Siloísmo – Practice Expansion of consciousness

8/8/2019 Silosmo Practice Expansion of consciousness

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Silosmo Practice Expansion of consciousness

The whole system of practices ranging from Self-Awareness (through corrective exercises and

overcoming) the expansion of consciousness or attainment of self-consciousness, mental level

overcomes ordinary waking again in which we are plunged along our lives.

In fact, you could dispense with any self-awareness and correcting and overcoming all difficulties if one

achieved the status of "awake" or self-consciousness in everyday l ife, as all work is geared towards that

goal.

Unfortunately, it proved that one can not achieve permanency in a direction that is not sufficiently

known, nor is it able to control the psychic states, or diversion projects or accidents to which it is

subjected.

Be that as it may give important guidelines for the progressive achievement of self-consciousness.

In this system we designate "ADMI" and use as an aid in remembering their methodical steps, the

following method:

ADMI Scheme

* "Served" means: I attend what I perceive without being distracted or attend what I do without being

distracted (care and education in the intellectual center view).

* "I divide" means: divide between what I do and what I perceive, p. eg.: I am making activity and

simultaneously the noise of the street, but not distract either.

* "Management" means: I attend to everything I do, but at the same time feel the sensation of my left

hand, p. eg.

* "Enter" means, as in the previous step, only instead of my hand I feel the whole body. However, this

feeling "whole body" is not a precise sense of "feel the hand" is not localized but diffuse feeling and

general throughout the body.

Through the four steps is explained goes up in level of consciousness. However, we must add something

else.

1 is passed from one job to another only when it thinks he has mastered. Therefore, depending on

themselves over time in months or years needed to master the fourth step.

2 Those who wish to work on himself the serious and permanent ADMI (only way to achieve results)

should be made tomorrow when you wake up in order to carry out the step that is during the day.

3 to meditate while lying down quickly in the day and try to discover what factors deviated from

Labour.


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The Farewell revindicates the Dionision spirit, but humanizing it, translating it into

moving style of rough simplicity.

In relation to the conferences, their titles are self-explanatory, but the rigour used in the

handling of the subjects confront us at this time not with the poet, not the moralist nor the social

reformer, but with a specialist in the use of logical tools.

One finishes reading this book with this sensation that one must begin to study it.

The writer van Daren, in the first pages helps to clarify abstruse problems that arise from

the explanations that Silo gave to reduced circles of people.

This compilation is a sort of ideological commitment. Time will surely take care of

unfolding and developing this synthesis.

Explanation

This work is compilation of Silo's harangues. Each one of them has been characterized

with brief statements about the circumstances operating at the time they took place, in order to

give the reader the opportunity of apprehending the "context" so important for objective

analysis.

We cannot say that the "Dialogues of Isla Negra" or the "Farewell" have the character of

harangues, nevertheless we have included them here for they contribute to elucidate some

points barely touched upon in the other dissertations.

As is well known, in oratorical style the best way to come in contact with the message is

certainly not through reading, but rather through listening. As the present means of

communication is not adequate for such aims, we suggest that the reading be done aloud. In

this manner there will be a greater approximation to the feeling (which is also meaning) that is

dulled here by cold letters.

All the material we present here has been accurately taken from recorded tapes, with the

exception of the "Fare-well" which was copied by hand. Fortunately, Dr. Pedro J. Restrepo was

present that day. Our thanks to him for having rescued such a significant document.

As to the three conferences that we decided to include, from the very beginning theygave us several problems. In the first place they were not intended for the general public, but

only for a small audience that knew specialized themes of Silo's doctrine. In the second place,

they did not have continuity among themselves and more likely resembled clarifying

developments offered as answers to issues stated in those days. In the third place, by being

inserted between the harangues they produce the same rupture as would a mathematical

exercise included in a compilation of poems.


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This and other difficulties made us doubt the convenience of presenting them in the

same volume, but wishing to offer the reader all the material launched in 1969, we left these

considerations aside and decided to publish everything following only the chronological order in

which the dissertations took place.

Nevertheless, we felt obliged to present a clarifying scheme about the fundamental

themes of Siloism so that the non-specialised reader can interpret the conferences that

otherwise might appear to be extremely obscure to him.

The following pages were commended to the writer H. van Doren, who wrote them down

and put them under the title of "The Fundamental Themes of the School of Liberation".

The Compilers

The Fundamental Themes of the School of Liberation

We are not in any condition to trace the source of the ideological line developed by Silo

in the School! Nevertheless, it seems that others had already undertaken their work with a

similar orientation.

There are some who affirm that the School is only one and always the same. That the

School is found at the origins of every great religion. For the founders come from it and adapt

the teachings to a popular sense, but respecting the fundamental principles. That the School

has always divided itself in numerous specialised orders, some developing more than othersaccording to the needs of its members. That in the end, with the passage of time, many of these

orders have deviated towards ritual formalism and occultism without meaning, little by little

cutting off their contact with the source.

Masonry, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, etc., would be examples of different orders of the

same School (to name some of the most recent ones and leaving aside whether they maintain

their original contact or not).

The great founders: Rama, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Christ, would be masters to

whom the School gave the mission of popularizing the teaching.

Of course, all this cannot be verified.

But although the origins might be not remote, even if the great religions and the great

sects be disconnected and don't have the same root, we must recognize a conglomerate of

doctrines and techniques common to all.


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It is clear that the different religions and sects have divergent points, unequal degrees of

profundity and seriousness, different organizations and aims that on some occasions appear to

be opposed.

On the other hand, the validity of a spiritual teaching is not necessarily linked to tradition.

There are some that have precisely the opposite opinion.

For the researchers, the births of religions and the schools remain obscure.

Even when its origins are discussed, the School will still have a number of themes

translated to the language of the epoch which will allow us to understand its aims.

It is not easy to grasp a body of doctrine that is directed to the spiritual realization of

individuals. Let us try to put in order the most important points that Silo developed for those who

were disposing themselves to enter the School.

Disposition of he who wishes to initiate the Work

He who enters the School has the following points very clear:

1. That he is not free to make any decision. That everything he believes to elaborate and

choose is a product of the determination of the environment that surrounds him, and of the need

of his own psychophysiological machinery. He must keep the following formula in mind. "Man

cannot do anything, but rather everything happens to him."

2. That he should neither seek ends nor declarations of principles, nor anything similar. Ifthere is an end it is to teach methods of liberation that allow the human being to stop acting

mechanically. Only a non-mechanical man can make plans and orient himself toward

meaningful ends.

3. That one attends the School to learn and not to teach or discuss. The first thing that

must be learned is to listen.

4. That he cannot skip any of the steps indicated to him without the danger of ruining

everything he has gained and of destroying all future possibilities.

5. That impatience is his worst enemy.

6. That everything he does against the School he does against himself.

7. That he is not needed.

If from the beginning he does not assimilate these points then he has undertaken a

sterile task.


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The mental levels

In the School it is said that there is not only a state of sleep and another of lucidity, andsome other states of preconsciousness and of daily reverie (speaking of consciousness

considered as normal).

It is affirmed that there exist gradual states of consciousness ranging from profound

sleep to supraconsciousness following more or less this scale.

1. The subject sleeps profoundly (night sleep).

2. The subject is found in semi-sleep (before waking up or before going to sleep)

3. The subject passes to the state of reverie which is his normal state, erroneously

considered as "vigil".

4. The subject by means of auto-observation reaches consciousness-of-self. this admits

at least three degrees according to the methods used and the permanence invested.

5. The subject achieves objective consciousness.

It is considered that normal man has access only to the first three levels and that only

accidentally, and for brief instants, barely touches consciousness-of-self... In no case should

this state be considered as self-analysis or introspection.

