say such a thing. As sober-minded observers, we could say, “If you don’t want something, then don’t get involved with it.” Recently I have been reconsidering this point of view and this article is a reflection of that.
I do believe that Paul made a good point after all: he spoke about a fundamental, structural problem. What is then the cause of doing things we don’t really want to? Well, it all has to do with equilateral and irregular triangles.
To understand something of this problem, we must order our thoughts to some extent. To get more clarity we begin with the Highest and then we move downwards. Talking about the Creator is always a delicate matter, not something one should take lightly, but we need to do it to shed some light on the matter.
The Threefold Logos
The Universal Teachings speak of the holy threefold Logos and the seven Spirits before the throne of God. In a symbolic way we can depict this divine trinity as an equilateral triangle with three aspects: Father – Mother – Son, or: Power – Wisdom – Love.
Two important things we have to keep in mind, because we will need them later on. The divine triangle is equilateral, meaning that the three sides are in perfect balance. Secondly, the Son, universal Love, is the unifying basis of the triangle and a projection of the top, where the two other aspects meet.
Now we go down a step. In the Scriptures it is said that God created Man in his own image[2]. Hence, in the original and pure creation of Man we find this divine three-unity as Spirit, Soul and Body. In other words, as a spiritual being Man was balanced and lived in unity and harmony with the Universe.
The material plane
Now we go down another step and see ourselves in the material realm. On this plane we experience that life is ruled by polarities, by the duality of opposing forces. On the material plane there is still a reflection of the divine triangle, but it is not equilateral anymore, it has become distorted. We recognise these three aspects in ourselves as the three centres of consciousness, one in our head, one in our heart and one in our pelvis.
Even though the human triangle is distorted, it is still a very magical instrument, where our entire magical potential expresses itself in our thinking, feeling and will: head, heart and hands. But, a distorted, imbalanced triangle leads to disharmonious results. We see this disharmony in three different types of people: the intellectual type (head), the emotional type (heart) and the active/dynamic type (hands).
I consider that the quotation of Paul points to this structural problem of imbalance. We use our magical triangle every day, it is the basis of our life. But what are the results? Let’s take a few examples. I act on the basis of love (emotion), but without wisdom. I am sure that parents will recognise this one: I allow my child too much. What is the result? I act on the basis of my intellectual capabilities, but without love. I tell somebody my cold and mental truth, but for the other person it is harmful, it causes him pain. What is the result? Or, I act on impulse, with dynamic force, but without a good plan, without having thought it through. Will chaos not be the result? And what about this one: I have supreme wisdom, but I don’t act accordingly. Will fruitlessness not be the result?
It is not difficult to see that all these one-sided (based on one side of the triangle) actions have negative effects. Conflicts, pain and chaos are the results. It is how we are, it is how the world is.
The Universe
The Universe itself, however, seen as a projection of the threefold Logos, is in balance. The Universe is governed by unity, harmony and order. This divine unity is protected by an absolute law which we call karma. Karma is the law of cause and effect, but it is also the law of balance: it reacts to and neutralises deviating activities and restores unity and harmony in the Universe. If fundamentally imbalanced beings (we) act in a balanced universe, they will always undergo a corrective force. Their ‘evil’, understood as imbalance, as lacking completeness, triggers the karmic law.
Then we can ask: why is the human triangle imbalanced? This imbalance is the result of a missing factor. Remember that the top of the triangle is the unity of the Father and Mother aspects. The base, the Son, universal Love, is a projection of this unity. In other words: the equilateral triangle is a unity of Spirit, Soul and Body.
Mankind however, on its deep descent into matter, has lost the connection with the Spirit. It means that the seven rays of the Spirit cannot fulfil our soul with divine completeness, with heavenly harmony. But if the top of the triangle is missing, then also the unifying base is lacking. Our soul is disconnected. Without guidance, and without the unifying power of Love we fall prey to the dualistic forces of nature. They enslave us because we are like them and consist of incompatible poles.
The threefold ego
As already pointed out, human beings have three centres of consciousness: head, heart and hands. This threefold ego consciousness is a distorted and degenerated projection of the divine triangle. When we have the courage to investigate ourselves objectively, we discover that there is no unity, no harmony between our thoughts, our feelings and our actions or will.
