The Switchgear of the Evolutionary Process

By Richard Gardner

Much has been said about developing consciousness and some may wonder what level their consciousness has reached. The simplest and most certain guide to anyone’s level of development is his capacity to mind his own business. When we are concentrating on developing ourselves, the desire to interfere in, or judge, the life of others disappears. As we develop we become interested in how other people would develop and solve their problems, when left to find their own solutions, free from the imposition of the will of their neighbours upon them. When we cease to want other people to be like us, we have taken a great step forward, leaving behind the herd instinct of the animal and entering the field of individual human growth. As consciousness develops everything instructs.

Another test of our development is the range of attitudes we have at our disposal to apply to any given situation. For instance, if we always use the same attitude every time a similar event occurs, we have not developed very far.

High Quality Primary Dynamic is available to all at all times. It is switched on or off by attitude. The following is a list of the principle attitudes that turn it on or off.

The two columns can be regarded absolutely as switches. Anytime we use column one and our attitudes are completely genuine, the High Quality Primary Dynamic is on. Any time we use column two the High Quality Primary Dynamic is off. So that no matter what a person is, or has done, if we condemn him we have switched off our High Quality Primary Dynamic. In the same way as it matters not for what reason one switches off the light, that light is off. It has nothing to do with ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ but with whether the Dynamic is flowing, or has been switched off. So that one can never cut off Goodwill from anyone without also denying it to one’s self. Any time it is switched off we are not evolving and the tension is mounting in the atmosphere. Anyone who has tried to punish the one he loves will have noticed that one can never hurt the one he loves without hurting himself. This truth we experience through heightened state of consciousness when in love, but it is equally true in all human relationships.

ON	OFF
Towards God	Towards the Devil
Evolving	Retrogressing
To Life	To Death
Goodwill	Condemnation
Respect	Disrespect
Consideration	Self-righteousness
Sincerity	Hypocrisy
Sympathy	Sneering
Hope	Despair
Acceptance	Reservation

There is no need to promise results from keeping our attitudes switched to column one. Results can be absolutely guaranteed to be exactly proportionate to the frequency and genuineness of our use of column one. Furthermore, as High Quality Primary Dynamic is ultra dynamic, results are instantaneous, there is no waiting time. To add to this, there are bonus advantages brought about from person to person in any group keeping to column one because the evolutionary process is accelerated by the good quality of attention we exchange between each other.

Co-operating with the evolutionary process is just as simple as keeping to column one at all times, and in dealing with all persons of all ages, races, occupations, colours, and so on. Simple as it looks, it is beyond the immediate attainment of most of us, but there is nothing to stop us practising column one more and more each day.

It is pointless for any to say it does not work. They have made no real effort to try it. It can easily be proved that there is no electricity in the wire before it has been switched on.

The fact that we cannot yet keep to column one constantly is serious because when column one is switched off the tension that leads to war is building up. To relieve this, it is necessary that from time to time we engage in entertainments, dances, or rituals that will provide great excitement, ecstasy, abandon, etc. this allows the tension in the atmosphere to ‘short’ to earth through us, cleansing the blood on the way, thus relieving the pressure to make war.

From Evolution Through the Tarot, 1962/1970, p.95-96.