Reverie and awakening

If this, what the School says, can be verified and if there are people who act in

consequence with that previously sketched, human life will surely undergo a radical change.

The School attempts to awaken man, but with the first step it takes it finds the resistance

of the individual and collective reverie.

Man has attained the state of reverie above the animal species... This has been reached

as a product of mechanical evolution. Nevertheless, the School doubts whether man can

mechanically continue ascending to other states. It bases this doubt on the fact that for man's

development the perfecting of his material conditions and the storing of data about nature are

sufficient.


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There exist difficulties in explaining how it is possible for some men to possess

knowledge of superior states if from the beginning it is affirmed that mechanically or by simple

evolution no one reaches such development.

At this point the question arises as to whether reality is perceived differently according to

the level of consciousness.

Men living in a permanent state of reverie have an image of reality which corresponds to

the said state but which is not at all the "thing itself".

These statements which appear simplistic should not lead us away from clues that

possess a notable degree of originality.

The Theory of Reverie

Let us take, for example, the theory of reverie.

It says: Thanks to the reverie the human species develops even at the expense of

individuals. If reveries were to disappear in man, civilization as we know it would be replaced by

something unknown or suppressed by contemplation or quiescence.

Nevertheless, this is not the occasion to draw these kinds of conclusions when we are

concerned with the problem of knowledge.

It appears that normally the consciousness jumps from one object to another instant

after instant, even when it can follow sequences and elaborate logical thoughts. The lack ofpermanence with an idea is the result of the instability of the reverie which is constantly moved

by new stimuli of the reverie which is constantly moved by new stimuli-external ones or internal

ones from the body itself - or by associative chains that respond to mnemonic grooves.

Even in the case of intending to do so, the subject cannot stop the flow of the current,

since alien elements are constantly filtering into the theme he is in.

Reveries are precisely those imaginary infiltrations into the precision of an idea.

Unfortunately, ordinary man is so poorly trained in these mental distinctions that he does

not even notice how he is constantly dreaming while awake. Of course, on occasions, he

notices his own fantasies and those of others and can also distinguish the images of semisleep.

But what is interesting is that he does not continuously select between what he thinks and what

he reveries.

What is most curious about the theory of reverie is that it teaches us that there exists a

more or less fixed nucleus and a whole variable constellation that depends on it.


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requirement of mobilizing an energetic potential so the said stimulus can be "fixed".

Furthermore, the afferent charge diffuses itself around the point of localization and excites in

contiguous zones associations that allow structured and not isolated, recordings of each

sensory datum.

The associative chains are aroused by contiguity, similarity and contrast. They are

basically acts, but have mental objects as correlates which are generally images or reveries, as

they are called in the School.

And the existence of the reverie nucleus is possible because it is the response of a

general diffused structure to particular stimuli, that are in any case organized among

themselves.

If the chemistry of the biotype or the genre of stimuli is violently modified, the personality

will vary and correlatively, the reverie. But since the chemical functioning has a certain

immobility in each organism (thus the existence of biotypes) and the grooves of previous

recordings have "depth" through repetitions and habits, it is normal for the personality to regress

to its previous point after the distorting experiences.

Here is where the School introduces a characteristic turn.

The Work.

The modification of personality and reverie

In order to modify the personality and the reverie nucleus the subject must not distort hisbiotype, nor the genre of his perceptions, but rather he must modify the potential of his own

structure. He must then work with the internal energy of his machinery.

In principle, auto-observation appears to achieve an unfolding in the perception that is

received, since one has "consciousness of the perception" besides passively assimilating it. The

energy that would normally return as a response, as a reverie, is picked up in order to feed the

work of auto-observation which precisely impedes the flow of the reverie. Anyone who tries

even for an instant to auto-observe himself while perceiving, will comprehend that this is correct.

Nevertheless, it happens that the permanence in such a state is limited. For this reason,

the School feels compelled to explain techniques that will allow permanence in the auto-observation. These techniques obviously have to do with the mastering of energies of a greater

potential.

In order to initiate oneself in this type of work, it is necessary to comprehend the

structure of the human machine in detail. At that level, the characteristics of the "centers", of

their parts and sub parts, and of the connections between them are explained. The different

velocities of each center and the frequency with which one center starts to work in replacement


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for the other are theoretically and practically studied. Such happens, for instance, between the

emotion and the intellect or between the matricity and the emotion, etc.

In order to start availing of an adequate energy, it seems indispensable to harmonize the

centers, correcting errors of connection produced by shocks and bad recordings.

In this manner, from general problems of psychology one goes on to a system of

experimentation and of vital proxies, of training, and of a style of life.

Essence

When the initiates in these works achieve the harmonizing of their centers, they say they

possess "essence".

The essence is the product of the harmonic relation between centers. The formation ofessence is what permits to advance in the domestication of the fundamental energy.

They explain that ordinary man does not possess essence, but only personality and

reverie.

To depersonalize oneself is for the School to realize the essential work.

A certain horror is provoked in us by the term "depersonalize oneself", but this is due to

the belief that we have freely forged our personality and that it is permanent and defined.

The psychological resistance against depersonalizing ourselves is for the School a clear

indication of the faith man has in something so fragile and nonexistent in reality as are his

reveries.

Through the modifications of the reverie nucleus the measure of the internal change can

be seen.

If the nucleus does not vary with the work, nothing important has changed in the subject.

To know and to comprehend

A man can know all these things but not comprehend them. "Knowledge" is determined

by the accumulation and relation of data, but "comprehending" is obtained by the practical

application of knowledge.


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Therefore, no one who is not in the Work comprehends it. Thus, objections formulated

from outside the School have no meaning for they are directed from another level of language

and from no comprehension.

Equally, he who has been in the Work and has not been able to modify his reverie

nucleus can make objections from his personality, but never from his essence.

It is understood that we are talking about objections and not about the nonsense with

which small town people occupy their leisure.

It is now convenient to point out another important aspect of the teaching.

Accident and Destiny

It is aff irmed that man is continually subject to accidents. From the very first perceptionsthat are recorded in him and that reach him with the variation of the circumstances over which

he has no control, up to his projects which are continually being modified by the changes of the

environment and in his own machinery.

In fact, one thinks in one direction, feels in another and acts in yet a different one.

This internal contradiction makes man continually betray his purposes and end up lying

to others and lying to himself.

We know that the contradiction is already in the bad work of the centers, in the replacing

of the activity of one by the activity of another, and in the very bad recordings the product of abad education and of discordant perceptions.

It is comprehensible that this basic accidentally cannot give origin to a clear and

controllable conduct.

If the projects or simply the intentions are ruled by contradictory reveries, they will not be

able to have permanence and will suffer deviations proportionate to the arising of new

circumstances.

Therefore, it is the external circumstances that, by varying the stimuli, continually modify

the human intentions.

Nevertheless, the reverie nucleus permits a certain stability and a certain direction. But

after all, as it has to do with a reverie, it never coincides with the real circumstances... Man goes

after his reverie without ever reaching it, just like the thirsty expeditioner goes after a mirage.

The internal contradiction and the non-agreement of the reverie with reality promote

deviations and accidents in everything that is planned. No man is safe from the accidents no

matter how many precautions he takes.


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This living from accident to accident generates feelings of frustration that are expressed

in aggressiveness. A new deviation and a new frustration and, therefore, a new recording of

failure. Aggressiveness increases in individuals in peoples and in civilizations.

Men cannot stop their aggressive impulses nor the processes of destruction with only

good intentions, for these continually vary.

With no freedom at all and subject to the play of accidents, the individual only serves the

development of the species, moved by his reveries and displaying the capacity of work of his

different centers.

Art, Philosophy, Religion, the social, scientific and technical development, in sum: the

human civilization goes on reflecting the state of the circumstances at each stage.

