Rosicrucian Digest, May 1942

8/12/2019 Rosicrucian Digest, May 1942

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DIGEST

Ma y194225? per copy


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S T U D E N T ST A B L E T

L a r g e 8 } x 1 1 inch Sheets

Each tablet consists of 50large sheets, strong bond,

yet li g ht e no ug h to be apostage saver. Each sheetis printei^ with brief, useful instructions and information. One sheet is usu

ally sufficient for a verycomplete report or examination.

Price: 45c each( A L o t o f T h r e e f o r S I . 1 5 )

Our Suggest ion To You

Do Qs JouWould /?


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CAPITAN GENERAL

DON FRANCISCO PIZARRO

FUNDADOR DE LIMAEN 18 DE ENERO DE I53S

MUEflTO EM 28 DE JUMiO DE IS*.

0, JUANFODRtDG.

F AT E O F A C O N Q U E R O R W it hi n the gl as s cof fin ma y be seen the nak ed, wi the re d, le ath er y , emb alm ed re mai ns of the once pro ud, ar ro g ant Ca pta in-

General D on Francisco Pizarr o. He was conqueror of Peru, torturer and enslaver of the Incas. Gold, silver, power and fame we re his go ds. St ri ppe d of thes e thin g s, nak ed, his bod y sh riv ell ed by time , an d pub lic ly dis pla y ed , how ri dic ulou s his am bitions now appear. He founded the City of Lima and was assassinated in that city on the 26th of June. 1541. T his glass sarcophagus is situated w ithin the dark recesses of a cathedral in Lima.

(Cour t e sy o f A MO RC Camera Exped i t ion . )


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A t th e mercy o f fate / \ / O l L O S E a l it tl e s o m e t hi ng e a ch cla y il

y ou re no t a l it t le cl os er to y o ur g o a l. E a c hmorn ing l inds you more deso la te , more shakenin l a i t l i. ba te l ia s a w ay o l robb ing t l iose whode pen d u pon it. I 'ate uses time to bri ng de sp airan d helplessness to those w ho w a i l lo r fo r tuna tec i rcumstances o r lucky breaks .

A w a k e n to th e l a d th at there ar e no g od s olluck or chanc e that s hape the dest inies ol men.I here is no precon ceiv ed pla n lor you to lollovv:

n o g o v e r n i n g m i n d o r i n f l u e n c e w i l l m o v e y o uforward to even tua l success o r b lock your wayto serve its end. Y ou a r e e n t i r e l y o n your oun.II y ou take ea ch day s events as they come, ont o p t o da y a n d d o w n t o m o r r o w, y o u ar e A TTin: MERCY OF KATE.

Direc t Y our Li fe wi th T his Power

Y our l if e b e g i ns w i t h y o u . W i t h i n y o u i-> t hecapaci ty lor greatness , ( l ie means to conquerdre ad fears , to overcome hesi tancy w ith posi t iveac t ion , to Create the fu tu re ins tead o l w a i t ingI o r i t. A l l ( li e pe rs ona l powers an d a t t r ibu testha t you . as a huma n , w i l l ever have , you nowpossess . S top w ai t ing fo r a non- ex i s t ing fa te toset the s tage ol l i fe and mak e you a s tar. S lar ltoday to d i r e c t y o u r o w n l if t \

^ ou hav e t r ied an d w ai ted fo r every th ing e l seto make l i f e w ha t y ou wis h i t . N o w lei the

Ros ic ruc ians show you how to BFX d N \ \ I I I I Y O U R S E L F . I hey c a n te ll y ou ho w to qu ic ke n y our im a g in a t io n , to s t im ula te th e ll ow ol ereativ e. produc tive ideas . I hey ca n he lp y ou toI int i that happiness w hich comes only Irom conl idence in pe rsona l ab i l i ty an d se l f - assurance.

Le t Th i s FREE Book He lp You

J l ie Ro sicr ucians possess no s trang e pow er orinf luence, but t l iev can d e m o n s t r a t e a personalM A S T E R Y O F 'L I F E . R em em be r, y ou may

w a il for I ah* , bu t li f e w il l no t w a it lo r y ou. A cce pt th e g if t ol th e s ea le d bo ok be lo w byus ing th is coupon . Il ex p la ins jus t wha t theRos ic ruc ians (no t a re l ig ious o rgan iza t ion) havec lone fo r o thers and can s imply and e ffec tua lKdo lor you.

^RosLcrudam[ A M O R C ]

S A N J O S E , C A L I F O R N I A , U . S. A .

i Scribe S. P. C. j T he Ro sic rucians ( A M O R C ) j S an Jose. Cal i forn ia , V . S . A.; I am sincerely interested in an intellige nt method| for a ttaining a masters hip of life. Se nd me, without

j ob li g ati on, y ou r fr ee boo k which explains how I; may receive and use your age- old method.

i Name....................................................................................... \

! A ddr es s ................................................................................... |


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ROSICRUCIAN DIGESTC O V E R S T H E W O R L D

T H E O F F I C I A L I N T E R N A T I O N A L R O S I C R U C I A N

Z I N E O F T H E W O R L D - W I D E R O S I C R U C I A N

Fate of a Conqueror (Frontispiece)Thought of the Month: The Art of Mental CreatingFragments of Meditation The Subjectivity of MusicSacred Cities of the Andes: City of the GodsAda ptatio n Its Necessity and ValueThis Is O U R Wor ldPolarity and Its Field of ForceCathedral Contacts: PeacePosteritys HeritageThe Usefulness of BeautySanctum Musings: The Character"The W a y " o f Li feRoyal Baths (Illustration)

Subsc ription to the Rosicrucian Digest, Three Dollars per year. Singlecopies twenty-five cents.

Entered as Second Class Ma tter at the Post Offic e at San Jose , C alifornia, under Se ctio n I 103 of the U. S. Postal A ct o f Oc t. 3, 1917.

Changes of address must reach us by the tenth of the month precedingdate of issue.

Statements made in this publication are not the official expressions ofthe organization or its officers unless stated to be official communications.

Published Monthly by the Supreme Council of

T HE RO S IC R U C I A N O R D E R A M O R C

RO SICRUC IAN PARK SAN JOSE, CALIFO RNIA


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T H E

THOUGHT OF THE MONTHTHE ART OF MENTAL CREATING

B y T H E I M P E R ATO R

E R H A P S it is bestto begin by saying that the art ofmental creating is

not one that began by having itsprocess inscribedu po n a n c i e n tT emple w alls . Itis not something

which only chosen high ini t iatesare given the privilege of receiving

afte r severe test and tr ial. It is best alsoto make plain that it is not a lost art

which has been rediscov ered. It is notsomething which was once common toa great civilization and was destroyedby the ravages of time. Further, it wasnot later found among the artifacts ofan ancient peoples, to be held out todayto certain individuals and groups. Infact, there is nothing mysterious aboutmental creating, except as people may

wish to make it so. T he term ar t in thissense means that it is a technique ormethod which practice has developed tomake accomplishment more efficient.

T he art of mental creating employsthose powers of mind and attributes

which are inherent in every human being. It is a method of mak ing the bestof certain natura l abilities. T hat someindividuals have become masters ofmental creating does not altogether signify that they have been imbued with

77 , e greater powers than others. It usually o r - means that they hav e been mor e per-

. L severing. Possibly they fully realizedUigest their potentialities and c on c e nt r at e dM a y upon them with a view to maste ring 1942 them.

Let us first look at the advantages. A n advantag e, we w ill ag ree, is something which furthers our personal ends.These advantages may consist of ob

jects. such as a home, a car . and moneyin the bank. T hey also may be cir cumstances such as promotion in business,association with influential friends, thesolution of a problem, or an importantfavora ble decision. A dvanta g es may beadventitious, such as being brought toour attention by means over which weexercise no control or exert no influence.Thus, for example, one may offer to buya piece of your property, which youlong since have thought worthless, andhave not even tried to sell recently.

Now, it is common experience thatthese accidental advantag es are alltoo infr equent to be relied upon. Since

we insist upon advantag es, or cons idercertain things or conditions necessaryto our welfare, it is apparent that tohave them, we must br ing them about.

W he n you set out to do something, youare the moving factor. T he result, ifthere is to be any . begins with you. If

you are act ually going to par ticipate inthe method or procedure of making

whatev er you wish done, become a reality, you are then its creator.

It is obvious, is it not, that thereexists a very definite distinction betweencreating and a sheer wish. T his difference lies in the power of action whichthe individual exerts. Those who merely wish are shrouding mental creatingin fancy . A wish in itself, they believe,has some kind of mysterious potency.T hey t hink that by some strange metamorphosis the reality will come out ofthe wish. A wish, aft er all. is a desire.It may be an objective, a goal, or an


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end that is sought. If one, however, advances no further than the wish, nomatter how sincere it may be, he willnever experience a realization of it. T ouse a homely analogy, if you are at thebottom of a steep hill and you believe

it to your advantage to attain the browof that hill, no wish, no matter how intense in and by itself, is going to accomplish this. Something must followfrom the desire. A w ay or method ofascending the hill must be created.

