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The Purpose of Love
by Richard Gardner



ADDENDA

GUIDANCE ON ACTING THE TWELVE

'God is the Dramatist; men only the actors'
                                                               Balzac


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    THIS SECTION has been added for the guidance of any group of persons wishing to act the twelve basic constituents of all possible human behaviour.

    If we seek to evolve consciousness it is necessary to DO something about it regularly. That used to be the purpose of Sundays and religious ritual generally. Nowadays with shorter working hours and longer weekends we seem to have less free time than ever, but regular weekly exercises are most essential to us all.

    Perhaps one of the greatest problems of humanity is forgetfulness, or as some call it, being asleep. This means that some technique must be devised to counter this shortcoming. The nearer the truth or actualities this technique can be, the better the results.

    By acting in just one channel at a time, the actor will become increasingly aware of its power and reality. One's success will be directly related to how purely one portrays each act without any admixture from another. We never act in only one in everyday life, so it will be quite a discipline to achieve such purity.

    As actors gain the capacity to experience and express ever more purely a given channel, they can then move on to the next and master it, and so on round the circle. Regular practice of these experiences will put at your command an increasing degree of consciousness. When one has gone round the circle experiencing ever more deeply each channel, one will have a consciousness for all occasions. A man or woman of all seasons in fact!

    Our present state is often one where we are using the wrong consciousness for what is going on around us, or what we are trying to do at the time. One of the symptoms of this is often great difficulty with communication between one person and another.

    As any group portrays each act with increasing accuracy, when one actor speaks to another in improvisation style, the actual spell-binding nature of each channel will become ever more apparent. The whole scene between them will take on an ever more myth and fairy-story atmosphere. There will be those who only hear, others who only see, others who only think, and others who can only do. Each seeing everything only from his point of view. In the I Ching it says 'He separates in order to unite'. These are exercises to separate out the tangled skein of consciousness in order that we may properly unite it.

    The three men who identified these twelve basic states worked for many years, often in difficulties and tensions, before the work was brought to its present stage. It does look as if they have cracked one of life's most important mysteries, how God operates man. Once these discoveries are put into practice there will be no limit to our progress.

    There are many teachings about concentration, positive thinking, meditation and so on, most of which one has to practise alone, which puts a considerable strain on our perseverance, and carries a real risk of boredom. Group-work helps overcome these limitations and allows us to work on a far broader front, with our colleagues to help keep us tuned in.

    For the purposes of acting the roles it may be best to list them in the order of sympathetic opposites. That is to say those channels that are directly opposite each other on the circle. (The conflicts are at a tangent as may be observed from the lines on the chart.) Sympathetic opposite performances are usually found operating in the same person at the same time. However for the practice of roles this must not be allowed to happen in the exercise.

    Air and Fire
    The inventor. Logician, scientist
    (Light, a star, the Sun)
    LOGICAL

    Thin, intellectual, awake, artificial,
    cerebral, complex, analytical, separative

    To examine

    analyse, scrutinize, figure, to see what
    a thing is, to penetrate, to change and
    invent, to transform

    Mode of expression, words about ideas. In all cases remember what it is not. For instance, no understanding. Not practically active. No courage. No intuition. No sense of natural processes Emphasis only on what he calls 'logic', therefore knows nothing about the nature and power of feelings.

    Fire and Air
    The Joker, the juggler, the trickster
    (Hot air, heat)
    FLIPPANT

    Superficial, obvious, light, resilient,
    cynical, funny, bright, breezy, quick

    To manipulate

    To be skilful, clever, to be witty,
    insensitive, to sneer, to see the ridiculous

    Mode of expression, wit, can see only the funny side of any situation. People with the preceding example Air and Fire invariably have and use wit. For the sake of the exercise they must not do so in the act. This example has all the same limitations as the preceding one.