Progress is verified by the accumulation of work from generation through generation, but

basically man continues to be an automaton at the service of the species.

It is explained in the School that to form one's own essence is to forge a Destiny.

He who is in the Work must comprehend his biography, observing how his life up to that

moment is nothing but a conglomerate of repetitions and accidents.

The idea that accidents repeat themselves with a certain cyclicity permits one to notice a

rhythm. In this way there exists the possibility of foreseeing not the accidents themselves but at

least their rhythms.

As automatic man could be able to determine them, but it would not serve him at all

since he has not forged a Destiny. Of what use could it be to now that one is falling into an

abyss if one cannot detain oneself?

Each center has its particular speed and rhythm. For this reason the moment of greatest

harmony, or of the opposite, can be calculated. Moments of acute disharmony provoke the

psychological accident. Sometimes, thought the circumstances be adverse, the dilemma is

endured with integrity because the centers are found in harmonic relationship.

This technique of determination is called "bio-rhythm". It explains the formula, "Man

cannot do, everything happens to him."

All that has been explained up to here is developed in the Psychology of the School.

Moreover, it establishes an adequate system of practices in order to achieve a true level of

comprehension and the possibility of acting with liberty and Destiny.

The Theory of the Fugue

In the first place, the theory of the Fugue.


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To the School, every mechanical man is psychologically "fugued" from reality, asleep if

you like.

The fugue admits degrees which are determined by the large or small disproportion in

the work of the centers. To a greater imbalance corresponds a greater frustration and greater

aggression.

Every vice is the expression of a certain level of fugue.

The different pathological mental states are also placed in the scale of the fugue.

A very high percentage of physical illnesses are derived from this some state. In general,

illness is considered as "fugue in front of the conflict of situation", and a type of psychosomatic

medicine, base of any other science of healing, is explained.

The people of the School

Many as themselves: How are the men and women of the School in their daily activities?

They are the same in their basic needs and in the way they fulfill them, but in other

aspects they are different.

Let us imagine a person of the School by the side of a common person. Let us say they

are work companions in an office. They are very much alike with respect to the degree of

efficiency. Both use the same means of transportation, they can meet at a party or at the house

of one of them and have dinner together in a similar way. Maybe both of them are married andhave children. Both of them grow old and die.

It is clear, there are some differences with respect to the environment, but without much

importance. As an example, bad acts of every nature are ascribed to the man of the School, and

he is accused of contradictory things. He is artificially placed in conflict with his family and

friends. He is fired from his job and he is politically persecuted. As his activities are not clear to

the official Church and the constituted Power, he is frequently arrested with all kinds of pretexts,

and after degrading him publicly through the organs of information, he is set free, but no

possibility of defense is given to him. The man from the School cannot publicly defend himself

or the School, for such an attitude is considered propagandistic. Journalism in general cannot

allow itself to be "used", to be "instrumented" for "unconfessable" ends, but of course, it rapidlylends itself to all that is calumny and similar crimes which through its intermediation, can be

carried out against the School or its members.

It is very interesting to observe the automatic attitudes of the philistines towards the men

of the School... but this is a subject apart.


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He who is in the Work does not take refuge in any religion nor in any political party. He

attends his group and carries on a rigorous training.

To a good observer that individual has a different "style" from the rest and a non-

aggressive behaviour. What is most noticeable is his sense of humour.

Some of them go to retreats where they stay for a short period of time.

A few go away from the world in order to work in what we could call "monasteries",

always being able to abandon them and return to them voluntarily.

The retreats and monasteries are not places of spiritual refuge, but of superior work.

School and orders

How is the School?

Only one School must be talked about, although organized in different orders. Each

order seems to be specialized in one aspect of the teaching.

By no means do we give the name of "School" to those groups, sects or religions which

explain the Work in a different way.

The true School is indigent and there exists no possible justification which would permit

it to work in the opposite sense.

The true School never has its own economic means.

Each monastery is self-supplied, each retreat consumes its goods during the period it

lasts (fifteen days or a month), and each order subsists on the contribution of each member

and which is destined to be completely invested in the work of the participants. In this way, an

order does not have a permanent fund, nor money deposits, nor properties, nor reserves for

cases of emergency. Contributions are made along the way and according to the needs of the

moment.

In an order there are ascending steps until the instructor has finished his period of

instruction and the apprentice his stage of apprenticeship.

The first one abandons his order and dedicates himself to another kind of work, and the

second one begins his period as instructor.

We are dealing with an odd organization in which the individual who has reached a

considerable level, abandons everything and starts another work from "point zero". But this he

does, always leaving a replacement of approximate efficiency.


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In order to enter the Work one must be introduced by another member. No hierarchy of

the mechanical life is respected in the School. Neither age nor experience is respected. All is

reduced to a group of apprentices with their instructor, that goes on ascending.

When someone wants to withdraw, the procedure used is the most simple... he stops

going to his group. If some day he opts for re-entering the Work, he must once again begin

from the starting step, and this as many times as he wishes.

In the orders, no one is ever asked about his background, nor about the functions he

performs in ordinary life.

In relation to the teaching, it is made adequate for the historical moment, addressing

itself to reduced or extensive circles of persons. On some occasions the opening of the School

to the people is provoked, and sometimes its doors are closed.

The style of the language

Although in habitual life they use an adequate language for the circumstances, the

members of the School set their limits. In the first place, when preventing the topics from

"trapping" or impassioning them. They talk, they participate, but as if not believing in what is

being said, knowing that everything is mechanical and independent of the will of the human

being.

In the second place, they now that certain themes or the way of leading a conversation

approach the School or move away from it. Therefore, there are some topics they are

completely refractory to; on the other hand, there are others that give a gratifying feeling when

the closeness of fundamental matters is recognized in them.

He who wishes to participate of the School can discover it through its members without

these having looked for him thanks to that kind of style in the language.

This was approximately what Silo developed to those who decided to start working

under his guidance when he began to impart the teaching of the School.

The system of techniques and the image of the world and of man that he delineated, are

the patrimony of the groups that continue his work.

What was said outside the School, is entirely explained in the pages that follow.


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Harangue of the sea

In the month of January, 1969 Silo was arrested in the proximities of Aconcagua. Later

he was forced to abandon his place of meditation. He then left for the Pacific Coast, and there

he responded to a few people who were anxious to ask him some questions.

This brief harangue was given by the seaside, in the locality of Quintero, Chile.

"Learn well what I will tell you: there are neither good men nor bad men. Where there is

no freedom there is neither good nor bad, everything happens in spite of man. Understand that

you are not free, not in the moment of your birth, nor when you love, nor at the moment of your

death.

"You have told me you knew of someone who chose his own death and I tell you that his

sickness chose it for him.

"Here you have one as strong as a rock whose power and work you admire, and this

other one ridden with vices, sickness and poverty who has come all the way here. This one is

my brother in whom I recognize need before desire!

"Fulfill your needs but kill desire.

"If the great religions of today teach in a different manner, stay away from them, for they

are here not to help you, but rather to enchain your consciousness.

"And thus, you who are a priest of a church and who have come to me to ask, I answer

you: if you do not recognize your failure as a man of faith, and if your church does not distribute

all of its possessions amongst these poor, you are a hypocrite who exploits the people in thename of God!

"I do not tell the people to abandon your church, I tell you to do it, so that your example

which reveals failure and a scandal, be a testimony of the Truth.

"Fulfill your needs and struggle for the needs of your brother, but kill desire.

"Look in your conscience and you shall discover that desire is the origin of the violence,

of the vices, and of the misery in the world. When you have done this, search for me.

"And this other one who has come with hypocrisy to ask, that the State be left to the men

of State and the religion to the mystics. Thus it is, that with me, he mistook his way."