Consequently, then, all advantages w hic h ar e not accidenta l mus t be created. T o create them, we mus t act. Ismental creating any different than thekind of creating or producing of anaccomplishment which comes aboutthrough phys ical activity? T here is nofinal difference. Every conscious human

enterprise, that is, one where man voluntarily participates, has its beginningin thought. It is, therefore , quite patentthat if something which you did notanticipate, and which you did not conceive, materializes in your daliy affairs,

you are not dir ect ly its creator.There are many things of which we

are the unconscious cause. W e actua llybring them into existence. On the otherhand, you most certainly would not calla man a creator who suddenly realizesa result, but who had no part in directing its development. T he most we couldsay of such a person is that he discovered the result. Discove ries are something w e should not depend upon. T hatis, we should not wait for discoveries todevelop. Sometimes w hen w e comesuddenly upon a result that we thinkadvantageous, we are able by deductivereasoning to trace backward from thegeneral to the series of particulars orcauses fr om w hich it came about. T hen

we can contr ol them, and cause the effect to recur as often as w e wish. H owever, most often, we have no knowledge

of how our discoveries come about.Therefore, when you are the consciouscause, which is preferable, you plan,

you think out the method, by which aneffect is to be accomplished. Y ou arethen its true creator.

W he n, by this reas oning , for ex ample, you set out to build a garage for

y our car, y ou are me ntal ly cr ea ting ,even though at the same time you maybe vigorously swinging a hammer anddriving nails. No matter how much

physical energy or force you exert, orhow many material things you work

with, so long as ever ything be ing doneor assembled is according to your conception, you are m e nt a lly creating.

A fte r all , in each enter pris e, w he n we

consciously and voluntarily take part,there is always before us the ideal, thethought which first motivated us to action. Just as the thought alone cannotcreate, neither can bodily action trulycreate, unless it is related to the mentalaction which preceded it.

W e should begin to rea lize at thispoint why so many persons fail of accomplishment in life. It is because mostof their bodily actions are not coordinated with their thinking, or else theymerely dream and never convert theirmental images into action, into material

and physical activity.Since creating begins with thought, we must tur n to the mind for fur the ranalysis. W e do many things habitually. W e know almost all of our habits.If we do not eliminate them, it inferseither that we consider them beneficial,or we have not or cannot exert enough

w il l pow er to al te r them. Ex cl udinghabits then, all our other actions shouldbe premeditated. W e should w ant todo them. Further, they s hould be witha definite end in view . In yo ur mindthen, for mental creating, it is first necessary to assemble the mental picture of

your desire , the end soug ht. Y ou bui ldthis in your consciousness, just as you

w ould a box w ith y our hands , forexample.

A t this point , y ou dont think of w ay s or means , y ou just endeav or toperceive the object or condition in itsentirety. W ha t is it you want? Can

y ou visualize it clea rly in y our mindseye? A s y ou see it mentally, is it as you

w ould w ant it to mater ialize , to comeabout? Do y ou say to yourself, it is

lacking something, I dont know what.If such a condition exists in your mental picture, it is at f ault. If y ou wer e tobuild a box materially, and one side ofit was missing, you would not be content. Consequently, until you are quitesatisfied with your mental creation, until the minds picture seems complete,

you are not ready to proceed. W he n y our v is ualiza tion is com ple te , lookcritically upon your handiwork. Thenex t step is to estimate its va lue to you.


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T h e Rosicrucian Digest M a y 1 9 4 2

Do not only take it into considerationas an asset, namely, the benefits youmay derive from it, but also the liabilities which it may incur. Everything

w hic h we seek to purchase or acquirehas its price. T his price is to be paid inmoney or its equivalent, or in consequences. Dont m om e nt a r ily deceive

your self by g iv ing w ay to y our emotions and to y our appetites. A pply the

yar ds tick of reason to y our menta l picture. In visualizing it, ask yourself if

you are going to incur the animos ity ordisrespect of many intelligent or fair-minded people, if you bring this thingabout. W il l you, for a personal satisfaction which you may derive from it,have to endure the disesteem of neighbors and personal friends?

Now, of course, many great inventors had to experience great disdain to

w ard their work, and suffer humilia tionto realize an ideal w hich they had. Buton the other hand that which they mentally created and later brought into material existence, they knew would intime to come benefit a far greater number of persons than themselves, andtheir immediate family or friends. A ndit was worth the sacrifices. Is yourmental picture one that is apt to incurall of this disfavor on the one hand,and serve no one but yourself, on theother? If it is, proceed no further to

w ar d mate rializ ing it, because ev entually you will be apt to hate the thing

y ou w ill have created. It is, under suchcircumstances, more of a liability thanan asset.

If you are creating something, which,as you look upon it on the screen of

your consciousness defies the morals ,conventions, and the laws of man at thepresent time, unless you can also visualize equally as clearly how it will laterbecome an accepted part of society,dont proceed. Further more , if youmust combat your own conscience to

hold the mental picture in mind, itmeans that immanently you realize thatthe ideal does not directly represent the

whole of you. It is not repr es ent ingthe moral as well as the mental self.Dont create something halfheartedly.If it does not appeal to your entire nature, it is not truly of you. Proce ed nofurther.

Let us presume that you find yourmental picture complete and quite ac

ceptable to you, one that, insofar as thecareful thought which you have givenit is concerned, will not become a liability to you. Y our nex t problem thenis to mater ialize this picture. T here isno kind of mental alchemy whereby,through the means of a word or a secret formula you can at once transmutea mental picture in its entirety into aphysical actuality. It is necessary toanalyze the mental picture, to ascertain

w hat elements or par ts of it alreadyexist as a reality, and of which youhave knowledge, and how they may beobtained. T o put it simply, if y our mental picture, the objective you have inmind, is composed entirely of elementsthe true existence of which you are notquite certain, and you do not know

where you could locate or br ing themabout, all then that you have in mindis an image of fancy. T here exists norelation between your mental world andthe physical one. Fo r analog y , suppose

y ou hold in mind the pictur e of a chest,a large cabinet which you would like tobring into material existence. If, however, in the mental picture, it is composed of a substance of which you haveno knowledge as to its source or thepossibility of producing it, it stands toreason you will be thwarted in bringingit about by the very inadequacy of yourown thought. Y our mental image, therefore, in part at least, must have a material archetype.

Let us now suppose that you hold themental picture of a home of your own,and you want to transmute this mentalpicture into a realized fact. Y ou lookupon the picture. Y ou discover that

your home is quite differ ent in des ignand in its accommodations from anyother you have seen. However, youalso observe that it is constructed ofmaterials w hich have ex istence. Y ourecognize the brick, lumber, mortar,plumbing, and electrical fixtures. Fur

ther, you know where they can be obtained. W ha t stands between you andbringing that picture into actual existence? It is the need of a certain actionon your part to create it physically.

Since you cannot do all of the labor your self , and since you havent the materials, the only action you can exert isthe power of money to purchase thematerials and services. Y our first link

w ith the present, w ith the mater ial


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w or ld in this ex ample is the acquir ingof the money. Nex t, ask yourself how

you obta in your monetary income. Isthat source sufficient for you immediately, or eventually, to acquire theneeded sum? If too much time willneed to elapse before you can securethe money through your usual channels,

y our course of action then lies in oneof two directions. T he first, you mustsimplify your mental picture for thepresent, make it one that can be created into a material reality more easily,and then later establish another andmore adva nced picture. T he second, oralternative, is to establish in mind, forthe interim, a substitute mental pictureof an advancement in your position orprofession, which may provide greater

income. T o do this, you repeat the process, you find out what is needed as thefirst element to make such a picture become a fact. If it means putting in moretime in your work, then start to create,apply action, put in more time. If itmeans you must develop some new wayof expanding your business or reducingcosts then act, start to create in thatdirection. It is obvious that if yourealize successfully the mental pictureof increased income, by action, by doing the necessary things in your business affairs, you bring into existence

the first element of the greater mentalpicturethe home you want.Learn, then, that no mental creating

is possible if the mental picture does notcontain some link with the present.There must be something about it which

you are able to star t on now. Mentalcreation includes imagination. Imagination is most valuable when it includesan actual element, some thing that nowexists or is quite possible, regardless ofhow small a part of the whole picture itis, and projects it into the future, enlarges it in other wor ds. A man can

imagine moving a mountain. He canmentally create that event if he hasknowledge of the actual factor whichhe must begin with, and by action candevelop it progressively into the powerthat w il l move the mountain. T houghts

w hich we may hav e and which are inno way contiguous to our present worldor circumstances, are just fancy and nottrue imag ination. Y ou must ex tend yourthought from something which is into

w hat you w ant to come about.

For further an a lo g y , no separaterung of a ladder ever raised a man toany g reat height. It requires a numberof rungs united to serve a common end,that of lifting man upwar d. T herefore,make your mental picture, in the process of mentally creating, as elaborateas you wish, but dont leave out thefirst rung, the connecting link with yourpresent capabilities and powers and

w ith fac tua l things.Can we not receive inspiration and

aid from within, in mentally creating? Y es, we can. How ever, we must notbelieve that the mere holding of a mental picture in mind, perfect in detail, isall that is necessary to transform it intoan actuality. T here is no strange powerthat is going to seize upon the picture

and transmute it for us. T he Cosmicforces are not genii. W he n we hold thepicture clearly in mind, we should, asfirst explained, try to discover in it thatfactual element which constitutes a beginning for our course of action. T henmentally we should ask for Cosmic inspiration, for guidance, for that intuitiveknowledge as to how best to start thatnecessary action. W e should ask forthe essential mental and physical power which we will need to launch ourcampaign.