What can we do to restore the divine balance in ourselves? Two lines of action are needed. The first is top-down: we need to reactivate our spiritual potential by paying attention to it. We need to focus our energy on our centre, our spiritual core, our ‘First Love’. Secondly, we have to pave the way for this spiritual potential, by neutralising as much as possible the disharmony of the threefold ego. That is the bottom-up approach. If we allow the ego to be cleansed and purified in the three centres of consciousness, then we give the Spirit the possibility to act through these centres. Then we see two triangles approach each other and merge, forming thus the seal of Solomon, the star of David.
Listen to Lao Tse
How do we neutralise the unbalanced threefold I-consciousness? We need to gain self-knowledge as to the functioning of our magical triangle. Life itself comes to our aid. Somebody says something unkind to me and I hit him on the head. Now I start analysing my behaviour. I look at the triangle and conclude: the dynamic aspect (hands) was in order in the sense of activity, but in the wrong direction, because the aspect of wisdom (head) was very weak and the aspect of love (heart) was completely lacking. Hence I activated the karmic law and brought misery on somebody else and on myself. That is how we learn.
How do I improve this situation? Listening to Lao Tse, he says: “Wu Wei”[3]. Wu Wei is the act of not-acting, the act of neutralisation in the power of the Living Christ. This becomes the appropriate remedy for my impulsive behaviour. And now, armed with my earlier experiences, my growing self-knowledge about the magical triangle and the advice of Lao Tse, I become more balanced. The next time somebody makes an insulting remark, I say: “Yes, you are completely right, I am an unbalanced fool.” Maybe you sense the hidden power and inner joy of such a neutralising reaction. In such a case, the opposing force will not be able to pull me in, because I am not one-sided, not a polarity. The fullness of the balanced divine triangle, Power – Wisdom – Love, makes a person invincible.
In the ancient gnostic gospel of the Pistis Sophia[4], the fallen human being is described as a composition of ‘half fire and half darkness’. It is the fire of our dynamic activities and the darkness in our heart and head. This combination makes us very destructive and also self-destructive. Only by balancing our being, by the merging of the divine and the human triangle, can we restore the former glory of Man: the threefold unity of Spirit, Soul and Body.
The Ancient of Days
Maybe you know the painting The Ancient of Days by William Blake. There we see two rays of creation, two sides of a triangle which are unified at the top, their origin.
The third aspect, unifying universal Love, is not shown in this painting. It doesn’t mean that the third aspect doesn’t exist, but it is still concealed, not yet manifested. The name ‘The Ancient of Days’ is used in the Old Testament book Daniel and refers to the Creator. I find it very interesting that only two rays are depicted, because the phase of the Old Testament is ruled by polarities, it shows us life under the dominion of karmic law.
To my mind, the phase of the Old Testament will always exist, as it is a part of creation. But it is not the last Word! The phase of the New Testament exists at the same time, yet to experience it, to make it a living reality, the Word has to become flesh! It means that the Old Testament is not followed automatically by the New Testament, but that we ourselves have to manifest the third aspect, Universal Love that makes all things new. We ourselves have to make the conscious choice as to which part of creation we wish to belong.
If we remain in the ancient phase of creation, we stay in a divided and broken reality. Then there will always be conflict, disharmony and misery. That is why the following quotation of Paul is so accurate: “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”[5]
Without the third aspect, the unifying Love of the Living Christ, we cannot progress because the pendulum of opposite forces dictates our life. Lao Tse called this the reality of the ‘ten thousand things’. All things are scattered without unification. In the realm of the ten thousand things, we have the building stones, but we have no cement to forge them into a unity. That is why we are always building the tower of Babel.
The solution? The universal Love of the living cosmic Christ is omnipresent. The third side of the triangle has always been a potential possibility. We just have to choose it!
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea [of the ten thousand things] was no more.”[6]
[1] Romans 7-15
[2] Genesis 1:27
[3] https://www.goldenrosycross.org/books/the-chinese-gnosis
[4] https://www.goldenrosycross.org/books/the-gnostic-mysteries-of-the-pistis-sophia
[5] 1 Corinthians 13:2
[6] Revelation 21:1