January 21, 1969


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The spirit and the oppression

In Valparaiso there was a meeting with "proper-thinking" people who had of themselvesthe image of success and who necessarily had to clash with Silo's proclamation that reads thus:

"My teaching is not for the triumphant, but for those who carry failure in their hearts."

Someone then asked (in an amiable tone), if he would explain the meaning of the

proclamation.

Silo replied that he would speak about the spirit and the oppression.

"There existed a very powerful man who had a great number of sheep. In order to

impede their escape he built a fence. Nevertheless there were some sheep who tore down the

prison and were able to run away. To prevent this, the powerful man brought dogs that guardedthem night and day.

"In spite of everything, some were able to escape while others were killed by the

watchdogs that ruined their flesh and skins with ferocious bites. Enthused by this, the dogs

entered the sheepfold and continued the massacre.

"The powerful man realized that the fence was too fragile to contain them and the

watchdogs were dangerous.

"He then sent for a magician. This one put all the sheep to sleep and made them dream

that they were free. Upon awakening, they were free. Upon awakening, they continued believing

that they worked voluntarily and they no longer abandoned their master.

"Thus, sheep is the spirit of the human being. The powerful man, he who wants to utilize

it. The fence, the watchdogs and the magician are the assistants of the oppressor.

"To fence in the spirit is to separate it from the world by means of ignorance. To

surround it with guards is to maintain it in docility through violence and force, instilling it with

fear. Finally, to put it to sleep is to degrade the spirit with persuasion and beautiful falsehoods.

"Throughout time these three forms of assassination of the spirit have been used.

"Ignorance and fear have not been sufficiently powerful so as to contain the impulses of

freedom. (On the other hand, an ignorant and fearful man is not as useful to the oppressor as

the man who has been instructed, and it is no longer necessary to exert violence upon him for

he is in accord with the infamy).

"When a man needs neither fences nor guards and conforms with the falsity of his life it

is because his spirit has died.


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"There are those who sell their inner freedom so as to achieve material security or

material well-being. They are the ones who call themselves free because they do not desire

another life, and they take offense when someone speaks of the need to awaken.

"When men sleep in this way, they collaborate with the oppression and work for the well-

being of the oppressor. They are considered "useful" to the causes of the State which, in turn,

docilely serves an empire.

"A man who has degraded himself to such a point is a triumphant. He is put forth as an

example of work and as an example of self-improvement. He receives his salary at the expense

of the suffering of others whom he considers incapable.

"The triumphant can become such only be collaborating with the commandments of the

master, be it called State, Morality, or Religion.

"The false triumphant sleeps, but his dreams are often full of dread for sooner or later

some sheep awaken and begin to awaken others... Little by little, within the sheepfold, it is

noticed that they no longer believe in false freedom.

"The triumphant have no need of this teaching for they have already satiated their

ambition. What for so much outcry, when it is to the failures to whom I direct my word?

"I only believe in those who recognize themselves outside the fence, and who do not

enjoy the benefits of the triumphant.

"Ah, triumphant! You cannot reproach me for not speaking for you, because you need

me not. And if I speak for the one who needs me, why do you meddle with me?

"Failures are the poor and the sick and those without strength and those without future.

They are the ones who have been defrauded in their ideals, maimed in their loves, chastised in

their faith, betrayed in their kindness.

"When you recognize your failure I shall give you comfort, for only then will the spirit be

yours and you will discover the need for internal liberation, the need for renouncement, the need

to kill desire."

January 22,1969

Dialogues of Isla Negra

A group of followers gathered in the neighbourhood of Isla Negra on the Pacific Coast.

It was twilight.


19/60

Silo was peacefully eating nuts. For a long time he was interested in a rock formation

upon which there rose foundations, eaten away by the salinity of the place, or perhaps by the

passage of time.

Suddenly he turned around, and offering a nut to the eldest of his companions he

mockingly asked: "What is more important, the body or the spirit?"

The man (known as a person of critical sense) took the nut without answering, and after

opening it he realized that it was empty. Then with feigned bad humor he asked in turn:

"Which need should first be fulfilled, the one of the body or the one of the spirit?"

To this Silo said:

"Where does your life lead to if not death, and when you die what is of interest out of that

which you have done? I tell you what is important is the spirit.

"Whoever places Society or Money above it is either mistaken or lies.

"Under the pretext of getting bread for the people, the philistines give them hunger and,

moreover, delay the spirit.

"You must proceed in a different way than the philistine. While you give faith to the

people, fight with them so they do not lack bread, so there will be neither rich nor poor but only

brothers.

"Whoever preaches these things, delaying the spirit for later on, wants to oppress you.

"The spirit is not for tomorrow, but for today. Hunger cannot be satisfied the day after

tomorrow, but today."

Then the other glanced at Silo with dissatisfaction. Soon after, he displayed a nut he had

kept and began to eat it without concern.

***

In different ways, many had asked about the historical moment and about the

significance of material progress.

For them Silo said:

"Not much time will pass before the imperial beast falls. This generation will see it andyou will see it. But when that happens you will understand that it had no real importance.

When the empire falls, you will be able to say: That which oppressed the nations and

drowned the spirit has fallen, but that was not enough for man to be free!"

Further on he added:


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21/60

"Until now, you can see that I back you up. It seems that everything is put together by

the system. But do not be unjust, it exists because you feed it.

"You are neither a miner nor a woodcutter of the South. That type of life is unknown to

you for you only work with abstract values.

"You never see death at your side, and if the press informs you of it, you measure its

force calculating the loss of lives in North American dollars.

"Be just with the system and give me good reasons to abominate it. Why do you say it

oppreses you?"

- Because it dehumanizes me - answered the youth.

- How does it do that? - asked Silo.

- By forcing me to participate in exploitaion and fraud.

- In what way does the system force you to commit such misdeeds? - asked Silo again.

- I shall explain the mechanics of the subject, leaving aside all the affective and moral

questions that surround it, I am authorized for such a description because it is of my own case.

"When the time comes to obtain a stable job, the instant a possibility arises I grab it with

all my being. Then, once installed, I try to progress in that line for I understand that by materially

prospering I have more spiritual freedom.

"At that point the idea becomes convincing to me that once the basic material anguish

disappears, man is in a condition to develop himself."

- According to that there would be no development if there are basic privations, and yes

for the contrary. Is this an absolute truth? - inquired Silo.

- Certainly. Then it happens that after some time in the company, they suggest to me

that I will have a better horizon by getting married and establishing a stable home.

"Statically it is known that efficiency increases in the married employee at the same time

that desertion diminishes.

"I accept the counsel of my bosses, and thanks to that fact I am promoted. Obviously,

my needs increase because now I have a family commitments.

"As time goes by, I realize that I should participate more actively in the life of the

company. Not anymore only during working hours, but in every activity it promotes:

relationships, housing, clothes, dinners, transportation, recreation, language, in sum: style, I

have to adapt myself to a style of action and thinking in order to coincide with the rhythm of the

whole machinery.


22/60

"In order to progress and as my possibilities are still limited, I have to acquire "status"

buying certain goods that exhibit my level.

"Here again new problems arise. If I do not acquire "status" I cannot climb, and if I do

acquire it, this is thanks to enchaining myself even more by buying goods that put me in debt.

"In order to smother this anguish that could reflect itself in less production on my behalf,

my bosses come to me and give me benevolent loans backed by their signatures of acceptable

men.

"I now have to pay my debts even if it takes me a whole lifetime."

- And what are you complaining about? - Silo whispered naively.

- My wife also will have to bind herself to the life of the company and its social demands.

Surely my son will not escape from this either. Do you think it would be well looked upon if he

related with suspicious people?

- I do not think so - answered Silo.