W e must not think tha t some Infinit ePower, like the waving of a magicians

w and, is g oing to materialize the entireconception into a material reality, without any more effort on our part than themere holding o f the picture in mind. If,

w hen your menta l picture is complete, you cannot object iv ely and immedia te lydiscern within it the primary factor thatconstitutes the point of beginning, thefirst thing you need to do to bring itabout, then release the picture into thesubjective mind. T his is done by dismissing it from your thought, with the

hope or wish that you will receive thenecessary inspiration as to how to begin. Such inspir ation may come to youthe next day, or the nex t week. It maycome in what is ordinarily called ahunch, or as an intuitive flash.

The mystical aspect of mental creating comes in gaining the added advantage of a suggestion from the self

w ithin, fr om the Inf inite Inte ll ig ence of your being , by re leas ing the stimula tingmental picture into your subjective


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mind. Howev er, mental creating, contrary to the belief of many persons, includes no mystical process whereby, werepeat, the complete mental picture willbe materialized without any physicaleffort on our part. It is ofte n stated that

mental creating includes the drawing toone of a higher power that accomplishes the desired result. A nd this is true,but the power takes the form of a revealed idea, of inspired useful knowledge, of intuitively suggested helps.T he individual learns fr om within howhe may create in the material worldthat w hich he has in mind. T he individual is still required to do thecreating to ex er t the action.

It must be apparent to many, I amcertain, that numerous persons have

used this art of mental creating whichI have sketched here, without anyknowledge of mysticism, or even theprinciples of psychology . T hey havedeveloped the art by careful reasoning,and by responsiveness to their own in

tuitive impulses. It may have takenthem most of their lives to develop it. Y ou, ther efore, w ho hav e the opportunity of acquiring the knowledge ofthe method have a distinct advantagein the saving of valuable time. Ho wever, the art of m e nt a lly creating,

whethe r discov er ed by an indiv idual inthe course of careful thinking and a-nalysis of his acts, or whether learnedby him as in the reading of such articlesas his, wor ks for both alike. T here isno secret about it.

V V V

Fr a g m en t s F o r M ed i t a t i o n B y L e s t e r K n o r r , F. R . C .

1. A ll roads lead to the top of the mountain inhere ntly we are destined toone, and can never hope to reach the summit if we attempt to take them all.

2. T he lofty and perfect sweep across all earth knowing no boundary , encompassing all, even my heart, even my consciousness. T his greater than the mountains expressing its form, the sea its motionwill always remain, like a perfectsilence after the last notes of impassioned music fade; it does not need a time, aplace, a mantle. Heav en was a lwa ys close, and ev ery thing breathes its peace.

3. W ith o ut the passive there could be no active: w ithout the active there couldonly be the potential. G od is. T herefore he cannot be potential.

4. T he s piral leads through all ex perience; then how can we judge another?5. A ll beliefs are but a degree of attainment.6 . I am the shekinah in my sanctum.7. T he souls highes t impulses cr eate its objective realities.


O F F IC E H O U R S A T R O S I C R U C I A N P A R K A l l membe rs w ho an tici pa te v is it ing Ros ic ruc ia n P ar k s hould ma ke a no ta tion reg ar ding

the hours which the various offices are open in order not to be disappointed upon arrival. A pp oi nt ment s w it h S upr em e and G r and L od g e of fi ce rs s hould pr eferably be made inadva nce, reg ardless of the time you are coming, in order to be certain they w ill be av ailable at the time you will arrive.

T he Rosicrucian Museum is open to members and the general publ ic every day in the w ee k. T he hour s ar e 9: 00 a .m . to 5 :0 0 p .m . M onda y throug h F r iday , 9: 00 a. m. to 1: 00p. m. Saturday s, noon to 6:00 p. m. and 7:30 to 9:00 p. m. on Sunday s. T he Ros icrucianResearch Library is open to members every af ternoon Monday through Fr iday, as wel las 10:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. m. on S aturdays and 7:00 to 9:30 p. m. on We dnes day and F riday evenings. T he Planetar ium is open to members and their friends on Sunday from2:00 to 5:00 p. m. and from 7:30 to 9:00 p. m. T he administrative offices of the org anization are now open five days a w eek, M onda y through Fr iday from 8:00 a. m. to 5:00 p. m.

A ppoi nt ment s w ith of fic er s or co ns ult at ions w it h any o f the depa r tmen ts of the or g anization should be made during these days and hours.


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ik-::

T h e Sub ject i v i t y o f M u si c By F r a t r e s R o n a l d B r i dg e t t a n d C e c i l A. P o o l e

T HA S been saidthat music ha thcharms to sooththe savage beast.T h e s a y i n g isbased upon fact,because music inone fo rm o r ano the r s eems toh a v e a n e f f e c tu p o n a l l l i v i n gt h i n g s . I n f a c t ,mus ic i s one o ft h e f e w a r t s i n

w hich appreciation is found ex pres sedin any lower form of life than man.Man has the monopoly on most of theaccomplishments of arts and sciences.Particularly in the fields of science doesman alone hold dominance, because itis his gift of abstract reasoning and creative thinking that makes it possible forhim to gain an understanding of the nature of things in the world of which heis a part.

It is not necessary that all the abstract thinking and reasoning of man bebrought into play to appreciate the arts.Nevertheless, man has used his comprehension to create in these fields, butman alone has, in turn, been able to appreciate these creative accomplishmentsin the field of arts, while music in itspurest and simplest form does not needobjective analyzation to cause it to haveany effect upon the hearer, even if thehearer is lower in development thanman. Primitive peoples have used musicin one form or another. T hey have used

it because they recognized it as a directappeal to the emotions, as a direct channel to their subjective states. Poss iblythe effect of music upon animals hasbeen ex ag g er ate d, but many animaltrainers successfully employ music tobetter control the animals behavior.O nl y recently there have appeared innewspapers and magazines stories tothe effect that music is being employedby farmers to keep the domestic animals

which serve them more contented, andin turn, more useful.

O f all the fine arts by w hich manseeks to portray u ltim a te truth andbeauty, music is the most abstract andsubjective. Literature and the gr aphicarts, by describing and imitating thebeauty of symmetrical things, strive toreveal the ideal beauty of the universalsoul. Music, howev er, is in a class byitself, as its effect reaches into the depthof cosmic consciousness without havingto use objective illustrations or media.

A bsolute music can inde ed do very lit tlein the way of describing natural objects.It is true that songs are descriptive, butsong is a dual art the marriage of

wor ds and mus icand as such the songcannot be classed as pure music. Pr ogram music tries to describe things, butits meaning is generally ambiguous unless accompanied by extensive programnotes and explanations. It is w ithin theexperience of most listeners that themore a composer attempts to describeexternal things, the less success does hehave in reaching the subjective consciousness of his audience. In Haydens


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T h e Rosicrucian Diges t M a y 1 9 4 2

oratorio, "T he Cre ation, we find agood illustration of this truth. T he workis acknowledged to be a great religiousmasterpiece. It has aroused univer saladmiration in countless audiences, butit scarcely stirs the soul to spiritual fervor. It is too descriptive of the material

objects of Gods creation, and insteadof lifting the listener from the earth toheaven, it too often leaves him on theearthly plane, which it actually seeks todescribe. By comparison the music ofthose great mystical composers, Bach,Elgar and others falls into a differentcategory. T he creations of Elg ar andBach are introspective and mystical,and as such they touch respons ivechords deep down in the human soul.This music meets such a responsivechord within the being of the listener.

It is no mere coincidence that in E ngland and Canada during the early yearsof the war, and now in this country, usehas been made of the music of Elgar asan atmospheric background for broadcasts of a national patriotic character.Something inherent in these harmoniestouches and stirs the subjective consciousness to deep emotion. It is throughsuch emotional contacts that man ismade to realize true value and to gaina perspective which will help him betterto meet the problems of today and toprepare for a better future. T he expression of the composer in music is ourappreciation of the harmony of the lawsof the universe. Music that is truly inspired is one way in which we objectively perceive the manifestation of cosmiclaw. T he purpose of the universe, andof God in His universe, is reflected inthe harmonious laws which cause it tobe. W he n man is in attunement w iththese higher forces, he is truly approaching a state of ecstasy, becausethe ultimate for man is the complete coordination of his efforts and actions inaccord with cosmic law.

T he music of the spheres is a song ofthe harmony of creation, whose composer is the Creator and whose melodyand rhythm echo throughout the universe. Gr eat mystics have claimed tohave been able to hear this music, butmost of us only hear its echo when we,in turn, objectively perceive that music

w hic h limits its elf to re product ion w it hin the limitations of a physical instru

ment. N o objective analys is is neededto comprehend the manifestation of theinfinite. Certain laws of the universeare apparently comprehended by thechild, by the animal, as well as by theadult human being, although only thelatter can reason and objectively be

aw are of that comprehension. T he ob jective abil ities of man are closely related to the physical and objective worldof which he is a part. T he subjectiveman becomes aware of the consciousness of his soul. It is the point of contact with what he always was and whathe ever w ill be. T here are few things

w hic h can be contacted in the objective w or ld, other than music, to w hich thisanalo g y can also be applied. Little orno objective analysis is necessary tocomprehend and to understand at leastin par t the meaning of a musica l

composition.T he emotional response that comes

from music is an unrationalized response, because the music that is stimulating is a reproduction on a lower scaleof those cosmic forces which producevitality and stimulation, just as music

which is soothing and conducive to restis also a physical manifestation in acomprehensible form of those constructive forces of the Cosmic that guide anddirect us toward happiness and contentment. Mus ic has been tr uly called theuniversal language, because regardlessof the language which you speak, musicis still understood, provided our physical senses are able to perceive it.

