Excerpts - The Principles of Four

Groups of four are common in this Work. We have scoured our sources to bring forward as comprehensive a list as possible. Most came from material on this website and our Dropbox,
Including:
The Place of Language in the Teachings (book)
Who’s in Charge (book)
Headlines (book)
“Notes on Personal Integration and Health” (book)
Talk called “The Way”
Personal Notes by Rhondell
Various Workshops 

1)         Four Reasons “I” Feels Important

• “I” know what ought to be.
• “I” know or could know what everyone needs.
• “I” know or could know the future.
• “I” know or could know the cause of everything.

 

2)         Four Forces

• 1) INITIATIVE – Originator or starter 
• 2) RESISTANCE [ACTIVE or PASSIVE] – To the starter
• 3) FORM – The visible aspect
• 4) RESULT or COMPLETION– What happens [from "The Way]

 

3)         Four Great Games/Professions

• POWER POLICIES (decrees what’s in/out; decides who is us/ them)
• HEALING ARTS (decrees what’s normal/abnormal; healthy/sick)
• THEOLOGY (decrees what’s good/bad; right/wrong)
• BIG BUSINESS (decrees what’s pretty/ugly; smart/dumb)

 

4)         Four Dual Basic Urges

• PHYSICAL Level:  Gain comfort, pleasure; escape discomfort, pain
• MENTAL Level:  Gain attention; escape being Ignored or rejected
• EMOTIONAL Level:  Gain approval; escape disapproval
• TRANSCENDENTAL Level:  Gain feeling of Importance, being needed; escape feeling useless, inferior, insignificant

 

5)         Four Variables – X is a Constant Balancing Action to The Following

• NUTRITION – What one consumes.
• ACTIVITY – What one does.
• ENVIRONMENT – What is going on around one.  (Including what one radiates.)
• INNER FEELING – What one feels.

 

6)         Four Essential Ideas of the Manmade World

• The “reality” that there is an IDEAL
• The ability and “necessity” for self to SELF-IMPROVE towards the “ideal”.
• The need for SIGNS and DEMONSTRATIONS to show degree of “self-improvement.”
• The necessity to find the CAUSE to BLAME and make it pay (“justice”).

 

7)         Four Components of the Manmade World

• Machines
• Ideas
• Ideals
• Standards

 

8)         Four Components of the Games of the Manmade World

• Players
• Officials
• Rules
• Penalties/Rewards

 

9)         Four Steps of Regeneration

• CONFESSION – To see true motives of self.  ACTIVE
• SURRENDER – To give up the values of the not-I’s of conditioning.  PASSIVE
• REPENTANCE – To turn about from putting value on “what ought to be” to putting value on “what is”.  ACTIVE
• BAPTISM – Cleansed of all beliefs and values of the conditioned person; regenerated by the enthusiasm of thankfulness.  PASSIVE

 

10)      Four Basic Ideas of the Teaching

• SELF-KNOWING – Seeing the illusions and false values of conditioning.
• FAITH – Ability to make up the mind.
• GRACE – Thankfulness for unearned, undeserved goods.
• AGAPE – Sees that what everyone (including self) is doing, has done and will do, that at that moment of doing, it seems right, proper, and/or justifiable according to which “I” is in charge at that moment.

 

11)       Four Kinds of Love

• PIA – Parent to child; a natural feeling.
• PHILO – Approval; a natural feeling.
• EROS – Physical attraction; a natural feeling.
• AGAPE – Understanding; a deliberate use of the mind.

 

12)      Four Kinds of Teachers

• WORLDLY Teacher:  teaches that one is responsible for self and how to live by rules to reach goals of self-improvement
• UNWORLDLY Teacher:  teaches one is responsible for self and how to have “spiritual experiences” so one can gain the goals of spiritual attainment.
• INTEGRATIVE Teacher: teaches oneis responsible for self and therefore can end all conflict, struggle, and resistance by discovering the illusions which are obstacles to liberation.
• DEVIL Teacher: Teaches one is NOT responsible for oneself, is a victim, must accept ideal standards of control in order to be safe now and rewarded later.

