“A Sane Mind, A Soft Heart, A Sound Body” January/February 1999—$5.00

PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILLMAGIC, WHITE AND BLACK

A PROPHETIC VISIONI HEARD THE CALL OF A SERAPH

A CHRISTIAN ESOTERIC MAGAZINE

God Is Not MockedWe feel no need for God or holy thingsAs selfishly we grasp at clouded years;No rustle of an angel’s brooding wingsIs heard above the rumble of vague fears.Then come the lightning’s flash, the thunder’s roar,Misfortune’s mighty gale, the hail and rain;We find a shelter at God’s waiting door,Or with blind eyes we bear the lashing’s pain.

The storm is calmed; over the rain-soaked sodSome angrily pursue their barren goal;Irreverent, they hate the name of God,The proud in intellect, the blind in soul.Dear Father, though no heedless acts they rue,“Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

—Clare Alger

Original art work, ink on paper, courtesy of Harry Menne

Front cover: The Holy Family (The Doni Tondo), c. 1504-6, Tempera on wood, 47-1/2 in. diameter, Michelangelo, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Planet Art. Back cover: Snow scene, Paramount Photos

This Issue...Feature

We Shape Ourselves...John Greenleaf Whittier ....................................................2

EditorialService as a Vocation.............................................................................................3

Mystic LightEye Hath Not Seen, Nor Ear Heard...C.W. ...........................................................4The Awakening (an allegory)...Marguerite A. Wing ...........................................10The Diamond Body of the Temple God...Susann Lee White .............................12Magic, White and Black—Part 2...Sylvia Baker ................................................14I Am the Way...George Weaver ...........................................................................19Though Your Sins be as Scarlet...George Weaver...............................................22

From Max Heindel’s WritingsThe Successful Life .............................................................................................24

Readers’ QuestionsThe Case Against Vaccinations ...........................................................................26

Western Wisdom Bible StudyThe Sacrament of Baptism...Max Heindel ..........................................................28

AstrologyAmenability to Planetary Vibrations—Part 3...Max Heindel .............................31Saturn in War and Peace...Ann Barkhurst...........................................................34Cosmic Rhythms and Terrestrial Life...Wolf Storl..............................................37

Religion and ArtThe Light of the World...J.T. ...............................................................................42

Religion and the Public RealmWe Hold These Truths...Collective authorship ...................................................45

Book ReviewsColor, Music and Vibration...Dr. Paul Freiwirth. ................................................50Rural Harmony...E. Loyal ...................................................................................51

Nutrition and HealthWholesome Vegetarian Soups...Lillian R. Carque..............................................53

HealingNewness of Life ..................................................................................................56

For ChildrenThe Princess and the Peacock...Gedge C. Harmon.............................................57

MiscellaneousGod is not Mocked(Poem)...Clare Alger ....................................Inside front coverThe Birth out of Silence...Rudhyar .......................................................................9The Building and Pinnacle of the Temple (Poem)...Ellen Mary Clerke.............18To My Son (Poem)...Rona Morris Workman......................................................23Nobility (Poem)...Anonymous ............................................................................30A Tree in Winter (Poem) Barbara A. McClung...Anonymous............................36

“A Sane Mind,A Soft Heart,

A Sound Body”©1999 The Rosicrucian Fellowship

A Christian Esoteric Magazine

Established byMax Heindel

June 1913

Volume 91, No. 1

January/February—1999USPS 471080—ISSN 0744-432X

Subscription in U.S.: one year, $20.00; twoyears, $38.00. Your Zip Code must containnine (9) digits (five + four). California resi-dents add applicable sales tax to all orders.Canada, Mexico and all other countries: oneyear, $25.00; two years, $43.00. Prices are inU.S. dollars and include postage. Foreign sub-scribers: please check current exchange rates forproper amount. Current single copies: $5.00.Second class postage paid at Oceanside, CA,92049-0713, U.S.A. Postmaster: Send addresschange to Rays from the Rose Cross, P.O. Box713, Oceanside, CA 92049-0713, U.S.A.

Writers of published articles are alone responsi-ble for statements made. Typed manuscripts arewelcomed for all departments of the Rays.

Issued bi-monthly. Change of address must reachus by the 1st of month preceding any issue. AddressALL correspondence and make ALL remit-tances payable to The Rosicrucian Fellowship.

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BYTHE ROSICRUCIAN FELLOWSHIP

P.O. Box 713, Oceanside, California92049-0713 U.S.A.

2222 Mission AvenueOceanside, CA 92054 U.S.A.

Telephone: (760) 757-6600Fax: (760) 721-3806

E-mail: rosfshp@cts.comHome Page on WWW:www.rosicrucian.com

We shape, ourselves, the joy or fear Of which the coming life is made,And fill our Futures’ atmosphere With sunshine or with shade. We weave with colors all our own The tissues of the Life to be,And in the field of Destiny We reap as we have sown.Still shall the soul around it callThe shadows which it gathered here,And, painted on the eternal wall,

The past shall reappear.Think ye the notes of holy songOn Milton’s tuneful ear have died?Think ye that Raphael’s angel throngHas vanished from his side?Oh, no! we live our life again;Or warmly touched, or coldly dim,The pictures of the past remain—Man’s work shall follow him!

—John Greenleaf Whittier

2 RAYS 99

FEATURE

WE SHAPE OURSELVES

Penitence

ofD

avidthe

Psalm

ist,from

Die

Bibelin

Bildern,

JuliusS

chnorrvon

Carolsfeld

(1789-1853)

IN RECENT TIMES the service sector of thebusiness world has grown more rapidly than anyother job area. Broadly understood, this occupa-tional term includes all the activities that aredirected toward meeting individual needs and

desires—from financial services to family planning,from landscaping to creating diets. It includes vocation-al trainers, legal advisors, marriage counselors, healththerapists, tax consultants, computer programmers,travel agents—whoever provides information and skillsto individual or group clients, not only serving theirneeds but identifying needs they never knew they had.

Driven though it be by market values, the Lucifericlures of advertising, and runaway consumerism, theexplosion of the service industry in part reflects theapproach of the Aquarian era, one of whose keynotes isservice.

For students of Rosicrucian Christianity, service con-stitutes another kind of vocation—a spiritual callingwhose refusal results in the experience of a soul pover-ty that no material affluence can alleviate. The call is,“Follow me.” The caller is Christ and the calling is toserve the Archangelic Servant of humanity in whateverway our talents and destiny determine and the HolySpirit directs.

We certainly do not lack for things to do, nor people(and animals and plants and earth) to serve, for a friendof Christ is like Him the servant of all. Lest the termoffend one’s sense of dignity, we recall that even Christdeclined the term master and referred the deference andobedience implied in that title to God. Can serving Godgive offense? Is it not rather a privilege and a joy?

Sincere service is not motivated by and does notexpect reward or recognition, for we fulfill our deepestindividual needs when we direct our helpful energiestoward any part of this planet. Inasmuch as we serveany, even the least, in God’s creation, we serve God.

We adopt a low profile, for we pursue a high calling.But the servant is not servile, for servility harborsresentment based on smarting pride. Unable to be gen-

uinely humble, it fawns humility so that it may receiverecognition and gratuities.

The Christian server is vigilant to prevent servicegaining the upper hand and displacing the one thingneedful. Both inordinate care about our mundane dutiesand undue concern for our spiritual well-being under-mine our primary purpose, which is to ever identifywith the word and Person of Christ.

Let us be attentive to what is being done for us evenas we do for others. We realize that it is not our doing,in itself, which has value, but what we do for and inChrist. Fidelity to service can easily become Christ’sgreatest competitor and the righteousness of our actsdivert us from Him Who is Righteousness itself. Ourservice may be self-forgetting, but let it not be mind-less, else we may find ourselves more devoted to ser-vice and self-serving than we are to Christ. p

RAYS 99 3

Service as a Vocation

EDITORIAL

J. James Tissot (1833-1902), Brooklyn Museum of Art

The Calling of Peter and Andrew

THE HUMAN physical sensesof seeing and hearing are earth-ly shadows of two extrasenso-ry faculties. When referred toin the Gospels, which are first

and foremost esoteric documents, seeingand hearing designate this supersensoryperception, for knowledge of the spiritualworlds is conveyed by analogy (or parable),in terms of what one sees and hears in thephysical world.

These two modes of earthly knowingrelate to the two currents of human thoughtfirst represented by Cain and Abel. Thesmoke of Abel’s flesh offering ascended toGod. Through devotion and obedience hewas vertically aligned with Jehovah. Cain’soffering of plants, cultivated and harvested by hisown ingenuity and effort, represented the horizontalthought stream that was directed toward the worldof sense experience, enabling man to harness phys-ical energies and to develop the earth’s material ele-ments. Cain’s initiative was inspired by Lucifer,whose original deviation from the cosmic plan ischaracterized as “stealing” astral light (also detailedin the Prometheus myth) and constituting his beingas a center for its radiation. Lucifer sought not toreflect divine light in lunar passivity but to be a pri-mary light source. Sons of Cain, as phree messen,are children of light and of the light-bearer Lucifer.But this light is not the true light. It is still deriva-tive and inflected. The seeing that Lucifer makespossible is an egoistic seeing, made possible by theshadow that astral egoism casts over the light issu-

ing from the spiritual world.The two soul currents of ego-centered world see-

ing and the vertical devotional attitude in whichegoic impulses are suppressed, making revelationpossible, both reside in the individual soul as theCain and Abel impulses, closely united and yet inopposition to each other. The ascending current ofthought perception through revelation is perpetuallykilled by subjective thinking which is under thecurse of Cain: “A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thoube on the earth” (Gen. 4:12). Objective human see-ing must roam the earth estranged from the spiritualworld until a higher form of seeing can be evolved.

Seeing and hearing each have their false or futiledimensions, depending on our susceptibility to theinfluence of Lucifer, the spirit of egoism, orAhriman, the spirit of materialism, who is referred

4 RAYS 99

Eye Hath Not Seen,Nor Ear Heard

MYSTIC LIGHT

From Die Bibel in Bildern, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1789-1853)

The Offerings of Cain and AbelThe involuntary clairvoyance of early humanity was killed by the Cainimpulse that directed the mind to sense-based thinking to transformthe earth. In time voluntary clairvoyance shall be evolved from logicalthinking fostered by earthly experience. The mattock symbolizes the pos-itive mind that both “slays” innocence and makes a garden of the earth.

to by John the evangelist as “the prince of thisworld” (14:30). Thus deceptive sights may bemirages (physical), hallucinations (etheric), or fan-tasies (desire world); or yet again they may bestripped-down data carrying no soul content.Ahrimanic sensation is all and nothing but denota-tion, mere molecular agitation. Sound doesn’t“mean” anything, doesn’t refer to anything otherthan what it is as quantity. All associations it mayconjure are relative and arbitrary, the antics of atomsin the brain.

We tread a path between strict literalism anddreamy escapism. We clearly perceive the outer worldof objects and know that it is founded on causes pro-ceeding from superphysical worlds. We know toothat that these sourcing higher, worlds have an objec-tive reality to which self-reflexive egoism is blind.

St. Paul admonishes us to try the spirits. What dothe spirits tell us? We are on the right path ofChristian development when we can distinguishbetween the Master’s voice and both the voice ofthe tempter, who urges do it, and the voice ofAhrimanic fear and trembling, which warns don’t doit. Lucifer beckons, “Come away from this world ofsorrow and lave in well-deserved bliss. Leave yourbody of disease and death.” Ahriman urges, “Seekimmortality of your body, you can’t do too much forit. It’s your only life. Guard against germs. Take med-icines. Get gold. Fence in your property. Take outinsurance on your life. Don’t talk to strangers. Youcan’t be too careful. Trusting others is dangerous.”

But Christ tells us that the human body is a tem-ple and He will come to dwell in it. But He is not ofthis world, nor are we. Physical existence is difficultand full of tribulation, but be of good cheer, forChrist has overcome the world. Yet we must realizethat only by being in the physical world can weacquire the power to become co-creators with ourheavenly Father and be transformed by right suffer-ing into beings of love, a love that lights up andvitalizes the world.

Lucifer prompts to false courage, bravado, andthe legitimacy of anger. Ahriman insinuates suspi-cion, hate, and pessimism. Christ teaches faith, hope,and love through humility, patience, and wakeful-ness. His word is true. And because it is true, his ownknow his voice as it speaks through the Holy Spirit.

Ahriman teaches that only the material worldexists. He promotes the scientific skepticism of thedoubting Thomases who believe only what they cansee and touch. Paul refers to Ahriman as “the god ofthis world [who] has blinded the minds of them whobelieve not” (2 Cor. 4:4). Paul also asserts that if thegospel is hid, it is hid to them who are lost (2 Cor.4:3); that is, them who are unwilling to believe. Forspiritual vision is entirely a voluntary attainment,not a given, as physical sight. When Peter identifiesJesus as the Christ, he proves he has spiritual sight,for flesh and blood cannot directly reveal spirit.

Lucifer’s light would dazzle and overwhelm us. Itis exuberant, magical, sensational. Christ’s light isinterior, withheld, yet the very basis for conscious-ness, for it is the light that lighteth every man thatcometh into the world. It is the light that reveals butitself is hidden. If Lucifer is the false light, Ahrimanenshrines physical sight and would bind us to whatwe see to the extent that we become prisoners of ourseeing. Luciferic egoism vaunts, “I can do anythingI want.” The Christed ego says, “I can do all thingsthrough Christ Who strengthens me. Not I, but Christ,He doeth the works.”

As faculties of the physical body, hearing waselaborated before seeing in the Saturn revolution ofthe Earth period, before the creation of light. Seeingwas introduced during the Sun revolution of theEarth period, when light was first brought forth.

The whole enterprise of planting and harvesting,while a consequence of the fall, is a figure for theplanting of human consciousness in the physicalworld, that experience may be gleaned and under-standing extracted. This arduous process describesthe route to revelation. But it is spiritual knowledgegained by choice, in freedom, through conscious,deliberate effort. And since the visible world, whenrightly perceived, mirrors the activity of invisiblespirit beings, through their sensory involvement inthe physical world humans become self-educatorsand free agents in their own enlightenment. To theextent that the fruits of human endeavor are offeredas shewbread and incense to the God within willman develop the cognitive faculties enabling him toenter into direct communion through speech, seeing,and hearing in the Holy of Holies. To the extent thatman’s earthly activities become ends in themselves,

RAYS 99 5

or are but expressions of his will-to-power andself-love will he erect towers of babel and make ofthe earth another cinder like the moon.

As faculties that can increasingly give witness tothe presence of the Creator, hearing and seeing areto be used in full consciousness, purposefully,respectfully, as if they were articles in the sanctuaryof the temple—“for the temple of God is holy,which temple ye are.” (I Cor. 3:17)

Hearing and seeing refer to the content and resultof listening and looking. One may listen, but nothear, as one may look, but not see. One may also seeand hear, but not understand. A good listener hascontrol of both the tongue and its trigger, the desirenature. As the apostle James remarks (3:2), the manwho does not offend in word is able also to bridlethe whole body. Vacuous looking, gazing while pre-

occupied or dreaming, or unfocused looking, yieldnothing. Animals look and see, but do not under-stand in the cognitive sense of being conscious thatthey are seeing. That consciousness rests with theanimal Group Spirits in the Desire World.

The faculty of seeing is more aggressive andmore subject to control than hearing. It involves awilled effort to locate. register, and abstract a visiblecontent in space. Hearing is more ingressive.Sounds in space locate the hearer and enter his con-sciousness, as it were, unbidden. But intentional,accurate hearing and seeing require conscious con-trol of their respective functions, for it is the mindthat directs them and assesses the value of the mes-sages that these two sensory angels deliver.

Christian knowing continues the Cain-Abelstreams and is characterized in the prologue toLuke’s Gospel as consisting of “eye-witnesses” and“ministers of the word”—referring to those who hadevolved extrasensory vision (like Peter), and otherswhose clairaudience could discern the Word madeflesh and acknowledge His Truth.

Being able to hear truly presumes that one has“heard oneself out,” has confronted and overcomeall the saturnine voices of fear and avoidance andcan resist the siren sounds of temptation and tres-pass. One has “heard it all,” all the insults and neg-ative verdicts that can assail one. As the occult pre-cept states, “before the eyes can see, they mustbecome incapable of tears.” Why? Tears blind.More correctly, ungoverned emotions blind. He whois ruled by his emotions in the desire world, theworld of spiritual “seeing,” would be quickly ledastray and become the dupe and victim of its inhab-itants. Likewise, “before the ears can hear, theymust have lost their sensitiveness,” all egoism.Before we can enter the World of Thought, trueSpirit world, we must have lost our self, have noth-ing to relate to or identify with. Utter annihilation

seems imminent. As we become wise, ignorance isdissolved in tears. On the road to wisdom, we willencounter, in the words of William Wordsworth,“thoughts that lie too deep for tears.” We also learnto turn a deaf ear to any sounds that demean ormerely distract. Falsehood can no longer simulatesincerity by adjusting the tone and inflection of itsvoice or mislead by donning the appearance ofbeauty or shallow brightness.

What bearing has all this on our daily affairs? It isprecisely these affairs that prepare us to hear and seetruly by maintaining our presence of mind in all thedramas and drudgeries that our senses script for us.As Max Heindel explains, the first two steps on thepath of esoteric development are observation (ob-serve) and discrimination. Our ears and eyes serveor correctly register the object. Then we process thesensory images and become adept at distinguishingbetween the important and the trivial, the true andthe false, the enduring and the ephemeral.

One danger posed by material seeing is that itscontent will be viewed as an ultimate reality. So

6 RAYS 99

Being able to hear truly presumes that one has “heardoneself out,” has confronted and overcome all the satur-

nine voices of fear and avoidance and can resist the sirensounds of temptation and trespass. One has “heard it all,”all the insults and negative verdicts that can assail one.

regarded, all physical seeing is idolatry. For this rea-son the Holy of Holies in the ancient Tabernacle inthe wilderness was dark, signifying that ultimaterealities are not seen in the illusory light of day. Inthat sacred precinct one sees only if one has evolvedthe light that makes spiritual seeing possible. Oneenters purged of worldly images. And one hears.Debir, the Hebrew name for this westernmostenclosure, derives from the word to speak.

The notion that spiritual realities can be provedby eye evidence shows an ignorance that ChristJesus never gratified. It was a wicked generationthat would not believe unless it saw signs and won-ders. In other words, authentic belief is founded onan inner seeing, a knowing independent of physicalsight, able to cast a blind eye upon all contraryappearances. To see what one wants to see meansthat the eyes are directed by the mind and are capa-ble of seeing what is not and not seeing what is.While one may see correctly, the conclusions drawnfrom observation may be erroneous. Also, one maysee selectively, due to bias or ignorance. So do sus-picion, fear, naviete, blind optimism, and pessimismgather false reports through the senses.

The abuses of hearing are perhaps more danger-ous because this sense is more intimate and interior.We can close or unfocus our eyes or turn our head,but closing the ears is not as easy. So we learn eitherto not listen, as a child who attempts to ignore par-ents who continually fight, as neighbors come todisregard him who cries wolf too many times, or aswe inwardly adjust to phase out the din of somepopular music (so-called). The faculty of concentra-tion is to be developed to the point where the egocan choose to hear no outer sound. Indeed, enteringthe Great Silence at the threshold to the World ofThought assumes this degree of mind control.

When should we not lend an ear? Whenever weencounter gossip, tales told of another that impugn ordisparage. Since we don’t know what another willsay, we will in good faith be open, but we will notinwardly engage what we hear until we have a clearand, if necessary, independent basis for doing so.

On earth we see through a glass, darkly. To see“face to face” describes soul perceiving soul. A yethigher form of cognition is to know as we areknown. The Rosicrucian term for seeing in the

Desire World is Imagination. This does not refer toimaginary images, as in dreams and fantasies.Rather do we perceive images which are more realthan any sense-based picture. Imagination issuperceded by by Inspiration, the technical termused to describe knowledge derived from spiritualhearing in the region of concrete thought. Therespiritual beings speak to us through archetypal cos-mic processes and relationships. Knowledgeobtained in the region of abstract thought is con-veyed by the supersensible faculty technicallycalled Intuition, which, like Imagination andInspiration, has none of the vagueness or elusive-ness associated with the term’s popular use. It signi-fies luminous clarity and indubitable certainty of thespiritual being with whom one identifies. Through

RAYS 99 7

Woodcut, c.1496, Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)

The Seven Trumpet AngelsBefore John the Apocalyptist saw the seven angels with trum-pets, “there was silence in heaven about the space of half anhour.” (8:1) So does he indicate entry into the World of Thought,where objective reality is perceived as “silent sound.” Fromthis “causal world” issue events that manifest in lower worlds.

Intuition one is in the other being as that being, yetwithout canceling one’s individual identity. Thisattainment is possible only after one has first sum-moned the strength to exist in the nothingness at theportal to the World of Thought without giving wayto the experience of annihilation.

As our senses and sensibilities are developed andrefined, much of what we encounter through seeingand hearing on the material plane becomes increas-ingly afflicting or affecting. Human pettiness andcoldness, ill-spoken or self-serving words, crudegestures, disrespect of the earth and all its creatures,slovenly attitudes, the cartoon representation ofhuman affairs that devalues life and demeans humandignity—these sensory affronts, visual vulgaritiesand crass sounds, litter our mental landscape and areaggravated by the ubiquitous print, video, and elec-tronic media. While many people are largely uncon-scious of these conditions, they are but a prelude tothe unseemly, indeed hellish, conditions prevailingin the lower Desire World, which the evolving egowill surely encounter: first in dreams; then in theGuardian of the Threshold, the embodiment of one’scapacity for and total past generation of evil andugliness; and finally in the Desire World itself.