T he gr eatest composers, as alreadymentioned, are those who have beenable to reproduce in a physical form anideal which extends beyond the physical. A composition is an imperf ect reproduction of the concepts of the composer. If it were poss ible for man tohear the music that the deaf Beethovenheard but was only able to reproduce in

w ha t he bel ieved to be the imperfect

forms of his masterpieces, man wouldeasily comprehend the limitations of ourobjective perceptions and understanding. T he same principles which governthe effect of subjectivity upon the workof the composer also affect the art ofthe performer, whether the performerbe vocalist, instrumentalist or conductor.

A ll tr ue ar tis ts in the ir ea rly day s oftraining feel the urge to express their


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inner emotions and wonder why theyfind it so difficult. A part of this difficulty is due to their inability to expresstheir creative impulses in terms of aphy sical objective medium. T hey aregroping for a means of expression, and

they must recognize that they are physical, in a physical world, and must gainphysical techniques as a medium of expression. A ll g reat art requires the mastery of an intricate technique before theartist can use it to express his inner self.T his technique, as already mentioned,is largely objective and requires many

year s of regula r and dilig ent practiceuntil it becomes absorbed into the sub

jective cons ciousness wher e it is theservant of the performer and operatesalmost involuntarily. Orchestral conductors of great genius control theirplayers far more by their personalitythan by a special individual techniquein the use of the baton. Instr umentalists who have had the privilege of playing under these great conductors declare they become absorbed in the musicand the pers onality of the leader. It isonly the real artist who has sufficientperseverance to reach a degree of technical mastery that allows a subjectiveconsciousness to fully express itself, andhow true this is not only in the field ofmusic, but in the field of mastering any

ability we may seek in life.T he composer and the perfor mer constitute two of the elements necessaryfor the manifestation of music. For a

perfect manifestation a third element isnecessaryan audience. How few people today really listen to music subjectively. Mos t hear it w ith the outwar dear only. Comparativ ely few absorb itinto the inner consciousness. T he ex

perienced concert artist will agree thatperfect attunement with the inner consciousness of an audience is necessaryif the performance is to be a real emotional experience. W he n an audienceforgets to watch the finger technique ofthe pianist or the histrionics of the conductor and begins really to contemplatethe music, it is certain that that phaseof the divine ideal realized in the mindof the composer will be transferred,realized and experienced both by theperformer and the audience. T hen themanife sta tion is perf ect complete.Rhythm plays a very important part inthe attunement that should exist between perf ormer and audience. T imeand note values are merely objective;they are the arithmetic of music, butrhy thm is subjective. It is the pulse oflife, the vibrations of the universe. A naudience must feel it subjectively . If itis absent the performance lacks life.One need not be a musician to comprehend these principles. One needs onlyto have a sincere desire to attune hisbeing with those things which will con

tribute to his betterment. A true contemplation of music can help man, ifas in many other things in lifemanpermits the help to come.

I N I T I A T I O N S S C H E D U L E D I N C H I C A G OMembers who wish to avail themselves of the opportunity to participate in the Fourth,

Six th and Eighth Deg ree Initiations may have this opportunity by contacting the Nefer-t i ti Minor Lodge of A M O R C , Lakev iew Bui lding, 116 South Michigan A venue, Rooms408-9- 10, Chicag o. T he Initiations will be held in the follow ing order: Six th Degree,Ma y 11; Eighth Degree, May 17; Fourth Degree, Ma y 24.

Eac h w ill be held at 5:00 P . M. o n the date g iven. A fee of one dollar is contributedto the Lodge in Chicago by each member participating in the Initiation. A v ail y ourselfof the opportunity to take these T emple Initiations. A ny active member w ho is eligible

for the Degree Initiation to be presented may participate.

S E L E C T IN G T H E P R O P E R T I M EIn conducting any Rosicrucian experiments, or to enter any period of meditation or

concentration, or to perform any acts which are based upon sun or moon cycles orper iods , the hours should be S T A N D A R D T IM E . For example, in fol lowing the per iodsof the charts contained in the book "Self Mastery and Fate. use Standard Time, whichis an hour earlier than the present W a r T ime. Howev er, in using the table of schedulesappearing in the "Cathe dral of the Soul or "L iber 77 7" booklet, use the present W A RT IM E . In conducting any other experiments, or making contacts announced in the monographs , a lways use W ar Time unless, we r epeat, they are based upon sun T ime.


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Sacr ed Ci t ies of t he An des By T h e Im p e r a t o r

The following is the seventh episode of a narration by the Imperator concerning his recent jo ur ne y by air . tr ai n, and pack , int o the in te r io r of the A ndes to s tudy and fi lm the anc ientcapital, temples, and cultural remains of the ouce lost Incan Empire.Editor.

C IT Y O F T H E G O D SE H A D f ina lly ne

gotiated the precipitous r oad. T oour backs was thesloping remainderof the hills whichrise above the sacred city. In theforeground was anarrow valley, devoid of all vegetation. W h a t held

__ our attention wasa huge structurein about the center of a large level area.Ev en at a distance of about one- halfmile from us, these remains appearedstupendous. T hey were the ruins ofancient Sacsahuaman, used by the Incasas a fortress to protect the approachesto the city of Cuzco.

W e descended the rock- st rewn ba nks,to the valley floor, tugging and perspiring under the weight of our cameraequipment. T his floor itself was at analtitude of about 12,500 feet. A s we a p

proached the fortress, it loomed greater w ith each yar d, and our admir at ion ofthe feats of these people grew proport ionately. The walls are t runcated.

T he W ha t had been their tops have long Rosicrucian s*nce disappeared. Gr eat causeway s orp.. stairw ay s approach the various angles

of the walls, and lead to where oneM a y time the Incas leg ions assembled at the1 9 4 2 top of the fortress to meet attack .

T he size of the stones used in construction may be appreciated by the factthat one of them exceeds 150 tons in

weight, and is 38 feet long , 18 feet wide, and 6 feet through. T hey weredrawn from quarries four to fifteenleagues distant! T hey are not indige nous to the immediate vicinity . Further,in bringing them from the quarries, theyhad to be transported over deep ravinesand up and down the sides of gorges.T his accomplishment itself is worthy of

our times, with all of the modern equipment which we possess. It must beagain repeated that the Incas and theirpredecessors, of course, had no knowledge of the wheel, so that most usefuland important implement was not employed in such transportation.

T he remains of S acsahuaman represent two distinct cultures. T he lowerpart of the walls is principally mega-lithic. These colossal stones are not skilfully fitted and shaped. T hey are considered the work of a prehistoric people, of the Indians preceding the Incas.

T his w ork resembles the megalithicruins and T iahuanaco culture, in evidence principally on the shores of LakeT iticaca high in the Andes . In fact, thenorthern wall, almost in its entirety, isof this very old culture. How old it is,archaeologists have not yet determined.T he southern walls were entirely erected by the Incas, and show their greaterskill in masonry, such as the intricate


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shaping and fitting of the stones, oneangle ingeniously engaging another, the

joints being per fectly fitted and equa lto the masonry of which we are capabletoday. T he stones are also all laid inreg ular courses, as we lay brick. It is

surmised that the first part of the southern walls was erected by Inca Copac,about 1482 A . D, Le gend relates thathe founded the city of Cuzco by lettingslip from his hand a golden wedge givenhim by the Sun Go d. One end of thesouthern wall is of very late Incaicstyle. Par t of these w alls of Sacsahu-aman date fr om the time of Inca Pach-acutic who is related to have built themagnificent citadel of Machu Picchu,

w hich we wer e late r to vis it. W h a t manne r of warrior s were these

Incas who defended these walls and thegreat empire which they created in the

W es tern W or ld? A c c o r d in g to theSpanish chroniclers, the Incas had anextensive military organization, the personnel well trained and high in courag eous spirit. It is these ve ry facts,however, which confound historians today. H ow could a mere handf ul ofSpanish Conquistadors, regardless ofhow dauntless they were and the factthat they carried simple firearms, defeata military machine of thousands of warriors? It is held today by military experts that even by the sheer weight ofnumbers, the charges of the Inca warriors could have overwhelmed the Conquistadors, ev en tho ug h the y mighthave paid for their bravery in hundredsof lives. T he Spanish military force thatreached Cuzco numbered a few hundreds of tired, homesick, and ill men,surrounded on all sides by thousands of

well- fed and armed Inca war riors.I recall seeing a beautiful mural on

the walls of what is now a RomanCatholic school in Cuzco. T houg h partially exposed to weather, it is still quite