- Consequently, by participating in this example of the system, I impose the same scale

upon those who surround me.

"Let us suppose that it is now in my hands to hire new employees. Whom do I hire?

Logically those who have the most possibilities for contributing to the development of the

company. Such people cannot be very different from myself, it will be my ambition that they

follow my steps. In this way, they will be in good relations with me, and I with my bosses.

"If I ever get to be a general manager, my needs will be increased for two reasons.

"The first is of a material nature, in order to conserve and augment my position.

"The second is of a psychological nature, for in order to reach this pinnacle I have

carried my conditioning to its maximum limit and the reflexes created prevent me from doing or

thinking anything outside the line of this "total brainwash".

- What is the problem then? - Silo asked formally.

- That from this position I can clearly see where I am headed, and I would like to go in a

different direction.

- In what direction?

- In another one that would permit me to liberate myself from the system.

- What is it to liberate yourself from the system?

- Having what is necessay in order to live without being enchained.

- But what are your needs?


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- Those that obligate me to have a decent life; a healthy diet, a roof and clothing. Not

only for myself but also for my wife and son.

- Fine, but you already have that.

- Yes, but I am still enchained to the system.

- Decide between decency and liberty.

- I see through others that those who cannot lead a decent life cannot live freely, for their

needs are so urgent that they are enchained to getting their daily bread.

- According to that, you can never be free.

- That is what I think.

- Then, why do you look for culprits?

- Because if the system in which I live changes, I stop being enchained.

- Are you hinting that in that case you could live with decency and freedom?

- Exactly.

- Then change the system.

- I cannot for I no longer have liberty to fight.

- Then, you cannot do anything in any sense.

- That is what I am asking you, what can I do?

- Meditate upon life.

- Would you say the same thing to the miner or the woodcutter of the South?

- They would ask other things, therefore they would obtain different answers.

- What would they ask?

- They would be preoccupied by the real material needs. But you confuse desire with

need.

- Fortunately, I confuse. That is a reparable error of judgment.

- Not so, for you confuse intentionally.

The youth remained thoughtful, then he courteously bid Silo farewell and departed surely

forever.


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The dialogues continued and later, amid laughter and jokes, the gathering broke up

when it was late into the night.

January 23, 1969

The farewell

While Silo was in his stone hermitage, several persons, informed of his forthcoming

departure came to him. They were mostly railroad workers who admired that solitary man.

Strong man, accustomed to the rigours of the climate and to loneliness, sympathized not

so much with the knowledge of the doctrine, but rather with the example of asceticism that Silo

gave them.

This simple conversation shows the sense of humour and the human warmth that Silo

always showed toward people without duplicity.

Its publication seems to us as important as that of any other harangue, in spite of the

apparent "lowering of level" that is shown.

"I see that you have come loaded, as for a party. That is fine.

"We will have dinner together and nobody will be so incomprehensive as to reproach me

if I do not drink the wine you have brought, I have seen Old Bergara's roguish eyes twinkle

when I refused his glass on other occasions.

(But there was not enough room, for all of them inside the hermitage).

"The sun sets, the cold is increasing, and meanwhile Edurdo roasts the guanaco, the

stronger ones remain outside to help him. We, the lazy ones, protect ourselves behind the stone

wall. First the most affected by the cold, in other words myself."

(In this manner, amidst jokes, time went by. Then the roast and the wine were passed

around and also, a guitar was played. The tales of the Dude accompanied the drink of "mate".

Then there was a long silence and Silo spoke).

"Four months have gone by since I arrived. All this and also today's party makes me

remember a story that took place in Europe, far away across the ocean.

"The man who wrote about the subject had a big heart, but his ideas had nothing to do

with his sentiments. His ideas went very far and provoked many misfortunes. That man, whom

his friends called "Fritz", discovered one day that God had died.

"He who loved life and who composed a chant to joy, could not stand this idea that left

the world so lonely and without any meaning.


25/60

Time went by and a great struggle was produced between the violent ideas and the

beautiful sentiments in Fritz. This struggle within himself led him to a lamentable death..

"That was the man. But the story he wrote was of a person who withdraw to the

mountain to meditate, and he returned so laden with wisdom that when he wanted to talk to the

people, nobody could understand him.

"That man of the story was called "Don Zarate". After he addressed the people they

shouted back at him; "You talk too difficult, Zarate. We do not understand you."

"The town where all this took place is called "La Vaca Pintoja". (The Pied Cow").

"On seeing you being so attentive to the story I think that maybe Fritz made a mistake

and he should have come here to this town of our called "Punta de Vacas".

"We understand each other and know that if God died in Europe and in Fritz's mind, he

is being born again in South America and in the hearts of the simple men.

"I am going now, but in four more days I will talk in Punta de Vacas. After that I will

depart forever.

"Tell the schoolmistresses and the Directress that I shall remember them.

"Surely, in the near future, the children of this town will be educated in new values and

with a renewed faith.

"Victor and Carlos will grow up in a new world in which everything of today will be

changed with a change like there has never been before in the world.

"The eldest ones" Aballay and Gallardo, will still be able to see the snout of changewhich is coming in our world, but before, there will be a moment of general violence which will

be necessary to combat by sowing ideas of peace.

"No one should be afraid when this moment of confusion arrives, for after it the time will

come when humanity will reach peace, and Old Bergara will be able to drink his wine without

dread...."The sun has already gone behind the hill and to reach the town it is necessary to cross

the Tupungato River which carries nearly frozen water.

"Beyond the rivers and the stones that are hidden by the night is the town.

"After this night there is the sun which rises from Uspallata.

"Those who want that better world not only have to think well, but feel well and act well

so it does not happen to them as to Fritz, who felt one thing though the contrary.

"All those who want to be upright men and women must not life, not steal, not kill, be

faithful and carry peace within themselves and to others in order to help them.


26/60

"One must be against wars and fights, and one must never take revenge. The only thing

gained with vengeance is to complicate things.

"I see that that one person is glancing at me sideways.

... Even if it does not seem so to you, you should not punish others, not even to defend

yourself. Think that in the final reckoning, life is short, and it is worthwhile to die with tranquil

conscience, since it might happen that the spirit is immortal in the other world, and one is better

off if one has acted well in this life.

"If you believe in the other world, do not be afraid of Hell, because it does not exist. One

should comply with what I say, not for fear, but in order to be better."

April 25, 1969

The healing of suffering

This harangue was pronounced in the environs of Mount Aconcagua and in a place

known as "Punta de Vacas."

At an altitude of three thousand meters, with the temperature less than ten degrees

below zero centigrade, and with the roads covered with snow and ice, more than five hundred

disciples and followers gathered.

There, at one hundred sixty kilometers from Santiago, Chile and Mendoza, Argentina.

Silo had his stone dwelling which was separated from the curious by two great rivers.

At noon he descended towards the gathering and, placing himself in front of powerful

loudspeakers and amidst the orange banners waving in the wind, he said:

"If you have come to listen to a man who by the enthusiasm of many has been elevated

to the condition of son of God, you are mistaken.

"If you have come to listen to a man of whom it is supposed transmits wisdom you are

mistaken, for wisdom is not transmitted through books or harangues. Wisdom is in the depth of

your consciousness as God is in the depth of your heart.

"If you have come to listen to one of whom it is supposed transmits the miracle, you aremistaken, for what you call miracle is written in the laws of Nature, as is written the birth and the

death of a flower, of a bird, of a child.

"If you have come, pushed by the slanderers and the hypocrites, to listen to this man so

that what you hear may later serve you as an argument against him, you are mistaken, for this

man is not here to ask anything of you, nor to use you, for he does not need you.


27/60

"You must know to whom you listen.

"You listen to a poor man who does not know the laws that rule the Universe, who does

not know the laws of History, who is ignorant of the relations that rule men.