The biblical fall describes that time when dark-ness fell on the worlds of Spirit and day dawned inthe physical world. When the Lucifer impulse enteredinto fledgling humanity, the nascent I-principle fellvictim to astral egoism and cast itself down into theegoistic instincts of the desire body. Man was nolonger translucent to the cosmic light of the Spirit,for egoism formed an obstacle to that light.

From one vantage, the first to see in the physicalworld were the blessed, the pioneers. They werethus the first to lose the gift of etheric vision. Someof them have become the first to regain—by con-scious effort, moral development, and spiritual dis-cernment—both positive clairvoyance and the facultyof hearing the Voice of the Shepherd, which is theessential condition for acceptance of the Christ-impulse, for that is the Shepherd’s Voice.

Like the man born blind (John 9) we are bornblind to spirit worlds and to the presence of the liv-ing Christ. Our destiny is, for a time, to be blindedto these higher worlds so that we may develop themoral and mental capacities to consciously discern

Him, capacities acquired in the very physical worldthat occults spiritual being!

In silence a person learns to think, as in curbingthe urge to movement he learns to speak. Whenspeaking is economized and even suppressed, thataction reverberates in the mental sphere where it givesimpetus to thinking. Indiscriminate talkers are bothpoor listeners and poor thinkers. A yet higher trans-formation of movement—on the continuum throughspeech and thought—occurs when thought itself isheld in check, concentrated on one point. In thisexercise the faculty for spiritual seeing is evolved.

We can see and hear only as much as we know.Words have no meaning if one does not know thelanguage. The Apocalypse is written in the languageof symbols for which the science of spirit provideskeys. At present the book of Revelation conceals asmuch as it reveals. With many passages we echo the

8 RAYS 99

Artist unknown, 19th century

Christ Jesus Healing the Man Blind from Birth“I am come into this world, that they which see not might see;and that they which see might be made blind.”—John 9:39

disciples’ words, “This is a hard saying. Who canhear it?” (John 6:60). Each of the angel’s letters tothe seven churches, sent through John, concludeswith the challenge, “He that hath an ear, let him hearwhat the spirit says unto the churches.” Here theSpirit of Truth is addressing our spiritual under-standing. In time higher hearing will admit livingtruth and conform the soul to it, even as do thewords that Christ speaks, for “They are spirit andthey are life.” (John 6:63)

If human seeing is to reascend to the immaterialworlds, it must know how to be blind to the materialworld. It must unbind itself from the pull of things.Of course things pull, have visual gravity, onlybecause desire gives them value—to the point wherethey may become possessive of sight. The energiesthat man would expend in worldly actions must behusbanded and interiorized, not with the aim ofavoiding or reducing one’s worldly duties, but thatthey may be better accomplished. In the ChristianRosicrucian school the law of restraining the lowerforce in order that it may be transformed into a high-er one is the principle of crucifixion (or initiation).Effective meditation operates on this principle. The

forces of thinking, feeling, and willing are curbed orbound. They are not lessened by being held inabsolute check—nailed, as it were, to immovablepurpose. For they maintain the same intensity thatcharacterizes their free activity; but they become soconcentrated that they are able to pass through theneedle’s eye, a process known as the mystic death.Bringing soul powers to a critical mass that higherconsciousness may be born is referred to in theGospels as “the narrow path.” In fact, Max Heindeldescribes this path as narrow as a razor’s edge fromwhich one can only grasp at the cross—the door tothe higher worlds.

Neither has the eye seen nor the ear heard thethings that God has planned for them that love Him.That love is the condition for and substance out ofwhich spiritual seeing and hearing are being devel-oped. The same love which in outward deeds ofself-forgetting service builds the luminous soulbody also generates the light by which the worlds ofspirit are illumined and raises the soul to the worldsof celestial tone which resound with the words ofeternal life. p

—C.W.

RAYS 99 9

The Birth Out of Silence

This day, as I was walking amidst the utterances of my soul in search of the fairest one to bestow upon men,I met Life.

And Life said to me: “Listen to my voice and be still.”I answered, “Am I not an utterer? And art Thou not speaking through me?”A smile brushed the lips of Life as bird wings the roses. The silence rang with ecstatic fragrance.And Life murmured: “Beloved! He who speaketh of me loseth Me.”My heart beat sadly as a crimson sunset speared with black clouds. The air became heavy with the sighs of

things undone. And I answered: “He who loseth Life findeth Love.”The silence grew deeper beyond all stillness. Sheer mountain walls flung themselves at the light to crush the

sky away from my soul. The dark became poignant with utter emptiness; and I stood, naked, shorn of all gifts, even of the fairest, the gift of giving.

Time wound itself round the mazes of Space. There came nothing to see, nothing to hear and nothing to feel.The “I” waned small, small beyond perception—lost.And when all there was had shrunk into the “had been,” when all future was lost into the eternal, a Tone began

to wax out of the No-thing.And the Tone chanted its soul to itself. And the Tone gave birth to its own utterance. The walls of the

mountains grew golden with radiance. The Empty became rich with fullness inexhaustible.And that which has been “I” soared on the wings of tone; soared inward, soared upward, soared everywhere,

until all space became filled with that radiance and that tone that had surged out of the death of Time andthe death of Self.

And Space became great with the child of Life and Love.—Rudhyar

WHEN SHE WAS very young,the maiden dwelt in theLowlands, in the Kingdom ofUnhappiness, under the dictatesof the mad ruler, Desire. This

troubled country was bounded on the north by theicy caves of Selfishness, on the east by every veer-ing wind of Emotion, on the south by the unpre-dictable volcano of Anger and Temper, and on thewest by the swamp of Doubt where hung the chill-ing fog of many Fears. Here she lived, subject tothe whim of Desire, prisoner to Terror, and aggra-vated by Pests of Little Things until she knew notwhither she was going.

And always there was the great, voracious vul-ture of Jealousy to torture her. Occasionally, hergrandmother came down from the high mountainsof Wisdom to visit her, being besought of her gen-tle pity to rescue the fair maiden out of her sadplight. But always her words of how to escapefrom this unhappy land fell on deaf ears, and shewould go back to the great, winging spaces with-out accomplishing a thing. The young soul wasattached to the Kingdom of Unhappiness and quitefixed in slavery to her Fears. In fact, she felt theneed of these things—for how else could she dra-matize her drab and uninteresting inner self?

The maiden’s mother, from the Land of theShining Place, watched her, caught in this giantweb, and went to the Tall Ones, who dwelt in thestars, for advice. But the Tall Ones said, “Patience!The day draws near for her deliverance.” So themother held her peace, and waited.

Then on a Day of Feasting, at the hour of highnoon when the sated inhabitants of the Kingdom of

Unhappiness had eaten their fill and lay at ease—there came an earthquake. The great stone steepletumbled down; the palace was engulfed; the Lordsof Desire and Greed ran madly hither and yon toescape the flames. But in vain. Jealousy was swal-lowed up in the awful holocaust at the very feet ofthe maiden, fleeing for her life in the midst of aonce proud city.

The Pests of LittleThings scudded ahead of herlike bats caught in a great wind. She hurried tocatch up with them. Their familiar forms, theirvery pricks and irritations, were comforting in themidst of this terrifying strangeness. But they toovanished in the maw of the heaving earth.

She looked to the north where stood the icycaves of Selfishness to seek shelter therein. But thepursuing fire overwhelmed their glittering depthswith one hissing breath, and melted them in thetwinkling of an eye. She stood helpless and watchedthe Cold waters rush toward the city gates, beyondwhich could be heard the crackle of doom.

Then, far to the south, she heard the awful erup-tion of the volcano, Anger, and she knew thatretreat in that direction was cut off. She movedeastward toward the moods of Indecision, butcould see nothing in the midst of that whirlpool ofemotion which had been made ten times more con-fusing by the shock of the earthquake. So she sor-rowfully circled about, picking her way blindlythrough the fallen wreckage and smolderingresentments that clutched at her with their flaringsparks, as she passed.

At last she stood on the edge of the Swamp ofDoubt and peered into the livid fog of many fears.Her feet were braised, her gown torn, her fair face

10 RAYS 99

The AwakeningAn Allegory

MYSTIC LIGHT

streaked with dirt and tears. Desire wouldnever claim her now; Jealousy would surelypass her by. She looked on the weavingshapes of the chilling fog, and lo! it, too, nowmet the purifying heat of the fire. Even as shegazed, it shifted, enveloped her in a suddenlast Dream which shook her to the core of herbeing...and was gone.

There lay the swamp of doubt, quagmiredwith Uncertainty and Delusion. She cringedfrom the stagnant pools that lay between theblack patches of dead grass ahead, but hottongues of Awakening Fire drove her for-ward. On she stumbled, blinded by the smokeand overcome by Terror, who had survivedthe catastrophe to be with her. The way wasclammy with many Dreads, and she felloften, always chained to the horrid figure ofTerror...and there was no one to help her.

Finally she reached an island, so far fromany other land that she knew she was lost.Before she could save herself, she hadslipped into the black waters where dweltunmentionable evils. Terror was dragging herdown, and she began to fight back. Withweak and trembling fingers she loosed thechain and in desperation threw Terror fromher.

Then her body became light. It floated tothe top of the water, and she called, “Helpme!” Instantly the swamp vanished, and shefound herself on a grassy knoll in the midst ofsweet-smelling ferns. There stood a noble Princelooking at her, his kind blue eyes filled with wis-dom. “Be still, Fair Maiden,” he said, “and rest. Iwill watch over you. Rest.”

Sensing his wisdom and kindly strength, she laydown upon the soft grasses, and great peace like awarm cloak fell over her. She slept...and dreamed.

There came in her dream the Lady Renewal,with her beautiful sister, Healing, who treated herbruises and her hurts with delicious ointments andsalves most wonderful. They removed her tatteredgown and robed her in lustrous Power, placingshoes of Understanding upon her feet, a blue girdleof Humility about her waist.

She lay, after their soft-winged departure, in a

deep stillness, and the stillness was strong withinher, like the silent growing of ancient trees. Itsoothed her like a blessing, and she was part of thegrowing—one with the vast stillness.

Then she rose from her sleep like an angel oflight, placed her hand in the strong hand of herHigher Self, and walked toward the high hills.Behind her lay the night mists of Unhappiness;above her gleamed the first gold of dawn on theCastle of Joy. Love walked beside her and Peacehad taken abode in her heart. Soon, soon, shewould reach the Gates of Wisdom where dwelt hergrandmother.

And in the Shining Place beyond, her mothersmiled. p

—Marguerite A. Wing

RAYS 99 11

Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898)

Succoring Angel

Planet A

rt

THE PHRASE “without sound ofhammer” has as familiar a ring toRosicrucians as it may have toMasons. It refers to building the vehi-cle of light needed to travel in the for-

eign countries of the spiritual worlds, and to workin the vineyard of the Christ. There is a spiritualconnection between the Rosicrucians and theMasons, and as Rosicrucian members we considerourselves to be “Masons at heart” because of themany similarities in the tenets, rituals and first-hand knowledge regarding the building of the spir-itual or soul body.

The first tenet is that the inner temple cannot bebuilt through an ethic of separatism, but by the“philosopher’s stones” of men and women whohave evolved through the Christ-transformingideals of love and service. These stones are madefrom the alchemical wedding of fire and water, theblending of the male and female principles. Theseliving stones, also called the diamond body of thetemple of God, are generated and raised to incan-descence by high and noble thought, by meditationon spiritual subjects, by unselfish altruismexpressed in daily life, and by purifying the bloodof passion.

Max Heindel, messenger of the Elder Brothersof the Rose Cross and author of the RosicrucianCosmo-Conception, reminds us that when Daviddesired to build a temple for the Lord, he wasdenied the privilege because he had been a man ofwar. Whether separatism designates an inner warwith ourselves, the battle of the sexes, or the war-ring of states and nations, such disharmony is in

direct opposition to the conception and realizationof the immaculate heart of the soft diamond body.

The second principle goes deep into ancientRosicrucian Philosophy. While remaining secret,this knowledge was practiced at the beginning ofthe second millennium, when the Rosicrucians,known in Jerusalem at the time of King Solomon’s

12 RAYS 99

THE DIAMOND BODYOF THE TEMPLE

OF GOD

MYSTIC LIGHT

manuscript, early 18th century

Materia Prima Lapidis PhilosophorumIn the mountain of prima materia, the signs of the relevantmaterials are assigned to Saturn’s square of numbers. In thecrucible or retort of the physical body, the Rosicrucianalchemist (modern aspirant) marries the masculine (fire)and feminine (water) components of his lower nature byright application of the seven energies associated with theseven ductless glands and their ruling planets. The lead(Saturn) of raw experience is transmuted by the fire of suf-fering into the living gold of the etheric soul body, which isvariously called the etheric Christ child, the molten sea, thewhite stone, philosopher’s stone, diamond body, and lapis.

Temple as the Priory of Sion and the KnightsTemplars, committed themselves to the alchemicalpursuit of “transmuting lead into gold.” Thisphrase was a partial blind for the endeavor ofbuilding the diamond body “without sound ofhammer.” The gold referred to is the light ether ofthe “golden wedding garment,” a vesture wovenby selfless acts of charity. It is ceremonialized inthe alchemical wedding of Christian Rosencruz,the “Eldest” (most evolved) of the 13 ElderBrothers of the Rose Cross.

Many New Agers believe that Rosicrucians inthe Middle Ages manifested external, physicalgold, when in fact they were developing internal,spiritual gold. If today’s average man or womancomprehended the virtue and value of building thediamond body, he or she would desire that morethan gold, as do members of the Rosicrucian andMasonic organizations today. Until now it has beentheir (reluctantly) best kept secret. But evolutionaryadvances now permit this spirit-building process tobe open to all individuals who desire it.

The third principle is that we are all “templebuilders” working under direction of God and Hisministers, the divine Hierarchies. The ElderBrothers of the Rose Cross, also known in moderntimes as the Priory of Sion, work through one ofthe seven mystery schools that represent thesedivine Hierarchies. These high spiritual Beings areinaugurating the “New Age of Aquarius” which,according to the Rosicrucian Philosophy of theElder Brothers, will not come into full effect foranother 600 years. However, here on the cusp ofthe new millennium, humanity is even now withinthe orb of the Aquarian ray which, with increasingforce, impels us to build the spiritual temple, thediamond body. Mystic Masons and Rosicruciansare not only forging the living temple of the radi-ant soul body, they are helping to build the templeof humanity at large, so that the Christ Light canmanifest throughout the world, and the ecclesia ofuniversal brotherhood and sisterhood, made “with-out sound of hammer,” can become a reality p

Susann Lee White

RAYS 99 13

THE ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTIONBy Max Heindel

Please Use Order Formon page 64

This book gives a complete outline of the Western Wisdom Teachings as far as itmay be made public at the present time. It contains a comprehensive outline ofthe evolutionary processes of man and the universe, correlating science withreligion. The author received this Teaching personally fromthe Rosicrucian Brotherhood. It is their latest communication.

NEW CLOTH EDITION: 717 pages, including a 100-page Alphabetical Index and a 60-page Topical index

PAPER EDITION: 610 pages with 60-page Topical Index. Published by The Rosicrucian Fellowship.

This is the textbook used in the RosicrucianPhilosophy Correspondence Courses.

PART ONE: A treatise on the Visible and Invisible Worlds. Man and theMethod of Evolution, Rebirth and the Law of Cause and Effect.

PART TWO: Covers the scheme of Evolution in general and the Evolution ofthe Solar System and Earth in particular.

PART THREE: Treats of Christ and His Mission, Future Development of Man andInitiation, Esoteric Training and a Safe Method of AcquiringFirsthand Knowledge.

MATERIALIZATION, which isdependent upon ectoplasm, anextract of the vital body, belongsalso to the negative class ofphenomena.

If, then, we may not use material instruments orphysical sensation in developing the “gifts of thespirit,” what is the correct method of developingthem? The powers of White Magic are not soughtnor developed for themselves. It is said that happi-ness is the by-product of a life well lived. Whetheror not this is true of happiness, it is certainly trueof these spiritual gifts. The way to acquire them,then, is to live the highest life of service of whichwe are capable. Max Heindel has said, “In order tobecome an invisible helper, you must first be a vis-ible helper.” Christ said, “If I tell of earthly things,and ye have not believed, how shall ye believe if Itell you of heavenly things?” Unless we are usingall our earthly gifts in God’s service we cannot betrusted with heavenly gifts.

Rule 4. The objects as well as the methods ofWhite Magic are spiritual, not material. It is easy tosee what objects are sought in certain systems fromlooking at their advertisements. One philosophy says:“Use the inner forces to attain happiness and suc-cess. Create the things you most desire. Commanda realization of your desires.” The student isencouraged to learn how to obtain “the world’sbenefits” and “freedom and personal power.”

Another advertiser takes a bolder approach.“WHAT DO YOU WANT? Whatever it is, we willyou to get it.” How different from the “advertise-ments,” of the greatest White Magician: “He who

would be greatest among you, let him be the ser-vant of all....If any man will come after me, let himdeny himself, and take up his cross, and followme....For what shall it profit a man if he shall gainthe whole world, and lose his own soul? In thisrejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; butrejoice rather, that your names are written in heav-en....But seek ye first the kingdom of God and hisrighteousness and all these things shall be addedunto you....Again, the kingdom of heaven is likeunto a merchantman, seeking goodly pearls; who,when he had found one pearl of great price, wentand sold all that he had and bought it.”

When Christ spoke of the kingdom, He alwaysreferred to the spiritual kingdom, which He said iswithin you, not to any material domain or worldly

14 RAYS 99

Magic, White and Black

Part 2

MYSTIC LIGHT

John Everett Millais (1829–1896)

The Pearl of Great PriceThe Kingdom of Heaven, like the pearl of great price, is pre-cious only to him who is enlightened about its value.

power. Christ said of Himselfthat He “came not to be minis-tered unto, but to minister,” andPaul wrote of Him that “evenChrist pleased not Himself.”

Christ’s second temptationafter incarnating in the Jesusvehicles was to use His magi-cal powers to obtain the “per-sonal power” which one ofthese philosophies offers us.The first temptation was to useHis power to satisfy His ownmaterial wants. Although bothChrist and Elijah did demon-strate their ability magically toproduce bread, we do not findeither of them using this powerfor himself.

Usually false philosophieswill add, as an afterthought, that they will alsoteach you “how to help others.” This is a more sub-tle method of counterfeiting than the use of thefive-pointed star in its proper position. Devil wor-ship is out of date. The general moral level of soci-ety today is such that an entirely selfish systemcould not attract a very large following. It is notdifficult, however, for a person who is honest withhimself to discern where the main emphasis lies—whether it is on the material and self-centered con-cerns, or whether it is on the spiritual plane andservice. There is an occult truth in the old beliefabout vampires. These creatures were believed tobe unable to enter a home unless invited to comeinto it. In the final analysis, all Black Forces aresubject to the same law. Max Heindel has given usa good rule in this connection. “There is a way tobe prepared, and it is sure: Look to Christ and keepyour mind busy each moment studying how youmay serve Him.”

The White Magician is not only forbidden to usehis powers for himself, he is also restricted inusing them for others. For a teacher or a student touse his knowledge of magic to help a willful evil-doer out of his troubles could at times be little lessthan a crime. The man who helps a criminal toescape front prison is himself a criminal in the eyes

of the law. If it is wrong tointerfere with human justice,which often makes mistakes,how much worse it must be tointerfere with unerring divinelaw. The man who is nothappy probably has notearned happiness. That is whyhe has not found it. Of course,this does not mean that wemust not help the undeserving.It simply means that we musthelp them morally and spiritu-ally at the same time that wehelp them in other ways. Tohelp others materially withoutat the same time helping themspiritually—in other words tomake them happy withoutmaking them good—is Gray

Magic, not White. To give a man material help,without moral and spiritual assistance, would notbe doing him a service, for he would certainly haveto pay, sooner or later, for that unearned benefit.

The true spiritual healer will not heal merelybecause we wish to be well. We have no right towish for health, knowledge, wealth, talent, or anyother blessing for itself alone. We may only rightlywish for it in order to use it in service.

Unfortunately, a great many astrologers fail toobserve Rule 4. The astrologer who casts horo-scopes only for the purpose of telling you when itwill be advisable to invest your money, to takejourneys, or to sign legal papers, etc., is not prac-ticing White Magic. The White Magician, in fore-casting the future, will tell you when you are mostlikely to be tempted and to what sort of sin, whenyou will have the best opportunity to do a goodturn, and what line of Christian service you mightenter. Of course, this spiritual counsel also appliesto the messages received by clairvoyants. The firstinstruction to Joan of Arc by her saints was: “Be agood girl, Joan. Go to church often.”

We come now to a rule which is well known, butwhich has not been analyzed or studied to anygreat extent.

Rule 5. White Magic never interferes with the

RAYS 99 15

Created by Ariel Agemian for the Confraternity of the Precious Blood

Cast Thyself DownChrist incarnate in Jesus sets the ideal patternfor the selfless use of spiritual powers.

reason or will of other people. Occult philosophyexpresses the same thought in the saying, “WhiteMagic begins with self-mastery. Black Magicbegins with the mastery of others.” A work of fic-tion by Leonora Eyels, The Shepherd of Israel,gives illustrations of White and Black Magic asthey were practiced in ancient times. The first is aninstance of a form of Black Magic which waspracticed by certain renegadeEgyptian priests at the time ofMoses:

“He ran round to alittle room at the backof the old buildings,now almost in ruins,which were slowlybeing replaced bygorgeous new onesof sandstone. Thislittle room was nowused only for onepurpose and thatscarcely a lawful one,known certa inly to theCol l ege o f Priests, andwinked at by them but notpermitted.