 

13)      Four Levels of Consciousness

• SLEEP:  Physical, relatively unconscious of inside and outside worlds.
• WALKING SLEEP:  State of claiming “All “I’s” are “I”; all kinds of things are “mine”; total identification with almost everything, which is then claimed as “I”.
• SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS:  Seeing “I” in its total conditioned state as an object.
• OBJECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS:  Being, without identifying.

 

14)      Four Step Formula for Making a Suggestion

• Create desire by identifying need.
• Set up a goal with the promise of being “better off”.
• Show the method and “how easy it is”.
• Act upon it and imply a guarantee.

 

15)      Four False Claims of Thought

• PROPHECY:  Claiming to know the future.
• CLAIRVOYANCE: Claiming to know what’s happening someplace else.
• PSYCHIC: Claiming to know everybody’s motives.
• DIVINITY: Claiming to know what ought to be and what ought to have been.

 

16)      Four Destructive Emotions

• ANGER – Blaming someone else.
• GUILT – Blaming self.
• FEAR – Not knowing whom to blame.
• INSECURITY – Feeling inferior.

 

17)      Experiencing the Four Destructive Emotions Freely

• ANGER – As a sense of competition in a game.
• GUILT – As a feeling of “I” put one over on me at the time.
• FEAR – As a sense of excitement.
• INSECURITY – As a sense of adventure.

 

18)      Four Unanswerable Questions – The Problem-Makers

• Did “I”, you, or they do the right thing?
• Am “I”, you, or they doing the right thing?
• Will “I”, you, or they do the right thing?
• Why?

 

19)      Four Proper Uses of the Mind

• Seeing WHAT IS at this particular moment.
• Recording for memory what takes place.
• Making up the mind as to what experiment to run.
• Seeing probable sequence of events.

 

20)      Four Ways to Deal with Motion

• RETURN – Conditioned reaction (“A” side)
• HOLD – Conditioned reaction (“B” side)
• DESTROY – By Agape, understanding motive.
• ORIGINATE – Through Agape, making up the mind; acting out of purpose rather than motive

 

21)      Four Mental Levels

• ATTENTION – What one is thinking about; seeing through a lens colored by the other three levels.
• ASSOCIATION – Comparing “that” to “this”, consciously and unconsciously.
• DREAMS – Created images in the mind, influencing associations.
• BELIEFS – Conclusions acquired by suggestion, influencing dreams.

 

22)      Four Interrelated Factors/Principles of Man [“Notes on Personal Integration & Health”]

• The Biological or “X”
• The Psychological or awareness
• The Physiological or physical factor – the material body
• Activity or Function

 

23)      Four Infant and Child Decisions

• INFANT MIND: Pleasure equals happiness and pain equals unhappiness.
• INFANT MIND: It’s important to have my way OR to think a think makes it so.
• CHILD MIND: It’s important to please others to gain pleasure and escape painful sensations.
• CHILD MIND: Accept or do what you are told; don’t ask questions.

 

24)      Four Questions of Self-Remembering  

• WHAT AM I?  (A privileged, invited guest.)
• WHERE AM I?  (On this planet called Earth where Life is the Host.)
• WHAT’S GOING ON?  (A large party where lots of games are being played and everything is provided.)
• WHAT CAN I DO?  (I can do what to me is being a Good Guest.)

 

25)      Four Essential Ideas of self-Knowing

• I don’t know what I need (or anyone else needs)
• I don’t know what ought to be (for self or anyone else)
• I don’t know who or what to blame (or the “cause” of anything)
• I don’t know the future.

