Rosicrucian Digest, February 1931

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    SuggestionsROSICRUCIAN EMBLEMS

    Members desiring Rosicrucian emblems may obtain them from Headquarters. They are made of gold, beautifully inlaid with enamel, neat in size, andconsist of the triangle surmounted by the Egyptian cross. Men s style emblemwith screw back. $2.00. Women's style, with patent safety catch pin, $2.25

    HOME SANCTUM SUPPLIES

    Rosicrucian Candlesticks: Beautifully designed to represent Egyptian columns like those in Egypt and in the Supreme Temple at San Jose, finished indark red mahogany, mounted on double triangle base. Each will hold regularsize candle. Price $2.50 per pair; postage prepaid.

    Sanctum Cross: Design of this cross is like the famous Egyptian Crux

    Ansata (the looped cross), mounted on double triangle and finished to matchthe candlesticks, with red stone in the center of the cross. A very beautiful andsymbolical ornament. Price $2.50; postage prepaid.

    Student s Membership Apron: For those members who wish to wear thetypical Rosicrucian triangle lodge apron while performing ceremonies at home,this symbolical device made in the ancient manner and easily tied around thebody and containing the Cross and Rose within the triangle, will be foundvery appropriate. Price $1.50 each: postage- prepaid.

    Rosicrucian Incense: A very delicate perfumed incense, carrying with itthe odor and vibrations of the Oriental flowers. Made especially for us in condensed form, so that a very small amount is necessary at one burning. Farsuperior to any high priced incense on the market. Price $1.00 for a box consisting o twelve large cubes sufficient for many months use, postage prepaid

    Complete Sanctum Set: Includes two candlesticks, the cross, box of incense. and the ritualistic apron, all described above. Special price if completeset ts ordered at one time. $6.50; postage prepaid.

    ROSICRUCIAN STATIONERY

    fimshBwith pn^lo ri Ur she.ets .of beautiful blue stationery, broadcloth linencm cL lb fe T ? BmatCh' C'Ub Size' Each sheet bear= a symbolic Rosi-ance to show vnnr stationery to use in writing to a friend or acquaint-prepaid. your the Order. Price per box $1.25; postage

    AUTO EMBLEMS

    of metal, finished tn qoW and** but fan be used anywhere. Madesmaller emblem worn on lanek F Uf enam Emblem is identical with the

    quarter inches ^ ^

    ATTRACTIVE SEALS

    cent piece in red an dg old to b T u T e d ^ ab Ut the size of a twenty-fiveContains the emblem and name of the O rd er^ P^ e^ elopes or on stationery.

    ot the U.der. Price 50c per hundred, postpaid.

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    Covers the World

    The Official, International Rosicrudan Magazine of theWorld'Wide Rosicrudan Order

    VOL. IX. FEBRUARY, 1931 No. 1

    C o n t e n t s e r r rfl

    The Thought of the Month_________ By The ImperatorSuperstition________________ By The Supreme SecretaryAn Importayjt Announcement_______ By The ImperatorThe Duality of Jesus the Christ__ By Frater Paul BeckettLodge Masters_______________

    __

    By Raymund AndreaRaising Tour Vibrations_____________ By Frater GamuiWhat is Real?_______________________ By Frater P. B.Creating Tour Future_____ By H. Spencer Lewis, F. R. C.Thinking and Living____ By Frater John R. Carter, M. D.

    What is the Cosmic?--------------------------------Cathedral Notes____________________________

    Subscription to the Rosicrudan Digest, Three Dollars per year. Single copies,twenty-five cents each.

    Entered as Second H a Matter at the Post Office at San Jose, California, underAct of August 24th, 1912-

    Changes of id d w i Trni* reach us by the tenth of die month preceding dateof issue.

    PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE SUPREME COUNCIL OP

    AMORC. TH E ROSICRUCIAN OR DERROSICRUCLAN PARK SAN JOSE. CALIFORNIA

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    ESUS constantly reminded His disciplesand those who listenedattentively to Him that

    ! the kingdom of Heaven

    ' was not only close atjhand and might beicontacted sooner than[the multitude hadexpected but that the

    real entrance-way to this kingdom waswithin.

    However, we may view the preachments of Jesus in this regard and layingaside all of the symbolism that He may

    have used, the outstanding fact is thatHe made Heaven eminent and a kingdom which those here upon the earthmight enjoy. Certainly He was not thefather of the idea that the greatest ormost intimate joys of Heaven were tobejrcalized onlY after transition.

    Those who have been inclined towardthe spiritual life are often under theimpression that with the cominq of

    spiritual attunement and the consequentcontact with the kingdom of Heavenbrings naught but spiritual joy having

    'arthly joy. Such personsbecome disappointed and discouraqedw their journey on the path toward" , by the sortows and

    esDec JnveyKCOD,unUe ' e*Pience and^ \ by * * 9freat sadness thatseems to be a part Qf ^ spirituaj j. ^

    T h t ^ gradually illumines their conscious-Rosicrucum T the mystic this is easily under-Digest stoocl an

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    ing its way relentlessly into the core of

    a sinner's heart, as the mystics tell us.He is ever conscious of the fact that heis out of harmony not only with thehigher nature of himself but with thehigher principles of the entire universe.Most of his sins must remain secret inorder that he may enjoy life and libertyand the association of men.

    The sinner is a coward at heart in

    most instances, inasmuch as he fearsabove everything else the possible facing of his own sin and the consequentresults. He not only fears to face hisfellow beings and admit to them thesins he has committed but he fears toface his own reflection in the mirrorand to admit unto himself the evil ofhis ways. How could it be otherwisewith one who has wilfully chosen to be

    an enemy of mankind and a disobedientchild of his Father? Th e sinner isalways an enemy of civilization, anenemy of righteousness and an enemyof better instincts in the human race;therefore, his sins torment him andenslave him and in their bitter mockeryforce him to suffer as no other sorrowsin life can cause him to suffer.

    It is fortunate also for the humanrace that sin administers its ownchastizement and if there is any vengeance resulting from sin it is theautomatic action of its own discord.God the Father of all beings is merciful and even the average human ismerciful to the sinner but sin isunmerciful in its own condemnation andin the punishment it constantly wreaks

    upon the individual. There is no sadderheart, no heart more heavy with griefand pain than the heart of the conscioussinner. It causes mental as well asmoral and physical anguish and disorderand is the cause of disease and destruction. Tru ly the sinner is in sorrowconstantly and eternally until he findssalvation.

    The mystic, on the other hand, issensitive not only to the joys andblessings, the gladness and the songsof merriment that are in the hearts ofthe good and righteous but to the grief,remorse, regret, and heartaches of thesinful. Fo r this reason the mysticfinds his hours of thoughtfulness dividedbetween the ecstasy of sublime spiritualj d th bitt f th thl

    cup of life as represented in the heart

    of the sinful. The mystic becomesconscious of the fact that the sinner maybe redeemed and may be saved, andthrough grace and spiritual light hemay be saved from himself and fromthe torments of the evil within him andyet because he refuses the Way tosalvation he wilfully prolongs hissuffering.

    The Father of us all is saddened bythis wilful attitude and the host ofangels and the holy assembly of mastersin the Cosmic bow their heads in griefas they realize that sinful man holdshimself enslaved in grief and painbecause he refuses to see the Light orto venture upon the W ay to salvation.The mystic, ever attuned to the consciousness of God and the Heavenly

    hosts, senses what they sense andshares to some degree in their sorrowand grief. Thus the mystic passes histime in moving from great joy to greatsorrow and he feels the pulse of theuniverse, the heart of man, and thespirit of God working in all things andmoving in all beings.

    It is this complete attunement with

    all of the constructive and operativeforces of the universe and with thecombined consciousness of all beingsthat makes the mystics life an abundant life, a life of fullness and supremeeffulgence. It makes life not onlymore complex but more complete andmore interesting. It robs the idle hoursof the shadows and it takes from ourearthly existence all sense of isolation

    and separateness from our kith and kinand from our Heavenly Father. Itmakes the horizon of sunrise tinted withthe most magnificent colors of humanexperience and paints the sky of midday with a splendour of life that canonly come through living life in all itsfullness. It makes the golden sunset atthe close of day a panorama of humancontact and an expression of spiritual

    and worldly interests combined tomanifest God and His magnificentpowers.

    The mystic sees in every humanbeing a real brother and sister, a closekin through every human and spiritualassociation. Th e interests of his humanrelatives are h i s interests, for thei t t f ki d it d d

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    constitute one grand experience for the

    evolution of the soul. The mystical lifeopens wide the portals of human understanding, human sympathy, and humanattunement, and through this comes acloser attunement with the spiritualconsciousness that pervades all beings.This is the key-note of the power thatcomes into the very being of everymystic and enables him to wield aninfluence for good in the lives of others.