“Rameses looked towardthe corner and saw therewhat looked like a ball, butwhat he knew was a man. Some of the sham priestswould take a slave, and, breaking his bones, doublehis body and truss it with ropes. Then, until hedied—sometimes in a day, sometimes sevendays—they would torture him with word and deeduntil his terrified spirit was as much enslaved as hisbody, and, at the moment of death, might be boundby his tormentor, who had taken a powerful drug tohelp him in his task. [Note Rule 3.] In this way, themagicians made for themselves armies of invisibleslaves who knew no freedom, even in death. In thisway they set a silent, unsleeping guard on theirtombs and possessions, an enslaved will thatobeyed the imposed command forever.”

In another part of the same work is given theexperience of one man who underwent the trueEgyptian Initiation. The account is too long to

quote verbatim. The body of the candidate’s bodywas bound in mummy cloths, “the sacred whitelinen that would one day wrap it in his long sleepin the tomb.” Then he was placed on the Stone ofInitiation in the pyramid of Khufu. Here he wasleft for eleven days to “forge the Sword of Willwhich even the gods cannot bestow upon man

without his own labor.” The first three dayswere devoted to conquering his phys-

ical wants. He was without foodor water, but “knew that at a

call the great stone doorwould open and he

would be led forth to abanquet.” This call,i f h e w i s h e d t obecome an Initiate,he must not give.Nei ther must heallow himself to fall

into unconsciousness.It was “hard to bear

the agony of his impris-oned limbs and the worse

agony of his unimprisonedtongue which could bringhim instant succor.”

After becoming “Masterof hunger and thirst, of heatand cold, of pain and of

weakness,” he entered upon the second period ofhis ordeal. The next three days were spent in gain-ing a “sense of balance” among the emotions.Desire, lust, and hate were wrestled with and com-pelled to take their proper place as servants, notmasters.

Having learned to “put his feelings in subjectionunder him so that all his feelings with his fellowswill be just,” the candidate enjoys a day of rest andpeace before entering upon the third and hardeststep in his Initiation. This is “to make a citadel inthe world of thought and to hold it against allinvaders.” If he passed this third test, and cameforth alive and sane, he was greeted by the Collegeof Priests as a true Initiate, Lord of Himself, andChild of Maat, the goddess of Truth.

In the modern practice of magic, the working of

16 RAYS 99

At her child’s bedside a mother prays for her husbandaway at war. The fervor of her concern and love sum-mon the vision of an angel attending to his safety.

Rule 5 is especially seen in the field of healing.Christian Science says: “God has endowed manwith certain inalienable rights, among which areself-government, reason, and conscience. No per-son is benefited by yielding his mentality to anymental despotism....The heavenly law is broken bytrespassing upon man’s individual right of self-government....A Christian Scientist does not tres-pass on the rights of mind.”

Compare this position with the practice of hyp-notism, which is also used in the treatment of sick-ness. In an old book entitled Practical Lessons inHypnotism, by Dr. Wm. Wesley Cook, we find thefollowing instructions:

“Constantly endeavor to exert an influence overothers by your will power....When you have a sub-

ject before you, devote all your mental energy tocompelling his subjection to your influence...Mentally force him to obey your suggestions withas much confidence as you would feel in verballycommanding a child (that is in dealing with a sub-ject who resists)....Make your mind passive for ashort time while the subject is before you. This willmentally throw him off his guard [!] Then suddenlyconcentrate your thoughts upon the one idea of over-coming his resistance, focus your mind, and makethe attack successfully.” The writer certainly usedthe right word when he said “attack.” His procedureis nothing less than mental assault and battery!

Some other comments by Dr. Cook are: “Realiz-ing that your influence has induced action willincrease your desire to control others, and this willincrease your power to do so....Subjects hypnotizedby this method lose all their personality during thehypnosis and are completely subject to the slight-est suggestion.” We may be glad that scientificinvestigation has proven that the last statement isnot entirely correct.

In choosing subjects for hypnotism, Dr. Cookfinds that the Dutch are poor subjects “because they

resist attempts at coercion.” Americans are alsodifficult because “their independence of thoughtmust be regarded as an unfavorable influence.” Herecommends as good subjects, “young men, accus-tomed to working under a hard boss for little pay,”because they are “accustomed to obedience.” Thewhole trend of the above is clearly force, Force,FORCE!

The underlying principle behind Rule 5 is thebasis for the custom which forbids the true spiritualhealer to treat anyone who has not asked for treat-ment. A preacher, when trying to explain why Godnever converts anyone against his will, nor restrainsanother from sin by force, once said, “Jesus Christ isa gentleman. He never goes where He is not want-ed.” All White Magicians show the same courtesy.

It is by applying Rule 5 that we clearly differen-tiate between speaking “under control” and speak-ing “by inspiration.” These two terms are oftenused interchangeably, as if they were synonymous.A spirit speaks to a living person by inspiration. Hespeaks through a living person who is under medi-umistic control. The “inspired” speaker or writerreceives a message from higher powers while inthe full possession of his reason. If his conscienceapproves of the message, he can then pass it onwith the full consent of his reason and will. Thespeaker or writer who is completely under medi-umistic control by another entity often does noteven know what he is saying. The message sogiven may be good. It may as easily be evil. In fact,it is more likely to be evil, for no beneficent spiritwould take forcible possession of another’s reasonand will. It is not surprising, therefore, to find thatmessages delivered “under control” are often ques-tionable.

We find many references in the Bible condemn-ing the practice of having any relations with“familiar spirits.” “Regard not them that havefamiliar spirits....There shall not be found among

RAYS 99 17

A preacher, when trying to explain why God never converts any-one against his will, nor by force restrains another from sin, once

said, “Jesus Christ is a gentleman. He never goes where He isnot wanted.” All White Magicians show the same courtesy.

you a consulter with familiar spirits...For allthat do these things are an abomination untothe Lord.” One of Manasseh’s sins was thathe “dealt with a familiar spirit.”

On the other hand, we are expressly com-manded by St. John to “try the spirits,whether they are of God.” It is recorded ofChrist that he “preached to the spirits inprison.” In his letter to the Hebrews Paulasks, “Are they [the angels] not all minister-ing spirits, sent forth to minister to them whoshall be heirs of salvation?” Communicationwith spirits, then, is not forbidden, butencouraged. It is only relations with “famil-iar” spirits which is condemned. What do wemean when we say that a certain personbecomes “too familiar”? We mean that hetakes unwarranted liberties with the person ofsomeone else. May not a familiar spirit, then,be one which takes unlawful possession ofanother’s body and mind?

The one who receives the real gift of tonguesreceives it without damage to his mind, and,like the “inspired” speaker, knows what he issaying and does not speak without the con-sent of his will, reason, and conscience.

The operation of Rule 5 can also be seen inthe attainment of both true and artificialecstasy. Real spiritual ecstasy can be distin-guished from the counterfeit by the followingfacts: True ecstasy does not in any wayapproach delirium, hysteria, or hallucination.It is entirely normal and natural, like positiveclairvoyance. The person experiencing it doesnot enter any trance condition. He remains in fullpossession of his senses. It is a well-known factthat among cults which encourage and practicetrances of various kinds, a great number of follow-ers become insane. Human reason will not standmuch abuse. Dr. Cutten describes false ecstasy as“loss of self-control and temporary madness.” Themadness all too often becomes permanent.

Crichton-Browne says of a certain psychic that“his highest nerve centers were in some degreeenfeebled or damaged by these dreamy mentalstates which afflicted him so grievously.” On theother hand, Tennyson, speaking of true ecstasy,

says, “There is no delusion in the matter. It is nonebulous ecstasy, but a state of transcendent won-der, associated with absolute clearness of mind.”

In conclusion, although much Black Magic ispracticed in ignorance, we must remember thatignorance is sin. Especially is this true of thosewho are advancing by the intellectual path, thedevelopment of the head rather than the heart. Inany case, these are the ones who are most likely tobe drawn toward the study of magic and theyshould therefore be especially careful to “lookbefore they leap.” p

—Syliva Baker

18 RAYS 99

The Building and Pinnacle of the Temple

Not made with hands, its walls began to climbFrom roots in life’s foundations deeply set,Far down amid primaeval forms, where yetCreation’s finger seemed to probe in slime.Yet not in vain passed those first-born of time,Since each some presage gave of structure met In higher types, lest these the bond forgetThat links Earth’s latest to the fore-world’s prime And living stone on living stone was laid,In scale ascending ever, grade on grade,To that which in its Maker’s eyes seemed good—The Human Form: and in that shrine of thought, By the long travail of the ages wrought,The temple of the Incarnation stood.

Through all the ages since the primal ray,Herald of life, first smote the abysmal nightOf elemental Chaos, and the mightOf the creative spark informed the clay,From worm to brute, from brute to man—its way The shaping thought took upward, flight on flight, By stages which Earth’s loftiest uniteUnto her least, made kin to such as they. As living link, or prophecy, or type Of purpose for fulfillment yet unripe,Each has its niche in the supreme design;Converging to one pinnacle, whereatSole stands creation’s Masterpiece—and thatWhich was through her—the human made divine.

—Ellen Mary Clerke

BEFORE CHRIST LIVED in thebody of Jesus of Nazareth, the con-tent of major religions, includingHinduism, Buddhism, Egyptian andGreek mystery cults, indicates a grad-

ual disclosure and deepening influence of the solarLogos, Christ, in earthly affairs and in the con-sciousness of man. Judaism, whose sacred scrip-ture is the Old Testament, can be grouped amongthese religions, for it is not Christian per se; but itis prophetic of the advent of the Son of God inhuman form. The true Christian document is theNew Testament, particularly the Gospels.

The modern pilgrim does not journey East torecover the mentality addressed by pre-Christianreligions. At most, any such orientation is summa-ry, taking the form of a recapitulation of the seek-er’s spiritual heritage. He may briefly take stock ofwhere he has been that he may the better find him-self where he now is. (The careers of Max Heindeland Rudolph Steiner commenced with retrospec-tive reviews of wisdom teachings of pre-Christiancultural epochs.) The modern pilgrim journeyswest. He takes the Sun path.

Up to a point in time during this the post-Atlantean epoch, the mode of approach to spiritualrealms feasibly involved a backstepping, a reversalof direction before one’s downward momentumwas completed, an attempt to restore a prior condi-tion when man’s soul was in free converse and eas-ier contact with spiritual beings. Geophysically,one oriented one’s self toward the East. He directedhis orisons or morning prayers to the eastern hori-zon, where light first appears. The gesture is sym-bolic and literal. The literal gesture is based on an

illusion involving the revolution of the earth on itsaxis, which creates the impression that the sourceof light (Spirit) is from out of the East.

The present-day aspirant imitates the cosmicmotion of the Sun, which is also illusory in that itappears to travel from east to west: again a func-tion of earth’s axial rotation. However this identi-fication with the solar movement signifies a vastchange in man’s attitude to living in the physical.The solar deity Christ came to planet Earth andwas born into the body of Jesus of Nazareth andsubsequently into the very body of Earth throughthe vehicle of Jesus’ “precious blood.”

Since that time, the progress of man in search ofspiritual fulfillment has been forward into andthrough the day of his physical body, into the man-ifest world of tangible forms and space-basedevents. Armed with the inner light available to manthrough the Christ Impulse, which illuminates theEarth sphere and all that is therein, man walks withfull waking consciousness into three-dimensionalexperience, into and through the world illuminedby the day-star. He looks to what he shall be

RAYS 99 19

I Am the Way

MYSTIC LIGHT

Stained glass

Christ in Majesty

whereas pre-Christian man looked nostalgically toa former condition of ideality.

Contemporary man moves forward, formward,westward, deathward—for he now has the Lightwithin, the Light that lighteth every man thatcometh into the world. This Light directs himthrough the darkness of sense-experience andbecomes more intense and potent for the wisdomthat incarnate existence imparts to man increasinglyconscious of his spiritual Self.

Contemporary man opens his eyes in the dawn ofhis physical being. He crawls toward self-controland gradually wills himself upright and walks outof the morning of his innocence and nescience. Hewakes from the dream of Spirit lands and leaves theinfancy of Eden. He mounts into the brave and barehigh noon of fallen sense consciousness, wherehard light can press down on one with a weight thatis thick and almost palpable. He heads west in thedirection of the setting Sun, the Sun’s second home:the life after death (as versus the life before birth).

The post-Golgotha seeker acknowledges thesupreme value of incarnate existence. Indeed,Christ in Jesus has glorified it; not for itself but forwhat it makes possible to the Spirit in man, theGod growing in man. When, in the ripeness oftime, the Sun has set on man’s earthly journey, heassimilates the essence of his life as living Lightthat will illumine the darkness of his soul. Historic-ally, in the course of man’s spiritual career, there is(or was) a point of no return, a point beyond whichit was impossible to deny the physical body, to pullup out of it and backward, as it were, into therealms of spirit, ignoring the wisdom of millenniaof incarnate existence and the reason for and ines-timable value of physical experience. This pointwas reached roughly two thousand years ago.

With the exception of anachronistic involuntaryclairvoyance, man had lost direct contact with spir-itual realities. The agencies of pre-Christian initi-ation and mystery ritual had become ineffectual,obsolete, merely ceremonial. Earlier, when thoseprocedures were effectively employed, the physi-cal body became as dead, for the etheric as well asthe higher sheaths separated from and left thedense instrument. In the new initiation the bodyremains vital. Consciousness is empowered to pen-

etrate into higher worlds and simultaneously toretain contact with the dense physical body sinceits form and function were redeemed and rejuve-nated by Christ in Jesus.

Christ walked as a man among men. Hedescended from out of the East. As an incarnatingEgo descends through the worlds of thought, feel-ing and vitality, gathering from each the materialfor its forthcoming bodies, so the solar Christ

descended through the Earth’s four sheaths. First,he entered the planet’s mental sphere where he wasdimly cognized by ancient Hindus as VishnaKarman. He gravitated toward the desire plane andwas identified as the Lord of Light by Zoroastrianpriests, the Magi, to whom He was known asAhura Mazdao. Yet later the Earth-directed Christwas perceived by the Egyptians (and called Osiris)and Chaldeans as he entered the sphere of theMoon, which is the etheric. The early Hebrew cul-ture experienced Christ as the lunar deity Jehovah,known to Moses as the I AM—contiguous to Earthand man but not yet indwelling. When the ChristBeing came near to touching the physical earth theGreeks and Hebrews had premonitions, indeedvisions, of a glorified human, a god-man. Finally,in Palestine, Christ was incarnate in Jesus. The IAM became clothed in flesh.

With the resurrection of Christ from the body ofJesus, man received the spiritual impetus to go for-ward in waking, walking consciousness to the Godof his origins. But he takes with him what God hasevolved in him through Christ. He does not return toa former condition of precarnate blissful ignorance

20 RAYS 99

With the resurrection ofChrist from the body of

Jesus, man received the spir-itual impetus to go forward inwaking, walking conscious-ness to the God of his ori-gins. But he takes with him

what God has evolved in himthrough Christ.

and untried innocence. He does not deny the worldin which he finds himself; he embraces it. Hecomes full circle. Yet he himself is immeasurablyabove what he initially was. From the seeminglyinterminable battle with physical existence hereturns as a victorious warrior. A grail knightreturns a grail king. A seeker of Christ returns abearer of Christ. He has conquered the enemy ofDeath. He has overcome the dreadful adversary ofegoism. And he has rendered powerless the onceparalyzing forces of spiritual materialism. The Sonwent forth a Pure Fool. He returns a wise and vir-tuous heir to his Father’s spiritual Kingdom.

Pre-Christian religions—particularly Hinduismand Buddhism—intimate that man’s condition ofultimate liberation restores him to his original pre-carnate condition. Out of Nirvana he descends; toit he ascends. Eons of illusion or maya intervene.No more is this, in fact, true than that the Eden ofman’s spiritual infancy is one with the spiritualfruition man shall attain in New Jerusalem. Theprogress is from an etheric garden (called Eden), aspiritual kindergarten, to an etheric city (calledNew Jerusalem) where love-wisdom bonds allhumanity in a spiritual community or cosmopolis.Between these two poles of spiritual becoming liesa tomb in Palestine. Man accepts and affirms hisfallenness—his status in the physical world. Helives through it. Knows it. Uses it. Dies to it. By ithe develops and works toward perfecting his Ego-or I-consciousness, thereby individualizing God.

Ironically, the altars of many conventionalChristian churches face east. Yet the tabernacle inthe wilderness (minutely described in the OldTestament) was prophetically aligned on an axiswhose entrance was at the east and whose inner-most sanctuary was furthest west. The directionalemphasis in this figure is on mankind’s mentaliza-tion and spiritualization through incarnationaldevelopment, through work and service in thematerial world.

The spiritual evolution of humanity is character-ized by Teilhard de Chardin as noogenesis, anincreasing cerebralization of consciousness. Thecoccyx and sacrum are in the eastern access of thehuman body temple, the ground and seat of itsspiritual thrust. The path defined by the spinal

chain describes a raising of consciousness andcomprehension by enlightened will, step by step,stone by stone, body by body, life after life, ulti-mately to a condition of trans-formed conscious-ness, the uninterrupted consciousness of life abovethe mutation of mortal forms.

Through Christ humanity can and will completethe circle of creational being: evolving from crea-ture to creator. Each human spirit is destined toconsciously pierce through the veil of materialityand death and begin the ascent on the other side ofphysical being, walking the trail blazed by the WayShower, the Light of the world. Through Christman will reunite with his Heavenly Father andoffer up his wisdom, his power, and his love—histriune spirit dynamized and perfected. The spiritualgold of transmuted suffering, the rare essences ofhis earthly pilgrimage—these are the preciousacquisitions of his spirit. This, his own glorifiedbeing, is his gift to the Father. p

—George Weaver

RAYS 99 21

Watercolor, James Tissot (1836-1902), Brooklyn Museum of Art

Feed My SheepChrist charges Peter to feed the spiritually hungry with theGospel and to then to “follow thou me” to the cross.

AFTER I HAD GIVEN birth to myfirst child, the physician warned methat should another child be born tome it would in all probability costme my life. Worse still, he told my

husband. Would that I had paid no attention; wouldthat the seed of a foul crime had never lodged inmy mind! Thereafter I was afraid of the conse-quences which the birth of another child mightentail. It was not death that I feared but the suffer-ing. I could not endure that and I would not. Ithought only of physical anguish.

Four years passed, and the deed was done. “Thething which I greatly feared is come upon me, andthat which I was afraid of is come unto me!” (Job3:25) The commandment, “Thou shalt not kill”was broken. Before the bar of eternal justice I nowstood convicted of the heinous crime of abortion.

Coward-creature that I was to listen to the per-suasions of physicians and friends! Who wouldshare with me now the mental torture that knew nobounds? Doubly horrible was this sickening deed,for there had been not one but two little lives sac-rificed upon the altar of abominable selfishness.

The hour of reckoning came now, and with ter-rific speed and effect. Thereafter the fearful specterof remorse departed not from my heart. This con-fession would not, perhaps, have ever been writtenbut for the hope that it might serve as a warning tosome other potential criminal—for there are manyof them—who might otherwise allow herself to beled into a similar quagmire of sin.

I knew the evil of my act before the thing wasdone, but like the poet I bade my conscience be

still and, alas, my soul received a scarlet stain. Igrew heartsick. It now mattered not to me that thesun continued to shine as brightly as before, thatbirds sang sweetly, that beautiful flowers bloomed.Friends vainly tried to cheer and comfort me.

My beloved child smiling into my eyes servedonly to remind me that I had wickedly deprivedtwo other little ones, who should now be sharingequally with her my protection and love, the veryopportunity of birth and the experience of earth life.

Waking life now mocked and tormented me untilit became a burden almost too heavy to bear.Nightly I dreamed of little children. Every night,and all night long, I seemed to “mother” and worryabout some little child. Often it was a sick and ail-ing little one I comforted.

Was the wretched deed that I had done responsi-ble for the fact that each night as soon as I fellasleep I dreamed immediately of little children? Iwondered. Was I forced to care for these little onesto expiate my sin? Or did I, of my own free will, assoon as I could escape from waking life, hasten tothe heaven world where little children dwell, thereto care for them because I loved them so? I wasquite happy while I worked with children on thehigher plane, but when I awoke to another day ofremorse there seemed no sense, no purpose in life,and no hope.

Then it was that I remembered that which for solong I had forgotten—that the privilege of prayerwas not denied me, unworthy though I was toclaim it. But for what should I pray? For forgive-ness? No, never! But for punishment rather, fora sure and speedy retribution! In an agony of

22 RAYS 99

Though Your Sins be as Scarlet

MYSTIC LIGHT

repentance and remorse I at last poured out my wholeheart in supplication to Him Who said, “Come untome...and I will give you rest,” and “Though yoursins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”

Providentially enough it was at this period—awonderful turning point in my life—that I came intouch with the Rosicrucian Fellowship Teachings,and with all possible speed I set about applying thelogic of that glorious Philosophy to the solving ofmy life problems. At that particular time it was thetwin Laws of Rebirth and Consequence thatimpressed me. The Law of Rebirth was the“Ariadne’s thread” by which I was enabled tounwind my way out of the maze of sin and diffi-culty into which I had wandered as a result ofwrong-doing.

Wholeheartedly I set about reorganizing myscattered forces and readjusting my life in accor-dance with the principles of right living as taughtin the Rosicrucian Philosophy—and with amazingresults. To me the Teachings proved a boon thatcould not be overestimated, and before long, throughprayer and meditation, I was enabled to bring mylife, in a measure at least, into tune with the work-ing of Nature’s laws, which are the laws of God.Thereby I worked out my own salvation, as allmust work out theirs.

Bringing the Law of Rebirth to bear upon theproblem at hand, I earnestly prayed for the lostbabies to return to me, but always I remembered tosay, “Not my will, but Thine be done!” I was notonly willing but also glad oh, how very glad, tooffer my body as a living sacrifice in order that anEgo might have the opportunity to incarnate with amother whose whole prayer was that she might befound worthy to receive it!