 

26)      Four Forces Symbolized in the Sphinx – 1 

• 1) Initiative – MAN
• 2) Resistance – OX/BULL
• 3) Form – EAGLE – self-knowing by observing I
• 4) Result – LION – Strength, love, regeneration

 

27)      Four Forces Symbolized in Bible and Sphinx – 2

• Stones = Worldly = Ox/Bull = Luke = Initiative
• Water = Unworldly = Lion = Mark = Resistance
• Wine = Integrated = Man = Matthew = Form
• Oil = Kingdom of Heaven = Eagle = John = Result

 

28)      Four Ways

• FAKIR
• MONK
• YOGA
• THE WAY

 

29)      Four Groups

• PHARISEES – God is a tyrant we must please.
• SADDUCEES – God is riches and power.
• ESSENES – I don’t know what God is.
• KINGDOM OF HEAVEN – God is Love

 

30)      Four Aspects in the Picture of Man; Four Aspects of a Living Being [San Diego ’78]

• X – How - Initiative
• AWARENESS – What - Passive
• PHYSICAL – Form, Motor Function
• FUNCTION - Result

 

31)      Four Ways of Man

• 1^ST:  WAY OF THE JUNGLE – survival of the fittest; kill anything that’s in front of me and about to interfere.  Today called “crime”.
• 2^nd:  WAY OF JUSTICE – an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth – commit no more violence than necessary.
• 3^rd:  WAY OF UNDERSTANDING or LOVE – understanding that whatever any person including myself has done, is doing, will do, is felt at the time of doing to be right, proper, and/or justifiable with whatever light that person has at the moment.
• 4^th:  WAY OF CONSCIOUSNESS or INTELLIGENCE – One could be aware of what the purpose was and will to do it.  Knowing What You Are…Where You Are…What’s Going on Here…and What You Can Do. I AM IN CHARGE OF MY OWN INNER STATE.

 

32)      Four Teaching Ideas turned into Ideologies (self-improvement)

• LOVE becomes Tolerance (Vanity, Pride; looking down on others)
• FAITH becomes Gullibility (Authorities rule behavior, blaming the “will of God”)
• GRACE becomes the Will of a Capricious God
• SELF-KNOWING becomes Identification with an institution or ideology

 

33)      Four Teaching Experiences turned into Ideologies

• CONFESSION (telling another where one didn’t live up to the authority’s ideal)
• SURRENDER (giving one’s life, will, purposes to an institution)
• REPENTANCE (Feeling guilty)
• BAPTISM (Dipped in water)

 

34)      Four Misconceptions About The New Man

• TOLERANT of everyone else (looking down on)
• CONDESCENDING  (treat everyone nice, as equals, though we know they’re not)
• HELPFUL (pull everyone part way up to our exalted height; raise the downtrodden)
• UTOPIA (where everything is the ideal; non-disturbance)

 

35)      Four Attributes of The New Man

• AGAPE (instead of Tolerance)
• CONSIDERATE (instead of Condescending)
• HARMLESS (instead of Helpful)
• CONTRIBUTION (instead of a Parasite, trying to get good feelings)

 

36)      Four Spiritual Experiences

• CONFESSION (confessing to X by self-observation; reporting what’s going on accurately)
• SURRENDER (surrender the will of self to be non-disturbed through obtaining ideals)
• REPENTANCE (turning about, ceasing to serve mammon; through self-awareness)
• BAPTISM (after the first three are experienced; baptism with light; cleansed heart)

           

37)      Four Levels of Consciousness [Malibu ’69 Workshop]

• ATTENTION: very limited
• UNCONSCIOUS and CONSCIOUS ASSOCIATION: mostly unconscious
• DREAMS: unconscious of them, going on all the time
• BELIEFS: from internal and external suggestion

 

38)      Four Steps of The Living Cycle

• TRUE PERCEPTION
• TRUE FEELING
• CHEMICAL BALANCE
• CREATIVE ACTION

 

39)      What Happens When I Am “Free to…” [Health and Healing 1987 CD 6]

• When I’m free to be broke I can enjoy wealth.
• When I’m free to be alone I can enjoy companionship.
• When I’m free to be sick I can enjoy health
• When I’m free to die I can enjoy Life.

 

40)      Four Positions in the World

• Authorities – tell us what to believe and think because they know, and we don’t.
• Experts – those with special skills, e.g. building a computer, setting a broken leg, etc.; very useful
• Officials – tell us what to do for the well-being of most people; don’t say what to think or believe
• Laymen – those who don’t know the difference between the other three.

“Most every statement has four different possible levels
according to what your level of understanding is.
All of them are valuable and all of them are valid.”
Dr. Bob Gibson – Malibu, CA ‘69