    Through his attunement and contactwith the soul in each individual aroundhim he becomes closer attuned with Godand God's view-point and in t h i smanner the mystic becomes a channelof divine comprehension, is not only aservant unto God but a servant untoman and one of God s chosen workers.

    The sinner or the one who choosesto dwell in darkness and who refrains

    from stepping on the narrow path thatleads to spiritual power is constantlyseparated from the human heart of allbeings and like unto a prisoner held inhis own prison by his own choosingand through his own commandment.He does not ostracize society but heostracizes himself. He does not pushhis human kin from him but tears himselfaway from them so that in his sin and

    remorse he may abide in secrecy and

    avoid the fearful Light of condemna

    tion. He refuses to listen to the voiceof mercy and he hesitates to accept theGrace of God and save himself fromthe sorrow of his own making. He doesnot know or else he wills not to understand that the grace of forgiveness andthe mercy of Gods love can cleansehim and wipe away his sins and purifyhis heart and bring joy and peace inthe twinkling of an eye. He convicts

    himself and chastizes his flesh whiletormenting his heart and destroying hismind in the evil of his ways. No real

    joy can come to him since the joy thatthe sinner experiences is spurious andin every sense fictitious and unreal.Eternal life is withheld from him for heseparates himself from all contact withit.

    The mystic, on the other hand, has

    placed himself in communion with theeternally constructive forces and isenjoying the influx of new life and newpower every moment that he lives. Itis a joyous living, with all of the sorrowsand griefs, for the end is always abeautiful one and the spiritual goal atthe end of the journey is ever amagnificent picture, inspiring and filledwith love and mercy begetting a new

    life and a life eternal.

    V V V V V

    The

    RosicrucianDigest

    February1931

    "SEVEN MINUTES IN ETERNITY

    ?Icas.u5c to again announce that we have, at a nominal price,

    u* uCCS S S ? 1 Seven Minutes in Eternity. with theirand causpA mn l rm S artic e appeared in the American Magazine,and Demons v"ommnt among the occult and metaphysical students

    which the author A** a u dea*S wit*1 t ie actua^ experienceEternity and whlch he terms as his Seven Minutes in

    l i tera^ ^n d^ dL ^I1113111 PdIey has been known in thepublications^ His n lX u 9- Written many articles for leadingwhich Rosicrucian stud^n^6 su*3stantiates many of the profound principles

    will be proud to h a v e vreCC1i-k theirLstudi^ * is a book which youAmerican Magazine it brcvuohf rary: wilfn article appeared in theMr. Pelley ^aTexneriZ t ' Part of the world,fascinating way. This book mav K? 311 T 9 teS m an interesting andB u re a u . p L a g e p S a t ' X ' A M R C S ^

    Three hundred eighty-eight

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    Superstition

    ByT he Supreme Secretary

    V V V

    T HA S been said that

    superstition is whatholds man in bondage,that the natural senseof human discernmentis limited by the grotesque fancies born ofthe fear of the unknown . It is qu iteevident when analyzing

    those who are subjects of superstition

    that ignorance can not a l w a y s beattributed to them. Th e popular concept is that with knowledge, light, andunderstanding, the clouds of superstitionare dispelled as fog before the piercingsunbeams.

    However, persons of intellect, learnedin the arts and sciences of the day, areslaves to superstition and as fettered by

    its dictates as the most primitive bush-man. If superstition were only of anexternal nature, if it were the productof circumstances or environment it couldbe classified, explained, exploded, andleft to d ie as rapidly as its fallacybecame known.

    But, incidentally, superstition is nottangible, not external, but a condition

    within, subject to the disposition, nature,and temperament of the individual. Th efigments of superstition are not gainedfrom hearsay nor custom from a misplaced confidence. Superstition is buta relative condition whose nature andcharacter change and alter as frequently as does the mental processes of theindividual

    F i r s t permit me to illustrate its

    relativity. It is commonly known thatamong certain aboriginals the customhas been adopted of eating the heart ofthe most ferocious of the animals knownto exist to them. It is believed that byeating the heart of the most ferociousanimal the eater will assume to a greatdegree the ferociousness and bravery ofthe animal eaten.

    The primitive mind reasons deduc

    tively thusly. The animal is recognizedby all in its tribe or community as oneto be feared because of its terrifyingantics and its great evident bravery, aswell as its display of hatred for man;therefore, its spirit, its inner being mustbe as fierce as its outer counterpart, thebody.

    As most aboriginals adhering to the

    earliest form of religion are animistic,they believe that the heart is the spiritpart of man or beast or, in other words,the ethereal entity; and, therefore, byconsuming all of its attributes, that is,the attributes of the inner spirit, willbe absorbed into the being of the eater.The eater of the heart of the animalwould in this way acquire the sameferocity as the animal itself.

    It might appear amusing to us, perhaps, and an absurdity, but why doesit appear so? W e proceed to reason,calling upon our memory for acquiredadvanced learning of scientific andpsychological principles with which torefute the primitive deductions. W estate that, from a psychological standpoint, ferocity and bravery are not of a

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    nature to be transmitted by a consumption of a physical organ becausethey are not of a chemical nature, etc.,that from a psychological standpointthe heart or any organ of the body doesnot represent the ethereal side of man;therefore, would not possess in anyform the characteristics of ferocity,bravery, etc.

    Experience gained directly or indirectly makes it a simple matter for

    modern man to refute this primitivesuperstition. Still, are we not awareof persons of good intellect and proficient academic and specialized trainingrefusing as, for example, to accept onan ocean liner a stateroom numberedthirteen, or carefully avoiding walkingunderneath a ladder on the thoroughfare?

    Undoubtedly, if questioned as to

    their actions they would deny theimplication of being subjected to theabove superstitions because of an inherent doubt that their superstitions arereally groundless and it is perhaps aridiculous fear, but the fact remainsthat it is a fear and they heed it.

    To themselves they have not beenable to support the reasoning of theirmind with enough facts to give credence to its actual absurdity. Therelingers in t h e i r consciousness thethought that there is always the potential possibility that some supernaturalpower directs the fate of the individualby testing his allegiance to certaingrotesque custom s. An instinctivecaution therefore warns against provoking any adverse consequence, so wefind that modern man is as deeplyfettered as the primitive man he ridiculesor pities. Until, through a thoroughand courageous investigation, he comprehends the original source of thesuperstition and the reason fo r itscontinued existence, he himself is boundnot perhaps by the mental conditioncreated by the savage mind, but by acondition that is a product of his ownmental plane.

    The Superstition is not always simple ItRosicrucutn com .fo ss ly complex. The greaterDirest f m,elkct,' the ore extensive theFebruary ^ fon, the ore fantastic and pre-1 9 3 ! y i^not* superstition. Superstition

    not an insult to the intelligence of the

    individual but rather in keeping withhis mental status. Those superstitions

    which appear ludicrous to the averageman or woman today are so only fromthe perspective of the individual looking at them.

    Referring to our previous analogy ofthe aboriginal, the savage in his environment with his intellect developsappropriate superstitions in keepingwith his mental development, and todayonly with a more advanced mentaltraining, a background of accumulatedexperience, are we able to point outthe deficiency of primitive mansillusions.

    W etoday, each of us, entertainsuperstitions that will require the perspective of a century of future mentaland psychic development before therealization of the imperfections of the

    beliefs of today are comprehended. W eare too closely associated with thecommon level of thought and reasoningto see above the mental picture formedby the mass.

    Thus there exists those beliefs todaythat are accepted because they meetthe requirements of present understanding which, to the average man ahundred years hence, will be consideredby him as superstitions of this day andera.

    W e can now comprehend h o wsuperstition is but relative. Its formand scope is shaped by the intellect ofthe individual. It, as said above, is nota reflection upon intelligence to besuperstitious of anything, but in keeping with the intelligence of the believer.

    When we appreciate something asbeing superstitious and are able to fullyrealize that it is merely a superstition,we are then mentally above it and weare very rarely the slave to it as itsnature is known to us. It is, however,an indication of intolerance and thedisplay of ignorance to ridicule those

    u i?rf j suPerstitious; that is, thosewho hold concepts which appear to usas illogical. W e are, perh aps, asequally superstitious about certain maters in the eyes of those who are on a*g er mental plane, or who will appear

    as such to those in the future.

    P*?C. i commonest questionsasked is the natural cause of supersti

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    tion among any class of society. By

    class of society is meant mental class.Schopenhauer proposes the propositionthat superstition is the result of anincident associated with an act of import to the individual.

    If, for example, an individual were toenter upon some enterprise of greatimportance that gave every indicationin advance of being a successful ventureand just before its final conclusion someincident occurred sufficient to impressitself upon the consciousness of theindividual and thereafter the enterprise,not because of the incident, failed, itis inevitable that the incident wouldbecome the basis of a superstition unless, of course, the incident was in thereasoning of the individual, not in anyway associated with the failure.