My supplication was quickly answered, andbecause it was, I rejoiced and was exceeding glad.I was to experience motherhood again, to be givena chance to expiate the wrong I had done, the onething my Spirit desired above all others.

There is not much more to tell, only this, andfrom it the reader may draw his own conclusions.A few months later, on a midsummer afternoonwhile the Sun shone high in the heavens, therewere laid on my bosom little twin girls! Not one,mind you, but two! In answer to my prayer? In

expiation of my sin? Let those scoff who wish todo so, but be it remembered that a few yearsbefore, I had been guilty of the crime of sacrificingnot one but two little Egos on the altar of abom-inable selfishness. p

—C.B.B.

RAYS 99 23

To My Son

You are my son, and yet not mine,For Life has only loaned you to me for this

little whileThat we might learn some lessons failed in

long ago. If we have learned them well, I cannot judge,Who see but this small segment of the whole.I only know that I have loved you well,And sometimes, or so I think, have loved you

wisely,And I have sought to give you strength,And that clean bravery which dares to do The things the world derides, And I have tried to set you free from faults

which bind,And together we have walked a little wayAlong the Path which leads to Life.I know that I have failed in many waysTo build my dream-ideal of motherhood,And yet I also knowThat by these very failures you will learn.Where not to tread.And so, my son, I set you free;I loose my hand from yours,That you may walk alone.My mother-work is done:My trust is given back to That which gave,For you have come to manhood’s open plainAnd need my guiding hand no more,Until the turning Wheel shall bring us back

againTo learn new lessons in a land as yet unbornAnd in that time, I wonder, shall we be only

friends,Or will I carry you another time beneath

my heart?—Rona Morris Workman

EVERYBODY WANTS success, butsuccess means something different toeach. Certain general standardsaccepted at various times are changedas we evolve.

In ancient Lemuria the most precocious wereinstructed in physical science, the arts and crafts.This teaching has flowered in our Western civi-lization. Prior to that time we were free Spiritsunfettered by time and space. But when the Egoentered into the dense body and became itsindwelling spirit, we were imprisoned. Throughthe entire Atlantean Epoch and much of the presentAryan Epoch it took months to travel compara-tively short distances on the earth’s surface. Now[1912], we have practically conquered space bymastering nature forces; the telegraph, forinstance, nearly annihilates space and time.

In those past ages there was a different standardof success from the standard of today, and in thefuture there will be a newer criterion still.

While it is true that manufacture has neverbefore been carried on on such a vast scale as it istoday, it is also generally admitted that the moreideal conditions of medieval times have been sac-rificed, for then the craftsman wrought for the purejoy of creating. Like the hero of Bulwer’s StrangeStory, whose business it was to heal, and to whomfees were only incidents, he worked not for hirealone, but into each piece of work he infusedsomething of his own individuality, it was part ofhimself. He worked many hours but he nevergrumbled for the day flew by as his joyous song

vied with the song ofthe hammer on theanvil or his whistlesought to drown thewhistle of his saw or file. He did not keep tabs onthe time it took him to accomplish his task. Hissole concern was that when finished his workshould be well done, Therefore the works of a mas-ter of any craft were justly admired by his fellowcitizens and were objects of emulation on the partof his journeymen and apprentices. They attained astandard of excellence which compels our admira-tion to this day,

Today we have wandered far from this old-timecriterion of success, namely, creative efficiencyand have set up a new standard—accumulativeefficiency. We have grown to despise the workmanand to fawn upon the man who can make a millionin a day by cornering the food supply of the world.And the workman has gone mad with the same dis-ease; he cares nothing for his work; he regards it asa curse. He works for money and against time andis as miserable in his way as the man whose richeshang in the balance on the ticker of the stockexchange. He hates the rich, the rich hate him; andboth look in either pity or contempt on the idealis-tic artists and inventors who still work long forlove and regardless of money.

Thus it is apparent that the present standard ofsuccess is not satisfactory. It is also apparent thatwe cannot go back to the old conditions, so thequestion of questions for the world to solve is: Inwhat way may we attain permanent success? Whenwe have found a new and a better criterion of suc-

24 RAYS 99

The Successful Life

MAX HEINDEL’S MESSAGE

From the author’s unpublished lecture notes.

cess and start to live it, then there will be a newage. The Christ set the standard of greatness forthat new age when he said “He that would be thegreatest among you let him be the Servant of all,”and in that age men will vie with each other to beof service as they now seek to rival one another inacquiring wealth. It is therefore the reason whythis principle of service has been made the crux ofthe ritual used by the Rosicrucian Fellowship, forif we aspire to be the pioneers of a higher order ofthings we must set about to practice the main prin-ciples in some measure at least.

It is a fact well known to all of us, that in anyline of endeavor we must have experi-ence before we can be of use. It istherefore a pertinent question toask, what qualifications arenecessary to be of service toour fellowman?

In the first place let usrealize that it is not nec-essary for us to go abroadto seek whom we mayserve among strangers Allour search will be in vaintill we have done the dutyclosest to hand.

Let us not waste our time inlonging for bright far-away worldsto conquer. Our work is where we are. Ifwe can help to make men better, men will makeconditions better. For this purpose, consider thetools with which we must work—our threefoldbodies. Certain bodies, like tools, are to be “sharp-ened” by the care we give them. The dense body ismade of chemical substance and its keynote isinertia. The vital body is made of ether, and itskeynote is rhythm. The desire body is made ofdesire stuff and its keynote is (e)motion. To over-come the inertia of the dense body we should seekto spiritualize it, to build it of the very best andlightest material. True, not what goes into themouth defiles, but the state of mind which demandscoarse foods defiles.

To accentuate the rhythm of the vital body weshould use the principle of repetition—pray with-out ceasing. This is the truth behind New Thought

Affirmation. Then comes the desire body, the storehouse of

the energy which moves the world. When it escapesfrom control it is temper, destructive beyond mea-sure at times. We are not to kill out temper, how-ever, but transmute it and direct its energy intoworthwhile effort.

We look at the world through our own atmos-phere which colors all we see. If our neighborsappear small and mean let us see if there is notsome meanness in us, and on the principle of thetuning fork the evil in us may have brought out the

corresponding evil in them.This is really the secret of our suc-

cess or failure in life—we getwhat we give.

The man who is small andmean calls out that very

same trait in others. Hethinks himself a much-abused man and thewhole world meanwhile he is the one whois at fault. On the other

hand the man with thesunny disposition looks

through his aura of sunshineand joy; he radiates cheer and

calls it out in everyone he meets;thus he is a source of cheer and good-

will, an uplifting factor in all the Worlds. Thedesire body can be cleansed and the sunny tempercultivated. Don’t criticize and find fault, don’tworry, or fear. Let us count our blessings and begrateful and thus we shall increase them.

Our lives are in our own hands; we can makethem what we will. But the way to begin is toendeavor never to let a day pass in which we havenot done something for somebody and as we dothis we shall find that our opportunities for servicewill increase; so will our capacity, and our liveswill be a success.

Thus we may say that a successful life is a life ofservice to all and in the measure that we live up tothat standard are we living a successful live. p

RAYS 99 25

Letus not waste

our time in longingfor bright far-away

worlds to conquer. Ourwork is where we are. If

we can help to makemen better, men will

make conditionsbetter.

QUESTION: IN VIEW of the seem-ing effectiveness of the anti-whoop-ing cough, tetanus, and diphtheriashots for children, what answer can begiven to someone who has no under-standing of the Philosophy and cites

the lowering of epidemics, as a result of these shots?Answer: An adequate answer can hardly be

given in a few words. It is necessary that a personlook at the matter from a broader view than theusual materialistic one in order to gain a thoroughunderstanding of all the factors involved.

First, we must realize that “Man is a creator bymeans of his thoughts, and the evil thoughts, thethoughts of fear and hatred, do take form, and inthe course of centuries they crystallize into whatwe know as bacilli. The bacilli of infectious dis-eases are particularly the embodiment of fear andhate, and therefore they are also vanquished by theopposite force, courage. As a tuning fork will com-mence to vibrate when we strike another tuningfork of the same pitch, so also will these micro-scopic germs. If we enter the presence of a personinfected with a contagious disease in fear andtrembling, we most assuredly draw to ourselvesthe death-dealing poisonous microbes. If, on theother hand, we approach that person in a perfectlyfearless attitude, we shall escape the infection, par-ticularly if we are prompted by love.”

Now let us review the facts concerning bacilliand inoculation. “Bacteriologists have discoveredthat many diseases are caused by microorganismswhich invade our body, and also that when thisinvading army begins to create a disturbance the

body commences to manufacture germs of anopposing nature or a substance which will poisonthe invaders. It is then a question of which are thestrongest, the invaders or the defenders. If thedefending microbes are more numerous than theinvaders or if the poison which is noxious to theinvaders is manufactured in sufficient quantities,the patient recovers. If the defenders are van-quished or the body is unable to manufacture a suf-ficient quantity of serum necessary to poison theinvaders, the patient succumbs to the disease. Itwas further discovered that when a certain personhas once successfully recovered from a specificmalady, he is immune from renewed attacks of thatdisease for the reason that he has in his body theserum which is death to the germs that cause thedisease he has once weathered.

“From the above facts certain conclusions weredrawn: (1) If a healthy person is inoculated with afew of the germs of a certain disease he will con-tract that disease in a mild form. He will then beable to develop the saving serum and thus he willbecome immune to that disease in the future. Thatis the philosophy of vaccination as a means of pre-venting disease. (2) When a person has contracteda disease and is unable to manufacture a sufficientquantity of the serum which will destroy the invad-ing microorganisms, his life may be saved by inoc-ulation with the serum obtained from another whohas become immune.

“As it is not easy to get such antitoxins or cul-tures from human beings, these germ-cultures andpoisons have been obtained from animals, andmuch has been written both for and against the use

26 RAYS 99

The Case Against Vaccinations

READERS’ QUESTIONS

RAYS 99 27

of such methods of fighting disease. With these weare not here concerned. The occult viewpoint goesdeeper than the question at issue, as seen from thematerial side of life. There are undoubtedly caseswhere disease has been prevented by vaccinationand cases where death has been prevented by theuse of antitoxins. There are also cases where vac-cination and antitoxins have caused the fatalitythey were designed to prevent, but that is besidethe question. From the occult viewpoint vaccina-tion and the use of antitoxins obtained by theprocesses in use in bacteriological institutes is tobe deplored. These methods work a wrong on thehelpless animals and poison the human body, mak-ing it difficult for the Ego to use its instrument.

“If we study the chemistry of our food we shallfind that nature has provided all necessary medi-cine, and if we eat right we shall be immune fromdisease without vaccination.

“When in normal health the body specializes afar greater quantity of the solar energy than it canuse. The surplus is radiated from the whole surfaceof the body with great force and prevents theentrance of microorganisms which lack thestrength to battle against the outwelling current....Scientists recognize the fact of selective osmosis.They know that while a sieve will allow any parti-cle of matter to pass through which is smaller thanthe mesh of the sieve, the kidneys, for instance,will keep fluids of use to the body, while allowingwaste products to pass. In a similar manner thevital fluid makes a distinction. It rids the body ofthe poisons and impurities generated inside andrepels similar products from without.

“This emanation has been called N-rays, or Odicfluid, by scientists who have discovered it bymeans of chemical reagents which render it lumi-nous. During the process of digestion it is weakest,for then an extra quantity of the solar energy isrequired for use inside the body in the metabolismof the food. The heartier we have eaten, the greaterthe quantity of vital fluid expended within thebody and the weaker the eliminative and protect-ing outrushing current. Consequently, we are in thegreatest danger from an invasion by an army ofinimical microorganisms when we have gorgedourselves.

“On the other hand, if we eat sparingly and choosethe foods which are the most easily digestible, thediminution of the protective vital current will becorrespondingly minimized and our immunityfrom disease will be much enhanced without thenecessity of poisoning our body with vaccine.”

Furthermore, Max Heindel states that “An enor-mous percentage of our sickness is actually dueand traceable to feelings of fear upon the part ofthe patient....It is well known to science that anattitude of fear breaks down the power of resis-tance of the body, and thereby lays it liable to dis-eases which would not otherwise be able to gain afoothold. From the occult point of view it is per-fectly plain why this is so....The moment we allowthoughts of fear, worry, anger, etc., the bodyendeavors, as it were, to close the gates against anoutside foe, fancied or real. Then also the spleencloses up and ceases to specialize the vital fluid insufficient quantities for the necessities of the body,and we then see a phenomenon which is analogousto the effect of lowering the voltage of an electricfan....The solar fluid does not go through the bodywith the same speed as before. It does not thenradiate from the periphery in straight lines, butthese lines become crumpled and thus they alloweasy access to the little deleterious organismswhich may then feed unobstructed upon our tissuesand cause disease.

“Whether the consistent mental scientists or oth-ers who believe in divine healing know this law ornot, they act according to its dictates when theyaffirm that they are children of God, that they haveno reason to fear, for God is their Father and willprotect them so long as they do not deliberatelydisregard the ordinary laws of life.

“The actual fact and the truth of the matter is thatcontagion comes from within. So long as we live acommon sense life, feeding our bodies upon thepure foods which come from the vegetable king-dom, taking a sufficient amount of exercise, andkeeping mentally active, we may rest secure in thepromise that the Lord is our refuge. There shall noevil befall us so long as we thus show our faith byour works. On the other hand, if we belie our faithin God by disregard of His laws our expectationsof health are in vain.” p

AS SOON AS THE individual hasentered upon the journey of life, thechurch admits him into its fold bythe rite of Baptism, which is con-ferred upon him at a time when he

himself is irresponsible. Later, when his mentalityhas been somewhat developed, he ratifies that con-tract and is admitted to Communion, where breadis broken and wine is sipped in memory of theFounder of our faith. Still farther upon life’s jour-ney comes the sacrament of Marriage; and at last,when the race has been run and the Spirit againwithdraws to God who gave it, the earth body isconsigned to the dust, whence it was derived,accompanied by the blessings of the church.

In our Protestant times the spirit of protest isrampant in the extreme, and dissenters everywhereraise their voices in rebellion against the fanciedarrogance of the priesthood and deprecate thesacraments as mere mummery. On account of thatattitude of mind these functions have become oflittle or no effect in the life of the community; dis-sensions have arisen even among churchmenthemselves, and sect after sect has divorced itselffrom the original apostolic congregation.

Despite all protests the various doctrines andsacraments of the church are, nevertheless, thevery keystones in the arch of evolution, for theyinculcate morals of the loftiest nature; and evenmaterialistic scientists, such as Huxley, haveadmitted that while self-protection brings aboutthe “survival of the fittest” in the animal kingdomand is therefore the basis of animal evolution,self-sacrifice is the fostering principle of human

development. When that is the case among meremortals, we may well believe that it must be so toa still greater extent in the Divine Author of ourbeing. Among animals, might is right, but we rec-ognize that the weak have a claim to the protectionof the strong. The butterfly lays its eggs on theunderside of a green leaf and goes off withoutanother care for their well-being. In mammals themother instinct is strongly developed, and we seethe lioness caring for her cubs and ready to defend

28 RAYS 99

The Sacrament of Baptism

WESTERN WISDOM BIBLE STUDY

Watercolor, illustration for Milton’s Paradise Regained, 1816-1820, William Blake,Fitzwilliam Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Baptism of ChristBefore Christ “commenced to preach the gospel of love to ourneighbor and forgiveness towards those who trespass againstus, He went under the Waters of Baptism, and there receivedthe Universal Spirit, which will supplant the egoism of today.”

them with her life; but not until the human king-dom is reached does the father commence to sharefully in the responsibility as a parent. Among sav-ages the care of the young practically ends with theattainment of physical ability to care for them-selves, but the higher we ascend in civilization thelonger the young receive care from their parents,and the more stress is laid upon mental educationso that when maturity has been reached the battleof life may be fought from the mental rather thanfrom the physical point of vantage; for the fartherwe proceed along the path of development themore we shall experience the power of mind over

matter. By the more and more prolonged self-sacrifice of parents, the race is becoming moredelicate; but what we lose in material ruggednesswe gain in spiritual perceptibility.

As this faculty grows stronger and more devel-oped, the craving of the Spirit immured in thisearthly body voices itself more loudly in demandfor understanding of the spirit side of develop-ment. Wallace, Darwin, Huxley and Spencer point-ed out how evolution of form is accomplished innature. Ernest Haeckel attempted to solve the rid-dle of the universe. But not one of these scientistscould satisfactorily explain away the DivineAuthor of what we see. The great goddess, naturalselection, is being forsaken by one after another ofher devotees as the years go by. Even Haeckel, thearch materialist, in his last years showed an almosthysterical anxiety to make a place for God in hissystem, and the day will come in a not far distantfuture when science will have become as thor-oughly religious as religion itself. The church, onthe other hand, though still extremely conserva-tive, is nevertheless slowly abandoning its auto-cratic dogmatism and becoming more scientific inits explanations. Thus in time we shall see theunion of science and religion as it existed in the

ancient Mystery Temples. When that point hasbeen reached, the doctrines and sacraments of thechurch will be found to rest upon immutable cos-mic laws of no less importance than the law ofgravity which maintains the marching orbs in theirpaths around the Sun. As the points of the equinoxesand solstices are turning points in the cyclic path ofa planet, marked by festivals such as Christmasand Easter, so birth into the physical world, admis-sion to the church, the state of matrimony, andfinally the exit from physical life, are points in thecyclic path of the Human Spirit around its centralsource—God—and are marked by the sacraments

of baptism, communion, marriage, and the lastblessing.

We will now consider the rite of baptism. Muchhas been said by dissenters against the practice oftaking an infant into church and promising for it areligious life. Heated arguments concerning sprin-kling versus plunging have resulted in divisions ofchurches. If we wish to obtain the true idea of bap-tism, however, we must revert to the early historyof the human race as recorded in the Memory ofNature. All that has ever happened is indelibly pic-tured in the ether as a moving picture is imprintedupon a sensitized film, which can be reproducedupon a screen at any moment. The pictures in thetrue Memory of Nature (the World of Life Spirit)may be viewed by the trained seer, even thoughmillions of years have elapsed since the scenesthere portrayed were enacted in life.

When we consult that unimpeachable record itappears that there was a time when that which is nowour Earth came out of chaos, dark and unformed, asthe Bible states. The currents developed in this mistymass by spiritual agencies generated heat, and themass ignited at the time when we are told that Godsaid, “Let there be light.” The heat of the fierymass and the cold space surrounding it generated

RAYS 99 29

Birth into the physical world, admission to the church, thestate of matrimony, and finally the exit from physical life,

are points in the cyclic path of the Human Spirit around itscentral source—God—and are marked by the sacraments of

baptism, communion, marriage, and the last blessing.

moisture; the fire mist became surrounded bywater which boiled, and steam was projected intothe atmosphere; thus God...divided the waters...from the waters...”; the dense water which wasnearest the fire mist from the steam (which is waterin suspension), as stated in the Bible.

When water containing sediment is boiled overand over it deposits scale, and similarly the watersurrounding our planet finally formed a crust aroundthe fiery core. When that crust had been completed,there was no water upon the surface of the Earth,but as the Bible says, “A mist went up from thesurface,” and no herb had yet grown upon the faceof the Earth. At that time, however, vegetationbegan to appear and nascent humanity lived there.

They were not, however, a humanity constitutedas we are today. Their form was very much differ-ent and they were not nearly as evolved as we areat the present time. They could not see things out-side themselves, but they had an inner perception.They saw the soul qualities of all who lived aroundthem and they perceived themselves as spiritualrather than material beings. At that time there wereno nations at all, but humanity was one vast broth-erhood. All were partially outside their bodies andtherefore in touch with the Universal Spirit, whichhas now been obscured in the separateness of ego-tism which causes each man to feel himself distinctand apart from all the rest of humanity. Brother-hood was forgotten and selfishness now rules.

When anyone has progressed so far that heappreciates the blessings of brotherhood, where heendeavors to abolish egotism and cultivate altru-ism, he may go through the rite of baptism.Therefore, when a person is admitted to thechurch, which is a spiritual institution where loveand brotherhood are the mainsprings of action, it isappropriate to carry him under the waters of bap-tism symbolic of the beautiful condition of child-like innocence and love which prevailed whenmankind dwelt under the mist in that bygone period.At that time the eyes of infant man had not yetbeen opened to the material advantages of thisworld. The little child which is brought into thechurch has not yet become aware of the allure-ments of life either, and others obligate themselvesto guide it to lead a holy life according to the best

of their ability, because experience gained sincethe Flood has taught us that the broad way of theworld is strewn with pain, sorrow, and disappoint-ment; that only by following the straight and nar-row way can we escape death and enter into lifeeverlasting.

Thus we see that there is a wonderfully deep,mystic significance behind the sacrament of bap-tism; that it is to remind us of the blessings atten-dant upon those who are members of a brother-hood where self-seeking is put into the backgroundand where service to others is the keynote andmainspring to action. While we are in the world, heis the greatest who can most successfully dominateothers. In the church we have Christ’s definition:“He who would be the greatest among you, let himbe the servant of all.” p

30 RAYS 99

Nobility

True worth is in being, not seeming, In doing, each day that goes by, Some great things to do by and by.

For whatever men say in their blindness, And in spite of the fancies of youth There’s nothing so kingly as kindness, And nothing so royal as truth.

We get back our mete as we measure We cannot do wrong and feel right. Nor can we give pain and gain pleasure, For justice avenges each slight.

We cannot make bargains for blisses, Nor catch them like fishes in nets: And sometimes the thing our life misses Helps more than the thing which it gets.

For good lieth not in pursuing, Nor gaining of great nor of small, But just in the doing, and doing As we would be done by, is all.