"This poor ignorant man addresses himself to your consciousness, as do those who

meditate in the heights of snowy summits, thousands of meters above the cities and men...

"There in the cities, where each day is an anxiety maimed by death, where love is

followed by hate, where forgiveness is followed by revenge; there in the cities of the rich and

poor men, there in the immense fields of men, a mantle of suffering and sorrow has settled.

"You suffer when pain bites your body. You suffer when hunger takes possession of your

body. But you not only suffer for the immediate pain of your body, for the hunger of your body.

You suffer also for the consequences of the illnesses that fall upon your body.

"You must distinguish two types of suffering: that suffering is produced in you through

illness (and that suffering can recede thanks to the advance of science. As with sickness,hunger can also recede, but thanks to the empire of justice.)

"There is another type of suffering that does not depend upon the illness of your body

but rather derives from it.

"If you are crippled, if you cannot see, or if you do not hear, you suffer. But even though

this suffering derives from your body, such suffering pertains to your mind.

"There is another type of suffering which cannot recede with the advance of science.

This kind of suffering that is strictly of your mind recedes in front of faith, in front of the joy of

living, in front of love.

"You must know that this suffering is always based in the violence that there is in your

own consciousness.

"You suffer because you fear losing what you have, or because of what you have

already lost, or because of what you are desperately trying to reach.

You suffer because you do not have or because you fear in general...

"There you have the great enemies of man: fear of sickness, fear of poverty, fear of

death, fear of loneliness. All these are sufferings that belong to your mind. All of them deal with

the internal violence, the violence that there is in your mind.

"Notice that that violence always derives from desire. The more violent man is, the

grosser are his desires.

"I would like to propose a story to you that took place a long time ago;


28/60

"There was once a traveller who had to make a long journey. For that purpose, he tied

his animal to the cart, and undertook the long trip toward a distant destiny and with a fixed limit

of time.

"He called the animal Necessity, the cart Desire, he named one wheel Pleasure and the

other one Pain.

"In this manner, the traveller carried his cart right and left but always toward his destiny.

The faster the cart moved, the faster the wheels of pleasure and pain moved, connected as they

were by the same axle, and transporting as they were the cart of desire.

"As the journey was very long, our traveler was becoming bored. He then decided to

decorate the cart, adorning it with great beauty. And thus he went doing so.

"But the more he beautified the cart of desire, the heavier it became for necessity, in

such a way, that on the curves and steep slopes, the poor animal called by him Necessity grew

weak, not being able to drag the cart of desire. On the sandy roads the wheels of pleasure and

suffering became encrusted in the ground.

"One day our traveller became desperate, for the road was very long and he was very

far from his destiny. He then decided to meditate that night and upon doing so, he listened to

the neighing of his old friend. Comprehending the message, the following morning he tore off

the ornaments from the cart, alleviating it of all its weight, and very early that morning he started

joyfully trotting, advancing toward his destiny.

"Nevertheless, he had lost time which was already irrecuperable.

"The following night he meditated once again and comprehended thanks to a new

warning from his friend that he now had to undertake a task that was twice as difficult, becauseit now meant his dispossessing.

"At daybreak he sacrificed the cart of desire.

"It is certain that upon doing so he lost the wheel of pleasure, but with it he also lost the

wheel of suffering.

"He mounted the animal of necessity on its back, and started galloping through the

green fields until he reached his destiny.

"Notice how desire can trap you.

"But there are desires of different weight. There are grosser desires and there are more

elevated desires.

"Elevate desire! Surpass desire! Purify desire! But in doing so, surely you will have to

sacrifice the wheel of pleasure, but also the wheel of suffering.

"Violence in man, moved by desires, not only remains as sickness in his consciousness,

but it acts in the world of other men and is exercised with the best of the people.


29/60

"Do not think that I speak of violence referring only to the armed act of war, where some

men destroy other men. That is a form of physical violence.

"But there is an economic violence. Economic violence is that which makes you exploit

another one. Economic violence occurs when you steal from another, when you are no longer

the brother of another, but rather a bird of prey for your brother.

"There is also a racial violence.

"Do you believe you are not exercising violence when you persecute one who is of a

different race than your own? Do you believe you are not exercising violence when you defame

him because he is of a different race than your own?

"There is a religious violence.

"Do you believe you are not exercising violence when you do not give work or when you

close the doors or when you fire someone for not being of your own religion? Do you believe it

is not religious violence when by means of defamation you fence in he who does not communewith your principles? Fence him in within his family? Fence him in among his beloved ones

because he does not commune with your religion?

"There are other forms of violence that are the forms imposed by the philistine morality.

"You want to impose a way of life upon others. You must impose a vocation upon

another... But who has told you that you are an example that must be followed? Who has told

you that you can impose a way of life because it pleases you? Where is the mould and where is

the model for you to impose it?... Here then is another form of violence.

"You can only end with the violence in yourself and in others and in the world that

surrounds you by internal faith and internal meditation.

"There are no false doors in order to end the violence.

"This world is on the verge of exploding and there is no way to end the violence!

"Do not search for false doors!

"There are no politics that can solve this mad urge for violence.

"There is no party nor movement in the planet that can end the violence.

"Do not follow a religion that promises you hell and that cannot end the violence in yourmind!

"There are no false exits for the violence in this world.

"...They tell me that the young people from different latitudes are searching for false

doors in order to escape from violence and internal suffering. They search for drugs as a

solution.


30/60

"Do not search for false doors in order to end the violence.

"My brother, fulfill simple commandments, as are simple these stones, and this snow

and this sun that blesses us.

"Be faithful not only to your woman. Be faithful to your ideas and to your principles even

if it costs you your life.

"Do not kill, but you already know that one kills with all those forms of violence that we

have mentioned.

"Do not steal, but know that stealing goes further than the simple fact of plundering

others.

"Carry peace within you and carry it to others.

"My brother, back in history there is a man nailed to the cross, showing the face of

suffering.

"My brother, look at that crown of suffering, but remember that it is necessary to continue

forward in history, and that it is necessary to learn to laugh and that it is necessary to learn to

love.

"To you, my brother, I throw this crown, this crown of joy, this crown of love for you to

elevate your heart and elevate your spirit, and so that you do not forget to elevate your body!"

May 4, 1969

The forbidden harangue

A new harangue of Silo was scheduled in Jujuy.

On that occasion the chosen place was Yala.

In spite of a permit given long before, it was recalled at the last moment, justifying such

procedure by the "state of siege" pervading in those moments.

The radio and press of Jujuy had broadcasted their communiques exhorting the people

not to attend the harangue.

In that afternoon of July 20, the pilgrimage towards the place, sixteen kilometers away

from the main city, began.

The buses were detoured and the people were persuaded in the main plaza not to board

such transportation.


31/60

From the Hamahuaca Pass (Tilcara, Maimara, and Tumbaya) trucks came down

carrying natives and Juella Indians (known as Semilantes) dressed in their typical clothing and

carrying their boxes, erques, fambours and anatas.

The miners came down from Volcan.

Woodcutters and peasants, tobacco workers and city dwellers were approaching by

whatever means they could.

An impressive and heterogeneous multitude was (silently, stubbornly) approaching on

foot, on horse-back, in sulkie or automobile.

At sixteen hundred hours more than two thousand people surrounded the chosen place;

the "big stone" of the road of Yala.

Silo arrived at the place from a pass and tried to exhort the people to break up the

gathering. In that moment the police approached to silence him. Tension increased....

Silo then communicated his decision to depart and went to a vehicle located nearby,

from where he greeted the people who followed him.

Slowly it moved away between two columns of silent peasants who stretched their hands

towards Silo.