    Perhaps you might ask, suppose adisinterested party could present factsto show that the incident was not thecause of the failure of the enterprise,why, then, w o u l d the superstitionpersist?

    Psychologically speaking, the personexperiencing failure in his enterpriseand associating it with an incident isprejudiced by the circumstances. Th at

    is, the sudden re-action to a predetermined course of events gives riseto fear which lends color to the incident.The sudden reverses to a sequence ofacts implies an interference, and if theinterference cannot be associated witha physical entity then instinctively theindividual relates it to the supernatural.

    Incidentally, this lends support to

    the law, that no man can inherently bean atheist, for every one is superstitiousto a degree and that will belie the claimof conversion to atheism because of theinference of recognition of a supremesupernatural power.

    When one has an experience, asrelated above, in which he has therealization of his limitations, the greatfear of the unknown imbued in every

    human grips him and the memory ofthat fear and the circumstances im

    mediately proceeding it and subsequent

    to it are not easily removed by anymanner of persuasion or logic. Manyof the complex systems of theology oftoday have been brought into beingwhen perhaps not an individual but atribe, or clan, or community, havefaced the conditions such as above, andhave accepted the associated incidentsupon which to build a creed and adogma.

    Hearsay contributes not to the sourceof superstition but to its longevity.Hearsay weaves a pattern of weirdglamor and prevents the superstitionfrom being considered lightly by thosewho failed to have the original firsthand experience with the incident. Inother words, hearsay creates a favorable psychological condition for the

    reception of any superstition.There cannot be any remedy forsuperstition. W e may aid in delivering ourselves, or others, perhaps, fromour present misbeliefs by the process ofmental and psychic development, butwe immediately adopt a new mentalillusion, new superstitions, even thoughat the time we may differently namethem and have explicit faith in them.

    As man searches the mysteriousarchives of God and Nature for truth,his reasoning processes create differentmental images and each casts its ownshadow, which shadow is an actualityfor the time until another appears andthen the former is known as a superstition of the period. If we desire toadvance more rapidly we should quick

    ly relegate to the dark of the past thosesuperstitions that are known to us tobe such, and to remove their cloak ofhearsay so that they may be seen fortheir true worthlessness and as something that has served its purpose. Butuntil the dawn of an era, if that shallever be. when man is cognizant of theentire divine plan, he will have as hiscompanion at all times desired or un-

    desired superstitions, whether he recognizes them as such at the time or not.

    TU N E IN ON A M O R C RADIO PROGRAM

    Every Wednesday a radio program by the AMORC will be broadcast over station K N X, between 7:30 and 8:0 0 p. m.. Pacific Coast Time. You will enjoy the highquality musical program, as well as the interesting talk. Invite your friends to listen withyou, or those who might be interested. The wave length is 337 meters, and the stationitself is located at Hollywood, California.

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    An Imporant Announcement

    SPECIAL INFORMATION FOR ALL OF OUR

    MEMBERS AND FRIENDSBy T he Imperator

    V V V

    W IS H to take this body may for the time being become a1 paramount issue in their lives and we

    know only too well and are sympa-thetical, how serious ill health or the

    need for surgical operations ortherapeutic help can become in the lifeof every individual. But among those

    - . . __ii

    opportunity and meansof transmitting a specialmessage to all of ourbrothers and sistersand our many friendswho read this magazineor who come in contact with it in theirhomes, in libraries,

    public institutions, and elsewhere. Itrust that each will read the followinglines carefully and give the matter dueconsideration and thought.

    For several years we have enlargedand improved our Welfare Departmentand have augmented this work until

    01 every muiviuudi. uu i amuu^ who are healthy or who are practicallynormal in all physical requirementsthere are thousands of other problemswhich become almost as serious ashealth and o f t e n become a greatdetriment in the progress towardsuccess, happiness, and peace.

    Therefore, our Welfare Departmentsare divided into many forms of activitiesand a large staff of members areassociated with the Welfare work in

    ---- 1

    The

    RosicrucianDigest

    February1931

    today it is one of the largest and most associated with the W elfare work inactive features of our entire work in various capacities. W e have those whoNorth America. W e have done every- 9*ve legal advice, business advice, social

    advice, financial advice, and generaladvice on everyday affairs. Th ere areother specialists and workers who assistour members in their plans of promotion

    in inventions in solving scientificproblems, or in meeting tests and trialsconnected with their studies in variousfields of work or in advancing themselves to higher and better positions.

    I feel safe in saying that there is notanother fraternal organization inAmerica that has as large a staff ofspecialists in all of the arts, sciences,industries, and trades working to help

    the members of one organization likeunto the staff maintained by A M O RC.I also feel safe in saying that there isprobably not another fraternal organization in America that is caring for theproblems, the personal, business, andsocial problems of so many persons in

    Three hundred ninety-two

    thing logical and reasonable toencourage and to promote the activitiesof the Welfare Department and wehave tried in every possible way to

    convince our members and friends thatthis service is one of the primary andmost important activities of the wholeRosicrucian scheme of things. W esaid over and over that membership inthe Rosicrucian Order does notconstitute me r e l y membership in acollege or a school and that our greatwork is not the exclusive disseminationof knowledge or information but rather

    the practical help that we can give toevery member in every problem of life.Even the healing work is not the big

    feature of the Welfare Departments.Measured from the individuals point ofview ill health when it comes, oraccident which injures, the physical

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    so many walks of life and in so manycities of the country. All of this greatwork is what our members have a rightto expect as the real benefits to bederived from membership in theRosicrucian Order.

    All of this great work is separate fromand distinctly aside from the Department of Education or Instruction. W ehave said over and over, and againrepeat, that the preparing and mailing of

    lessons and lectures to our membersconstituting the additional work of ourorganization, is not the principal work ofthe Rosicrucians and is not the benefitfor which dues are charged. The lessonsand lectures are given freely to themembers as an additional benefit ofmembership. In other words, the Rosicrucian Order as a fraternal organiz

    ation is like unto all of the otherfraternal societies which do not haveany courses of instruction but whichstrive to help their members throughmutual aids of various kinds. W e haveelaborated upon these mutual aidsand these b en efits of the W e lfa reDepartment that the members pay theirdues and maintain their close contactwith the organization.

    The Department of Instruction, whichincludes the preparation and mailing ofthe lectures and lessons, is an entirelyseparate and independent additionalbenefit not included in the benefits forwhich the members pay their dues. It isnot true therefore that we sell our teachings or put any price upon them but givethem freely in addition to other benefits.

    But this is not what I intended to tellyou. I have a more important messagethan this.

    I want to speak to you freely andfrankly about on e of our W e lfa reDepartments that is causing us considerable anxiety. I refer to the HealingDepartment. All of you know that itis not the intent or purpose of this

    Healing Department or even of thelessons and instructions which we sendin regard to health, to attempt toestablish a healing movement throughout the world which is to supplant theother reliable and established therapeutic sys tem s. In oth er words, theRosicrucians are n o t attempting tobreak down faith in any of the recog

    be of one form or another. There isso much good in every one of thesesystems that it does not behooveanyone of us to attempt to say that anytherapeutic system is superior to othersor that anyone has many weaknessesand should be discarded. W e have inour organization highly efficient practitioners in every system of therapeuticsand our faith in all of these systems issuch that we recommend to our

    members that in any illness or in anyphysical or mental disturbance of theharmony of life, the members shouldimmediately consult a proficient andrecognized physician and have his goodadvice and help. Whatever we do inthe way of instructing our membershow to live or in helping them returnto a normal condition after illness ispurely supplementary to what thephysicians are doing for the members.

    On the other hand, the HealingDepartment of our welfare work hasgrown to an enormous size. This isunquestionably due to the many benefits that our members have found inthis department of our work. Thereare on record thousands of cases wherewe have been able to assist the

    physicians to bring about results thatthey could not have brought aboutwithout our help. The RosicrucianOrder has always had this reputationfor healing and no matter what it maydo in attempting to regulate its healingwork it will always have the reputationof having knowledge and processes forthe curing or relieving of physical and

    mental conditions which are beyond thepractice of the average physicians. W esay this without intending to mean theleast criticism of any physician or anyother system.

    But the success of our healing workhas become an obstacle to its continuance. It may seem at first that this isan impossibility. You may think thatsuccess can never be so great as tobecome an obstacle, but the fact of thematter is that our healing work hasgrown to such an enormous size and isbecoming so well known throughout thecountry that it is becoming impossiblefor us to give it the attention that wewant to give to it and which we mustgive to it, in order to maintain the

    d l

    o

    )

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    Years ago we told all of our membersand stated in all of our literature that

    we did not want anyone to think thatany knowledge, or any power, or anymaterial thing that we possessed wasbeing held selfishly and jealously by usto the exclusion of benefit to humanity.We want our members to use theknowledge they receive from us to helpothers and we want every Rosicrucianto be a real Rosicrucian in spreadingthe Light and doing good for as many

    others as possible. Our con stantrepetition of this desire has been takenat its face value and we now find ourselves unable to cope with the resultsof our own ambitions and desires.