brilliant in coloring. On e of the Bro thers of the religious Order took specialpains to point out this mural. It is theChurchs answer to the historians question. It depicts a pitched battle betweenthe Conquistadors and the Inca warriors. It takes place on a great plain,possibly meant to be the valley ofCuzco. In the immediate foreground arethe few Spanish soldiers, firing theirmuskets point blank into the human

walls of Inca war rior s. A s fa r as theeye can see, they have entirely surrounded the Spanis h. T he Incas, inturn, are shooting a virtual deluge ofarrows into the small group of Conquistadors. In actualit y , there are enough

arrows coming their way to cause eachSpanish warrior, if they took hold, tolook like an animate d pincushion. Inaddition, each Inca warrior carries hisshield, and either a spear or a war axe.Hovering over the heads of the Conquistadors are cherubs who, with theirbare hands, are deflecting the arrowsback to the Incas who are dropping ingreat numbers from them, m o r ta lly

wounded. T hus the Chur ch has madeit appear that the Conquistadors werevictorious because of "divine intervention" in their behalf, as depicted by the

flying cherubs. A n Inca y outh had to undergo severe

training and mil i tary preparat ion toprove his strength, courage, and fitnessto take part in the government and defense of the vas t empire. T he judges

w ho were selected to pas s upon theprowess of the youths were men whothemselves had been famous in war.Each youth, before the tests and trialsbegan, had to fast for six days. Hisonly food consisted of a few handfulsof uncooked corn and a small jug of

wat er to quench a thirst t ha t w as he ig htened by such a diet. T he first test required was to run over a distance of aleague and a half , about five miles. T hecourse was exceptionally rough terrain.T his course might require for ding ariver, or climbing over boulders at highaltitudes. Each youth was in competition with the others.

Parents w ould intercept the lads alongthe course as they began to falter, andbeg of them to break their hearts ratherthan to come off in dishonor. T hose whosucceeded in these strenuous tests pro

ceeded to others, inherent with danger.T he number of youths was then divided. One- half of them were given a v illage to protect. The others ha d tostorm it. T hen the next day the procedure would be reversed, the formerdefenders attacking, and the attackersdefending. Ea ch was prov ided w ith ashort, stout staff. T hey fought withsuch fervor in these sham battles thatmany suffered severe injury, and the


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casualties often ran high. Dur ing thismilitary preparation and training, theInca youths were obliged to learn tomake all of their own implements, clothing, and weapons.

The afternoon was well advanced,

and a cold, biting wind came from theglacial slopes of the distant Cordillerarange, when we had finished photog raphing the fortress. Before returningto Cuzco below, there was one more siteof historic interest to examine and tophotograph. P o pu la r ly i t is ter me d,T he Roy al Inca Baths. Some distancefrom the fortress are the remains of a

w all that by its masonr y is Inca ic. Immediately in front of it are two stoneterraces, one rising above the other,about four feet in height. T he top surface is about three or four feet in width.In the center of each of the terracesand directly above each other, and partially buried in the g round is a patera-like stone. T hat is, this stone is g roundso that it is saucer- like. T he top one isfilled with pure spring water, conveyedto it through a stone trough. Nea r thetop of each of these saucer- like bat htubs, one of which is above the other,are two oblong stones out of whichtroughs have been hollowed. Theseconstitute overflow pipes for the

water . T hus the surplus water of theupper bath flows into the one beneathit, and that in turn to the lowe r one. Ifthree persons were taking a bath simultaneously (and that is what must havebeen intended, it is problematical howclean would be the one in the lower bath

when he finished ba thing , since the wat er of the tw o tubs above w ouldhave overf lowed into his. (See photog ra ph inside back of this issue.) Somehuge stones had been fashioned intoright angles so that they made fairlycomfortable and yet massive stonechairs. T hese were evidently used bythe bathers.

It was a day most well spent in studyand photogra phy. It wear ied us considerably, however, and we retired early,the high altitude and cold night air inducing sleep as well.

T he next morning it was w ith joyousrealization that we were to pay our respects to the Sun Temple the meccaof hundreds of thousands of devout

votaries of the Sun God in the past centuries. W e set out on foot.

Here and there along the way, seated on the curbs, feet in the gutters,

were Indian men not many , but conspicuous enough to make us study them.

Leaning back a g a in s t wooden posts w hich supporte d porticoes in front ofthe little shops, their ponchos were disarranged, their faces more filthy andtheir clothing more unkempt by far thanthe avera ge India ns; their large feetflat upon the cobblestones and spreadapart, their legs bare to their knees andappearing emaciated, their eyes having a glassy, vacuous look. T hey wereobviously, so far as consciousness wasconcerned, out of this world, unawareof our presence. A t times, they wouldleer, an idiotic smile fleeting across their

faces. W e w ould hear a gurg ling intheir throats like a deep chuckle. Mos trepulsive was a g reenish- gray liquid

which tr ick led fr om the corners of theirmouths, apparently uncontrollable, or of

which the y wer e not cons cious as theychewed incessantly. These unfortunates

were nar cotic addicts . T he y were chewing coca leaves from which cocaine is aderivative. Since the days o f the Incas,chewing coca leaves has been a habitamong the Indians and is the bane ofPeru today . Some, of course, are moreaddicted to it than others. Ope nly ex

posed on the laps of some of these unfortunates could be seen the dry, greencoca leaves.

T he common beverage of the Peruvian Indian is chicha. It was made in thesame manner by the Incas, and calledby them aca. It is a beer made of maizegrains. T hese are chewed by old w omen and children who spit them into a

w ar m, brack ish water . W e are toldthat the more br a c k is h, the better.T here it remains until it ferments. O na journey far into the hinterlands, which

we w il l late r relat e, we saw ex amples ofthe dispensing of this chicha. A largeearthen vessel, somewhat on the amphora style, exposed to the warm midday s un. was filled w ith this chicha. Inappearance, to give a homely description, it looked like a dirty soapy waterthat had been used for scrubbing purposes. A n obese Indian woman satcross- legged upon the ground behindthe vessel. W he n she had a customer,


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she took another earthen vessel whichhad a handle, and which held about apint of liquid, and dipped it into thelarg er vessel to fill it. Of te n her handand wrist entered into the contents andcame out dripping. T his sort of service

was not in the leas t offensive to herpurchaser. T he dregs or r e m a inin gdrops contained in the dispenser weresometimes left therein, and at othertimes throw n upon the g round. Eachpurchaser drank from the same container w hich w as never cleansed. Chichahas a fairly high alcoholic content,

w hic h is the sav ing grace, for it des troysthe bacteria which such methods ofdispensing would o r d in a r i ly rapidlyincrease.

There before us in the plaza was thechurch and convent of Santa Domingo.It occupies the site of the presentT emple of the Sun. In fact, it is builtupon the original foundations of theInca T emple. Some of the remainingIncaic walls rise to quite a height, andcompose part of the walls of the presentedifice. It must be realized that duringthe time of the ascending Inca power,the entire city of Cuzco was a sacred precinct. A t that time, about the hua~ copala or central square, now known asthe Place Principal," and in which we

now stood, there were twelve wards ordistricts of the city. Each of these war ds w as inhabit ed by nat iv es of asmany provinces of the empire. In other

w or ds , each w ard was occupied by representatives of the peoples of the vastempire; each ward in Cuzco, in fact,representing a section of the empire atthat time. T he people in each w ard

wore dis tinct iv e dress , so that w henthey went about the sacred city, theydis pla y e d by this mea ns the section

w hic h they represented. T his , in its elf,discloses the astute political organization of the Incas. T he principal buildings in the district during the reign ofthe Incas were the royal residences andthe convent of the V irg ins of the Sun.

T he entrance into the cathedral isthrough usual la r g e w oo de n doors,studded with bronze rosettes, whichlead into a rather dismal, cold, austereand ill- lighted foyer. It is not unlike thefoyer of many other church edifices ofLatin- America and Europe. W he n wecrossed this corridor and passed through

another portal, a pleasing transformation greeted us. T he church was builton the order of a basilica. T he ambulatories formed a quadrangle; the latter

was open to the sk y. It was , in effect,a beautiful patio. In it was a mag nificent array of finely cultivated flowersand carefully trimmed shrubs. Thevividness of their color, the delicatenessof their scent, contrasted these living things with the depressing majesty manhad sought to attain in his architecture

w hich surrounded them. Per haps I waspantheistic in my view, but I was moreconscious of the divine in these growingthings and in the br il li a n t s unlight

which pla y ed upon them, than in anything which was suggested or represented by the present edifice itself.

The Temple of the Sun originallycombined the residence of the Inca andhis royal family, and what amounted toa virtual pantheon. T he T emple of theSun can be called a pantheon, becauseit was not alone a single temple of thesolar deity, but included the temples ofall the more important lesser deities as

wel l. T hus as one walks ar ound theambulatory, he sees great doors leadingfrom it. Ma ny o f them are the entrances to the temples of these otherdeities. Let us enter one. T he presentdoors, of course, are not the originalones, y et nevertheless they were broughtfrom Spain over two hundred yearsago. A ro und the entrance may be seena portion of the original masonry of theIncas, the great stone blocks magnificently fitted. A g ains t them has beenconstructed by the Spanish, as a latercontribution, an ornately carved stonearch. T his is definitely of the Spanishcolonial period, as the Incas did not employ the arch in their architecture.(See photograph, March 1942 issue.)