—Anonymous

AFTER WHAT has been said,* it willnot be difficult to understand that theUranian characteristics, in which lovebecomes compassion, give a wisdomthat is not dependent upon reasoning

and a love that is not fixed upon one object alonebut includes all that lives and moves and has being.These are similar to the characteristics that are to beevolved by humanity during the Venus Period whenperfect love will have cast out all fear, when manwill have conquered all the lower phases of hisnature, and when love will be as pure as it is uni-versally inclusive.

When these Uranian vibrations are felt byadvancement in the higher life through aspiration,there is great danger that we may disregard therestrictions of law in anticipation before we arereally ready to govern ourselves by the law of lovedivine: namely, that we may disregard the laws thatare in the world; we may not render unto Caesarthat which is Caesar’s, whether in obedience orcoin, that we may not be careful to avoid theappearance of evil; that we may think that we haveso far transcended the stage of ordinary humanitythat we can live as superhumans; that the passion ofMars has in our case been changed to Uraniancompassion, which is sexless. Under these misap-prehensions many people who endeavor to treadthe path disregard the laws of marriage and enterinto relationships as soulmate or affinity. They feelthe Uranian ray but cannot quite respond to its sub-lime purity; therefore they experience a counterfeitVenusian sensation which usually ends in adultery

and sex perversion, so that instead of the naturalanimal passion of Mars having been transmuted tothe compassion of Uranus, it has, as a matter of fact,degenerated into something that is far worse thanthe fullest sex expression of the Martian ray per-formed in a frank and proper manner.

This is a danger that cannot be too strictly guardedagainst, and it behooves everyone who endeavors tolive the higher life not to aspire to the Uranian rayuntil he first becomes thoroughly imbued with thealtruistic vibrations of Jupiter; for more misery isbrought into the world by those who have aspiredtoo high and fallen low than by those who are notsufficiently aspiring. That pride goes before a fall isan ancient and very true proverb, which it behoovesevery one of us to take to heart.

RAYS 99 31

Amenability to PlanetaryVibrations

Part 3

ASTROLOGY

* Refer to the November/December 1998 Rays.

Opaque watercolor over graphite on wove paper. J. J Tissot, 1836-1902. Brooklyn Museum

The Marriage at CanaEsoterically, the ceremony during which Christ Jesus per-formed his first public miracle signified “the mystic marriageof the higher and the lower self under the new order ofTemple Service.” (2 Q&A, p. 289)

The Christ took part in the marriage at Cana.Marriage is a regular Christian institution and mustexist until abolished in the kingdom to come; thebodies we will have then will not wear out and there-fore there will be no need of marriage to generatenew ones. Let it also be understood that the minis-ter who marries people cannot really mate them.The finding of the true mate should be done beforethe marriage ceremony is performed and not after.

As we have seen, Mars, Venus, and Uranus markthree stages in the emotional development of man.During the stage where he is only amenable toMars, animal passion rules supreme, and he seeksunrestricted gratification of all his lower desires inthe intercourse with his fellow men, but particular-ly with the opposite sex. During the stage where he

becomes amenable to the rays of Venus, love soft-ens the brutality of his desires, and the animal pas-sions are somewhat held in leash. He is even, underthe higher phases of this planet, ready to sacrificehimself and his desires for the benefit and comfortof the loved ones. When he has evolved to thepoint where he can feel the ray of Uranus, the pas-sion of Mars gradually turns to compassion; thenthe love of Venus, which is only for one particularperson, becomes all-inclusive so that it embracesall human-kind, regardless of sex or any other dis-tinction, for it is the divine love of soul for soulwhich is above all material considerations of what-ever nature.

The mentality also evolves through three stagesaccording to the amenability of the person to thevibrations of the Moon, Mercury, and Neptune.While man is only amenable to the Lunar influence,he is childlike and easily guided by the higher pow-ers which have led him through the various stagespreviously mentioned. Under the stellar ray ofMercury he gradually develops his intellectualpowers and becomes a reasoning being. As such heis placed under the law of cause and effect andmade responsible for his actions, so that he may

reap what he has sown and learn thereby the expe-riences which life has to teach him under the pre-sent regime.

Being inexperienced, he makes mistakes in what-ever direction is indicated by the afflictions toMercury in his horoscope, and consequently he suf-fers a corresponding penalty of sorrow and trouble. Ifhe has not the mentality to reason about the connec-tion between his mistakes and the sad experiencesgrowing from them during his lifetime, the panoramaof life which unfolds in the post-mortem state makesthis clear, and leaves with him an essence of “rightfeeling” which we know as conscience.

This conscience keeps him from repeating pastmistakes, when the feeling generated has becomesufficiently strong to overbalance the tendency to

yield to the particular temptation which caused himsuffering. Thus he gradually develops a spiritualconsciousness which is above and beyond humanreason, but which nevertheless is also connectedwith reason in such a manner that he who has thiscosmic consciousness knows the reason why suchand such a thing is and must be, and why he oughtto perform a certain action.

This cosmic consciousness is developed underthe ray of Neptune, and differs from the intuitionalright feeling developed under the ray of Uranus inthe following very important particulars: The per-son who has developed the Uranian quality of intu-ition arrives at the truth instantaneously without thenecessity of thinking the matter over or reasoning,but is unable to give anything but the result; he can-not connect the various steps in logical sequencewhereby the final result was reached. The man orwoman, however, who develops the Neptunian fac-ulty also has the answer to any question immediate-ly, and in addition is able to tell the reason why thatanswer is the proper and right one.

The faculty of intuition built up from the Martianbase of passion, through the Venusian stage of love,and through the Uranian ray of compassion depends

32 RAYS 99

By the Uranian ray of intuition and compassion the heartknows and feels what is known and felt by any other heart in

the universe; thus it shares the divine omniscience thatbinds our Father in heaven to His children.

upon the ability of the person involved to feel veryintensely. By love and devotion the heart is attunedto every other heart in the universe, and in this wayit knows and feels all that may be known and felt byany other heart in the universe; thus it shares thedivine omniscience that binds our Father in heavento His children, and through the direct heart to hearttouch with that omniscience the person obtains thesolution to whatever problem is placed before him.

The noblest men of all ages, Christian saintsof the most transcendent spirituality,have attained their wonderful devel-opment through the spiritual raysof Uranus because of theintense feeling of onenesswith the Divine, and with allthat lives and breathes inthe universe.

But there are otherswho are not thus consti-tuted, and they are notable to walk this path.These through the Moon,Mercury, and Neptunehave developed theirintellects and attained thesame result plus theNeptunian power of ideation.

This is a very importantpoint, and it is only brought out inthe Western WisdomTeaching; for while itwas formerly taught thatthe spirit involves itself inmatter and thereby crystal-lizes itself into form whichthen evolves, the Western Wisdom Teaching tells usthat there is in addition a third factor in universaladvancement, namely, Epigenesis, the facultywhereby the spirit may choose a course that is alto-gether new and independent of what has gonebefore. We see the expression of this in all king-doms relative to form, but in the human kingdomepigenesis expresses itself as genius, a creativeinstinct, which makes man more akin to the Divinethan any other of his accomplishments. This isdeveloped under the Neptunian ray when that plan-et is well placed in the horoscope. There is of

course also such a thing as evil genius, a destructivefaculty developed under an afflicted Neptune.

Only the most sensitive people in the world feelthe rays of Uranus and Neptune at the present time.To feel these vibrations the connection between thedense physical body and the vital body, which ismade of ether, must be rather loose, for when thesetwo vehicles are firmly interlocked, the person isalways of a materialistic turn of mind and cannot

respond to the higher and more subtle vibrationsfrom the spiritual world. But when the

rays from these two planets impingeupon a person whose vital body is

loosely connected with thephysical, we have what is

called a sensitive. The direc-tion and quality of this fac-ulty depend upon theplacement and the aspectsof the two planets men-tioned. Those who areparticularly under thedomination of an adverseaspect of the Uranian rayusually develop the more

undesirable phases of clair-voyance and medi-umship.

They easily become the preyof entities from the invisible

world, who have no regard for theirvictims’ desires, even if in aweak manner they shouldprotest.

Such mediums are gener-ally used in simple trancecommunications, and in a

few cases known to the writer have lived very beauti-ful and happy lives because of their implicit beliefin the spirits that dominated them. In these cases thespirit controls were of a better class than usuallymet with. But as this Uranian faculty is built upthrough Mars and Venus, passion is prominent insuch natures, and under the influences of obsessingspirits many of these people are driven into grossimmorality.

Vampirism and kindred disreputable practicesare also engendered by a perverse use of theUranian ray in mediums. p

RAYS 99 33

Created by Ariel Agemian exclusively for the Confraternity of the Precious Blood

St. John of the Cross“The noblest men of all ages, Christian saints of the mosttranscendent spirituality, have attained their wonder-ful development through the spiritual rays of Uranus.”

SATURN, DURING the course of astro-logical centuries, has acquired a some-what dubious reputation as the satanicpower of the planetary chain, and by nomeans the least disliked is his role of

taskmaster (as differentiated from that of work-mas-ter), according to the old adage, which we makebold to use somewhat freely, that Satan finds workfor idle hands to do. Nowhere is this better exem-plified than in the Saturnian afflictions by transit.Transiting Saturn moves slowly enough to enableany astrologer to check his influence as he crossesthe sensitive points in the radical horoscope; and inour more evanescent Saturnian moods—rightlylabeled saturnine—we not infrequently find that thetransiting Moon and Sun are afflicting the radicalSaturn.

Astrologers have discovered that Saturn afflic-tions indicate hardships of one kind or another,which are generally accompanied by loss of health,a prevailing condition of depletion and loweredvitality, with all that implies of mental depressionand lack of emotional resiliency. But they have not,to my mind, made it sufficiently clear that thesephysical conditions are as likely to be the effect asthe cause of the material chaos that prevails underthe Saturn affliction. It is one of the vicious circlesyou read about: misfortune causing ill health caus-ing inefficiency causing misfortune, ad infinitum. Itrequires no argumentation to know that such a cyclemust be guarded against. Without a good Saturnianimpulse, indeed, there could be no morale worthy ofthe name.

As high rates of national unemployment in the

past, notably during the Depression and earlyNineties, have proven to us that idleness is abhor-rent to any normal human; so wars, military or eco-nomic, prove that far from being fundamentally lazy,man is prone to overwork when his interests arearoused. Under the beneficent aspects of Saturn (inhis role as Workmaster) the individual finds himselfface to face with important work, for which, how-ever, he is physically and mentally thoroughlyequipped. It is therefore no particular hardship forhim to deal with it. He is able, and therefore willing,to accept responsibility, which he discharges to thesatisfaction of all concerned.

34 RAYS 99

Saturnin

War and Peace

ASTROLOGY

A neoclassical Pallas Athena in front of Parliament Building, Vienna, Austria

The statue of Pallas Athene by the Greek sculptor Phidiasshows the patron goddess of the Athenians in her more severeor Saturnian aspect. As daughter of Jupiter, the fruits of herwisdom flourished in a peace guarded by her firm vigilance.

We note in this connection that Saturn, as theruler of Capricorn and co-ruler of Aquarius, is theengineer’s planet par excellence; but in all walks oflife the Saturnian intellect is conspicuous for itsorderliness, its conscientiousness, and its capacityfor detail. The best housewife, who runs her houselike a business, with clockwork regularity and acraftsman’s skill, is generally a woman in whosehoroscope Saturn figures prominently. Such womenare also employing their highly efficient mentalitiesin a wide spectrum of vocations, including medi-cine, education, law, and business.

A topnotch housewife masters the mechanics ofwar (corporate, legal or military) as easily as shedoes the mechanics of her household. (Thus theGreeks knew Athena both as goddess of weav-ing and of warcraft.) The romantic-mindedwoman, on the contrary, is seldom a goodhousewife or warworker, for she is repre-sentative of the lunar influence which isimaginative rather than practical.

It is therefore under the beneficent aspectsof Saturn that an individual is given big jobsto perform, and he performs them with effi-ciency and dispatch. But when the Saturn afflictionsenter upon the scene, he finds himself confrontedwith quite another set of circumstances. Work, yes;but too much of it, and it is disagreeable work, per-haps with poor pay (Saturn afflicting the life-givingplanets). This is the time when the supervisor asksyou to work overtime, and if you receive additionalcompensation for your work you will probably haveto spend it on doctor bills as a result of a physicalbreakdown caused by overwork, too little sleep, andsketchy meals; not to mention the nerve strain ofworking under constant pressure.

The Saturn-Mars aspect tends to induce overworkin an effort to get more money or influence or pres-tige—or whatnot. Here we have the selfish motive:the man works overtime not because of corporate orcommunity need, but because he wants moremoney; and having got the money he spends it onserial buying and high living, which reacts upon hishealth. Or, in the higher social and economic brack-ets, be overreaches himself, and precipitates socialor financial disaster.

It is of course obvious to the astrologer, but not

perhaps to the lay public, that the selfsame Saturnwhich brings responsibility to a successful issue forone man, may bring overwork and illness to another,according to the aspects formed relative to the radi-cal horoscope of each. It is therefore not enoughmerely to consider the aspects formed daily by thetransiting planets with one another. These indicateonly the general conditions affecting the race as awhole; they do not indicate the individual reaction tothose conditions. To get at the individual reaction, itis necessary to calculate the aspects of the transitingplanets relative to the planets of the radical chart.Thus, from an economic standpoint, a war condition,which means poverty and destruction to tens of thou-

sands (Saturn afflicting Uranus, Sun, Moon, orvice versa), may at the same time mean wealth

and power to the profiteer class operatingunder a Saturn-Mars aspect, such as wementioned in our preceding paragraph.

From all of which it is plain that astrol-ogy can, and should, be something more to

us than an occasional entertainment. It cantell us when hard work is safe and when it is

best to be on the alert to conserve energy, if atall possible. Too much work at the wrong time andthe wrong place (business as usual?) can sabotageour efforts as surely as too little at the right time andright place. Saturn is the workmaster who can regu-late our work schedule and help us achieve a maxi-mum of efficiency.

The peace which the esoteric astrologer looks for-ward to is in very truth a peace of Saturn. Contrary topopular opinion, there is in the Saturn consciousnessa stronghold of tranquility, in no way more clearlyand beautifully represented than the snow-coveredearth at Christmas time in the northern latitudes. Ifyou are among those who fear and dread Saturn andare consequently unable to recognize his essentialnature, go out after a snow storm, when the air iscrystal clear and there is no wind stirring anywhere.Let the quiet and the whiteness penetrate you, andyou will know Saturn as he is.

Such will be the profound peace which will settleover the world in the Aquarian Age. We may pointout in passing that when the Sun at the vernalequinox precedes from Pisces through Aquarius andCapricorn, as it is about to do, the earth will enter a

RAYS 99 35

ii

Saturnian era of almost five thousand years’ dura-tion. Since the discovery of Uranus, that planet isconsidered as co-ruler with Saturn of the signAquarius. But Saturn is still, for most of us, thepower behind the throne.

For more than five thousand years, then, theSaturnian peace will be the foundation stone of themost brilliant civilization our planet has everknown. And since the inner is always reflected inthe outer, and the state of men’s souls flowers in thecrafts of their hands, this peace will have its outwardrepresentation in an architecture which will convertthe globe into a heaven world, where even the com-monest dwelling will be a “thing of beauty and a joyfor ever.” Cities will be built to endure for the age,and endure they will, in translucent stone andinfrangible glass, and within them the sons of menwill bring to consummation the great Mystery Work ofthe untarnishable gold created from the base metals ofpast warfare and suffering. p

—Ann Barkhurst

36 RAYS 99

THE ROSICRUCIAN CHRISTIANITY LECTURESBy Max Heindel

Please Use Order Form onpage 64

Delivering these twenty lectures in person was one of the earliest activities of thisauthorized Messenger of the Rosicrucian Order. A comprehensive outline, withmodern application, of the ancient truths of Rosicrucianism.

Paper. 374 pages. Includes 35-page index. Published by the Rosicrucian Fellowship.

TITLES OF LECTURE-CHAPTERS INCLUDE

WHERE ARE THE DEAD?

SPIRITUAL SIGHT AND THE SPIRITUAL WORLDS

SLEEP, DREAMS, TRANCE, HYPNOTISM, MEDIUMSHIP AND INSANITY

THE ASTRONOMICAL ALLEGORIES OF THE BIBLE

SPIRITUAL SIGHT AND INSIGHT

THE ANGELS AS FACTORS IN EVOLUTION

LUCIFER: TEMPTER OR BENEFACTOR?

THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM, A MYSTIC FACT

THE MYSTERY OF GOLGOTHA AND THE CLEANSING BLOOD

THE MYSTERY OF THE HOLY GRAIL

A Tree in Winter

The soul of the tree stands out unveiledWhen its body of leaves has blown away.Sharp and clear on the winter sky Its abiding form is etched today.

Next year it will draw, to itself againSubstance of leaves and dress of bloom,Charm of color and swelling curves,Murmur of music and rich perfume.

Dear tree, my soul is a pattern too—A form divine in God’s own sky. My countless bodies may come and go,But their deathless archetype am I.

—Barbara A. McClung

TO ASSUME THAT WHAT comes topass in the wide expanses that sur-round the earth planet has little or noeffect on the life of the earth is thelegacy of the world-view that described

planets solely as dead physical matter held in orbitby purely mechanical forces, and held that thestars, as infinitely distant suns, could not possiblytransmit anything across the vacuum of space. Thislegacy is still a cornerstone in the thought of suchlaboratory scientists as the majority of biologists whowork on the “biological clocks.” They claim thatthese clocks only appear to be affected by cosmicrhythms, but try to show in laboratory test cases thatthey are endogenous adaptive mechanisms intrin-sic to the biochemistry of some species. The chem-ical base or the mechanism of the clock itself has,as yet, not been isolated. Apart from mechanical,photoenergetic influences derived from the sunand moon, our planet appears to be a hermetically-sealed space capsule run by intrinsic machinery.

In contrast, the sages of all the peasant and gar-dening societies have never doubted the influencesof forces stemming from the cosmos, which con-trol the seasons and influence plant, animal andman alike. These influences were not seen as meremechanical forces, but experienced as powerful,personified beings that could be appealed to anddealt with in various ways. Calendar-makers andspecialists, able to interpret seasons and celestialevents, were employed by all these peoples. In thisway, the ecologically appropriate action could be

taken when the signs were right. The Tukeno ofBrazil, for example, know that when the Pleiadesdips below the horizon in the evening after sunsetit is time to plant the crops just in time for the sea-sonal rains. When Sirius started to appear on thehorizon just before sunrise, it was time for the fer-tile midsummer flood of the Nile Valley, marking

RAYS 99 37

Cosmic Rhythms andTerrestrial Life

ASTROLOGY

Limbourg Brothers, Très Riches Heures of Jean, Duke of Berry, Musée Condé, Chantilly

MarchThe organic affinity between heavenly bodies and earthlyaffairs was given popular expression in books of hours, whichappeared in medieval and early renaissance Europe. Fromthe most famous instance of this genre, the above scene showsa peasant preparing the soil for sowing. The surmounting starpanel depicts the Pisces and Aries glyphs and the sun-wagon.

Planet A

rt

This article is drawn from the book Culture and Horticulture,A Philosophy of Gardening, by Wolf Storl, and reprinted withpermission of the Biodynamic Association, Kimberton, PA.

the start of ancient Egypt’s agricultural year. TheEuropean peasant’s rule for sowing, planting, har-vesting, animal husbandry and herb gathering,going back to ancient Babylonian, Chaldean andEgyptian sources, are of the same order. Agriculturalrules relating to astronomical phenomena are record-ed by the Romans Plinius (23 A.D.) and Virgil (70-19 B.C.). The countless sky, moon and sun deities oftribes and nations throughout the ages, eachdemanding certain taboos, rituals, feasts and pro-scriptions are considered by current anthropologistsnot so much superstitions, as functional ways ofadapting to specific environments.

In the West, with the change of calendar and theinfluence of the Enlightenment, the planetary godswere shorn of their powers and dethroned. Only themost backward peasants clung stubbornly to a tradi-tion which degenerated into superstition and eventu-ally lost its empirical base. What was at one time afunctional belief system came in time to be relegat-ed to the velvety parlors of “official” occultists, eso-tericists, and astrologers. It was safely relegated tothose with a leaning toward mystery and theobscure, whose nerve had failed them in the “bravenew world.” As the crisis of culture deepens, morepeople are drawn to these topics, while at the same

time, there lingers in the minds of some farmers andgardeners the feeling that there must be more to theplant and animal world than is taught in the agricul-tural extension courses. The current situation finds arevitalized interest in the beliefs of astrology andmoon-sign planting ....One need not merely believeanymore [in folk intuitions], or intuitively followarchaic tradition, because clear evidence is accumu-lating quickly that the earth is not a sealed mecha-nism running its course, but an organism that is openand responsive to the influences streaming in fromthe cosmos....

The complexity of [lunar and planetary] rhythmsin toto has the result that the conditions of the heav-ens are never exactly the same. They are alwayssomewhat different, although their orbits andcycles are orderly. We see then, that the analogy of aclock [cited in an omitted passage] is not quite justi-fied, for in the clock we have a finite system, whereevents are repeatable, whereas in cosmic conditionswe have an infinite system. The heavens never goback to an exact original starting point, a fact whichmakes a perfectly accurate calendar impossible. Thismakes the analogy of an organism, with its rhythmiclife, much more appropriate.