    Stopping now in the midst of writingthis message to you and going to thecard index files of our Healing Department I find the clerks there have overtwo thousand four hundred names on

    cards of persons who have written tous within the past two weeks asking forpersonal help in regard to health orsome condition closely associated withhealth. This makes this departmentreally a nation-wide clinic and thereinlies the big problem.

    Now please bear in mind that I amnot speaking at all about the operatingcosts of maintaining such a department.

    All of these persons have to receive aletter in answer to their appeal for helpand they receive other letters askingfor reports and many dictated lettersgiving them advice and many telegramssuggesting special helps. The clerks,stenographers, and other workers connected with this department constituteone of the largest if not the largestoperating expenses of the organization.But this is not the problem for we havegladly and willingly enlarged the staffand added to the operating expenseswithout saying a word and we wouldcontinue to do so if the expenditure ofthousands of more dollars each monthwould solve the problem for us. Butour healing work is based upon adefinite system whereby certain

    work. At least one hundred to two hundred of these cases are selected by me

    personally each week and the demandfor my personal services in this regardare increasing at such a rate that inanother six months I will have to abandon the preparation of lectures, thepreparation of magazine articles, or thedoing of anything else for the organization but giving my time wholly andexclusively from early in the morninguntil after midnight looking after those

    who want or who must have treatmentand help at my hands. But this is alsotrue of the other ten or twelve specialized workers in this department.

    It is getting so that there are notenough hours in the day in which we canmake contact with those who are ill orwho need our help and we cannot trainand prepare the workers to look after thecontinuous increase in this department.

    Remember that there are organizationsin America who gladly offer to helpeveryone who is in trouble and whohave no limit to the number of casesthat they are cheerfully assisting. Irefer to such organizations as Unity atKansas City. But remember that all ofthese organizations rely upon prayerand the sending of good thoughts andcheerful words to those they are help

    ing and this permits of a larger numberof cases being handled by each individual than is possible by our system.The Rosicrucian method requires slowand careful personal study and contactwith each case and this is why itsresults and success for efficiency havebecome so well known.

    An investigation of the more thantwo thousand cases now before us for

    this week shows that more than half ofthese persons seeking for help or inwhose behalf help has been asked arenot members of the organization norprobably interested in any other part ofour work. Th e question therefor arisesas to whether we are justified in continuing this sort of work and whether

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    ------- j \ci.unn prin- we are fair to the rest of our membersciples and laws are applied by special in slowing down and complicating our

    workers who are well trained to take healing work and our welfare work bycare of the ca w------

    the cases that come before theWelfare Department.

    Our problem is one of having sufficient workers to assist in this important

    including so many who are not members. If the congestion in this workand the over crowding of the demandupon our time is going to interfere withthe giving of proper personal attention

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    to each case and is going to mean theslighting of the efficiency of the work

    then we should cut down the numberof cases which we will be able to carefor in a given time. If we are going toeliminate any cases common sense tellsus that the only fair thing to do is toeliminate those who are not membersand apply our t i me and s e r v i c e sexclusively to those who have a rightor who enjoy the rightful privilege of

    asking for such service.Just casually I picked from the

    Healing Department files this letterwhich came in the mail this morning.It is addressed to the Director of theHealing Department and reads as follows: I wish to make a report on thecase of little Johnny ---------- who livesacross the street and who was injuredin an automobile accident and to whomyou have been sending treatment forthe past ten days. The healing of hisinjury was remarkably rapid and weare all thankful although his parents donot know that help was asked.

    I also wish to report that Mrs.---------- whose condition you started totreat last week is greatly improved andI hope some day to interest her in

    higher thought and to point out theerrors of her thinking.

    I told you last week that the husbandof my neighbor Mrs. ----------is able tobe up and go to work again because ofthe rapid cure that was made in his easeafter the doctor said he would be in bedfor at least three months. My neighborsdo not know that I asked for help for

    him but I am happy you responded tomy call.

    The police officer in this city whowas injured while on duty was releasedfrom the hospital yesterday and thepaper states that his rapid recoveryfrom a serious injury is an unusualthing and I know that your help isresponsible for it because in talking to

    him he admitted sensing certain thingsthat proved this but I have never spokento him about the Rosicrucians.

    Now I am asking you to give helpto my sister who is suffering from etc.,etc.

    Now here is one member who hasasked us to help four or five others and

    through one membership alone we havehad to give service to five. It is a

    common thing for our members to askus each week or each month to helpfrom three to five other persons and asrapidly as we can succeed in this workother cases are brought to our attention.The question is as to whether it is fairto the efficiency of our work to continuehelping these persons who are notmembers, who are not interested in our

    work, who will not even admit that theywanted any help from anyone and whooften deny that they believe any helpcould be given to them by our methods.

    After long consideration, therefore,we have decided that after the fifteenthof February, 1931, we will discontinuegiving treatments through the WelfareDepartment here at headquarters to anypersons excepting a member of theOrder and his or her immediate family.In other words, the work must be limitedto the one who is a member of theOrder and to his or her wife or husbanda n d children or perhaps parents.Neighbors and friends, strangers oracquaintances living in the city orneighborhood of a member cannot beaccepted for personal help after Febru

    ary 15.W hat we do urge our members to do

    is to try and help these other personsthemselves and we have established ahealing period in connection with theCathedral of the Soul for the specialpurpose of helping the thousands ofpersons who are not members. Thishealing period has brought help tothousands of persons in hospitals, sanitariums, and p r i s o n s who are notmembers of the Order and who have notwritten to us and asked for help butwho have kept the Cathedral period forhealing and have voluntarily written ofthe benefit derived from that period.Therefore, if there is anyone in yourneighborhood that you want to help,give him a copy of your book Liber

    777 dealing with the Cathedral workand point out to them the benefit ofkeeping the healing period and they willderive help from this, but do not writeto our Welfare Department askingadvice or help for any of these personsor asking us to suggest any special helpor make reports regarding these casesfor the correspondence dealing with such

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    matters is becoming too large and toogreat for the staff to take care of with

    out neglecting the help that everymember is entitled to receive.W e hope that this frank and honest

    statement of the conditions will becarefully analyzed by every memberand every reader of this magazine andthat they will realize that instead ofsaying nothing about the condition andslighting the work we are trying to do,

    we are fearless enough to brave anycriticism of the stand we have taken

    because we feel it is a righteous onewhich every member will appreciate andsupport with cooperation.

    If you have not an extra copy of thebook Liber 777 which you can loanfrom time to time to some person to read,you may write to the Supreme Secretaryinclosing postage for a copy and receiveone without cost or obligation.

    V V V V V

    The Duality of Jesus the Christ

    AN INTERESTING CONCEPTION OF THE

    PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL

    By Frater Paul B eckett

    V V V

    [O ONE who is willingto enter into an open-minded s t ud y of religious matters as postu

    l a te d by s o -ca l l e dChristians the controversy that has arisen inpast few years betweenone group of men calling

    themselves Fundamentalists and anothergroup styled as Modernists is muchado about nothing. But unfortunatelyboth of the groups aforesaid are headedby men who in religious matters

    apparently speak with authority, andthe effect of their bickering has been notonly to settle nothing but it has proveda very deciding factor in placing thechurch of today in a position of defensebefore the world at large. Especiallyis this apparent to the members of theyounger generation, for should theirreligious teachers be advocating fundamentalism, they wonder if those equally

    j f a strong leaders who are t e a c h i n gRosicrucian mo ernism Christian or heretic, and

    vice versa. Such a condition cannotbut have a baleful effect upon those

    February whom the church is striving to reach,1931 and if it does not drive them from the

    church completely it at least doubles thetask sought to be performed. To a largerextent is this true today than it was intimes past, for the differences of opinionare not limited to separate denominations, as in days gone by, but havearisen and much animosity is shownbetween members of the same sect andbelievers in the same creed.

    In support of all of these differencesof opinion there have been advancedmany reasons, many interpretations,each adding more mud to the troubled

    waters. Perhaps the opinion offeredherein will but make matters worse, butit is proffered to you because thethoughts expressed have served thewriter in clearing up for him manyapparent inconsistencies and seemingincongruities in the records as presentedby the New Testament.

    Is there any difference between Jesusand the Christ? Are the two words

    properly used synonymously? It wouldseem upon close analysis that there isa very great difference, nor is JesusChrist properly used as the name of ourMaster.