T he temple is oblong, perhaps thirtyfeet in length, twenty feet in width,and about the same in height. T he w allsconsist of regular courses of the originalIncaic sto nes , ex ce lle ntl y preserved.This is the Temple of the T hunder andLightning Gods, the dread ministers ofthe Sun G od Y nti. T he floor is likewiseof stone, and the entire temple is without furnishings of any kind. Recessedin the wall, about eight or ten feetapart, are niches, about three feet inheight, one foot in width, and about


18/44

eig ht inches deep. In these, the Incavotaries were required to deposit theirofferings of silver. N o images , it is related, were ever found in them, so thisexplanation as to their use is perhapsa verisimilitude.

Most impressive is a rather faintband about four inches in width thatextends around the entire temple wallsat a height of about seven feet from thefloor surface. Le ge nd relates that thedevout Incas who entered the temple topray and to make their offerings wereforbidden to reach or touch the walls ofthe temple above this band, the color of

w hich is now frag mentary . A bov e theband was the realm of the gods, theirsacred precinct. It was m ans most contiguous point to their divine sphere.T hey in turn never descended, in theirassociation with mortals and mortalthings , below this band. Consequently ,it was a dividing line between mansand the gods realm. Ps ycholog ically,it must have had a desired effect uponthe Incas . It caused them to conceivethe gods as being close to them asclose as they could reach and touch

w ith the ir hands ex tended above the irheads. It made the gods intimate, yetkept them from being profaned by being upon the same level as man. Mo s tcertainly it brought the gods closer thanthey were to man outside of the temple,in the conception of the Incas.

T he Incas exercised gre at religious tolerance. W he n they conquered theaborigines of Peru, who preceded them,they did not interfere with the religionof these peoplesa lesson we can learnfrom them today. Pachacamac was thechief deity of these prehistoric peoples.

W he n the Incas subdue d them, theybuilt a House of the V irg ins of theirreligion and a Temple of the Sun, alsoof their religion, adjacent to the T empleof Pachacamac.

W e sat upon the w all of the ambulatory, the warm sun heating our backsand feeling like a gentle, relax ing caress.

W e mused tha t about tw o months ag o,or the occasion of the summer solstice,

w as the anniv er sar y of the greates t re-T h e ligious ceremony of the Incas. O n eachRos ic ruc ian such occasion, the Inca nobles gather-Dieest e


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A d a p t a t i o n I t s N ecessi t y a n d Va l u e B y H a r v e y M ile s , Grand Secre ta ry

H E R E i s a l i t t l estory about a blue

fish and a flounder philosophizingon freedom. T heflounder professesthe re i s no f r eedom w i tho ut imagination, and theblue f ish claimsrea l f r eedom i sto go f rom onestream to another

w h e n e v e r t h e w at er in one proves unsat is fac tory . Ifone is confined to one pool of water the

year around, never ex per iencing the delights of change, there is no freedom,according to the blue fish. T he flounderhibernates in the winter, burying himself in the mud. Mr . Blue Fis h is amigrator and follows the streams to

w ar mer water s in the late fa ll. T heflounder had great persuasive powers inhis debate with Mr. Blue Fish, and convinced him he should remain in theNorth one winter and try to adapt himself to a new way of life.

T he blue fish agr eed, but he lacked

imagination and suffered a long, hard winter . A f ter adv is ing the blue fish w ha t to do to mak e himsel f comfor tableand enjoy his winter stay, the floundersaid g ood- night, buried himself in themud, and went to sleep.

W he n he aw ak ened in the spr ing andemerged from his muddy bed, he methis fr iend the blue fish. W e ll, how did

you sleep? asked the flounder.T er rible, said the blue fish, I have

never experienced such a horrible win

ter. I thought many times I w ould surely die. Never ag ain will I ever stay in

the Nor th during the winter. Give methe beautiful blue warm waters of theSouth, among friends and companions.

Y ou can hav e y our mud, darknes s, andthe cold."

M a ny of us are like the blue fish we lack imag inat ion and hav e no pow erof adaptation when new and unexpected circumstances are thrust uponus. W e bemoan our fate or offer excuses for our ignorance and wish forthe good old days, just as the bluefish longed for the warm waters of thesunny South.

Some of us do not wait for unexpected conditions, but create new onesby forming partnerships, getting married, joining the military service, orplacing ourselves in some position whichcalls for complete readjustment. T heability we have to adjust ourselves satisfactorily, or to adapt ourselves to allnew conditions, will determine how successful we may become or how miserable we w ill make ourselves. T he powe rof adaptation has tremendous psychological value to every individual. W it h

out it we are almost certain to experience much sorrow and a great deal offailure in our life upon this earth. If aperson can mentally adapt himself tohis new conditions, the physiologicaland material aspects will work out almost automatically, but if one's mind is always centered on the good old days,or like Mr. Blue Fish whose mind wasalways on the nice warm waters of theSouth, instead of being concentrated onthe problems of the immediate present,


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T h e Ros ic ruc ian Digest M a y 1 9 4 2

he will never experience happiness but w il l be a liv ing ex ample of discontent,sorrow, and even morbidness.

There are many examples, but let ustake the case of Everett V . He wassentenced to serve a life imprisonment.He spent every dollar he owned andsome that he borrowed, and he usedevery legal means he could acquire tosave himself from the penitentiary, butonce inside the prison gates, he resolved to accept his fate; be that as itmay, he w ould not fight anymore. He

w ould not tr y to escape. He was g uil tyof a terrible crime, and he resolved tocompensate for it in the way the lawdemanded. T his was his immediatemental adjustment.

Everett V . began to forget the outside world almost as soon as he wasgiv en a number. He tr ied to be obedient. He studied the laws of the prison,conditioned himself to the environment,centered his mind on things he believed

w ould be of value to him and which hethought he w ould enjoy. A mong these

was pa inting . He spent time in theprison library studying, reading, anddraw ing. He spent long hours throughthe night visualizing, meditating, andconcentrating on design, color, andscheme. A s a r esult of it he has becomeadept in this art and has contributedexcellent murals to the chapel, library,and other appropriate rooms in thepenitentiary. In this art work he hasfound happiness and has discovered ameans of expressing his inner self which

was ent irely unk now n to him bef ore hisentrance into prison.

T hrough applying the laws of adaptation he found an avenue of escapefrom the memories of yesterday. Hedeveloped a latent talent which underother, or more normal, conditions mightnever have come to light. A lthoug hconfined behind prison walls this manis at peace w ith himself. He has foundpeace through the application of a psy

chological principle, the principle ofadapting oneself to immediate conditions and circumstances, and workingout the problems of the present. Hismind is upon the "eternal now, notupon the illusions of the past.

T oday there is hardly an individualin the world who is not experiencing inthe immediate present the great law ofchange. Eac h one of us w ill be com

pelled to work with the law, to adjust ourselves to the new conditions thatarise everyday, to adapt ourselves tonew policies, new laws, and new principles if we are going to grow and become a part of the new order, new

w or ld, and the greater li fe that willfollow after the great world conflict isover. T he people who can more easilyadjust themseves or adapt themselvesto the new order and the great changeare the people who have for the last few

years been devot ing some time to thestudy and effectiveness of the power ofthe mind. Every Rosicrucian, everycollege student who has given a littlethought and time to the study of psychology, every individual who has devoted a little time to the principles ofconcentration, meditation, and the lawsof vibrationsuch as pertain to thought

wav es or thoug ht force af fecting otherthings, or conditions and people aroundhimwill be able, with not too muchtrouble, to adapt himself to the manychanging conditions of the almost immediate present.

W he n I say conditions , I meanprincipally the adjustment of our homeeconomics. W e are all going to sufferthe loss of many personal desires suchas expensive clothing, more food thanany of us actually need, the convenienceof travel, the use of the telephone andteleg raph communications. It is quite

likely we will even suffer the loss ofradio and many of the beautiful musicalconcerts, operas, dramas, and other interesting forms of entertainment that

we receive throug h radio today . W e are going to hav e to learn to

w alk . W e shal l be compelled to makeat home many of the things we use;I refer principally to clothing. Insteadof going to the store to purchase a shirt,a pair of sox, a cap, hat, etc., someonein the home must learn to use the needle,the iron, the knitting machine, etc. W e

w il l hav e new and plain designs for

clothing which will be comparable tothe plain food to which we will becomeaccustomed. W e w ho make this adjustment, and with the proper mental attitude adapt ourselves to these new conditions, will not suffer, but we willestablish a creative trend of mind andthought, and through using the mind ina ceative way, we will not only be ableto build the things that are necessary


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to continue a normal, harmonious existence, but we will be developing character, aptitude and strength. W e w illex pand our personality. W e w ill become more wholesome and more tolerant toward others. W e w ill begin todevelop a real attitude of brotherhood,for through our struggles we will findmany opportunities to assist and helpothers who will not have the ability orthe power to adapt themselves to thenew life. It will become the duty ofpeople like Rosicrucians and studentsof mystical thought to help and advisethose who have never given the mindany more consideration than the beliefthat there is such a thing.