For scientists, research on lunar and planetary

38 RAYS 99

GEOCENTRIC POINT OF VIEW

SUNRISESUNSET

Inferior Planets

Superior Planets

Ecliptic

* * * * * * * * **

**

******

****

**

***

**

*óó

^̂

`̀

__

ii

cchh

Retro

grad

eM

otion

Dire

ctM

otion

ZODIAC OR ANIMAL CIRCLE

effects becomes a hot iron, since the factors areinnumerable and no experiment is exactlyrepeatable. One cannot say to the moon: “Waita minute, could you repeat this?” or say to theplanets: “You are insignificant variables; wewill not consider you in this experiment.” It issafer for such a scientist to infer an endogenoussystem of biological clocks and intrinsic mech-anisms to explain plant and animal life, whileconsidering the whole cosmos an “irrelevantvariable”! However, evidence points in otherdirections—to those that indicate cosmic influ-ences. The farmer and gardener can be assuredwhen he plants his crops in the right seasonsand in the right signs and phases, that there issomething to it.

All of life is rhythm and pulse. Death is thecessation of rhythm. The rhythms of livingplant and animal organisms are in synchronicitywith, or permutations of, cosmic rhythms. Theseliving pulsations, be they circadian, monthly,annual, 4-year, 8-year, 9-year, or other cycles, allhave some cosmic counterpart. In plants and inlower animals these rhythms are in direct phasewith the cosmic phenomena, whereas in the higheranimals these rhythms are obscured by the fact thatinternalized rhythms and impulses are provided bythe inner cosmos of the inner organs and endocrinesystem.

The rhythms of life (growth, petal movement,assimilation, etc.) are expressed as manifestationsand demanifestations in material space. Organicforms, but also some inorganic forms such ascrystals, are images of cosmic forms and forcessculpted into matter. Flowers and leaf nodes showspiral relations that are mathematically equivalentto the ratios of the movement of planets as seenfrom a geocentric point of view. Organic forms,such as spirals, vortices, radial symmetry, bilateralsymmetry, and the combinations and allometricpermutations thereof, are archetypal, hinting atsympathy with planetary orbits, galactic whorls,lunar phases and other cosmic occurrences. Giventhese analogies of rhythm (time) and form (spaceconfigurations), one can postulate a connection ofsome sort between organic life and cosmic influ-ences. The connection could be one of causality, in

which the cosmic force uses the organism’s response.It is easy to imagine how organisms, in their lifefunctions, can vibrate with the wide range of elec-tromagnetic energy that constantly bombards thisplanet from outer space. Such energy reaches fromthe extremely short gamma and x-rays, through theultraviolet, the visible spectrum, the infrared to thelong radio waves. We see the effect of lunar gravi-ty on water, causing the tidal behavior of seashorefauna; and the plants with their green tissue arephoto-receptive like our retinas, monitoring theinstreaming visible light from the cosmos.

On the other hand, the relation between the cos-mic phenomena and the terrestrial counterpartmight not be one of causality, but might be one ofsynchronicity, both of them the expression of adeeper-lying archetypal factor. Time and spacehave been separated analytically in westernthought. Primitive thought, such as found amongthe Hopi Indians, makes no such distinctions. Forthem, every time has its space and every space hasits time. Though time and space are principallyconnected manifestations, we will treat themseparately in our discussion of cosmic influences.

Time and Cosmic RhythmsThe most common and simplest rhythm is the

daily (circadian, after F. Halberg, 1960) movementof the sun (solar day) or the revolution of the heav-

RAYS 99 39

Childing Pinkcloses

Scarlet Pimpernelcloses

Star of Bethlehemopens

Nipplewortcloses

Hawkbit closes

Bindweedcloses

White Water Lilycloses

Evening Primroseopens (6 P.M.)

Spotted Cat’s Earopens (6 A.M.)

Hawkweedopens

African Marigoldopens

Sowthistlecloses

Passion Floweropens at noon

X

IX

VIII

VIIVI

V

IV

III

II

IXII

XI

Daily rhythms of leaf and blossom movement are so accurate thatflower clocks can tell time by the opening and closing of petals.

Flower

Sun Dial

enly vault (sidereal day). This rhythm profoundlyaffects all life, including one-celled organisms. Itincludes the daily opening and closing of flowerpetals, and the movement of leaves in some plants,such as the bean, into nightly vertical sleep posi-tions and horizontal day positions. These dailyrhythms are so accurate that, in the 18th and 19thcenturies, flower clocks were planted in gardenswhere it became possible to tell time by the open-ing and closing of the petals.

[Gunther]Wachsmuth describes the daily bipolarrhythm in plants. A periodof concentration around3:00 AM, characterized bymaximum cell division,auxin production, starchaccumulation in the lowerplant parts and a minimumof sap excretion, givesway in the morning to theopening of leaves into thedaytime position withincreases in assimilation, respiration and secretion.In the afternoon at 3:00 PM, there is maximumglucose production and cell enlongation, whichgives way in the evening to starch accumulation inthe lower portion of the plants after they assumesleeping positions. A ten-year study by Frank A.Brown, Jr., of Northwestern University, shows adaily metabolic cycle in potatoes. Brown showsthat there is a peak metabolic activity in potatoes atsunrise, at noon and in the evening. This cycle fol-lows yearly fluctuations; while in January the noonpeak is the greatest, in mid-year it is less signifi-cant, and in the fall, the morning peak is the great-est. “The metabolic pattern varies systematicallywith the celestial longitude of the earth as it makesits annual journey around the sun.” He concludesthat geomagnetic and electromagnetic forces seemto be at work, which are, of course, affected by theplanets. Other studies show a time awareness incockroaches which scavenge at night, and in fruitflies which hatch only in the early morning hourswhen moisture (dew) exists. Even human beingsshow circadian rhythms, which are upset when ajet trip crosses time zones.

Lunar rhythms, which work mainly through

water, are effective in all organisms. Most organ-isms are composed mainly of water, and all organ-isms go through an amorphous zygote stage, inwhich these forces can be especially influential.Instruments have been developed that are so sensi-tive that they can measure lunar tides in a tea cup.Researchers find that it is harder to sterilize waterduring the full moon. Plinius writes in hisNatural History that it is best to sell fruits pickedbefore the full moon because they will be plumbfull of water, but for one’s own use, it is wise to

pick fruit around the new moon period for theywill keep better. He states that is is best to castrateanimals or prune trees during the new moon toavoid excessive bleeding. Modern scientists findthis to be true also.

Frank Brown, in a study of fiddler crabs, finds,besides the diurnal cycle of color change, a lunarrhythm of 12.4 hours, timed exactly to the lunartides. Oysters, which open their shells at high tideand close them at low tide, when transported fromthe East Coast to Evanston, Illinois, changed theirrhythms to what the tides would be there, if theseashore were in Illinois.

Lunar rhythms are especially evident in thelower animals, particularly in the reproductivecycle. The timing by these animals is sometimesawesome. The grunion, or smelt, of California,ride the last flood tide wave onto shore to depositeggs and sperm in the sand and ride the first ebbtide wave back out into the sea. Two weeks later,the next tide that is equally high, is the exactmoment when, at the crest of the tide, the larvaehatch to be swept out into the sea. Similarly dra-matic, the female paloloworms of the SouthPacific rise to the ocean surface at an exact time at

40 RAYS 99

SIDERIAL CYCLE 28d 88d 225d 1yr 2yrs 12yrs 30yrs

PLANET G=====_======`======^=====c=======h=========i(monocots) (dicots)

PLANTS ANNUALS BIENNIALS PERENNIALS CONIFERS

This table shows the relationship between planetary cycles and types of plants. The moremutable planets govern simpler plants (grasses and herbs germinate from single-leaf seeds),while the woodier, longer-lasting plants are more influenced by planets with longer cycles.

dawn when the moon reaches its last quarter inNovember, where their egg-laden tails break offand float. Immediately all the males rise to the sur-face where their sperm-containing hind quartersalso break off.

In relation to fertility, Eugen Jonas of Czecho-slovakia found that in the human female the abilityto conceive coincides with the lunar phase whenshe was born. From this insight, a nonchemicalbirth control method was developed which isclaimed to be 98% effective. Weather, rainfallcycles, barometric pressure, changes in the mag-netic field and other phenomena have been corre-lated with the moon. Police officials, bartenders,and caretakers of mental patients also tell of theeffects of the moon on the human psyche.Planets are the source of powerful radio waves,and each planet leaves in its wake a tail of electro-magnetic disturbances. We can easily assume thatthe planets, other than the moon and sun, have aneffect on the earth. One such effect is the 11-yearsunspot cycle found by Sir J. Herschel. Sunspotsoccur when planets are in conjunction or opposi-tion to the sun; that is, when they form one gravi-tational arc that has an uneven pull on the coronaof the sun. The effects include icebergs off ofIceland, good vintage years for Bordeaux, droughtpatterns in India, the shift of flowering dates ofsome plants, earthquakes and others.

There are 35-year and 85-year rhythms superim-posed on this 11-year cycle. An 8-year precipita-tion cycle has been related to Venus. GeorgeUnger, in his laboratory at Dornach, Switzerland(1971), using the drop-method investigation of flu-ids developed to indicate water quality, shows theeffects of the constellations on water. Measuredquantities of fluids to be tested are dropped intoglycerine, creating characteristic drop patterns.The glycerine is so sensitive that the characteristicdrop patterns are disturbed slightly when conjunc-tions and oppositions occur.

An interesting observation was made byJoachim Schulz in investigations of beech nut har-vest. Beech trees bear heavily about every six toeight years, according to records kept since 1799.The irregular quantity of the harvests is notdependent only on the climate and weather, since

the whole species in various locations bears wellduring good years despite climate variations. Thisseemed to be random behavior. In the years 1948to 1951, Schulz was able to correlate the harvestpatterns with Jupiter, Mars and Saturn positions invarious constellations. On this basis he set upprobable harvest predictions to the year 1985. G.Wolber and S. Vetter reinvestigated this in 1971and found the predictions verified. Other investi-gations on planetary influences by L. and E.Kolisko show that the crystallization of certainsalts in the laboratory are affected by the positionsof the planets.

Corresponding to the sidereal rhythms of theplants are the growth rhythms of the plant families.The rapid growing herbaceous annuals are linkedwith the fast-moving subsolar, or nearer, planets.This places most monocots under the influence ofthe moon and Mercury, and the dicot herbs withVenus and the sun. Biennials and shrubs are relatedto the two-year rhythm of Mars, perennial herbs andhardwoods to the 12-year cycle of Jupiter, and mostof the conifers to the long-enduring cycle of Saturn.

The preceding might seem to be somewhat sim-plistic, analogical thinking; but, in keeping withthe goetheanistic [scientist and writer JohannWolfgang Goethe, 1749-1832] approach, we willmake note of the analogies of simultaneously appear-ing phenomena before jumping to conclusions. Herewe are perhaps not dealing with the law of causal-ity, but with the law of synchronicity. In the nextsection [next Rays issue] on plant forms, other fac-tors will become evident which show that the cor-relations indicated are perhaps not quite as arbi-trary as they at first appear. We are only touchingon the subject of rhythms and their correlation withcosmic phenomena here. There are undoubtedlyother rhythms, ranging from cycles of glaciation(250,000 years) to very short-term rhythms occur-ring within organs or cells which can be correlatedin frequency curves with various short wave pat-terns derived from the cosmos.

It is the studying and understanding of such rhythmsin their relation to the etheric formative forces thatunderlies the rhythmic preparation of homeopathicmedicines, and of the stirring of liquid manures andbio-dynamic preparations. (Continued) p

RAYS 99 41

IN OXFORD UNIVERSITY’S Keble Collegehangs a painting which the English artist W.Holman Hunt regarded as his masterpiece.In it he sought to incorporate all the mean-ing and inspiration which had come to him

from his study of the word portraits of Christ in theNew Testament. In particular, two scripturalthemes are evident: “I am come a light unto theworld, that whosoever believeth on me should notabide in darkness” (John 12:46); and “Behold, Istand at the door, and knock: if any man hear myvoice and open the door, I will come in to him, andwill sup with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20)

Let us examine this painting. We are drawn tothe face and particularly the eyes with their depthof human sympathy, wisdom of the universe, andlove of mankind. Those eyes which have a mes-sage for all seem to pierce through our personali-ties and penetrate our individualities.

Christ is wearing the white robe of the teacher orthe priest. White is the one perfect color because itcontains in exact proportion all colors. It properlysymbolizes the teacher and the priest because suchan individual must incorporate within his under-standing a perfect blending of all laws and allknowledge, as white perfectly blends and synthe-sizes all colors. Also, his motives must be pure, aswhite is the symbol of purity—showing theabsence of all the murky colors that clothe thelower emotions in the desire world.

Over this white robe of the priest andteacher is the red robe of the king or ruler. Red rep-resents creative energy, power, action. A true kingor ruler must be a leader and possess this magnetic

and dynamic power which is founded on theunderstanding of Divine laws. Thus this red robe isplaced over, or upon the foundation of the whiterobe of understanding and wisdom. But creative

42 RAYS 99

The Light of the World

RELIGION AND ART

Oil on canvas over wood, William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), Keble College, Oxford, England

The Light of the World

energy, power and action may be used forgood or evil, depending upon the motives anddesires of the individual. Therefore, this robeof the Christ is embroidered with gold. Goldor yellow is the color of the Christ power ofthe Trinity, which is the Love Principle. A trueking or ruler uses his knowledge, creativeability and power in the spirit of love. Also,since the outer garment is the symbol of theinner man, before a man can truly be king hemust eliminate untruths from his own con-sciousness and replace them with the truths ofDivine laws. He must transmute his lowerdesires into high impulses. He must use hisScorpio capacity for regeneration. In otherwords he must embroider his red robe, signi-fying creative ability, energy and power, withthe gold of the Christ Love.

This robe is fastened at the neck with a jew-eled breastplate consisting of a square and acircle each containing twelve stones andjoined together by a cross. These twelve gemsrepresent the twelve tribes of Israel (square)and the twelve apostles of the New Testament(circle) linked together by the cross of Christ.The old dispensation under the dominion ofJehovah and the principle of law becomeslinked with the Love Principle through theministry of Jesus Christ. The breastplate also rep-resents the twelve signs of the Zodiac and thetwelve houses over which man must gain controlthrough the Christ within before he is indeed aking and a ruler.

On his head Christ wears a jeweled crown ofgold, again the symbol of kingship and leadership.But this crown of gold is not worn alone. With it isa crown of thorns signifying the suffering whichthe Christ has endured and continues to endure inHis efforts to help humanity. Interwoven with thethorns are the leaves of the vine. Leaves symbolizeherbs which have healing powers. Not only doesthe Christ suffer for humanity but He provides thehealing power available to humanity if it will openthe door to Him. He who would follow in the foot-steps of the Christ must gain his crown by helpingto heal the wounds of the world rather than byinflicting sorrow on others.

The artist has positioned the moon directlybehind the head of the Christ. Some materialisti-cally-minded persons have remarked that the artistwas more realistic than others who have given theChrist and saints what, in their limited vision, aremeaningless halos. But, whatever the reason for sodoing, Mr. Hunt has portrayed an occult truth bythis configuration. The moon represents the per-sonality as opposed to the individuality or Christwithin. As the individuality gains control of thepersonality the aura of the person begins to shine,and as the Christ within finds expression in theemotions, thoughts and actions of the individual,the yellow Christ rays radiate through the etheric,desire and mental bodies and actually form a haloaround his head. This can be seen by those whohave extended their sight to the etheric world.Others whose etheric sight has not been developedbut who are sensitive catch only the impression of

RAYS 99 43

Russia, c. 1970 French crypt of the Patriarchal Orthodox Center, Geneva-Chambésy, Switzerland

The Transfiguration of ChristAllusion to Christ’s spiritual bodies is suggested by the severalfields and rays of light apparently radiating from His physical body.

light and may be heard to remark, “His face shines,”or, “He seems to radiate an inner joy and power.”

Thus the artists who depict saints with halos arenot following mere custom or drawing upon theirimaginations. The true artist is sensitive and per-ceives the radiance of the Christ rays found in theaura of the saint. By placing the moon in back ofChrist’s head, Hunt suggests that we too must sub-ordinate our personalities to the Christ Within. Inso doing, we will literally be a light that can helplight the world. If we fail to do so our personalitieswill hide the Christ Within as the moon would hidethe face of Christ if it were placed in front of ratherthan behind Him.

In His hand is a lighted lantern. Not only didChrist Jesus give to the world the light which wasHis but He carried also the light which was of theFather. He had incorporated within His own beingthe Light of Love but at the same time He recog-nized His relationship to the Higher Being whomHe called Father. We too must carry not only ourown light, the light of our own auras cleansed byChristlike emotions, desires, and actions, but wemust always recognize and utilize the Light whichcomes from above.

Within the Godhead is infinite supply. Jesustaught, “Why be anxious for your life, what yeshall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for yourbody, what ye shall put on....Seek ye first the king-dom of God and His righteousness, and all thesethings shall be added unto you.” When we open thedoor to the Christ we have eyes to see the infinitesupply which is God’s and the power to employthat supply for the needs of the world. Hunt hasportrayed this Divine supply by the apples on theground upon which the lantern sheds its light. Asabove, so below. Jesus said, “By your fruits yeshall be known.” One cannot have knowledge, highemotions and actions without visible results. Theapples are emblematic of the fruits of the Spirit.

Christ stands knocking at the door representingthe door of the innermost chamber of each individ-ual. There is no latch-string or outer knob to thisdoor. It must be opened from within. When Godcreated man in His own image, He gave to manfree will and a right to choose his own way of life.Therefore, the Christ cannot or will not open that

door. He may and will knock, but the individualmust choose to let Him in before He will enter. Buthow dark that life must be for him who will notopen the door, since only darkness is within untilthe door is opened and the Christ enters. Then noouter light is needed for there is light within.

In front of the door plants are growing. At firstwe call them weeds, but are not weeds simplyplants growing in the wrong place? May these notbe the results of our misguided talents because wehave locked the door against the Christ Spirit? Arethey not now blocking the way to the Christ? Welook closer and discover that part of the plants aremustard. Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to amustard seed which is so small and apparently soinsignificant and yet when fully grown is amongthe largest herbs. The weeds and tares in our livescan become productive plants in the Kingdom ofGod when we open the door and let the Christcome in.

Above, in the shadows of the eaves and vines, abat hovers. The bat may be said to portray the anti-Christ spirit in the world. That spirit loves thedarkness but cowers before the Christ Light.Therefore, the bat is found in the darkest corner,shrinking from the light. The bat may also be saidto represent the Dweller on the Threshold of eachindividual life. As the ego progresses towardGodhood, by developing its spiritual faculties. Ifthese become active before that individual hasopened the door to the Christ, meeting the Dwelleron the Threshold could be a disastrous experience,for that being is the embodiment of all the pasterrors and negative forces which the individual hasnot transmuted and redeemed. If, on the otherhand, the Christ has been a welcomed guest, thehis spiritual powers and moral fortitude will beentirely adequate to meet and endure the Dweller’svisage and vibrations. The individual will not onlyhave invited the Christ to enter and abide in hissoul, he will also be able to step out of his densephysical body, which is his temporary dwellingplace, and enter into the invisible worlds with thecourage born of living faith in the Christ, theembodiment of the Love Principle of the Godhead,the Light of the World. p

—J. T.

44 RAYS 99

ON THIS TWO HUNDRED andtwenty-first anniversary of theDeclaration of Independence,* wejoin in giving thanks to AlmightyGod for what the Founders called this

American experiment in ordered liberty. In the Yearof Our Lord 1997, the experiment is deeply troubledbut it has not failed and, please God, will not fail.As America has been a blessing to our forbears andto us, so will it be a blessing to future generations,if we keep faith with the founding vision.

Invoking “the law of nature and of nature’sGod,” the Founders declared, “We hold these

truths to be self-evident.” This Fourth of JulyAmericans must ask themselves whether they holdthem still. We, for our part, answer emphaticallyin the affirmative. We affirm that before God andthe law all are equal, “endowed by their Creatorwith certain unalienable rights, that among theseare life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Inrecent years it has become increasingly manifestthat these truths cannot be taken for granted.Indeed, there is ominous evidence of their rejec-

tion in our public life and law.As leaders of diverse churches and Christian

communities, we address our fellow citizens withno partisan political purpose. Our purpose is tohelp repair a contract too often broken and acovenant too often betrayed. We recall and embracethe wisdom of our first President, who declared inhis Farewell Address: “Of all the dispositions andhabits which lead to political prosperity, religionand morality are indispensable supports. In vainwould that man claim the tribute of patriotism,who should labor to subvert these great pillars ofhuman happiness, these firmest props of the duties

of men and citizens.” Religion and morality are notan alien intrusion upon our public life but thesource and foundation of our pursuit of the com-mon good.

It is in the nature of experiments that they cansucceed, and they can fail. President Washingtonsaid in his First Inaugural Address: “The preserva-tion of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny ofthe republican model of government are justlyconsidered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, stakedon the experiment entrusted to the hands of theAmerican people.” We urge the Christians ofAmerica to join us in a candid acknowledgmentthat we have not been as faithful as we ought to

RAYS 99 45

We Hold These TruthsA Statement of Christian Conscience and Citizenship

RELIGION AND THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

This article from the October 1997 issue of First Things wasfirst released on July 4, 1997 as the express statement of “anunprecedented range of Christian leadership” relative to theAmerican constitutional order. It is reprinted with permission.

Nations are ultimately judged not by their military might oreconomic wealth but by their fidelity to “the laws of nature

and nature’s God.” In the view of the Founders, just govern-ment is self-government. Liberty is not license but is“ordered liberty”—liberty in response to moral truth.

that great trust. Nations are ultimately judged notby their military might or economic wealth but bytheir fidelity to “the laws of nature and nature’sGod.” In the view of the Founders, just govern-ment is self-government. Liberty is not license butis “ordered liberty”—liberty in response to moraltruth. The great threat to the American experimenttoday is not from enemies abroad but from disor-dered liberty. That disorder is increasingly expressedin a denial of the very concept of moral truth. Thecynical question of Pontius Pilate, “What is truth?”,is today frequently taken to be a mark of sophisti-cation, also in our political discourse and even inthe jurisprudence of ourcourts.