    Our records regarding the birth ofJesus show that it was ordered he be so

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    named even before his birth, and further

    show that that order was carried outand that he was at the proper timenamed Jesus. So, too, it is recordedthat Joseph and Mary took the childJesus into Egypt: further, at the time ofHis appearance in the temple at the ageof two He was still known only by thename of Jesus. Thus in the four Gospelsfrom the time of His birth until the lastrecorded episode of His childhood at

    no time is He directly referred to as theChrist, nor does it appear up until thattime that His name is other than Jesus.Only in one instance in all that periodis the word "Christ mentioned, and inthat it is not a direct reference but isin a narrative as given by the author ofa book, which book was written longafterwards when the C h r i s t had

    appeared and had been recognized.The next recorded appearance ofJesus was at the River Jordan with Johnthe Baptist; and upon His baptism there(not the water baptism) by the outpouring upon Him of the Spirit and theproclamation of Him as the BelovedSon of God. then and then only andby that spiritual baptism did Jesusbecome Christ, the Anointed One. Hebecame the Christ as a reward for Hisovercoming and attainment.

    His given name of Jesus was notchanged when He attained Christhood;He did not then acquire the name ofChrist as a surname to be added to Hisgiven name, but He did become knownas one Jesus who had attained Christ-hood by overcoming the world, sin and

    temptation. So we have His name Jesus,to which is added that title of honor,that badge of merit, that outstandingspiritual designation, the Christ; butwithout recognizing Christ as a title wehave shortened the appellation to JesusChrist, which to my belief, is literallyincorrect.

    From another angle Jesus was the

    human or animal side of our Master.He was Jesus before He became ourLord and, without entering into anydiscussion as to the truth or otherwiseof the Immaculate Conception, so far asour records go He was bom and raisedas other boys of His time were born andraised. In the physical makeup of Himwho was Jesus He was even as you and

    I, of the earth earthy, but when the

    Great Soul of God, which we call theChrist, took possession of the physicalvehicle that was named Jesus thentruly was the composite whole Jesusthe Christ; and using the same maturephysical body that had been called Jesusfrom His birth this Soul of God, whichI have mentioned, manifested thereinand adopted this body as a medium ofexpression for its great truths to the

    peoples of the earth.Verily, the Christ of God is our

    Master and Lord, but not the physicalJesus. Today our immortal souls, whichare the real individuals, can only expressthrough the means of our physical body.

    Even the most literal among us todaywill hardly contend that when the wordsuttered by Jesus, Before Abraham, I

    was, that it was meant that he, thephysical Jesus, existed before Abrahamstime, but all will most readily admit thatwhat was meant by this utterance wasthat the spiritual Christ, that at theinstant moment was using the body ofJesus, had existed and did exist beforeAbraham. To a Rosicrucian it is notdifficult to conceive of this, because withour belief in and knowledge of Reincarnation we can readily understand whatJesus meant when he said BeforeAbraham, I was, but to the religionistwho has not had the advantages givenby the Order, Reincarnation is anununderstandable thing, an unbelievablething. Th ey will not accept the wordof their Lord. And, verily, when itcomes to religious concepts are we

    obstinately blind.It was not the virgin birth of the

    physical J e s u s that gave Him theauthority to speak the truth as He didspeak it, but it was the incarnation ofthe Christ, of the Spirit of God, withinthe physical body of Jesus that spokethese truths and which claimed to be"at one with God, the Father.

    With any other conception of Jesusthe Christ we find that we are worshiping as our Lord that physical beingnamed Jesus who lived some 2000 yearsago and who, it is recorded, died andwas buried. In like manner we areaware that those who claim to be lookingfor the second coming of Christ are inreality mistakenly expecting the second

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    coming of Jesus, the Physical man.While the second coming of Chnst is

    altogether possible and p r o b a b l e(although it is my opinion that He didnot go away) if we think of the Christas Sp i r i t , such second coming isimpossible of belief do we conceive ofthe Christ as being a physical bodywhich was known to the ancient worldas Jesus.

    The immutable Law of Duality wasoperating in the instance of Jesus the

    Christ even as it operates today, in thatwe, as immortal souls, have and use aphysical body. In common parlance wespeak of having a soulin other words,we magnify the body, a physical, perishable thing, as the possessor of a soul inall of its imperishability and immortality; we do but speak that which we donot believe.

    If we differentiate and say that theChrist possessed the physical body ofJesus and spoke its great truths throughthe medium of the voice of the earthlyJ es us , then have all of our bittercontroversies about the Virgin Birth andthe Second Coming faded into insignificance and our tragic differenceshave been stirred up by what might betermed non-essentials. Is it possible tobelieve that Jesus could have spoken thetruth as He did without having becomecontrolled and possessed by the Spiritof the Christ?

    There is an example recorded in ourBible wherein the physical Jesus and thespiritual Christ were in conflict, eachstriving for the mastership. The sceneis laid in Gethsemene. Jesus the Christis in prayer. Note the prayerhow Jesus,

    or the physical side, dreading the agonyHe knew was to come on the cross,prayed. If possible, let this cup passfrom me; but immediately did theSpirit, the Immortal Christ, triumph

    with the words that follow, "Not mywill, but thine be done.

    Jesus was crucified and spent threedays in the tomb, but before that did Heutter the words, I am the W ay, theTruth and the Life. If we persist inour worship of the physical Jesus, thento be consistent we must admit that forthree days the W ay was closed, theTruth and the Life were dead andburied. But the physical Jesus was notthe Way, the Truth and the Life,

    this could only refer to the ImmortalChrist direct from and of God.

    Jesus himself was a Gallilean. Christknew and knows no nationality. W ehave our direct record of the birth andtime of the birth of Jesus, and wecelebrate that birth date at Christmastime. Christ has no birth date Healways was t h e s a me , yesterday,

    today, and forever. Before time wasChrist was. I think it was St. Augustine who said that the Christian religion has always existed, but receivedits name as such only after the beginning of the ministry of Him known asJesus the Christ.

    It seems to me that many of theapparent and seeming inconsistencies inthe life and sayings of Jesus the Christ

    can be cleared up by a conscious recognition of the quality of this personalitycommonly known as Jesus Christ if wewill but recognize the physical manJesus and also the Immortal Soul, theChrist, using the body of Jesus as itsmedium of expression to the peoples ofall time, and with t h i s consciousacceptance new vistas will open to usin our study of life as recorded in the

    Scriptures. Until these new vistas areopened and explored through the teachings of our Order, or otherwise, mankind need never hope for the coming ofthe Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

    TheRosicrucianDigest

    February1931

    V V V

    W E W ELC O M E YOUR ARTI CLE

    W e welcome articles for the "Rosicrucian Digest from members and read ers ofthis magazine. Some are under the impression that they cannot contribute articles forthis publication, but anyone who has a theme along occult. d~-:.or psycholoav lin#* -------

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    Lodge Masters and Activities

    By Ra y m u n d A n d r e a

    Grand Master, Great BritainV V V

    P R O P O S E to givehere a few reflectionsupon the responsiblestatus of those whosupervise and direct in

    lodge or group work inour Order, on theira d j u s t m e n t to thediverse temperamentsand capacities contacted

    therein, and on some of the individualproblems constantly presented andwhich demand considerate handling.In this work, which is undoubtedlyhighly responsible and technical, we are

    looking upward and forward and calling upon the best that is in us to takepart in a task in which we confer realand enduring benefit upon others inthe matter of their soul e v o l u t i o n .Therefore it is not demanding toomuch of those who assume the responsible control in lodge, activities thatwhatever their practical ability may be

    for the discharge of their duties, theyshould possess some commendabledegree of qualification, in the occultsense, in order to fill that capacity.

    The object of the appointment ofresponsible heads in lodges under thesupervision of the Council of the Orderis obviously the e x t e n s i o n of theinfluence and a sharing of the responsibility of the Head of the Order in

    carrying out its work. It is not withinthe province of the Order to equiplodge masters with the necessary abilityto discharge secretarial duties. Theyare presumed to have in some measurethis ability and also the qualificationsfor instructing others, apart from thefact that they are students of occultism.I discriminate here because even a

    considerable knowledge of the sciencewould not necessarily equip one for thespecific task of working upon the livesof other students. A master is indeedentrusted with a very special kind of

    authority; and as I am writing impersonally, I do so freely and withoutbias.

    I regard it as essential in a lodgemaster in dealing with a student thathe have a knowledge of the generalmental status of the student, togetherwith such incidental information aswould be supplied to him with regardto age, occupation, studies or leisure,

    even personal idiosyncrasies perhaps,upon the student coming under hissupervision. The personal life of astudent will naturally have a direct andpowerful influence upon his life as aspiritual aspirant. Th e fullest generalinformation is therefore desirable; andmost students will be willing to supplyparticular information if they have the

    assurance that those who are to supervise their work and development areactuated with a s i n c e r e desire tounderstand and adjust to their presentoutlook. The aspirations of a studentin any field of endeavor, apart fromhis occult studies, constitute a factorfor the careful consideration of them a s t e r , since they will work out,influence, and be applied almost

    unconsciously in his lodge work. Hispersonal studies and aspirations will,for one thing, be something of a guideto a students possibilities on the path,indicate the quality and calibre of histhought and reveal tendencies liable toaccelerate or retard his spiritualevolution. Th e extent of his readingin occultism should especially be known

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    the schools of thought to which heinclines, and his progress in the science

    of meditation, before entering the lodge.Upon this data the master will base

    his method of adjustment to the studenta more or less objective adjustment.But he should also have a measure ofsoul responsiveness which will enablehim to read subjectively and fairlyaccurately the soul atmosphere of thestudent. Not much can be said on thispoint: no precise rule can be given.

