♔ Reflections on Quaternity ♕

The diagnosis:

“The mind doesn’t want “change”; once it gets to a safe position, and “understands” something, it wants to keep it “safe”, “sure”, “fixed”. It happens with all systems: social, cultural, religious, political. Tradition adds an unconsidered fact in all these systems: Evolution. The concept of evolution requires the acceptance of almost constant change”.

A. S.

The remedy and the tool:

“Chess was used as tool to so completely occupy the Human organism, to so completely fetter the Ego, that its practice allowed the more subtle faculties of the human to operate and indeed inform the Consciousness”.

Introduction to Quaternity International Rules. A. S.

The traditional background:

‘…Now you can start to learn. Unless your attention had been fixed upon the birds and animals, your real mind would not have been able to solve this problem of understanding. Attention demands an object, as an arrow demands a target’.

Target. The Dermis Probe. I. S.

The general view:

‘The link of the Sufis with us is at a subconscious level, of which we are generally unaware. If it breaks through to the conscious level, so much the better; it helps us to make sense of things and use what they are giving us. But from their point of view this is irrelevant. The subconscious level with which they are permanently communicating is an organ of deeper understanding, so it is as if we are travelling on two sets of parallel tracks at the same time. Both are necessary.’

The Steganographer VI. O. H.

The applied method:

By directing full attention to an object— in this case, Quaternity, with its ever-changing dynamics— the inner senses are activated, allowing consciousness to receive deeper understanding, almost indirectly. Here, attention is intentionally diverted, bypassing the rational faculty, to facilitate a subconscious cognitive process that unfolds imperceptibly and unobtrusively.

At the same time, the combined focus of four individuals engaged in the game transforms this into a group learning experience, both internally and externally, leading to an exponentially greater harmonization.

The symbolic nature of the chess pieces and their interactions on the board contain encoded messages that are simultaneously communicated and absorbed by the minds of the players.

Each game, unique in its unfolding, functions as a collective creation, much like a musical composition that generates an entirely new and original piece. The accumulation of all games played contributes to a distinct resonance and vibration within the greater cosmic symphony, gradually expanding the bandwidth of consciousness.

The players' individual experiences also feed into the evolution of the game itself, enriching and refining its structure. This continuous interaction keeps the game alive, enhances its mechanism, and unlocks new developmental potential. With each session, Quaternity reactivates its subtle influence as a teaching tool, revealing deeper layers of insight and meaning.

Javier Romano

June 2022

♕ ♔

J.R