The four quarters of the wheel
The wheel of 64 gates is divided into four quarters of 16 gates, and each has its own general direction of purpose: in the Quarter of Initiation purpose is fulfilled through mind, in the Quarter of Civilization through form, in the Quarter of Duality through bonding with others, and in the Quarter of Mutation through transformation. You can picture humanity as a large organization with four departments, each responsible for its own area. And inside each department there are four divisions — the Faces of the Gods, four gates each. Sixteen in all.
Every quarter begins with a gate of the Cross of the Sphinx and ends with a gate of the Cross of the Four Ways — one of the beautiful symmetries of the wheel. Duality opens with gate 7 and closes with gate 44.
Purpose through bonding
The keynote of this quarter is purpose fulfilled through bonding with others. Each of us lives with a deep sense of separateness: we know we live in our own body and will leave life alone, and that even the closest person can't see us all the way through. A bond is a way across that barrier.
Part of it is a biological imperative: gates 59 and 6, which lie here, say that it takes another to continue the line. So first of all it's about the bond between man and woman, but not only that: friends, partners, any deep union belong here too. And gradually, through such bonds, comes the recognition that something connects us all.
Bonding is also competitive: it carries the drive to find not just a mate but the best mate. Best not by other people's standards, but the one that is right for you — and for whom you are right. The mystical image of this quarter is measure for measure.
One more feature: Duality is where everything is written down. Here are the four answers of Thoth, the primal fears of the Christ Consciousness Field and the rules of Minerva. If Initiation asks the questions, Duality gives the answers and the laws.
The gates of the quarter
- Gate 7 — The Role of the Self
- Gate 4 — Formulization
- Gate 29 — Saying Yes
- Gate 59 — Sexuality
- Gate 40 — Aloneness
- Gate 64 — Confusion
- Gate 47 — Realization
- Gate 6 — Friction
- Gate 46 — Love of the Body
- Gate 18 — Correction
- Gate 48 — Depth
- Gate 57 — Intuitive Clarity
- Gate 32 — Continuity
- Gate 50 — Values
- Gate 28 — The Game Player
- Gate 44 — Alertness
If your Sun is in this quarter
The Personality Sun leads the whole Incarnation Cross, and the quarter it sits in sets the general direction for roughly 70% of the personality's programming. So the quarter of your conscious Sun is the backdrop against which your whole purpose unfolds.
If your conscious Sun is here, relationships are what fulfil you: a partner, a best friend, a union. It is the bond that makes the difference. That's also why it hurts more: people of this quarter feel it most sharply when relationships don't work out.
The main advice is simple: don't hunt for relationships by pushing yourself or others. When you live by your strategy and authority, the right people come by themselves — and you get the relationships you deserve. The not-self is bad at choosing partners; the body chooses better.
The four Faces of Duality
- The Face of Thoth — gates 7, 4, 29, 59: answers to everything and roles in the community.
- The Face of Harmonia — gates 40, 64, 47, 6: what holds relationships together.
- The Christ Consciousness Field — gates 46, 18, 48, 57: "love thy neighbor" and the primal fears.
- The Face of Minerva — gates 32, 50, 28, 44: the tribe's education, laws and crafts.
Example crosses
Every quarter holds one variation of each of the 16 Right Angle Crosses — which is why, for example, the Cross of the Sphinx appears in all four quarters. Each Left Angle Cross has two variations in different quarters, and the Juxtaposition Crosses are unique. Here are the crosses of the gates that open and close the quarter:
- Sun in gate 7: Right Angle Cross of the Sphinx, Juxtaposition Cross of Interaction, Left Angle Cross of the Masks
- Sun in gate 44: Right Angle Cross of the Four Ways, Juxtaposition Cross of Alertness, Left Angle Cross of Incarnation
The full lists are in the articles on each face.
The Quarter of Duality is about meaning that comes through another. The right bonds don't have to be forced: they find you when you live by your nature.