    If the master has been working longwith others, he will automaticallyregister through the written or spokenword the soul vibration of the student.He should be able to discern veryquickly how much the latter is capableof at any particular point, what aspectsof truth he is able to respond to,whether he requires sympathetichandling and encouragement, or the

    strong assertion of will impulse toinspire and carry him forward. It ishere that the master will meet withtesting conditions for himself. A lodgewill presumably consist of many diversetypes of students, some of whom willrequire special attention and treatment,and for that kind of work specialqualifications are requisite in themaster. It should be his aim to arriveat that measure of balanced development which will enable him to adjust toand handle successfully every type ofstudent that comes under his supervision. He will insist in himself upona careful blending of the mystic aspectof devotion and contemplation and theoccult aspect of will and sound thinking, thereby demonstrating an abilityof responsiveness to types in natureeitner mystical or occult, or manifesting

    both in the process of evolution.A student should receive a powerful

    impression of adequacy in a master;not that of imperious authority, but asound and solid sensibleness whichimparts a feeling of reliable strenqth,assurance of understanding and instantresponse. T his feeling of im plicit

    culty and responsibility in assuming the1931

    task, in addition to the exigencies oftheir own development. The question

    of relative development and reciprocalresponse, however, stands upon anentirely different footing from that ofteacher and pupil in a school or university. Authority there in the majorityof branches of learning rests almostexclusively upon superiority of mentalcontent derived from the accumulationof facts well digested and memorized,and clearness and facility of statement.

    The preceptor himself may not, oftendoes not, count for much; his personalinfluence may be negligible if he is nolarger than his reading. But in the caseof a master, the authority should bealmost the reverse of this. It is soulcapacity that will have true and lastinginfluence upon the soul aspect of thestudent. This admits of neitherargument nor requires demonstration.

    I believe it to be true that very few ofthose who supervise in any school ofoccultism possess the distinctivecapacity of soul responsiveness, theheight and the breadth, and the fineand penetrative understanding to dealat will with practically any type ofstudent, even with students of variousdegrees below their own range ofresponse. This is a statement not

    calculated to deter, but rather to inspirea master to take the largest possibleview of his calling and make everyeffort to equip himself for his officethrough specialized study and research.

    It may be objected that ideal mencannot be waited for, the material athand must be used. Th is is so. Itis practical common sense and true inany line of endeavor, yet must receive

    some modification in connection withthe highly responsible task of workingwith others. And while it rests withthe Council of the Order in deputingresponsible officers as supervisors ata distance, the main burden of theresponsibility in this matter lies with

    the students themselves assembled inany particular locality in making anunanimous choice of one among them

    who has manifest qualifications for theposition of authority. It is then that

    the Council ratifies the choice madeboth on the ground of the proclaimedapproval and from its personal know

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    ledge of the one proposed. Hence theimportance in a lodge of making acareful selection on the basis of adequate and intrinsic merit. Th at onlyshould justify the choice of a master,not in any case zeal for personaladvancement, or to be considered ofvalue and prestige in the Order.

    A choice made under any such consideration would be likely to maintain amaster in a position of authority in

    which he would be naturally indisposedto disburden himself of any really tooexacting task entrusted to him, with theinevitable result that there would beinadequate dealing with present problems of the students under his charge.

    Moreover, in this connection a matterof considerable importance emerges. Astudent breaking new ground can be

    very exacting in his demands, according to type. Some of an inquisitive andingenious nature have the ability ofpresenting a particular problem thatsearches the depths of experience. Thatis not to be trifled with, neither ignored,nor yet does it call for lengthy examination from the master. But the indispensable requirement is, that de e pshould answer deep, or the opportunityhas passed. In submitting t h e s e re

    marks I have in mind the highestinterest of the student, the creditable

    discharge of lodge activities, and theallocation of responsible authority tothose only who have given undoubtedproof of capacity for leadership anddisinterested devotion to the augustideals of the Order.

    V V V V V

    Raising Your VibrationsA REAL MESSAGE FOR EVERY MEMBER

    By Frater Gamui

    (Venerable Master, India)'PRESUME that every

    student on the Pathliving in the Westernworld is as anxious toraise his vibrations as isthe adept of the Orientand I presume, further,that some of the Oriental

    methods for raising thepersonal vibrations will be of interestto the students in the Western world.

    The teachings of the Rosicruciansare universal in all lands and we rejoicein finding in the correspondence withthe officers and highest adepts of otherlands that our ideas and understandingsof our principles and practices, are so

    universally established that we are inperfect agreement in every point of ourstudies. W e are surrounded here withhundreds of ancient philosophies mostof which have had their origin inpersonal beliefs and individual leaderships and we have our hundreds oftraditional teachings which form the

    Rising above all of these, however,and as the highest standard by w'hichall are judged are the Rosicrucianteachings which, being universal, are asmuch our national possessions and prideas they are the possession of the adeptsof Egypt or Persia or any other Oriental country. Th e traditions of our

    Rosicrucian Brotherhood intimate quiteclearly that the origin and foundationof our work can be found in the ancientteachings and practices of the Orientalsbut we have long since ceased to lookupon them as belonging exclusively toany nation or any country and findgreater pride in the fact that they areuniversal not only in their applicationand practice but in the additions andimprovements that have been made inRosicrucianism in the past five centuriesor more.

    I sometimes wonder whether o u rbrothers and sisters living in the Western world realize what it means to theoccidental who makes an occasionaltrip or visit to European countries or

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    finds in these newer lands the companionship of an understanding adept

    and the teachings and practice of thesame sacred principles that he enjoysin his native land. With so manyother outstanding differences oflanguage, custom, habit, and practiceand with an unavoidable feeling on thepart of the Western world people thatthe Oriental is different from himself,it is a beautiful thing for the Orientalto find through his contact with other

    Rosicrucians that he is at home withthem and at one with them in theirthinking and their living. It is thisuniversality of Rosicrucianism thatmakes it a power in the lives of somany.

    Because the foregoing is true it iseasy for me to speak to the Westernminds regarding some of our principlesand be as thoroughly understood as

    though I were talking to those of myown country who have journeyed withme on the Path.

    The raising of our vibrations is avery fundamental principle in the development of the spiritual and mysticallife. The grea tes t act iv ity in theintellectual world has been the continued attempt to raise the vibrationsof the intellectual self, or in other

    words, to increase the power or theprowess of the human mind in a purelymental sense. From kindergarten togymnasium and from gymnasium touniversity all efforts are directed towardth e development of the intellectualmastership with its accompanying powerm the purely mental world.

    On the other hand, we have thechurches, synagogues, mosques, and

    o her sacred places of religious instruction tending exclusively toward thedevelopment of the religious self whollydistinct from the mental and the spiritualse t. In a very fundamental sensereligion ,s knowledge and not experi-ence and the study of and building upof the knowledge of God is more ?ruly

    n intellectual process than it is aspiritual one, though I regret that I

    should be able to say this.The mystic, on the other hand,who gives second

    these the spiritual development of theself. To him the building up of mental

    power through the absorption of vastintellectual food constitutes the building up of a transitory or finite part ofmind, while ignoring the everlastingand immortal part of self.

    As man increases h i s intellectualknowledge he increases or raises thevibrations of his mind power to a higherdegree where such energy becomesmore potent and more useful. The fact

    that there is a very limited world anda very limited usefulness for such powerand that it is a power which must beleft behind in the mortal mind to decayand pass out of existence does not seemto impress man as it should. It is likebuilding up the power of wealththrough the accumulation of gold inany form or of any cast . Its power isa fictitious one more limited than the

    poor man realizes and more enslaving,as every rich man discovers, than anyother power in the world and yet inthe very height of its seeming greatnessit becomes utter nothingness throughtransition. No man can carry withhim across the border line the powerhe has built up in gold nor can he carrywith him into the life that is to comeany of the power he has built through

    purely intellectual mastership.The raising of our vibrations, therefore, from the mystical point of view,does not consist of the creation orbuilding up of the power of knowledgethat is finite or mortal but which isimmortal and infinite. Such vibrationsand such power have to do with spiritu-ual self and not with either the physicalor the mental.