In that precise moment the human being's conquest of the moon was taking place. In

heaven, technology triumphed while on earth the spirit was being drowned. In a place on earth

unknown to world attention, in an obscure spot of South America, a man dressed in white

overalls was being silenced.

At twilight Silo sent forth a recorded message which was retaped and delivered toseveral pilgrims from Peru, Bolivia, and the north of Chile.

"The persecution and the violence prevent our word from reaching the apple who wait for

it.

"The governments and their men change, but the persecution and the violence continue.

"This clerical oligarchy heads the persecution. Not only has it resorted to calumny, as it

habitually does, not only has it tried to force the civil power in order to achieve our

imprisonment, as it has done so on other occasions, not only has it pressured the pigeon-heart

describes who are afraid of publishing our denouncements (demonstrating with this that theyrecognize the corrupt and earthly power of the priests). Today it has gone even further. It has

succeeded in curtailing the faculty of communication of man with his brother, manoeuvering with

I don't know what legal trick. If that trick is valid, let them then close their temples and silence

their public sermons, so in that manner we will all be in a condition to meditate in silence.

"These heathen priests head the persecution and the violence. They do so because

every public denouncement against them must be muted.


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"The word that they drown today will be heard in the future, but their words will be

drowned forever.

"This clerical oligarchy, heathen and anti-Christian, has understood that their kingdom is

of this world. It has understood that it cannot distribute its goods among the poor.

"Consequently, having falsified its destiny nothing of it will remain standing except the

remembrance of an opprobrious caste that in order to subsist, tried to divide itself in two lines

equally ill-disposed; the one of the conservative hierarchy and the one of the climbing

politicians.

"I say from today on, that man having left this Earth toward other worlds, toward the

cosmos, will only find equilibrium in the Inner Religion.

"From now on, every religion that attaches man to cults and rituals, lies.

"In other epochs the spirit needed supports but now it is making ready to walk alone

without custody of priests, without fences of temples.

"Only the Inner Religion will serve men in their future evolution.

"God has died in the temples, has died in the images, has died in his representatives...

but he has been reborn in the simple heart of the South American man.

"In this South America, this long continent, by the fusion of peoples and races, a content

and a meaning is being born in order to be given back to the world.

"South America, frozen and smouldering, deserted and full, encrusted and submerged,

the time of your mission has sounded.

"Awake and arise!

"... There in the other continents, paganism makes the populated cities becomes

deserted, and the desert grows, covering itself with debris and machines.

"Also the machine will be a blessing when men count on the spirit of South America.

"Today it is a matter of liberating the spirit of South America. But that violent liberation

which you preach is a new division in the consciousness of the South American man.

"You want to shake off the Empire by means of force, and it is in its interest that you use

violence, for in this way it divides you.

"Do not kick against the spear, for it becomes sharper while you hurt yourself.

"If you and your brothers become united in the same faith, where will the warrior stick his

spear?


33/60

"When the same idea blows like a hurricane throughout all of South America, there will

be no empire in the world able to keep her enslaved..;

"I know you still do not comprehend me. You wonder:

"How is it possible that an inner religion will bother men? How is it possible that the

oppression and the violence be defeated by means of Peace?

"When all the attempts are worn out, when your old fight is lost, you will search for

peace, and then violence will be inside the Empire and it will fall.

"But comprehend well; it all depends on your inner liberation, your inner peace. The rest

will be produced as a consequence of this."

July 20, 1969

Conference:

Autobiography, bio-rhythm and tracing of the reverie nucleus

I have observed diverse procedures in autobiographical elaboration. Many of them have

seemed to me excessively complicated, so I will answer briefly about an almost scholastic

resource that can be utilized in order to simplify things.

Nevertheless, before that, it is useful to refresh some ideas.

The task of undertaking one's own biography requires knowledge. One must not think

that one can construct one's own biography by the simple fact of having lived.

We know, of course, that although our memory could unfold itself to the point of showing

the last details of the past life, this would not allow us to comprehend it. Besides, remembering

does not have the taste of living the experiences, and on the other hand, each experience takes

place in such a situation, so that the subsequent interpretation which we later make out of it,

already has other references, and what was really been lived escapes us.

To relive what has happened in oneself with total fidelity, without letting any elementescape, would take at least the same amount of time that has been invested from birth to the

moment in which one decides to undertake the biographical construction.

Therefore, when making the biography, one only attempts to remember milestones

which permit a structural comprehension of what has happened until today.


34/60

Which are the milestones? Those that give a clear vision of one's own mechanicity. Such

are: the accidents, the vices (in an ample sense), the repetitions and the deviations from

projects.

It is almost superfluous to advert that interpretations about the causes which have

provoked the appearance of these phenomena should not be made. It is simply a question of

taking into account the biographical data.

It seems proper to extend the biography year by year and place the appearance of one

or more milestones in the boxes that we know. If one begins with the first box which is the one

of the birth year and in that year (aside from noting the first accident which is that of being born)

one of the mentioned milestones appears, it is advisable to note it synthetically, trying to make

only one word express the event. It is of no interest that such a word have any clear meaning for

others; it is sufficient that it represents to the subject the milestone in question.

In this way, one continues with the following boxes until reaching the present year.

Therefore, the procedure is very simple.

The difficulties seem to be rooted in the milestone of repetitions, for these appear when

comparing situations and also in the milestone of the deviations from projects, since those

projects generally arise in one box and their obvious deviation appears later on.

In order to solve these problems, a more or less extensive (it is very difficult to fix limits

here) development of the biography should be made, aside from the synthesis of the boxes.

This parallel exposition will be of great use, for in it one will be noting down the projects and the

failures they suffered, until these became unattainable actions.

Aside from this, the parallel exposition will allow for the refreshing of the date one is

searching for with respect to accidents and vices.

I have in the first place mentioned the synthesis (the one of the boxes) and in the second

place the biographical exposition. In reality, one should proceed inversely.

Having now at hand all the milestones that were located, one arrives at the present

moment. This year is one large box in which it is convenient to place in succession all the

previous data which appeared separately. In this way, the subject has the curious feeling that in

this moment his situation is the result of mechanical accumulations of the previously

discriminated milestones.

Now one counts on enough material to begin the biographical interpretation which will

give an adequate comprehension of the fantasies one has had about one's own life.

I do not believe that much can be added to the task of biographical interpretation, so

well-known by all.

I would now like to emphasize some points about the theme of bio-rhythm.


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In order to establish the rhythms of the different centers, on adequate graphing of their

process is important. The major difficulty of the graphing rests upon the fact that it does not

allow qualifications and only reflects quantities. As, in its turn, the "quantity" of work of one

center is of subjective appreciation, the results obtained are very disputable.

Be that as it may, we need to have a general image of the bio-rhythm and for that we will

take into account the following.

First. With respect to the intellectual center, the aim is to plot its functioning, its

maximum level being that of auto-observation, the minimum that of fugue, and the intermediate

point, the state of ordinary mentation.

The minimum and maximum intensities for this center, as well as for the others, are

given by ideal cases which are impossible to attain.

Second. As to the emotive center, we plot joy with high numbers and depression with

minimum ones. Intermediate points are considered as those in which no special emotive states

are recognized (a sort of emotive neutrality.)

Third. With respect to the metrocity, the maximum point will be corporal overactivity, the

minimum will be prostration, and the intermediate one, the usual daily movement.

Fourth. Finally we plot the vegetative work, considering good health and physical

strength its maximum point, sickness and general weakness as the minimum, and the

intermediate, the usual state.

To each day correspond four dots (one for each center). Everything that is accident or

shock can be plotted with a circle at the side of or around the plotted dot.

It is advisable to plot each day without having in sight the data from the previous days, in

order not to be influenced by them.