The bi t ter conse-quences of disorderedliberty resulting fromthe denial of moral truthare by now painfullyfamiliar. Abortion, crime,consumerism, drug abuse,family disintegration,teenage suicide, neglectof the poor, pornogra-phy, racial prejudice,ethnic separatism andsuspicion—all are rampant in our society. In poli-tics, the public interest is too often sacrificed toprivate advantage; in economic and foreign policy,the lust for profits overrides concern for the well-being of families at home and the protection ofhuman rights abroad. The powerful forget theirobligation to the powerless, and the politics of thecommon good is abandoned in the interminablecontention of special interests. We cannot boast ofwhat we have made of the experiment entrusted toour hands.

While we are all responsible for the state of thenation, and while our ills no doubt have manycauses, on this Fourth of July our attention must bedirected to the role of the courts in the disorderingof our liberty. Our nation was constituted by agree-ment that “we the people,” through the representa-tive institutions of republican government, woulddeliberate and decide how we ought to order ourlife together. In recent years, that agreement has

been broken. The Declaration declares that “gov-ernments are instituted among men, deriving theirjust powers from the consent of the governed.” Inrecent years, power has again and again beenwielded, notably by the courts, without the consentof the governed.

The most egregious instance of such usurpationof power is the 1973 decision of the SupremeCourt in which it claimed to have discovered a“privacy” right to abortion and by which it abol-ished, in what many constitutional scholars havecalled an act of raw judicial power, the abortionlaw of all fifty states. Tradi t ional ly in our

jurisprudence, the lawreflected the moral tra-ditions by which peoplegovern their lives. Thisdecision was a radicaldeparture, arbitrarilyuprooting those moraltraditions as they hadbeen enacted in lawthrough our representa-tive political process.Our concern is both forthe integrity of our con-stitutional order and for

the unborn whom the Court has unjustly excludedfrom the protection of law.

Our concern is by no means limited to the ques-tion of abortion, but the judicially imposed abor-tion license is at the very core of the disordering ofour liberty. The question of abortion is the questionof who belongs to the community for which weaccept common responsibility. Our goal is unequiv-ocal: Every unborn child protected in law and wel-comed in life. We have no illusions that, in a worldwounded by sin, that goal will ever be achievedperfectly. Nor do we assume that at present allAmericans agree with that goal. Plainly, many donot. We believe, however, that democratic delibera-tion and decision would result in laws much moreprotective of the unborn and other vulnerablehuman lives. We are convinced that the Court waswrong, both morally and legally, to withdrawfrom a large part of the human community theconstitutional guarantee of equal protection and

46 RAYS 99

The question of abortionis the question of who

belongs to the communityfor which we accept com-mon responsibility. Our

goal is unequivocal: Everyunborn child protected inlaw and welcomed in life.

due process of law.The American people as a whole have not

accepted, and we believe they will not accept, theabortion regime imposed by Roe v. Wade. In itsprocedural violation of democratic self-govern-ment and in its substantive violation of the “lawsof nature and of nature’s God,” this decision of theCourt forfeits any claim to the obedience of con-scientious citizens. We are resolved to work relent-lessly, through peaceful and constitutional meansand for however long it takes, to effectively reversethe abortion license imposed by Roe v.Wade. We ask all Americans to join us inthat resolve.

The effort of “we the people” toexercise the right and respon-sibility of self-government hasbeen made even more difficultby subsequent decisions ofthe Court. In its stated effortto end the national debateover abortion, the SupremeCourt in PlannedParenthood v. Casey (1992)transferred the legal groundfor the abortion license fromthe implied right of privacy toan explicit liberty right underthe Fourteenth Amendment.The Court there proposed asweeping redefinition of liberty:“At the heart of liberty is the right todefine one’s own concept of existence,of meaning, of the universe, and of the mys-tery of human life.” The doctrine declared by theCourt would seem to mean that liberty is nothingmore nor less than what is chosen by theautonomous, unencumbered self.

This is the very antithesis of the ordered libertyaffirmed by the Founders. Liberty in this debasedsense is utterly disengaged from the concepts ofresponsibility and community, and is pitted againstthe “laws of nature and of nature’s God.” Such lib-erty degenerates into license for the oppression ofthe vulnerable while the government looks theother way, and throws into question the very pos-sibility of the rule of law itself. Casey raises the

serious question as to whether any law can beenacted in pursuit of the common good, for virtu-ally any law can offend some individuals’ defini-tion of selfhood, existence, and the meaning oflife. Under the doctrine declared by the Court, itwould seem that individual choice can always takeprecedence over the common good.

Moreover, in Casey the Court admonished pro-life dissenters, chastising them for continuing thedebate and suggesting that the very legitimacy ofthe law depends upon the American people obey-

ing the Court’s decisions, even though noevidence is offered that those decisions

are supported by the Constitution oraccepted by a moral consensus of

the citizenry. If the Court isinviting us to end the debateover abortion, we, as Christiansand free citizens of thisrepublic, respectfully declinethe invitation.

The Court has gone stillfur ther in what must bedescribed as an apparentcourse of hostility to democ-ratic self-government. In Leev. Weisman (1992), the Court

seemed to suggest that an ethicand morality that “transcend

human invention” is what ismeant by religion that is constitu-

tionally forbidden ground for law. InRomer v. Evans (1996), thousands of

years of moral teaching regarding the rightordering of human sexuality was cavalierly dis-missed as an irrational “animus.” It is exceedinglyhard to avoid the conclusion that the Court isdeclaring that laws or policies informed by reli-gion or religiously based morality are unconstitu-tional for that reason alone. In this view, religion issimply a bias, and therefore inadmissible in law.Obviously, this was not the belief of those whowrote and ratified our Constitution. Just as obvi-ously, the Court’s view is not accepted by the peo-ple today. For the Founders and for the over-whelming majority of Americans today, ethicsand morality transcend human invention and are

RAYS 99 47

©R

eproducta

typically grounded in religion. If the Supreme Court and the judiciary it leads

do not change course, the awesome consequencesare clearly foreseeable. The founding principle ofself-government has been thrown into question.Already it seems that people who are motivated byreligion or religiously inspired morality are rele-gated to a category of second-class citizenship.Increasingly, law and public policy will be pittedagainst the social and moral convictions of thepeople, with the result that millions of Americanswill be alienated from a government that they nolonger recognize as theirown. We cannot, we mustnot, let this happen.

Questions of great moralmoment for the ordering ofour life together will con-tinue to demand delibera-tion and decision. TheCourt’s justification of theabortion license under itsdebased concept of libertyhas brought us to the brinkof endorsing new “rights”to doctor-assisted suicideand euthanasia whichthreaten those at the end oflife, the infirm, the handicapped, the unwanted.We are confronted by a radical redefinition of mar-riage as courts declare marriage to be not acovenanted commitment ordered to the greatgoods of spousal unity and procreation but a merecontract between autonomous individuals forwhatever ends they happen to seek. Under a spe-cious interpretation of the separation of church andstate, our public schools are denuded of moralinstruction and parents are unjustly burdened inchoosing a religious education for their children.These are among the many urgent problems thatmust be addressed by a free and self-governingpeople.

Washington spoke of “the experiment entrustedto the hands of the American people.” We cannotsimply blame the courts for what has gone wrong.We are all responsible. The communications media,the entertainment industry, and educators bear a

particular burden of responsibility, as do weChristian leaders and our churches when we fail toinstill the hard discipline of ordered liberty in theservice of the common good.

A most particular responsibility belongs also toour elected officials in state and national govern-ment. Too often, legislators prefer to leave difficultand controverted questions to the courts. This mustbe called what it is, an abdication of their duty inour representative form of democratic government.Too often, too, Christian legislators separate theirconvictions from their public actions, thus depriv-

ing our politics of theirinformed moral judgment.The other side of judicialusurpation is legislativedereliction. We must believethat the Const i tut ionbequeathed us by theFounders does not leave uswithout remedies for ourpresent unhappy circum-stance.

The crisis created byRoe and its legacy is notwithout precedent in ournational life. Our presentcircumstance is shadowed

by the memory of the infamous Dred Scott deci-sion of 1857. Then the Court, in a similar act ofraw judicial power, excluded slaves of Africandescent from the community of those possessingrights that others are bound to respect. AbrahamLincoln refused to bow to that decision. It was indevotion to our constitutional order that Lincolndeclared in his First Inaugural Address that thepeople and their representatives had not “practicallyresigned their government into the hands of thateminent tribunal.” Today we are again in desperateneed of political leaders who accept the responsi-bility to lead in restoring government derived fromthe consent of the governed.

Let no one mistake this statement as an instanceof special pleading for Christians or even for reli-gious people more generally. Our purpose is torevitalize a polity in which all the people of “wethe people” are full participants. Let no one fear

48 RAYS 99

We do not seek asacred public square

but a civil publicsquare. We strongly

affirm the separation ofchurch and state, whichmust never be interpret-ed as the separation ofreligion from public life.

this call for our fellow Christians to more vibrantlyexercise their citizenship responsibilities. Wereject the idea that ours should be declared a“Christian” nation. We do not seek a sacred publicsquare but a civil public square. We strongly affirmthe separation of church and state, which mustnever be interpreted as the separation of religionfrom public life. Knowing that the protection ofminorities is secure only when such protections aresupported by the majority, we urge Christians torenewed opposition to every form of invidiousprejudice or discrimination. In the civil publicsquare we must all respectfully engage one anotherin civil friendship as we deliberate and decide howwe ought to order our life together.

The signers of this statement are by no meansagreed on all aspects of law and public policy. Weare Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants of differ-ing convictions on many issues. We are conserva-tives and progressives of various ethnic and racialidentities and with differing political views. We areagreed that we must seek together an America thatrespects the sanctity of human life, enables thepoor to be full participants in our society, strives toovercome racism, and is committed to rebuildingthe family. We are agreed that government by theconsent of the governed has been thrown intoquestion, and, as a result, our constitutional orderis in crisis. We are agreed that—whether the ques-tion be protection of the unborn providing for thepoor restoring the family, or racial justice—wecan and must bring law and public policy intogreater harmony with the “laws of nature and ofnature’s God.”

Not all Americans are agreed on the implicationsof those laws, and some doubt that there are suchlaws. But all can exercise the gift of reason to dis-cern the moral truth that serves the common good.All can attempt to persuade their fellow citizens ofthe truth that they discern. We Americans are apolitical community bound to one another in civilargument. Such is the experiment in ordered libertythat has been entrusted to our hands. That experi-ment is today imperiled, but we are resolved that itcontinue and flourish, for as it was said two hun-dred and twenty-one years ago, so also it is thecase today that “We hold these truths.” p

RAYS 99 49

Letters To StudentsBy Max Heindel

This book contains the direct personalcommunications of Max Heindel with

students of the Rosicrucian Fellowship fromChristmas 1910 to January 1919. These ninety-seven letters, written in the intimate, earnesttone of a teacher and friend, make inspiringand instructive reading.

Contents include:

Christ and His Second Coming

Heart Development and Initiation

Spiritual Teachers—True and False

The Christ Spirit and the Spiritual Panacea

Increasing the Life of the Archetype

Unnatural Means of Attainment

“Lost Souls” and Stragglers

The Vital Body of Jesus

Please order on page 64

237 Pages. Paper

Published by The Rosicrucian Fellowship

THE SIMPLE THESIS of BernardJensen’s brief (63 pages) book Color,Music and Vibration (Bernard Jensen,Escondido, CA, 1988) is that everythingin life and nature derives from vibration:

light, color, sound, music, heat, the ocean’s wavesand the contours of mountains. Drawing on thefruitage of half a century of research and observa-tion, the distinguished and internationally acclaimedauthor regales us not only with a plethora of proof,but also shows how this wisdom can be employed toadd enjoyment to life and avoid many of its pitfalls.

This influence begins even before birth. Accordingto the experiments of a Florida researcher, the unbornare stressed by rock and roll. It makes them restless andincreases their heartbeat. Exposure to classical oreven ordinary soft melodies exerts a soothing influ-ence on the fetal child, but when rock and roll isplayed again, it once more begins to kick restlessly.

Some adults may claim they enjoy this invasivesonic phenomena, but it has been linked to the highincidence (said to be 60 percent) of abnormalheartbeat among disc jockeys playing it. Does thenoise around airports have a negative impact?People living close to them have more physical andmental problems than residents of quiet areas. Evenanimals are affected by different kinds of music. Inan experiment with a loudspeaker placed underwater, fish swam away from rock and roll, buttoward the source of soothing sounds.

An Italian researcher has pinpointed specifictherapeutic results from playing the music of somefamous composers. Examples: Mozart can relieverheumatic pains; Shubert insomnia; Handel helps

alleviate emotional problems; Bach soothes indi-gestion; the famous hymn “Amazing Grace” hasproduced numerous healings. According to anotherresearcher, listening to lively music prior to a mealslows digestive secretions and influences the brainto facilitate weight reducing regimens. But it mightnot be advisable to listen to such music whiledriving:—it tends to augment aggressive behaviorand hence increase accidents.

Colors also have specific impacts and stimulatevarious kinds of experience. Red energizes; beetsand red cabbage are tonics. Dr. Jensen tells of alecturer who took just a small amount of red cayennepepper before his appearances and fairly seemed toshine! It can also raise blood pressure. If peopleare put to work inside a red room, initially theiroutput will tend to increase, but after a while theymay become quarrelsome. Red cars are also themost accident prone. But if one wishes to keep one’s

50 RAYS 99

Color, Music and Vibration&

Rural Harmony

BOOK REVIEWS

C. W. Leadbeater & Annie Besant, Thoughtforms, New York, 1905

Sound produces form as well as color. The organ music ofMendelssohn rises one hundred feet above the church towerand will leave its impress in the etheric for some time.

©M

ary Evans P

icture :Library

feet warm in winter, red socks are recommended.Orange light was found by the famous horticul-

turist Luther Burbank to accelerate growth inplants. Mentally, it stimulates ambition and cre-ativity. Overexposure to it can produce restless-ness, nervousness, pride. As for yellow, the term asslang is correct in equating it with cowardice.Negatively it is also linked with prejudice andsloth. On the positive side, yellow brings joy, wis-dom, intuition, creativity, spirituality. It belongs inthe health seeker’s kitchen: foods of this color, likesquashes and bananas, are natural laxatives.

Green is healing, peaceful, soothing; it justmight help the infant who is teething. Negatively,it tends to materialism. It is the color of rebirth andspring. Perhaps the author’s most enthusiasticsuperlative is in behalf of chlorophyll, the greenpigment in plants that traps sunlight, which hecalls “the greatest rejuvenator.”

Blue, the sky’s color, suggests and promotes ful-fillment. It is soothing and capable of lowering theblood pressure. Sky-blue clothing is the most pro-tective from the tropic’s solar rays. Together withgreen, it can stimulate the highest creativity. Toomuch, of course, can induce the “blues.”

Indigo represents the healing crisis—old toxinsare washed out and replaced with new tissues.Associated with Saturn and Saturday, indigo canbe spirituality at its best. Violet is the color of roy-alty and also of high spirituality. St. Germain usedit in healing; Wagner composed his greatest worksin rooms decorated with purple velvet drapes. Ithas the most rapid vibration of the rainbow’s sevencolors. It also fades most rapidly.

White light, the vibration of the Christ con-sciousness, contains all colors blended as a unity.Black is the opposite, death’s color; most evildeeds are done in the black of the night. Dr. Jensendiscourages the wearing of black, especially in thetropics. Brown is Mother Earth’s color. Negatively,it repels. Dr. Jensen urges that it, along with grey,not be chosen for clothing.

This fascinating slim volume can be likened to ameal’s appetizer: enjoyable, whetting one’sappetite for more, much more, which the authorassures us is definitely out there. p

—Dr. Paul Freiwirth

FARMING AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH

JEAN CARTER’S Rural Harmony (DorrancePublishing Co., Inc., 1997) can be read as “just astory” or as an aid on the path to enlightenment. Itmight be an excellent book to give a “beginner” inspiritual truths, to awaken him or her to innermeanings and to provide routes for exiting prob-lems. Although written with simplicity, it probesprofound issues and can awaken interest in life’smysteries.

Assuming the form of a novel does not preventRural Harmony from offering good advice forspiritual evolution. As Pierre Teilhard defined it,“Evolution is a spiritual process.” From anothervantage it has been observed that “First one mustbe aware there is a need to grow.” In this review-er’s personal experience, only those who are dis-satisfied with “churchology” will elect to investi-gate occult or metaphysical teachings. If theirinterest is genuine and persistent, their commit-ment to truth will enable them to grow in wisdom,stature and grace. It seems one needs to experiencea “divine discontent,” a restless yearning for deeperunderstanding, before one begins to make appre-ciable spiritual growth. It soon becomes clear thatblaming God, genes, or the environment for one’sdifficulties is but a sign of spiritual immaturity. Onewill in time admit, “Okay, I accept reincarnationand my present difficulties because somewhere,sometime—through ignorance or innocence—I setinto motion the causes of the problems I am nowexperiencing. So here I am. I recognize the truth ofmy responsibility for my life. Through the help ofmy indwelling Lord I can emerge from these seem-ing problems.” Can one do that? Yes. RuralHarmony makes clear, without preaching, that theexistence of a higher order enables us to bring lightand order to our lives.

Many readers will realize that this is a “how-to”book. Principles of spiritual evolution are unobtru-sively woven into the story. Its thrust is how to findGod, or one’s reason for being, in this life. Intoday’s world we clearly see that no man is anisland and that all humans are bound together spir-itually, ecologically, economically, and mentally—in every conceivable way.

RAYS 99 51

In their daily experiences Faith andJohn Wells identify basic truths whoseconscious implementation help them toevolve spiritually. Doubtless they wouldbe the first to admit that they have not“arrived,” but they would heartily testifyto real advancement on the spiritual path.Initially, John seems “to ride Faith’sprayer kites,” but he too has his strengthsand each complements the other in theircombined ongoingness.

Life seems to flow smoothly for thecouple after they moved from the suburbsto a farm in a new area of the country—asthough they were first given the opportu-nity to establish themselves before chal-lenges appeared. They learn the patienceand forbearance that reliance on naturalforces requires, and are chagrined by theirformer presumption of telling God how to run HisUniverse.

One of my favorite sections in Rural Harmonydescribes the couple receiving two city boys fromthe Fresh Aire Program, run under the auspices ofthe now defunct New York Herald Tribune. Theresult of a number of episodes of love-at-work isthat Faith and John Wells felt guided to establish aFarm Summer Home.

Many inner teachings unfold through a characternamed Jed who seems to be a present day exem-plar of Christian principles. In his conversationswith Faith and John, Jed gives deep interpretationsof scripture. His insights into Lazarus’ resurrectionare particularly interesting and revealing. In ChristJesus’ words “Loose him and let him go” Jed seesan admonition to behold the new man, the aliveentity heading toward a Christ goal. Jed’s teachingencourages us to behold latent perfection, the innerChrist Self, in those around us—and in our ownSelf—and then work to help actualize that vision.Jed does fade from the book, as Jesus told His dis-ciples that He had to leave, for unless He leavesthem they would continue to depend on His phys-ical presence.

Through Faith’s prayer work there is an outreachto a senior citizen, Jane Allis, in a nursing home whereFaith later became a practical nurse. We read the

story of the stray dog the children named Pal; thefailure of the corn crop; the miracle of a fissuredoil burner—and there is an affidavit in the book fromthe oil burner repair man to validate that miracle.

The Alice Starr miracle is an eye-blinker. Whilenot substantiated, Jesus did teach that “there isnothing impossible to God,” and a few yearsbefore his demise Einstein pronounced, “Energyfollows thought.” What is prayer? Or thought? Didnot the Master teach “as ye believe, so it is doneunto you”? Jed interprets this quotation as well.

The Farm Summer Home only lasts a few years.John is promoted to a bigger assignment in hisbusiness career. As a sales manager he becomes, inthe words of his business manager, an “ambas-sador of good will,” living the teachings in thedaily contact with his customers and the sales rep-resentatives under his responsibility.

A reader receives from any book as much under-standing as he can bring to it, although there issometimes a lag between experience, vicarious orfirst-hand, and wisdom. Some may read RuralHarmony and see but the mundane difficulties acouple experiences en route to a goal. Others willperceive a spiritual evolution of the characters andbe inspired to espouse some of the principles theirlives embody—those expressed and those implied. p

—E. Loyal

52 RAYS 99

©E

dition Stehli

A Scene of Rural Harmony in the Swiss Alps“They learn the patience and forbearance that reliance on natural forces requiresand are chagrined by their presumption of telling God how to run His Universe.”

TO THOSE WHO HAVE becomeaccustomed to soups as a necessaryadjunct to dinner, and who believe thatmeats or their liquors are essential toproduce a savory soup, it will doubt-

less be a revelation to learn how palatable a dishcan be made from natural vegetation. While we donot recommend soups specifically, we realize thatin changing from a meat to a fleshless diet, begin-ners must be granted a measure of latitude to obvi-ate the possibility of backsliding to former injudi-cious dietetic practices.

The use of wholesome vegetable soups is not tobe condemned, if care is exercised in eating them.In order to promote digestion, and to preserve theintegrity of the teeth, our food should be taken in ahard or solid consistency, exactly the oppositefrom that of soup. The objectionable effects of thesoup habit, however, may be partially overcome bysipping them slowly with some hard cracker ortoasted bread that requires thorough mastication,or any raw vegetable such as radishes, celerystalks, sliced turnips or sliced rutabagas. Extremecare must be exercised at all times never to serveas a side dish those vegetables in a raw state whichappear in the soup in a cooked state. Wheretomatoes are incorporated in the soup, raw vegeta-bles are best as nibblers, as starchy foods do notcombine harmoniously with acid-type vegetables.