    I have seen in someWestem worldliterature the reference to the strangepractices of the Orientals and I regret,with thousands of others, that theaverage writer on these subjects selectsas his standard and example thosetypes of our own people who representthe illiterate, the uninitiated and thosedwelling in darkness. Thus the extrem-

    one

    ist who knows nothing of the Mystical

    ^Vay or of the truly spiritual life, but__ , w^ *s seeking to aggrandize himself

    form of limited^development ' 'i '1'0'19.1' Self pCTSecution ad martyr-intellectual or mental and nl L l m 15 Pured as typical of the

    mental, and places above Oriental adept. But in the privacy of

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    the lives of millions in Oriental lands

    there will be found sane and rationalpractices which are producing theirfruits in the form of highly developedspiritual beings who go their wayamong men and in the marts of theworld, living the life of practical application to the duties and obligations ofthis world existence without attractingundue attention through anything of afanatical nature whatsoever. Still, in

    their real lives, sheltered and secretfrom public observation, these personshave not only attained some degree ofmastership but are demonstrating thetrue spiritual principles of cooperationwith mankind in meeting their manyproblems.

    In this country we have adoptedcertain Rosicrucian customs or practices

    to enable us to raise the spiritual vibrations of the human body. I want toexplain these briefly so that the adeptsof the Western world may k n o wexactly what we are doing and perhapsderive an incentive for a greater devotion to these practices for, after all,they are all outlined in the Rosicrucianteachings of every land. Before doing

    so, however, it may be of interest tomy readers to know what objective wehave in mind in raising the vibrationsof the spiritual self.

    First of all it enables us to havemore perfect or more complete attune-ment with the Cosmic vibrations andwith the Cosmic mind. Secondly, thisvery condition enables us to more

    quickly contact the minds and spiritualselves of other adepts in other landsregardless of time or distance. Thirdly,our auras are widened and extendedbecause our health and spiritual emanations are raised to a higher pitch ornote and the magnetic condition of thespiritual body becomes more vital. Theresult of these conditions is mademanifest in the success we have in our

    healing work and in our ability to aidothers in many physical and spiritualways and in the illumination we receivethrough Cosmic inspiration and receptivity to the divine emanations of allmaster minds. That s u c h spiritualdevelopment should bring us in closercontact with the God consciousness andCh i t i t b it

    say rich blessings?is sufficient reason

    for all of our efforts in this direction.However, permit me to outline thefollowing as the principal methods orpractices for the raising of the spiritualvibrations in the human body.

    First of all, there is the subject ofour food. Th e early adept on the Pathis not denied the use of meat or flesh,for it has no real bearing upon hisdevelopment until he reaches a very

    high stage of spiritual vibrations. Whenthis point is reached he need not beinstructed regarding the reduction ofthe amount of flesh he eats or its complete elimination. He must be in goodhealth and strong in vitality before hefinds it providential to eliminate fleshfrom his diet and any attempt to forcea change in the diet through the wil

    ful elimination of flesh before the properstage is reached is a grave mistake.The point in the development of

    each ones own life when flesh shouldbe eliminated will be revealed withoutdoubt or question to the adept. It willbe a time when many other greatchanges take place in his life and whenhe will not feel called upon to expendso much of his animal vitality or hisphysical creative forces. So long asthe adept is engaged in any occupationand is living the earthly life that callsfor the use of the creative forces of hisphysical being he will have some needfor some meat.

    But in regard to other articles offood there is a very great need forchange if the vibrations of the spiritual

    self are to be brought to a high degree.More of the uncooked and green foodsshould form a part of the daily dietand most of the starchy foods shouldbe eliminated. Moderation in th eamount of food is very essential andno meal should completely fill or satisfy the craving for hunger to that extentthat not another morsel could be eaten

    with relish or enjoyment, or the bodyfeel so filled and stuffed that it wouldseem to be an effort to eat any more.By eating a moderate amount at eachmeal and with the proper exercise orphysical effort between meals the adeptwill approach the meal time with adefinite sensation of hunger and this

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    digestive processes are to do their workproperly and the r i g h t amount of

    strength derived from the food eatenwithout an unnecessary call upon thereserve forces to take care of an overamount of food. Two meals a dayrather than three becomes the habit ofthe real adept, for he finds that waterand fresh air can take the place of thefirst meal in the morning.

    The proper exercise of all parts ofthe body is the second essential point.

    Walking as well as jumping and someform of artificial or gymnasium exercise should be added to walking so thatevery muscle of the body does somelabor or functions every day. Bendingthe body in many directions and lyingflat on the back and lifting the limbsat various angles and with differentmotions as well as moving the arms andhead in various directions for a few

    minutes several times a day will help tokeep the physical body in proper actionand at the same time will help theprocesses of digestion and increase thefunction of breathing.

    Proper breathing is the third essen-u , e P breaths that force the

    exhalation of all air even in the deeprecesses of the lungs is very importantand a few minutes of deep and rapid

    breathing will exercise the lungs andthe muscles connected therewith to suchan extent that in a few months thelungs will naturally open and close toa grater degree and thereby inhaleand exhale a greater amount of air1 his is a very important feature. Deeobreathing slowly performed is only half

    raoSlt ^ aiCl!,Ce' Exercisin9 &e lungsrapidly is kke exercising the muscles of

    tte arms or legs with rapid movementsm place of slow ones. The slow actiondoes not give the benefits to be de-

    f e t in th ra?id action prosh air

    nature " 00" ' time e*ercises f ^ same

    The taBTh'l,fT t t eS tiaLiS that ot

    Rosicrucian 9od thoughts alth ough "*! yDeh lcl

    February eliminate In f s not enough to

    > s r u j s i . f i a n s b

    jealousy out of our consciousness forall of this merely clears the system of

    wrong thinking or lays the foundationfor right thinking. W e should feedour spiritual consciousness with foodthrough contemplations and meditations.

    W e should take daily a simple subject of spiritual illumination or somedivine truth or principle and analyze itand actively devote ourselves to itsstudy by viewing it from every angleand becoming familiar with it until itunfolds like a rose and presents to usa new picture or a more profoundpicture. This is spiritual exercise justas the breathing and movement of thearms and legs constitute physical exercise. T he co nte m pla tion of thespiritual truths brings an influx ofspiritual power and rapidly increasesthe spiritual vibrations of the conscious

    ness.Each thought should be a banquet, afeast for the nourishment of thespiritual self, and with the same degreethat we relish and hold in our mouthsa tempting morsel or enjoyable particleof food until we have drawn from itall the pleasure of eating it so shouldwe hold in our consciousness anythought, any truth, any principle, that

    appears good and sublime and examineit and analyze it until it has becomeenjoyable to us, illuminating, fascinating, and most of all influential upon ourroutine thinking throughout the day.

    As a fifth and last essential there isthe communion with God which in theWestern world is called prayer. Tothe mystic, prayer does not alwaysmean petitioning but the expression ofappreciation and thankfulness and theintimate acquaintanceship with G o dthrough the exchange of ideas. Communion should be the law of rising inthe morning and the benediction of theday before retiring. It should be thenrst practice at each meal and the closing thought of each blessing to thephysical or mental self. Th e Oriental

    adepts never begin or complete a mealwi out the prayer of thankfulness, and,5X never enjoy or participate in any

    inking that brings them extreme joyor satisfaction either in labor, or pleasure, or in spiritual study, without aqainexpressing thankfulness in communionwith vjod.

    F h d d f

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    These are th e essential processeswhereby the vibrations are raised. Ihave seen in my own life and in thelives of hundreds about me the gradualincrease of spiritual power after a fewmonths practice of these principles.They bring peace and happiness, acontentment and an absence of fear ordoubt and a sense of companionshipwith God and the great masters thatcannot come in any other way. Th e

    whole body and all of its functionings,the mind and the soul, take on a robeof purest white and a power that theadepts just starting on the Path may

    not suspect as being possible until theprocess is started and maintained as apart of life itself.

    May the richest blessing of the Cosmic rest upon you in your indulgencesand in your labors and may the increaseof vibrations bring you a spiritual protection and a new power to create thatyou have never witnessed or experiencedbefore. This is the wish of one whodesires to remain in your hearts as abrother in a distant land sending hismessage to you through the channelsof our beloved brotherhood.

    V V V V V

    What Is Real?By F r a t e r P . B.

    ECENTLY, while reading a book publishedalmost fifty years ago, atrain of thought was

    suggested to my mindthat culminated in thequestion propounded asthe heading of thisarticle; it is on its face,

    in this age of materialism, just anotherfoolish question, and should be susceptible to answer by any school boy.But is it?