If we cannot adapt ourselves to thesenew and unwonted conditions, we shallsuffer much mental anguish. W e shall

always be unhappy, and unhappinessbreeds phys ical illness. T hose who donot understand the laws and principlesof metaphysics and mystical philosophy,and have not learned how to directtheir mental forces constructively willbe unable to help loved ones and friendsand those who may be near to themduring the darkest hours of despair;but even now there is still time to makesome readjustment mentally, and get a foo thold in the fields of mysticism.

W e w il l then be surprised at ourse lvesand at the feats we may perform whenthe time comes and it is necessary tocall upon powers that heretofore wereunknown to us.

For thousands of years, when peoplehave met with profound sorrow, agony,and despair, when chaotic circumstances

were thr us t upo n them, it was alw ay sfaith in God from a purely religious anddogmatic point of view that caused themto appeal for help. No w in the livingpresent we who are of a more practicalframe of mind and who hold to scientificpoints of view must face stark realities.

Instead of placing our faith in only avisionary personality of ethereal conception and something that has beenhanded down to us through the imaginations of visionary and esthetic typesof individuals, w e must know that the future and the destiny of man lie in thepower of manman, the pure materialist, and man the spiritual being.

If we have been living for many years on pure fai th that God w ould intervene in the time of stress and when

chaotic material conditions threaten our welfar e, we mus t ada pt ourse lves to anew and more practical way of thinking. W e can adapt ourselves to higherthings only by studying higher laws,spiritual principles, and also the lawsof nature that are manifest in our immediate surroundings. I refer to thegr ow th and development of animals. Irefer to the laws of biology, chemistry,physics, and mathematics. I refer also tothe principles that underlie the manifestation, the growth, and the developmentof all physical and material form. W it hout a fundamental knowledge of theselaws it will be most difficult for those

who hav e depended sole ly upon fai thin a higher power to adapt themselvesto the new way of living that will beforced upon us.

It is through adaptation and adjustment to these new conditions that we

w il l be able to ma inta in balance , menta land physical poise, and be prepared toassist in the development of a philosophy that will become the guiding forceof humanity following this great worldconflict.

The law of adaptation is of extremevalue to every individual, for in beingable to adapt ourselves to the changesthat come, we will not have to give upthe harmonious living that we have ex

perienced for years. W e w ill not haveto give up the material things that aremost necessary in our lives, but we willlearn and understand that the changethat comes is for the purpose of innergrowth, and will realize that the successful life to come depends upon how

well we mas ter the tasks that ar e bef oreus now, and how well we adjust ourselves to our new environment and

whether or not we become adept in thelaw s and principles we hav e been studying for many years.

T oday thousands of men are beingtaken from their homes to serve in theUnited States Army, Navy, Marine,and A ir Corps. T rue, some of them appreciate it and enjoy serving, but themajority of these people are beingdrafte d. T hey are being compelled toperform a duty for which they havenever prepared themselves, and one

w hic h almost ever y norma l hum an being abhorsthe actual killing of otherpeople. T hese me n hav e to be condi-


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tioned to their new duties. T here arecertain principles of psychology used tohelp these men adjust themselves totheir new work . T hose who are mentally capable of throwing off the past,at least for the duration of their service,

w il l be able to adapt themselv es to theirnew life, and in some respects accomplish a gr eat deal. They will returnhome after the wa r as heroes. T hey

w il l hav e perf or med daring feats, they w il l hav e been noble, and w il l hav eshown great character, fortitude, andcourage. T hese people have greatstreng th of mind and body; they arenot hindered or held back in any wayby memories of home, the old job,property ties, or anything that theyreally enjoyed before they became instruments of war. T hey are mentallyfree to enter into their new work withenthusiasm and courage, and with apurpose of restoring to the world theliberty and the peace and the happinessof which it is now apparently beingrobbed.

Those who are drafted in the UnitedStates service forces and who cannotadjust themselves to the new environment and the new life will experiencemental anguish, pain, and sorrow. T hey

w il l alway s be liv ing in the pas t; they w il l be cont inually long ing for home,family, and friends back in the oldtown. T hey are the people who willhave to learn through hard experience

to fit themselves into an environmentand an activity for which they were notcreated. If they had previously studiedthe power of thought, developed theability to concentrate and center theirminds upon duties of the immediatepresent, had they learned to meditate

and so take advantage of even a fewmoments when they would not be inactual combat, or when they would beat rest, they would experience newpower, greater vision, and would beable to comfort themselves with the inspiration that would come to themthrough attunement with the DivineMindthat force and power which isthe director and great adjustor of allhumanity and earthly things.

Those who have learned to meditateand in some small w ay attune theirminds to that which we all call Divine,

w il l find grea t solace in the fact tha t lifeitself is indestructible; that only formpasses through change; that the law ofchange is inevitable; and that at sometime we all will come to a period in life

w hen we shal l ex perience in one w ay oranother the change from physical formto spiritual power. Those who havegone further in their study of mysticallaws will even realize that this spiritualpower will again form itself into a physical vehicle through which the Divinesoul can express itself again upon the

earth.

V V V

S A C R E D C IT IE S O F T H E A N D E S(Continued from Page 136)

T h e Rosicrucian Digest M a y 1942

in the court of the temple, a llama wassacrificed. T he priests or principal menof the city who were called Orejones ex amined the arr angement of the visceraof the llama, and from it sought to readthe future. W e recall that the ancientSumerians and Babylonians also studied

the configurations of a sheeps liverlikewise to predict the future. W e k now,too, that the Incas never sacrificed anything but animals in any of their religious ceremonies.

No w in our mind's eye we could seethat the people were working themselves up into a religious frenzy, crying,praying, drinking aca, breaking the fast,and gorg ing themselves. It was with

difficulty that we returned in consciousness to the present, and solemnly andreflectively departed from the Templeof the Sun. A s I passed one of the ancient walls, I removed a few smallstones from them and placed them in acamera case. I had a symbolical pur

pose in mind in doing this. I was touse them in an important event. A lr eady we were think ing of Machu

Picchu. W e were strangely, in a mental way, drawn to it, and we were tohave experiences there which we wouldnever forget. W e anxiously awaitedthe time when we could begin our journey to it, deep in the hinterlands of thisbeautiful, mysterious, and primitive land.


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T h i s I s O U R W o r l d B y S o r o r F l o r e n c e C l a r k e

U C H O F t h etho ug ht of freemen today is upont h e g e n e r a t i o nnow g r ow ing up

their hopes forthe future and theneed to make the

w o r ld a b e t te rplace to live in,that that generation w hic h is responsible for theconditions of to

day, which seem to have raised so manychallenges to faith and progress, mayin passing from the scene leave a heritage of freedom and opportunity totheir posterity . T his has in all timesbeen the thought, the great motive, ofthose earnest souls who have striven toimprove themselves, their conditions andthe lands in which they lived, and toleave a greater store of wisdom, culture and beauty to enrich the world fortheir children. It is the great incentiveof evolution.

It is part of the heritage of the American hemisphere that those countries

founded as a refuge from persecutionsof the O ld W or ld, in the ideals of personal liberty and national and racialfreedom, believe this new land wasgiven all peoples for the building of thegreat states of the future that thesecontinents were opened to all races asa Promised Land of hope and opportunity, and that its destiny, Cosmicallyordained, is too great to be crushed byany power . But even those w ho hold

this belief dearest and have the innerknowledge of Cosmic purposes, knowthat man must ever earn and be worthyof that which he seeks. In that light,they know that all men who would preserve that destiny and keep those idealsalive must give their utmost to thatgreat purpose, which should in this timebe the foremost thing in their lives.

W hile al l men w ho dedica te theirlives to high ideals, to the purposes ofprogress, civ i l iz a t io n and evolution,realize this tremendous issue facing the

w or ld today , the mystic and student ofhigher teachings has an even deeper

realization of it, if he sees the greatdrama in all its force and immensity ofmeaning. Y et do all of us who have accepted these teachings, with the doctrines of Karma and reincarnation, lookinto it deeply enough to see how vitallyeach of us is concerned, in the closest,most personal way, with the outcome ofthis great struggle? No t just for today

not alone for the gene ra tions to comeafter, but for ourselves, for our future!T his is O U R wor ld eternally ours,and soon, as the cycles swing around,

we shall return to liv e again in the

w or ld we leave b e h in d us now. Ingrasping this thought, if we accept allthe implications of the teachings wehave chosen to follow, and to which wededicate our lives, we may find that wehave a stronger, more personal motiveto consider in facing conditions nowa more self- ish motive, if y ou will,but one which we may well give thoughtto if we are to choose our paths of action and service now. A ll parents think


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of the world their children must live in all ea rnes t worker s in the w or ld thinkof the prospects of the younger generations among whom they workand desire to hand over to them a country fullof promise and hope. But this, in ourbelief, will continue to be our world

w e w il l no t leav e it, w he n our lit tlecycle here is done. W e may go on

w or k ing , in inv is ible w ay s, am ong those w ho g row int o inhe ri tance of its fr uits and when the time is fulf ill ed, weshall return to take up again our tasks,to enjoy the results of our labors, inthose fields to which we shall be drawnby what we do here now, today.