After a month of observation, the graph of the work of the four centers can be put

together by linking the dots of each one with lines, thus resulting in four functions that on

occasions may inter-cross.

Thus, in each of the four curves will appear: peaks, rises and declines, and the general

tendency of each one of them can be observed. It can be proven that the tendency starts to rise

and then it falls, showing that from time-to-time one cycle ends and another begins. These

cycles are precisely the ones that reveal the rhythms of each center.

It will be observed that the different functions have their own rhythms, the intellectual

ones being the slowest, and the vegetative ones the most frequent. In this way, while some

functions rise, others decline.

When longer periods of time are studied (three months, for example), there appear

moments in which all the curves are synchronized, coinciding in rising (which we call moments

of fastus), and other moments when all of them go down (moments of nefastus).


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The rhythms of each center seem to be preserved through time. Nevertheless, these

vary by action of shocks and by action of the Work. The former impose a more marked rhythm,

and the latter is reflected in the stretching or flattening of the curves.

No matter how far advanced in the Work a person might be, there always appear

predispositions to cyclicity according to precise rhythms and this is observed above all in the

moments of fastus and nefastus.

By obtaining the mathematical formula of the rhythms of each center, situations can be

foreseen if shocks or accidents of deviation do not interfere. Nevertheless, if someone makes

the effort of plotting his rhythms for long periods, he will observe that even the accidents appear

rhythmically.

Another thing to take into account is that the rise or fall in the work of one center, aside

from the normal rhythm, influences the other centers, altering the general process. This, which I

say, can be clearly observed during illnesses, emotive crises, and intellectual or motor over-

efforts.

In short, the abnormal rises or falls, capable of altering the general process, are almost

always motivated by the shocks.

Long range graphing can be attempted, by plotting at the end of each day and this

during months. But also on occasions, one can plot hour by hour on days selected at random. In

this manner, the cyclicity of the centers will appear with much precision even in the different

moments of the day.

Having the material of long periods and of daily rhythms the task of interpretation can be

started...

With respect to the tracing of reveries, it seems to me that the procedure should be

simplified, using four techniques.

The first one by means of the help of the T cards.

Displaying all of them in sight, some ten or fifteen can be elected, basing such election

simply on the pleasing sensation they provoke.

These cards which have been obtained are processed according to the letter code that

each one has at its foot. In this way, several groups are formed, eliminating the isolated cards.

In a new procedure only one group is elected, eliminating the rest.

The chosen group gives the climate of the general reveries, and what is common to the

cards of the group allows us to slightly see the reverie nucleus.

It is recommended that the procedure be repeated several times and on different

occasions, until one observes a nucleus which does not vary. The replacement of T-cards by

the plots of the Rorschach test does not seem to contribute to making the sought-after reveries


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become explicit, (completely to the contrary) since a whole body of additional interpretation,

which is extremely disputable, is required. In any way, that test or the one of Szondi or others,

can be investigated in the light of interpretations which are our own and always having in mind

that they were conceived on a basis of a different scheme of the human psychism.

The second technique is realized by using the circles of personality.

If I place in the small circle what I most criticize or observe in others, and in the circles

that surround the first one I continue to put down data of decreasing importance or of less

severe criticism, I end up with five or six circles which reflect the projection of the reveries.

Once the circles are there, the common characters are searched for in them in order to

obtain a fixed nucleus.

As in the previous technique, it is convenient to repeat the exercise on different

occasions, until one has the certainty of an invariable point of support.

The third technique refers to the tracing of the reveries by means of the oneiric nightimages.

When remembering the night dream, upon waking up, it should be noted down

immediately.

For some persons, the memory of the nights' dreams is so difficult, that they come to

believe they do not dream during the night. Making them sleep in uncomfortable conditions or

making them exceed the hours devoted to sleep, the sleep becomes "lighter" and it is simpler to

rescue the images.

With the material of several dreams (obtained at some distance), one cannot work until

determining a relation or a fixed climate, notwithstanding the diversity of elements. That fixed

climate reveals the reverie nucleus.

Finally, there is a technique of tracing the reverie nucleus in a direct way. This consists

in the observation of one's own divagations or the fantasies in the state of daily vigil. The best

way to make the reveries emerge is to be previously tired physically. In such a situation, if one

gazes at a piece of burning wood or at gently running water, the emergence of the reverie can

be observed.

It is important to make notes of the reveries observed in order to confront them with

others of posterior observations.

The material obtained allows us to fathom out the fixed point.

If the four techniques have been used and each one of them has provided a fixed point,

it can be observed that when comparing them, they turn out to be similar. If this is so, one is

surely in the presence of the reverie nucleus.


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According to the above, it would be sufficient to work with only one technique for they all

lead to the same result. But it is recommended that it be done through different procedures in

order to avoid the errors of one rushed or forced observation.

In order to finish with these minor questions. I will say that to produce personal

monographs about the biography, the bio-rhythm, and about the tracing of the reverie nucleus

appears to me to be a good form of entering the Work.

If the people of advanced level recommend these three points (at the same time as they

supervise their realization) to those who are approaching the Work, I think they will render

adequate help, facilitating the comprehension about the theme of mechanicity.

It is not the case that beginners make a speech about some topics, but that they

comprehend (and for that they have to experience) in themselves that which is explained to

them.

Buenos Aires, August 23, 1969

Conference:

Vigil, consciousness of self and objective consciousness

In the primary attentional division, it is a matter of apprehending the phenomena of the

external world while maintaining the sensation of one point of the body. The most frequentlyused example is that of the movie viewer who, although he follows the sequence of the film,

maintains the sensation of his right fist.

Consequently, the first step of attentional division consists in maintaining one fixed point

of support while the phenomena of perception passes and this is realized not in an alternating

manner, but in a simultaneous one.

In the second step, the physical point of support is substituted by the consciousness of

the perception or apperception. In the apperception, the phenomena of perception continue to

vary, but the vigilance over the said phenomena of perception is maintained as a fixed point.

In the third step, the point of support of vigilance is replaced by the point of support of

the consciousness of the I, while one attends to the perceptions.

The consciousness of the I that we mention is the diffused and generalized sensation of

the psychocorporal structure.

Each one of the three enunciated steps can be deepened if the perceptions are replaced

by representations (e.g. remembrances).


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With the division, we are referring the attentional activity to two different directions in its

dynamics. Even when the "fixed" point of support varies by the flow of consciousness, the

attitude of conserving a permanent sensation as a reference enables to separate it from the flow

of the perceptions or the representations.

Experiencing the three steps, a greater difficulty is verified in the work with

representations than with perceptions. This difficulty is what bears the best fruits in attentional

division.

The associative chains which are necessarily let loose in the state of ordinary vigil permit

us to say that such a state is not really one of vigil, but of reverie. From here on, we will call that

one "ordinary mentation."

The consciousness in the state of ordinary mentation realizes almost all of its operations

submerged in fantasy. And the images that accompany the supposedly awake activity, are often

converted into the principal object of the consciousness.

Thanks to attentional division, the fantasy finds enormous difficulties in unfolding itselfand another level of consciousness emerges which can properly be designated as "true vigil".

In this state the superior activities become slower but the attention divided into two foci,

becomes concentrated and gains in profundity. The best verification of this affirmation is given

by the amplification of the memory.

In spite of what might be assumed, the data recorded during attentional division possess

greater vigour than those recorded in the state of ordinary mentation.

The structure of space becomes modified and the times of consciousness tend to

become centered on the present instant, while the protentions and the retentions diminish.

By maintaining a prolonged division, the perceptions become purified and the perceived

objects seem to acquire greater "reality".

But the most important is the affective disadherence with which one operates in the

relation with the world. All that we call "identification" and "consideration" become reduced and

the phen

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Siloísmo – Practice Expansion of consciousness

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