    Are only those things tangible thatcan be weighed, measured or metered?Are only those things real that we canhandle, taste, smell, use or see, or thatimpinge themselves upon one or moreof our five senses? Are tears morereal than the grief that causes them?But can the microscope detect grief inthe human brain? Is food more realthan the urge therefor that we call

    appetite? And what chemist has isolated the impulse motivating the latter?Is the holding of a political office morereal than the ambition of the holder toat tain such o ffic e? But will thestethoscope sound the depths of thatambition? Is motherhood more realthan the love of a woman for her offspring? But can love be measured with

    Is the automobile more real than thethought of the inventor who evolved themachine? And did the surgeons knifeever discover a thought in the convol

    utions of mans brain? Is the heliotropemore real than its Creator? W ha tphysicist can explain the mechanism bywhich the heliotrope continually turnsto the sun? Is the chameleon more realthan its unexplained peculiarity? Yetno chemist can explain the marvelouschemistry by which it changes its color.Can hope be weighed on a pair ofscales, or can a telescope penetrate

    infinity?Are not these small illustrations,

    which might be multiplied AD INFINITUM, but proof that we are tooprone to accept effects as true causes,results for motivating forces? Do theynot also suggest that we devote ourmajor efforts to the development ofthings material that are in fact but

    manifestations of things spiritual, to thegrave neglect of spiritual development?All teachings of our Order lead to a

    marvelous understanding of the unseen,the unreal, improperly so-called, andsuch teaching, by instructing in truefundamentals, assists the student, andall mankind with whom he contacts, to

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    Creating Your Future

    By H. Spencer Lewis, F. R. C.

    V V V

    HIS is undoubtedly aperiod in the lives ofmany thousands of persons when the pastbecomes a memory andthe future looms as aserious question mark.Such persons seem tofeel that they are standing on the edge of a

    great abyss. Back of them are fields,mountains, and valleys over which theyhave traveled with more or less safetyand with considerable pleasure and happiness mingled with periods of sorrowand grief that now seem inconsequentialas they face the great abyss before themfilled with the terror of the unknownand presenting a serious obstacle totheir future progress.

    As they face this wide chasm, itseems that nothing but a miracle willhelp them to get across the great openspace and prevent them from fallinginto the dark recesses below, thus

    bringing an end to their careers.In the early days when the pioneers

    first traversed this continent in an attempt to reach the gold fields andfruitful valleys of California, there weremany occasions when hordes of them incovered wagons and on foot came faceto face with similar situations. Itseemed that the journeys end was athand and yet the goal of their desires

    ----- was far from them. For days, they

    Rosicrucian camPed at the edge of an abyss orDirest canyon and wondered how they wouldfXt u a e/ cr, cro?3 that 9reat sPace with itsre&rmxry depths of thousands of feet, and con-

    tinue their journey on the other side

    The

    toward the distant goal. Th ey wereface to face with real engineering problems, and yet had neither the skill northe materials with which to bridge suchgaps.

    The history of the progress orthe pioneers shows that eventually thesegroups found a way of getting to theother side and continuing westward,and their success will ever be a monument to the prowess of the humanmind. Ingenuity, prayers to the Cosmicfor inspiration, d eter m in at io n , willpower, and an undaunted faith inProvidence helped them to solve theirproblems. They could not turn backward, for they had been months ontheir way and had traversed desertspaces where there was neither foodnor water, and their supply of thesethings being exhausted meant that theymust either go onward or remain wherethey were and starve. Surely, thesepersons faced greater obstacles thanthe thousands of persons face todaywho think that their problem is onethat cannot be solved.

    The abyss which these persons faceat the present time is a mental one andnot a physical one. Th e obstacleswhich they have to overcome are moremental than physical in every sense.It is undoubtedly true that these persons stand on a material rock and atthe present moment have material obli

    gations and conditions to contend with,but the great chasm that lies betweenthem and the future progress in theirjives is not a material one that mustbe bridged with material things.

    The incentive that encouraged theearly pioneers to face their problem and

    Four hundred six

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    try to solve it was the fact that the

    future that was before them was quitedefinite and appealing, and in everyway alluring. Th ey had no doubt aboutthe joy, the happiness, and successthat waited them if they could oncecross the great abyss. It was this picture of future prosperity and theenjoyment of the greatest blessings inlife that strengthened their determination to solve their problems.

    The thousands today who feel depressed and who stand at the edge ofthe abyss in doubt and hesitancy donot have the alluring picture of thefuture before them that would encourage them to meet their problems. Theycannot see a bright and happy futureand they cannot see the goal of theirdesires waiting for them just beyondthe horizon. For this reason, theyhesitate and wonder whether the effortto overcome the present obstacles isworth while, and whether anything isin the future worthy of supreme sacrifice at the present time. This is wherethey are in error. And, this is reallytheir greatest problem, for they mustremove from their minds the doubt

    about the future, and they must have aglorious picture of what lies beyond inorder that they may be strengthenedto tackle their present problems andovercome them.

    The early pioneers knew nothing ofthe future that was before them exceptthrough the reports that had reachedthem and the pictures they had built in

    their minds. Fo r many months beforethey started from their eastern homesand during the many months of suffering and privation while traveling, theyhad re-created, re-painted, and re-builded the pictures in their minds ofwhat the future held in store for them.In their hours of loneliness, privation,cold, hunger, and intense sufferingfrom storms and other conditions, theyeased their bodies and their minds byrejecting the present and the past andliving mentally in the beautiful pictureof the future that their minds preservedand held before them as a rich rewardfor all suffering and all effort.

    The future became so real to them, so

    bridge the gap of the present and move

    out of the past into the future in thetwinkling of an eye. Their day dreamsand their night dreams were lived inthe land beyond the horizon whereeverything would be what they hadmade it in their mental pictures. Theycreated homes, new estates nestled infertile valleys or on the side of picturesque hills. They filled caskets withgold and boxes with fruit.

    They visualized new life, newstrength, temperate climate, and anabundance of the necessary peace,happiness, and contentment. They en

    joyed these things daily, and hourlybefore they ever reached the westernborder. They were making a new worldin their minds and this new world constituted their future, and as the picturewas completed and all of its marvelousdetails finished, they drew themselvesinto that picture and became living, vibrating parts of it so that nothing of thepresent, no obstacle, no barrier, nocharm could prevent them from steppingfrom the present into the future andrealizing all that they had visualized.

    In the same manner must the present

    thousands of hesitating, doubting individuals create a new future and a newlife beyond the present horizon. Theymust look upon all of the sufferingsand all of the joys of the past as mereexperiences enabling them to select thegood from the bad as elements to putinto the new picture, the new future,and the new life. Every experience

    has its lesson, every one of the joysand sorrows of the past and of thepresent are but illustrations to teach uswhat they should create and what weshould not create for the future.

    The future for each one of us canbe precisely what we make it. But wemust not wait until we are into thefuture or until we stand in the newvalley of the new land, and then beginto make our plans for the estate, thehome, the gardens, the orchards, themines out of which we shall draw ourwealth and our necessities. W e mustvisualize each detail, paint in each partof the picture, and keep adding to itall of our dreams and meditations untilit becomes a living thing in our lives

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    The

    RosicrucianDigest

    February1931

    standing at the very border of this picture about to step into it, and to begin

    to enjoy all that we have created. Itwe do this, the obstacles that nowseem insurmountable and which appearto rise before us will be overlooked andnegated in our ambition, our determination to step across the borderlinefrom the present into the future, andlive in the picture we have made. Suchvisualization and creating gives us notonly the allurement and fascination

    which is tempting but the urge anddetermination, the faith, and the powerto go beyond the present obstacles.

    There is no limitation to what themind can create in its imagings. Thereare no castles too high, no homes toolarge, no estates too great, and no partsof the country too beautiful or toobountiful for the mind to visualize. Theworld is yours when it comes to paint

    ing mental pictures of what you wantand what you should have. Furthermore, the history of civilization provesthat there is no limitation to mansmaterial creation of the things he hasvisualized. The whole history of mansachievement since the beginning of theworld proves that what he has mentally visualized, he can bring intoactual realization. The dreams of menof yesterday that seemed vague,indefinite, and impossible are surpris-ingly presented to us today in concreterealities and we awaken from our stateof doubt and incredulity to realize thatwhile we questioned and hesitated someother master mind turned a dream intoreality and the impossible things of thedreamer are the material things offeredto us today. And as we analyze thecreations of man and his accomplish

    ments, we are impressed with the onegreat outstanding fact; namely, that hewho never dreamed or never painted amental picture never created in theworld of realities a single thing. Around

    ^ j find those who have accomplished and built for themselves the

    a,rc eni>rin9 and ^ere arethe others who are in want or who arewithout even the actual necessities, who

    had no vision, who never attempted to

    create in their own minds a single thing,but who depended upon the creationsof others and the gifts that might cometo them through charity.

    Which do you want to be, thecreator of your life and the builder ofthe things you want to enjoy or theone who must take what is left overin the bounties of the lives of othersand which are given to you in exchangefor the hardest labor or denied to youaltogether? Do you want to be the

    serf and the hireling who accepts atthe hands of a master the things he hasmade and he no longer wants or thethings he in a charitable mood is willing to share with you partially orincompletely? Or, do you want to bethe creator and make the things youwant and bring them into realities inyour life so that you are