T his, i t seems to me, is a tr emendousthoughtthe greatest incentive to thesearch for T ruth, for the effort to liveby its light, to build well and beautifully, that man has found. It may be asgreat an incentive to many, and somemight think a more selfless one, to thinkof the world as the heritage of theirchildren, of posterity, which they themselves will not sharebut we Rosicrucians can remember our eternal selvesand know that we shall be our ow n posterity: We, every one of us, willcome back to inherit this land again,and take up again the task of makingit a better, brighter place in which wemay live richer, more evolved lives.Each and every one of us is a part ofthe Great Oversoul, and in working forourselves , w e w ork for all men in

w or k ing for our brother s, our childr en, we are w or k ing also for ourselves . T hedestiny of the w orld is for all men. Itis for them to inherit as brothers, andeach of us has our share in it, so longas the human race continues to inhabitthis fair green Earth.

Let us think, then, what we want our w or ld to be in those day s w hen weshall return again, as little children, tolearn over again the great lessons ofhuman life. Let us build, let us plant,today, those things which we wish tosurvive and increase until that time

w he n we ma y return to enjoy them'to

share, to work among and profit by inthat time when we shall again take upthe tools of life and build and plantanew. Can y ou picture now the wor ld

y ou w ould lik e to come bac k to? Can y ou conceiv e a w or ld so br ig ht w ithpromise and hope, so rich with goodthings and beauty, that men's tasks willbe lighter, their hearts more filled withpeace and love, and their lives morefilled with thanksgiving and joy, than

w e can imag ine as ex is ting anyw hereon earth today ? Ca n you set such avision before you, hold it in your heart,and work toward it in every way now

w ithin y our abil ity , w ith all the dev otion and earnestness of your mind andbody? Is this a task so stupendous that

we shall think we, among the least ofthese, can do nothing to further ittobring such a w orld into being? Surelyno vision is too bright, too beautiful, forus to hold in our hearts as the goal ofmorrow , as the hope of the future. Letus, each one of us, hold such a visionin our heart, if we have held no suchhigh ideal in the past, and think, act and

w or k, in ever y w ay w e can, to add alittle to its structure, so that we, too.may come back to live in and enjoy afair world that has always been, and

w il l be so long as it bears hum an life,our w orld our divine birthrig ht, theKingdom of God on Earth.

If we who are students of the laws oflife see the Creator and Ruler of the

Universe as the Living Light of Lifeand Lovesee the progress of man tobe the W a y of L ight up from the darkness of ignorance to understanding andtrue wisdomif we wish to grow intothat Light, to know ourselves childrenof Light and brothers in the Light, andto be bearers of the Lightlet us striveto live by all the Light that shines intoour own minds and hearts and give itout as fully as we can, that the Lightmay spread among men and the day bebrought nearer when it may truly reignin the affairs of men and be established

in all the lands of Earth.

T h e V V V Rosicrucian Digest No matter what else, we can be daily grateful we have been put in touch withM a y knowledge, for its source is inexhaustible. V alidiv ar .1 9 4 2


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Po l a r i t y a n d I t s Fi e l d o f Fo r ce B y E r w in W a t e r m e y e r , F. R . C .

T h i s a r t ic l e , a n d o t he r s t o f o l l o w f r o m t i m e t o t im e i n t h e p a g e s o f t h e R o s i c r u c i a nD i g e s t " d u r i n g t h e c ou rs e o f t h is y e a r , a r e c o n t r ib u ti o n s o f F r a t e r E r w i n Wa t e r m e y e r , w h oi s , d u r i n g t h is p e r i o d , c a r r y i n g o n s p e c i fi e d re s e a r c h in t h e l a b o r a t o r i e s o f t h e R o s e - C r o ixU n i v e r s i t y a t R o s i c r u c ia n P a r k u n d e r t h e d ir e c t io n o f t he I m p e r a t o r . T h e r e s u l ts o f h is

w o r k a r e b e in g m a de a v a il a b le to m e m be r s , a n d c e r t a in o f h i s a c t iv it ie s a r e a n n o un c e d ins p e c i a l c o m m u n i c a t i o n s t o m e m b e r s o f t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n .

S U P R E M E S E C R E T A R Y .

N L A S T month'sa r t i c l e i t w a spointed ou t w hythe laws of mundane science areof importance tot h e R o s i c r u c i a ns t u d e n t . I t w a ss h o w n t h a t t h elaws of the material universe aremerely ref lectionsof the law s of ahigher universe .

It was demonstrated that within thefindings of mundane science there liesconcealed a treasure- house of principles

w hic h ar e dir ec tly applica ble to theRosicr ucian wor k. In the course of thearticle the student was given a specificexample of how the laws of science canbe extended, using Newton's Three

Laws of Motion as illustrations.It is the purpose of the present articleto continue this study, s ho w in g byspecific application how the laws ofmundane science may be used to revealfundamental laws of nature. W e shalltherefore examine certain laws of Electrostatics, the science dealing with principles governing the behavior of electrical charges in a state of rest.

Many centuries ago it was observedthat certain substances, such as amber,

when rubbe d ac quir ed the prope rty ofattracting other small objects, such asminute pieces of dry wood, at a distance. T his force of attraction puzzledthe ancients because it seemed to be unlike any other known type of force.T he only types of force with w hich theancients were acquainted were the pushes and pulls exerted by material objectsupon one another. But the peculiar typeof force which a piece of amber wasable to exert differed from the familiartypes of mechanical forces by the factthat it could apparently act at a distance, without the necessity of a connecting substance or medium.

For this reason the ancients assignedto this entirely different type of force,requiring no material substance for itsaction, a special name. T hey called thisforce an electric forcederived fromthe Greek word electron, the word for

amberand the bodies which were ableto exert this special type of force werecalled electrif ied bodies. T he processof electrification by rubbing was calledelectrification by friction. In later

years it was er roneous ly as sumed thatthere existed an electric substance, orfluid, which was the origin of the electric force and for this reason electrifiedbodies were also called charged because they were assumed to be filled

w ith this fict itious electr ic fluid.


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T h e Rostcrucian Digest M a y 1 9 4 2

Ma ny centuries later, in the year1733, the French scientist Du Fay, discovered that there existed two distinctly different kinds, or polarities, of electric charge. T hese two polarities werenamed by Benjamin Franklin, positive

and negative, respectively. If a glassrod is rubbed with silk, then both substances will be found to be electrified.If the nature of electrification of eachsubstance is examined then it will bediscovered that the electric property ofthe glass differs from that of the silk.T he polarity which the glass assumes isarbitrarily, by universal agreement, called positive, while the polarity of the silkis called negative.

It must be clearly understood that thedefinitions of the words positive andnegative are entirely arbitrary so far

as mundane electrical science is concerned. In fac t the names used to designate the nature of these polaritiescould very well have been interchanged.T he definitions of positive and negative,as used in electrical science, are arbitrary designations, emphasizing the duality of the nature of any electrical condition, and are in no way related to theinner nature of the laws of the universe. A t the time when scientistsagreed to call the electric charge acquired by the glass, positive, and thatacquired by the silk, negative, practically nothing whatever was known concerning the nature of electricity and itsrelati on to matter. Fo r this reason wemust keep in mind that the wordspositive'' and negative polarities asused in mundane science are arbitrary definitions.

W e reca ll fr om our R o s ic r uc ia nstudies that this is not so in the domainof arcane science. A ny polar ity whichserves as an active case, arcane sciencedesignates as being positive, whereasany polarity which serves as a passiverecipient, this science calls negative.T hus the terms positive and neg ative do not have the same meaning inthe domains of mundane and arcanescience, and care must be exercised thattheir meaning is not interchanged.

A n object w hich is electri fied by fr iction does not always acquire the samepolarity . If a piece of f lannel cloth isrubbed with a clean glass surface, thenthe flannel will acquire a negative polar

ity while the glass will be positive.However, if the same flannel cloth isrubbed with a stick of hard rubber, thenthe flannel will now be positive, whilethe hard rubber will be negative.

T his e x ample demonstrates that the

polarity of any object also dependsupon the nature of the second object w ith w hich it comes into fr ictiona l contact. A substance which is positive

when rubbed w ith anothe r, may becomenegative when rubbed with a third.T hus the polarity which any electrifi-able object acquires is dependent upontwo conditions: Its own nature, and thenature of its assistant.

W he ne v er a state of ele ctr if ication isgenerated by friction, equal charges of opposite polar ity but of equal magnitudeare generated. T hus, if five positiveelectric charges are generated upon theglass, then the silk, upon rubbing withthe glass, will acquire five negativecharges. T his is in conformity w ith thelaw discussed in last months article:To every action there always existsequal but opposite reaction.

Electric charges obey the fundamental law of polarities: Unlike polaritiesattract, like polarities repel. T his lawhas been discussed in great detail in our weekly lectures and for this reasonit is unnecessary to repeat the discussion in this article.

T he law of polarity immediately leadsto the concept of the electric field, or asthe mystics call it, the electric aura.

A cc or ding to the la w of polar ity ,every electrically polarized charge isable to exert a mechanical force (pushor pull) upon another electrically polarized charge placed in its neighborhood.

For example, consider a positive electric charge, stationed at a definite location. If now we take a second electriccharge, say of positive polarity, then,no matter where we place this charge,it will experience a force of repulsion.T he streng th of this force of repulsion

w il l depend upon three factors: (1 ) T hemagnitude or strength of the stationarypositive charge. (

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Rosicrucian Digest, May 1942