The more liquid that is taken into the stomachwith meals, the more difficult it is for the food todigest, for the liquid must be absorbed first to pre-vent too much dilution of the digestive juices.Consequently, the most perfect hygiene in the use

of soups calls for a few sips only at the beginningof the meal, which in some cases stimulates theflow of the digestive juices. Soups make an excel-lent commencement to a meal for those who areapt to overload the stomach, as it quickly satisfiesand prevents overindulgence of the appetite.Persons suffering from acidity of the stomach,slow digestion, and those troubled with flatulencyshould partake sparingly of soup.

With a hearty dinner of other foods, a small por-tion of some light soup or broth should be served,while a legume soup, a chowder, or a puree maymake the principal dish of the meal. VegetableChowders and purees are not soups in the strictestsense. For instance, a chowder is often of the con-sistency of a stew, with a small proportion of liq-uid while a puree is a kind of pulpy maceration oflegumes, vegetables, etc., which have been pressedthrough a fine colander. Both of these may be pre-

RAYS 99 53

Wholesome VegetarianSoups

NUTRITION AND HEALTH

Tofu Mushroom Lemongrass Soup

pared with a larger proportion of liquid and servedas thick soups. Vegetable bouillons or consommesare broths. Thick soup or puree is better suited tothe winter season; vegetarians, as a rule, prefersoups, broths, and gruels that are thick. A clearsoup is a beverage rather than a food and should beso regarded.

In preparing soup, it is often recommended toremove any skins or cellulose materials from veg-etables, exclusive of celery and oyster plant. Nonethe less, mastication in connection with soups is anaid to their digestion and makes themmore satisfying. The coarse knifeof the food chopper may beutilized to advantage inpreparing vegetables forsoups. As a rule, use oys-ter plant in slices, one-quarter inch thick in thelargest part and a littlethicker towards the end.But if it is desired fine, it isbest to grind before cooking;in this way it retains its character-istic flavor. Corn kernels should first becrushed in a pan or ground through afood cutter; then a very little at a time they may bepressed through a colander.

In making soups, soft water is better than is hardwater. Vegetables cooked in hard water are ren-dered hard and indigestible. This is especially thecase with legumes, as the calcium in water, whenboiled, forms hard indigestible compounds withthe legumin, causing flatulency. If the water usedfor cooking is hard, due to the presence of calciumcarbonate, one teaspoonful of baking soda per gal-lon may be added, and then boiled and cooledbefore using, in order that the calcium carbonate orlime may precipitate.

It is economical to keep always a quantity ofconsomme or bouillon on hand for soups orsauces. The water in which vegetables are boiled isextremely useful and nutritious, and homemakersmake a mistake in discarding it. When cauliflower,carrots, turnips, onions, celery, beans, macaroni,etc., are boiled, the water in which they werecooked should be saved and used as stock for

vegetable soup. Indeed the fluids from nearly allgreens are desirable in soups. Especially is thewater from spinach an invaluable addition to veg-etable soups; with the addition of cream, thickcreamed nut butter or soy bean milk, it alonemakes a delightful broth.

There is scarcely a soup that appears at the tablethat cannot be reproduced in harmony with vege-tarian standards.

Soups should vary with the seasons. Whatevervegetables are available may go into the pot. Soups

are endless and a person inclined to exer-cise ingenuity might produce a

new one every day of the year.In combining materials, care

must be taken to unite onlysuch ingredients as har-monize in taste. The mostinexpensive vegetableson the markets—even the

stalks, tops, and stumps sooften thrown away—have

only to be picked over carefullyand washed to make them avail-

able for use in a palatable and nourish-ing soup. Celery roots, stalks, leaves, or

seed give a fine flavor. Not only are they full of fla-vor, but many of the precious salts abound in theirouter leaves. Peels of many roots, too coarse to eat,as well as nearly all grains are welcome contribu-tions to soup, and if desired they may be seasonedwith herbs. If whole grain macaroni or vermicelliare intended for use in soup, they should be wellcooked separately, then added.

It is suggested to use potatoes seldom in any-thing but potato soups. The addition of potatoes toan otherwise wholesome soup might convert it intoa fermentable combination, as well as remove itfrom the diet of those who cannot use starchyfoods. Starch is not desirable in the presence ofproteins, nor should acid-type vegetables liketomatoes and rhubarb be consumed with or incor-porated in starchy soups. As the flavor of turnips isoften disagreeable in soups, it is best to accustomoneself to grate or slice them raw. Herbs such asmint and thyme should be used sparingly. A littlestewed asparagus, if liked, adds much to any

54 RAYS 99

Lentil and Greens Soup

vegetable soup or chowder. Dried mushroomswashed well, soaked two to four hours, and sim-mered for five minutes; then cut fine and addedwith their juice, give a fine flavor to many soups.Three or four small pieces are sufficient for oneand one- half to two quarts of soup. Meatless veg-etable extract paste lends the needed zest andpalatability to otherwise bland dishes.

The nutritive value of soup depends of courseupon the deft selection and combination of ingre-dients. A pint of cold mashed potatoes, a fewstewed beans, bits of whole rice, stewed tomatoesand other vegetables or grains left over atmeal time form excellent material forthe next day’s soup. Discretionmust be exercised by usingbut one of the above sug-gested left-overs at a timewith such compatiblevegetables as are avail-able in season. A pleasantand nutritious soup can beprepared with lentils andwater, with the possibleaddition of onions, carrots, orcelery to contribute to its alkalini-ty. Lentils need but to be washed andsoaked well, then boiled steadily for threeor four hours. Liquor from butter-beans,lentils, etc., provides a good basis for thick soups.

For those unwilling to yield too many points tovegetarianism, milk, eggs, and butter may be usedwhere indicated in soup recipes. High heat andquick boiling are enemies of good soup; it shouldbe simmered very slowly until it is done. As muchof the essence escapes by evaporation, a lid shouldalways be used. Soups should never be stored in ametal vessel. While reheating does develop richerflavors in foods, retention of surplus quantities ofsoup is not altogether to be condoned. Highdegrees of heat, if sufficiently prolonged andrepeated, destroy the life principle by demolishingthe highly intricate molecular structure uponwhich vegetative life depends.

The conventional method of thickening soupwith flour heated in oil, fat, or butter might well bereplaced by more hygienic methods. Okra, fresh or

canned, as well as in a dried and pulverized con-sistency contributes the needed bulk through releaseof its mucilaginous content. Indeed, the incorpora-tion of any of the dried powdered vegetables yieldsthe necessary thickening by virtue of their capaci-ty to absorb moisture. Raw nut butters may beadded to any of the combinations of vegetables inthe proportion of one to two tablespoons to eachquart of soup. The water drained from boiledpeanuts may be used in place of raw nut butters,taking care not to use too much. Evaporated dairymilk or soy bean milk imparts just the needed creamy

smoothness. Soy bean milk-powder dis-solved in cooled soup (to prevent

lumps) to the consistency of amilk also lends wholesome

sustenance and body. Flax-seed meal well stirredinto hot soup is especiallyrecommended as ahygienic and nutritiouscontributor of bulk and

lubrication. Such sea vegetation as

agar-agar and Irish Moss fur-nish bulk by the expansion of

their cellulose. Agar and deodorizedIrish Moss are tasteless and odorlessnondrying material, clinging to water

with great tenacity. Versatile in their scope, agarand Irish Moss lend themselves also to jellyingneeds. For this reason soups embodying them maycongeal to some degree when cooled; reheating,with added water where necessary, quickly breaksup any solidification, however.

Whole cooked barley, dried sweet corn (in win-ter), or shredded or diced canned meat-substitutespresent just a few of the never-ending varieties ofnovel and invigorating thickening agents to incor-porate into soups, when one comes in hungry andshivering on a blustery day. Indeed the artful use ofwarm non-flesh dishes like soups prevents many,during a transitional period, from falling by thewayside and from returning to the less wholesomepiping hot culinary elaborations of conventionalfare. p

—Lillian R. Carque

RAYS 99 55

Lentil Onion Soup

AN ENTIRELY NEW SET of sur-roundings—new people, new scenes,new activities, and consequent newthought processes—often bringsabout a remarkable improvement in

one’s health. This his been demonstrated manytimes, and nowadays physicians may prescribe atrip as a remedy for an illness which has stub-bornly refused to yield to other curatives. Manypeople, however, are unable to leave their homes,and consequently may join those fortunate oneswho learn to transcend the power of outer stimuliby effecting a change within themselves.

This method is the superior, not only because itobtains permanent results, but because it alsobrings soul growth. In view of its results, the effortof will required to give up old, set ways of feelingand thinking which have brought about the crys-tallizations manifesting as disease, is indeed wellspent.

Anyone, if he will, may change his conscious-ness simply by establishing different reactions tothe same people and surroundings—reactionsclothed in the golden aura of Christ-like love anddesire to serve.

The Love-Wisdom Aspect of Divinity is inher-ent in every human being, and may be unfolded inall its glorious beauty by daily efforts to love andserve others. Through it we may accomplish aphysical, mental, and spiritual change in a seem-ingly miraculous manner, for it’s presence dispelscrystallization and restores the normal rhythm andharmony to the bodies.

By visualizing the Christ Light about ourselves

and others, by emulating His wondrous love andcompassion, by cultivating a firm faith in His gra-cious mercy, thus permeating our consciousnesswith His vibrations, we may walk in that “newnessof life” which St. Paul mentions in the 6th Chapterof Romans, and “we shall be also in the likeness ofHis resurrection.” p

Visible Helpers are just as necessary as InvisibleHelpers, and our friends and patients may share ina high privilege, as well as add much to the powerof liberated healing force, by joining us in prayerfor the sick. Our Healing Service is held everyevening in the Healing Temple at 6:30 (7:30 whenDaylight time is in effect) and in the Pro-Ecclesiaat 4:15 P.M. when the Moon is in a cardinal sign onthe following dates:

January...............................2—8—16—23—29February...................................5—12—19—25

Relax, close your eyes, and make a mental pictureof the pure white rose in the center of the Rosicru-cian Emblem on the west wall of our Pro-Ecclesia,and concentrate on Divine Love and Healing.

56 RAYS 99

Newness of Life

HEALING

Detail from The Virgin of the Annunciation, Gerard David, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dove of the Holy Spirit

©1990 Μ

ΜΑ

OH, THANK YOU,” said the pea-cock. “When I saw that my tailfeather was caught in that great gateI thought I must surely break it get-ting it out.”

“It’s too pretty to be broken,” the little princessanswered. “And what a shame it would be to haveone of those beautiful feathers gone! When I seeyou spread out your tail in a half circle I think of ahuge feather fan that opens and closes. It is likeone that Mother has, set with many jewels of dif-ferent colors.”

The peacock smoothed his shining feathers withhis little curved bill and answered, “You see, it ismy duty to be beautiful. That is why your father,the king, has placed me in the garden with all thestrange and lovely flowers. But, little princess, Ithought that you were crying as you came alongthe path.”

The princess looked sad as she remembered. “Iwas crying,” she said softly.

“Tell me the trouble, “coaxed the peacock. “It ismy turn to do you a favor now. And you may besure that I will tell no one anything that you tellme. Most people cannot understand me if I do tryto tell them anything.”

Down on the grass sat the princess, weeping.“Oh!” she burst out, “I hear the people say that Iam not a princess at all. They watch me as I ride inmy father’s royal carriage and as I wave from thehigh balcony of the palace, then they say that I amonly a plain child like their own children.”

“You seem very like a princess to me. Why dothey say that?” asked the peacock, the eyes in his

feathers glinting in the sun. “They say I wriggle and squirm when I am tired

of riding about. And they say I do not walk as aprincess should. Sometimes I point at people andwhisper about them, as their own children do.Then, I heard someone say that a real princesswould never be cross and rude just because shemust leave her play to be kind to people. Why,sometimes, if I want something that a princessshouldn’t have, I even cry. Lots of children do bet-ter than that!”

“This is a puzzle,” frowned the peacock. “Youare a princess to me, so why aren’t you a princessto them?” The peacock thought and thought. Heeven tucked his head under his wing for a few min-utes so that he could think better. Finally heexclaimed, “Come to think of it, my dear princess,

RAYS 99 57

The Princess and the Peacock

FOR CHILDREN

“There was the peacock waiting for her, just beyond the greatiron gate, his many-colored feathers shining in the sun, hisgraceful head held high, his eyes agleam with pride.”

Devon P

ierce

it’s really just today that I’ve liked you so muchthat you’ve seemed so truly a princess. In fact, it’smostly since you opened the gate and got my poorold tail feather loose. I didn’t know you were nicebefore.

“Nobody knows I’m nice. That’s just the trou-ble,” said the little princess very sadly.

Again the peacock was quiet “I have it now!” heexclaimed suddenly. “Do little things for the peo-ple as you did for me and they’ll like you the wayI do.”

“You’re right! If it’s no harder than that I coulddo it.” She thought a moment, then she saidmournfully. “But that doesn’t make me walk qui-etly and straight, as the young princess of a king-dom should. My feet get tangled in the long robesthat I must wear in court, and when I have my lit-tle golden crown upon my head I always feel as ifit is slipping off. “I wish I walked like you.” Shecried again, just to think of the disappointed peo-ple staring at her.

“That’s easy. We’ll soon settle that question. Comeand walk with me every day along the garden pathsand over the grass. Practice walking like me.”

“That would be fun,” wailed the little princess,“but it wouldn’t settle the robes and the crown.”

“The way you hunt for trouble, I could give youa good hard peck,” the peacock joked. “Just see ifwe don’t settle the robes and the crown and thewriggling, in the bargain.

The princess grinned. Well, you wanted tostraighten out all the trouble, you know.”

At that the peacock decided to talk about some-thing else. “Haven’t you an old lace curtain fromone of the palace windows that you play with in theroyal playhouse, your highness?” he inquired sweetly.

“A long, long one. Yes,” she answered. “As long as the white satin train to your robe of

state?” asked the peacock. “Now I see what you are thinking about,’’ she

exclaimed. “I’m to practice with the curtain for atrain. I’ll trail it along on the ground behind me theway a bride does her veil. Yes, I’ll do it as beauti-fully as you trail the fringes of your long lacyfeathers when they are folded together like aclosed fan. And what shall I use for a crown?”

The peacock glanced about. “There are always

flowers,” he remarked. “A flower would be too hard to keep there on top

my head,” the princess cried quickly. “The harder it is the easier the crown will seem

afterward, when you wear it in the great courtroom, with people all around,” he said firmly.

“That’s so,” replied the little princess. “I’d betterpractice until I can do very hard things out herewith you. Let’s begin tomorrow!’’

“No, indeed. Let’s begin now. Right now. It’salways best to begin right away. Go get the cur-tain.” So the princess hurried to the royal play-house for the royal old lace curtain while the pea-cock put his head under his wing again to thinkabout the rest of her troubles.

For an hour she walked beside the peacockalong the paths of the royal garden, trailing thelong lace curtain from her shoulders. Very slowlyand very beautifully now she walked. And all thewhile they talked.

By the end of the week she was ready, thepeacock told her, to keep a flower lying on the topof her head as she walked. But the flower, whichwas to be her crown, would slip off almost as soonas she put it there.

“Oh, dear, this is just an easy flower too,” shemourned. “I thought the troubles would be overnow, but here is another.”

“The difficulty must be that you don’t standstraight enough,” remarked the peacock thought-fully. “I’ve heard it said that if you stand straightenough you can even walk with a book on yourhead and it won’t fall off. And here, by the way, isjust the teacher to show you how to stand—thistall, straight, slim little tree.”

I’m sure I’d like to look like it,” said theprincess. “It’s such a lovely tree. Perhaps if I lookat it every day when I walk with you I’ll learn tostand straight and tall also. And then I’ll leanagainst it to see if I’m straight as its trunk.” Thepeacock suggested that she should try the flowercrown again when she was straighter.

After the many pleasant practice hours in thegarden, the little princess’ back would be tired fromstretching up tall, but she was happy for she knewthat she was gaining a little. And when the flowercrown was tried again it wasn’t half so slippery!

58 RAYS 99

Once when she was tired from walking andplaying with the peacock, she dropped down in theshade by the quiet stone-rimmed pool in the depthsof the garden. Water lilies floated on its surface. Afew golden fish slipped about among the plantswavering deep within the pool. The princessalmost went to sleep there, it was so very still. Butsuddenly something roused her. It seemed asthough she had heard someone speaking, but shesaw no one. It was as though someone had said,“Come tomorrow.” She listened again and heardnothing, but she thought, “Whatever it was,I’d like to come tomorrow, anyhow.”

The next day the princess didgo to sit by the quiet pool.She watched the sunlighton the grass about it andsaw birds come todrink from its edges. Ahummingbird passed.Finally she knelt on theedge of the pool andpeered straight down intoits depths. A soft voice said,“You have eyes like the bluesky above me, so I will help you.Yes, there is darkness like the nightsky in them, too, and I even see somelittle stars. Come tomorrow.”

When she came again, the pool told her how shecould learn to be quiet and calm just by sitting orlying there without moving, without wrigglingeven a finger. “Come every day,” the pool wouldwhisper. “It takes an hour.”

And the princess was happy, for she knew thatshe could think of the pool and be quiet, as aprincess should, instead of wriggling when shewas tired of riding about in the carriage.

One morning as she came to meet the peacockhe asked, “Are you happy now, my princess?”

“Of course. So happy,” she answered. “Why doyou even ask?”

“You didn’t look happy,” the old peacock said,shaking his head. “You looked straight and quietand beautiful, almost like a queen as you camealong the path, but you didn’t smile.”

“Well, I didn’t especially feel like smiling,” she said.

“How am I to know that you are happy out herewith me if you don’t smile? How will the peoplefeel if you don’t ever smile at them? It won’t belong until your birthday party, and you want to bea princess in every way by then, you know.”

“Oh, that’s so,” said the princess, feeling asthough her months of practicing princess ways stillleft much to do. “But I still don’t feel like smiling,so how can I do it?” she asked rather crossly.

“Come with me and I will show you,” the pea-cock said proudly, spreading his tail in a beautiful

fan shape. “I wager I know how to make yousmile.” Then he led her past the row

of stone statues to the side of thegarden where there were

small white flowers bloom-ing in a misty spray.They were sweetsmelling and very softto touch. Stop-pingthere he looked side-

wise up at her, curvinghis graceful neck. These

are the flowers you likebest. I know, for I’ve watched

you. Now you feel like smiling,don’t you?”

“Some,” the princess answereddoubtfully, “but not so very much.”

“Then you’ll have to put your face right down inthe flowers till you do,” he said sternly.

Over the little white flowers the princess leaned.Suddenly she laughed, “That’s near enough! Whydidn’t I think of that way myself? I should be ableto smile at them all the way across the garden!”

“Smile when they nod little nods at you,” sug-gested the peacock. “Smile whenever any flowernods to you. That should give you lots of practice.”

“Are you sure that will make me feel like smil-ing at the people on my birthday when I am seatedby my mother and father on the golden throne?”the princess asked him.

“There will be flowers there, too. They will bebanked around the throne and in great baskets inthe corners of the room.”

“That’s so. I can smile at them first and it will beeasier then to smile at the people.”

RAYS 99 59

Photograph: R

obert A. Tyrell

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Those were the things the princess practiced outin the royal gardens part of every day all summer.It became much easier for her to do the thingseveryone expected her to do because shewas a princess. She knew too that itwould be much easier in the fall,on her birthday. Then she was towear a longer richer robeembroidered in a pattern ofgold and many colors, withjewels scattered over it. Hercrown would be just a bit larg-er, more like her mother’scrown. For the first time shewould wear a necklace of shining,square-cut stones about her throat.

Truly enough, when her birthdayparty came she found that it was quite differ-ent from the year before. Her work trailing robesof state was not new to her now. They seemed justabout like an old lace curtain. And hadn’t she beenbalancing little things on her head all summer. She

didn’t even need her friends the flowers, for onceshe had smiled at the people they all cheered and

waved to her. And who could help beamingback at them? When the party in her

honor was over, her crown was stillon just so. She looked at the jew-

els of green and blue and everycolor sparkling all over her stiffcourt gown. She smoothed thedeep plush of the long whitecape which hung from hershoulders. “Now I must showmy new clothes to the peacock,”

she thought, ”and tell him whata help he has been.” She hurried down the wide stone

steps leading toward the garden. Therewas the peacock waiting for her, just beyond

the great iron gate, his many-colored feathers shin-ing in the sun, his graceful head held high, his eyesagleam with pride. p

—Gedge C. Harmon

60 RAYS 99

ROSICRUCIAN PHILOSOPHYIN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, VOLUME 1

By Max Heindel

Section Headings:

Life On EarthLife After Death

RebirthThe Bible Teachings

Spiritualistic PhenomenonClairvoyance

AstrologyAnimals

Miscellaneous

Would you like to know more aboutHow We Can Know That Rebirth is a Fact?The Nature of the Holy Grail?Whether Each Soul Has a Soul Mate?The Causes of Insanity?The Difference Between Black and White Magic?Why Children Die?The Effect of Cremation on the Spirit?What Sinning Against the Holy Ghost Means?How One Can Avoid Being Obsessed?The Difference Between a Vampire and a Werewolf?The Use of Drugs in Gaining Clairvoyance?Western Versus Eastern Schools of Occultism?The Silver Cord and the Trance Condition?

Within these 417 pages is a trove of information on occult subjects. Seven full-pagediagrams. Indexed. $8.00. Published by the Rosicrucian Fellowship. Order on page 64.

From the occult point of view this book answers 189 questions asked of the author. You willfind lucid resolution for many of your own conundrums expressed in the authoritative yetintimate voice of a Christian mystic and initiate.