This teaching divides our thoughts, emotions, movements and sensations into four strictly defined groups, each

of which is controlled by a separate mind or "center." In

this tutorial, we will explore these four centers, their location in the Micro-cosmos, their peculiarities and their speed of action. We will superimpose these centers onto an
image of the Last Judgement as portrayed in a Russian icon, to see their relation to our aim to "Be," and understand how the Physical Body relates to the Astral Body. And
we will use our new knowledge of our Micro-cosmos to observe the many "I" more intelligently, separating them from real "I" by assigning them to each of the Four Lower
Centers. "Four Lower Centers (Part 1)" "All the activity of the human machine is divided into four sharply defined groups, each of which is controlled by its own special
mind or 'center.'" The Micro-cosmos has four minds or centers that control all of its ordinary functions. Each center is independent of the others, perceives things in its own
way, has its own powers, and its own ways of development. Each center has a "center of gravity" in the physical body. The center of gravity of the intellectual center is in
the head; the center of gravity of the emotional center is in the solar plexus; the centers of gravity of the moving and instinctive centers are in the base of the spine and
lower abdomen. In reality, each center penetrates the whole body. But for the sake of presentation, it is useful to portray these brains according to their physical location.
Each center is designed to receive its own kind of impressions and to respond to them in its particular way. These responses are what we call the many "I"s." In this way,
knowledge of the four lower centers helps us study ourselves by grouping the "I"s we observe based on their center of origin and their response to stimuli. "In observing
himself a man must differentiate between the four basic functions of his machine: the thinking, the emotional, the moving, and the instinctive." The intellectual center is
responsible for mental processes: concepts, reasoning, comparison, formulation, imagination, and so on. At a basic level, the satisfaction of reading about something trivial
online is intellectual. On a deeper level, a research endeavor of study, comparison, analysis, and formulation, is also an intellectual function. The emotional center is
responsible for emotions: joy, sorrow, fear, astonishment, and so on. At a basic level, the curiosity that drives us to scroll down our social media page is emotional. On a
deeper level, the ability to perceive and feel others, or the ability to learn from or create artistic expressions, is emotional. The instinctive and moving centers both relate to
the physical body. They differ in that all instinctive functions are inherent at birth and don't have to be learned, as a child doesn't have to learn to breathe, while none of
the moving functions are inherent at birth and must be learned, as a child must learn to walk. The instinctive center is responsible for the body's systems and organs:
digestion, breathing, circulation, the senses, etc. As the brain in charge of the wellbeing of the organism, its functioning also extends to ensuring financial security,
biological continuity, etc. At a basic level, the pleasure of a hot shower or a good meal is instinctive. On a deeper level, innate knowledge of healing the human body, or the
ability to blend flavors to create fine cuisine, is instinctive. The moving center is responsible for all functions connected to movement that are not inherent at birth: walking,
writing, speaking, etc. At a basic level, the joy of the physical aspect of sports originates in the moving center. On a more profound level, the ability to visualize forms and
spatial relationships, as required in engineering and architecture, is a quality of the moving center. "One of the most important principles that must be understood in
relation to centers is the great difference in their speed, that is, a difference in the speeds of their functions." The speed of each function determines the ease or difficulty
of observing and separating from it, which after all is the aim of this teaching. The intellectual center is the slowest. This can be observed in the speed it takes me to
understand the meaning of what I read or hear, generate associations, compare ideas, and formulate my opinion. The instinctive and moving centers are much faster than
the intellectual center. This can be observed through the speed at which I catch a ball, or pull my hand away from a boiling kettle. The emotional center is the fastest of the
lower centers. This can be observed through the speed of my emotional reactions: judgement, attraction, fear, and so forth. This also accounts for the difficulty to maintain
my efforts to "Be" while interacting with other people. The "Be" Pyramid arranges the four lower centers based on their speed, that is, based on the challenge and
opportunity they pose to consciousness. To fully "Be," we will have to learn to observe and separate from all functions, regardless of their speed and character. "At the
same time as we watch the work of the centers we shall observe, side by side with their right working, their wrong working." A Russian icon superimposes the Last
Judgement onto the three stories of the human body. God the Master hovers above. Adam, Eve, Mary, and Jesus are situated in the upper level of the "Mind." The scales
of judgement are situated in the middle story of the "Heart." The serpent that bites Adam's heel winds down like intestines through the abdomen, situated in the lower
story of the "Body." The Astral Body and Physical Body are here contrasted by being placed at the upper and lower extremes of the icon. The Micro-cosmos Man has the
ability of using his Physical Body to create an Astral Body. But this ability exists only as a potential. Left unfulfilled, the energy that would otherwise be used for this
regeneration leaks out of the four lower centers, like waste eliminated through the intestines. Imagination and daydreaming are intellectual waste. Unnecessary haste and
movement are moving waste. Over-eating and over-indulgence in physical pleasure are instinctive waste. Unnecessary chatter and negative emotions are emotional
waste. To generate the energy required to "Be," we will have to stop the energy waste of our four lower centers. And to stop the energy waste of our centers, we will have
to learn to observe the "I"s particular to each of them, which brings us to this week's exercise: To group each of the "I"s we observe to one of the four lower centers. We
have offered a few indications of how to do this: we can determine the origin of an "I" based on its subject of interest, or we can determine the origin of an "I" based on its
speed. Our power of observation strengthens as we advance in this work, while the power of our four lower centers remains the same. With time and effort, we gain more
and more control over our Micro-cosmos. We learn to recognize its many "I"s as separate from real "I," as mechanical responses originating from the Four Lower Centers.
Last Judgement Icon Mid-15th century, Novgorod School Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow "Four Lower Centers (Part 1)"