    Air and Water

    The Master, the lord, the patriarch
    (ice, snow, crystals)
    FORMAL

    Refined, pure, cold, precise, tense,
    sharp, superior, civilized, conceited
    To judge

    To be opinionated, closed, to hold on,
    reserve oneself, to be inflexible,
    individualistic, dignified, aloof

    Mode of expression, emphasis on the letter of the law haughty disdain. All the limitations of the first example, plus no ability to analyse. Remember, when portraying a role, what each is NOT capable of, and do not allow anything else to seep into the act. This reminder cannot be repeated too often.

    Fire and Earth
    The pioneer, the giant, the devil
    (eruptions, volcanoes)
    ACTIVE

    Definite, hard, brutal, aggressive,
    impressive, big, forceful, strong,
    firm, ugly, powerful

    To attack

    To be selfish, closed, to hold out,
    defend oneself, to have courage,
    to be suspicious, determined, confident

    Mode of expression and answer to all problems. Force. Really would not speak, but for the sake of the act would speak to advise force. Has no ideas. In history this channel has often united with the preceding one Air and Water in such instances as the church using the sword in order to inflict its teaching upon the people. These two often combine in the individual who thinks what he knows is right, and that all others should be put down by force or punishment. Hitler was a striking example of this combination. Again for the act they must not be allowed to combine.

    Water and Air
    The child, the fairy, the angel
    (dampness, mist, clouds)
    PASSIVE

    Vague, soft, tender, receptive,
    impressionable, small, gentle,
    weak, fragile, beautiful

    To surrender

    To be selfless, open, to give in,
    lose oneself, to have faith, love,
    compassion, innocence

    Mode of expression, state of awe about all that is going on around her. Speech is not part of the role, but for the sake of the action she would say something of what she had experienced in her totally receptive way. If she was asked to help, or do anything she would not know what to do.

    Earth and Fire
    The Slave, the peasant, the worker
    (the hearth, a forge, a kiln)
    CASUAL

    Crude, dirty, warm, messy, relaxed,
    blunt, sociable, primitive, humble

    To accept

    To be self-sacrificing, to resign,
    to give oneself, submit, to
    co-operate, to be adaptable, pliant

    Mode of expression, total relaxation, touching and when stimulated erotic dancing, sensual. The preceding example Water and Air surrenders to everything. This one submits to everyone. They are often found in the same person, but not to be so in the act. The actor can enjoy himself in this one being as rude and crude as he likes. No ideas belong in this performance.

    Water and Earth
    The Enchantress, The Dreamer, The Siren
    (deep water, a well)
    SENSITIVE

    Deep, mysterious, dark, shrinking,
    sincere, serious, subdued, quiet,
    slow

    To appreciate

    To be devious, awkward, to be
    intuitive, to sense, to have
    inner feelings, sensibility, values

    Mode of expression, the wail of the siren. She is caught up m her psychic visions and need for warmth and light. When you speak to her you are likely to switch on some vision in her about what you are speaking of, and she answers slowly like a voice coming from below water. She will give a vision about what you spoke of rather than any direct answer. No ideas in this act, only psychic pictures.

    Earth and Water
    The sleeper, the mother, the nurse
    (mud, a bog)
    NATURAL

    Fat. healthy, drowsy, natural, honest,
    simple, organic, wholesome

    To evolve

    To grow. weave, knit, to be instinctive,
    to function, to be at one with nature,
    integrated, settled, repetitive

    Mode of expression, nurturing, moulding as in craftsmanship. Identified only with nature and if she speaks, it would be but little and rather heavy and repetitive. Her knowledge is by instinct, whereas the one above is by intuition Water and Earth. These often combine in the same person but not to be mixed in the act.

    Water and Fire
    The actress, the oracle, the goddess
    (steam)
    SUBJECTIVE

    Emotional, passionate, personal,
    dramatic, involved, attached,
    dependent, close

    To participate

    To be self-centred, closed, to indulge oneself,
    to have desires, strong feelings,
    to be romantic, alive, excited, enthusiastic

    Mode of expression, to dramatize everything. Very worked up. Really no ideas on her own. When oracles of ancient Greece performed like her they would be externalizing the information received from her neighbour the Siren. For the sake of the exercise do not mix them until you are really proficient in each separately.

    Earth and Air
    The old woman, the spinster
    (dust, a desert, a track)
    HOLDING

    Methodical, flat, boring, drab,
    reliable, steady, monotony,
    repetitive, tired, sober

    To organize

    To be self-sufficient,
    to be concerned, tight, careful,
    to calculate, plan, take into account
    remember, gain

    Mode of expression, concern with accumulation. Speaks only about plans towards this end and of protecting what is accumulated. She is often to be found using the previous example Water and Fire in the sense of getting very worked up about any danger to her possessions. For the exercise this must not take place in the act.

    Fire and Water
    The fool, the clown, the drunk
    (a geyser, boiling water)
    RELEASING

    Chaotic, bubbling, turbulent, gay,
    irregular, spontaneous, lively, happy
    To enjoy life,
    to forget oneself,
    to be extravagant, generous, carefree,
    mad, silly, heedless, unwise, forgetful,
    loose

    Mode of expression, mime and lively exuberance. Reacts to everything as fancy takes him in a very animated way. Cannot be made to care or become involved in anything. A tremendous imitator. Really no words belong to this act.

    Air and Earth
    The observer, the doctor, death
    (gas, space)
    OBJECTIVE

    Calm, impassive, impersonal, cool,
    uncommitted, detached, independent,
    distant

    To observe, watch
    To be open-minded, open, to forget
    about oneself, to want nothing,
    to be interested in reality, to be
    dead, toneless

    Mode of expression, none really. He just looks. All his attention goes into looking to really see what is going on. Has no opinions or feelings about anything. When asked what he sees he finds difficulty in speaking and articulating. (You will note this about persons who use this consciousness constantly) and he sounds as if far away. This one and the one above share complete carelessness; so be careful that one act does not creep into the other during the exercise. Both well developed and combined give us the wise fool.

    The student will notice that not only sympathetic opposites mix easily in the same person, but also channels next door to each other. Until each performance is mastered on its own this mixing must be assiduously avoided. When all twelve are yours by true practice of them, then you will be able to perform in a way that is truly voluntary, instead of as we tend to be now, mere puppets dancing to the 'strings' we have allowed to dominate us. Our actions and behaviour could become ever more truly our own.

    As you will see, the circle is composed of three predominantly Airy channels, three Earthy ones, three Fiery and three Watery. The Airy ones share intellect and detachment; the Earthy ones routine and practicality; the Fiery ones action and liveliness; the Watery ones psychic ability and telepathy, the source of the arts.

    May I wish all aspirants every success and assure them that results are not long in coming, provided they keep to the rules. Some people are able to experience consciousness they had not known before, or not since childhood, after only two hours' practice, an hour one week and an hour the next. As any group per- severes a tremendous amount will be revealed to them, and they will develop magical powers.

    Any person or group seeking help is very welcome to get in touch with me.

    I have studied the elements from many sources over many years and can recommend this system as the simplest and most effective of all other works, and best of all it is functional. When anyone has mastered this system (if system is the right word, because it appears to me to be a chart of what is), all other work on elements will offer more information than ever before.

    All great things can be turned to love. From the magical lovemaking point of view actresses and actors will find it an aid to ecstasy, if she acts one of the female roles and he plays the opposite conflicting male role, as a preliminary to the Great Rite.





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Chapter Index
page
Introduction 1
PART ONE. ON CENTRE
Chapter 1. Fallen Consciousness 2
Chapter 2. Three Basic Constituents 3
Chapter 3. Points to Consider 4
Chapter 4. The Two Establishments 5
PART TWO. THE TWELVE CHANNELS 6
Introduction 7
PART TWO (A) 8
PART TWO (B) 9
PART TWO (C) 10
PART TWO (D) 11
Addenda 12
APPENDIX
Physics and Consciousness
13
Bibliography 14



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