Rosicrucian Digest, May 1957

8/12/2019 Rosicrucian Digest, May 1957

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oneer of theomic Agentific knowledgere time of Christ.

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e AlchemyBeautyimation, a new setmotions.

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e Brain andrthquakesnetic conditions and

hic results.

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m y s t i c i s mS c i e n c eT h e A r t s

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x t TftxH ttAr:

ls and K ar m aSociety

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v & i :

of the East

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MONTERREY ROSICRUCIAN TEMPLEThe beau tiful new Temple of the Rosicrucian Lodge in Monterrey, Mexico. Th e large, reinforced concrete building designed

by Mexican architects and engineers who are Rosicrucians, is of beautifu l tile throughout and is of two stories. It embodies manyunique designs revealing originality of thought. The large window in the East of the Temple as shown is trian gular in shape,sloping outward and in its center is superimposed the emblem of the Rosicrucian Order. The entire edifice is a symbol of thespirit of the Monterrey members. The dedication and consecration was officially conducted by the Imperator, Ralph M. Lewis,this past February.

(Photo by AMORC)


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You Are The MeasureOf All Things

T h e values of life lie within your own mindgood, bad, order, confusion, and a thousand other aspects of your daily existence are not realities they are just reflections of youropinions. Onceas a childyou longed forcandy suckers. Now you dont. What haschanged? It is not the candyit is your mental attitude. If life does not hold for youwhat you have hoped, if it is devoid of thosethings that make for happiness and accomplishment you need, four th dim ension. Youneed that stimulated consciousness wherebyyou can appraise things with a new value toyourself. You cannot call the man or womanlucky who can convert commonplace circumstances into personal achievements and joyous

living. Fourth dimension of mind, or develconsciousness, makes this possible.

ACCEPT THIS GIFT BOOKYou clothe, bathe, and feed yourself.

give thought to something deeper and equas important to your personal success welfare your concepts. Learn how to trightly, how to use your mind as naturetended, not just as a storehouse for disnected facts. Write to the Rosicruciaworld-wide, philosophical fraternity (noreligious organization), for a free copy of

Mas tery of Life. It tells how you may for study this exceptional knowledge forting the mind to work. Address Scribe S

T h e R O S I C R U C I A N S , A M O R C , S A N J O S E, C A L I F O R


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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 M A G A 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 O R D E R

Vol. XX XV M A Y , 1957 No. 5

Monterrey Rosicrucian Temple (Frontispiece) .............................. ....... ......... 161Thought of the Month: Capital Punishment .... ................. ............... ......... 164The Brain and Earthquakes ........................................... ...................... . ...... . 166The Alchemy of Beauty .............................................. . ............ . ..... . .... . .... .. 168Apostle of Individualism...................................... ...................................... .. 173

Sung to Death .......................................................................................... .. 174

Can You Explain This? ..... -.................................... ..................................... .. 176

Cathedral Contacts : Misplaced Emphas i s .................................................. .. 177

Folk Mu sic , It s Ap p e a l............................................................................... .. 180

Pioneer of the Atom ic A ge ........................... . -........................ ......... .. 184

C os m ic C ou ns el or C o in ci d en ce ?............................................................... .. 187

A Forgotten Science ....... ................................................ ..... ..................... .. 189

A Fish with Hum an Interests ..... ............. ................................................. .... 193

Temple Ech oes .......................................................................................... .. 195

Symbol of Peace and Longevity (Illustration) .............................................. .. 197

Subscr ipt ion to the Rosicrucian Digest, $3.00 (1/ 2/ - s ter l ing) per year. Sing le copies30 cents (2/3 s ter l ing) .

En te red a s Se cond -Cla s s Ma t t e r a t t he Pos t Off i ce o f San Jose , Ca l i fo rn i a , unde r Sec t ion1103 of the U. S. Posta l A ct o f Oct . 3 , 1917.

Changes of address must reach us by the f i rs t of the month preceding date of issue.

Statements made in th is publ icat ion are not the off ic ia l express ion of the organizat ion orits officers unless stated to be official communications.

Published Monthly by the Supreme Council of

Rosicrucian Park T HE R O S IC R U C I A N O R D E R A M O R C San Jose, California

EDITOR: Frances Vejtasa

T h e P u r p o s e o f t h e R o s ic r u ci an O r d e r

The Rosicrucian Order, existing in all civilized lands, is a nonsectarian fraternal body of menand women devoted to the investigation, study, and practical application of natural and spirituallaws. The purpose o f the organization is to enable all to l ive in harmony with the creative, con-structive Cosmic forces for the attainm ent of health, happiness, and peace. The Ord er is inter-nationally known as "AMORC' (an abbreviation), and the A.M.O.R.C. in America and all otherlands constitutes the only form of Rosicrucian ac tivities united in one body. The A.M.O.R.C. doesnot sell i ts teachings. It gives them freely to affil iated members together with many other benefits.For complete information about the benefits and advantages of Rosicrucian association, write aletter to the address below, and ask for the free book. The Mastery of Life. Address ScribeS. P. C., Rosicrucian O rder, AMORC, San Jos e, C alifornia, U. S. A. (Cable Address: AMORCO")

C o p y r i g h t , 1 957 , b y t he S u p r e m e G r a n d L o d g e o f A M O R C , I n c . A l l r i g h t s re s e rv e d .


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v e n today, any protestagainst capital punishment is often decried asmaudlin sentiment. It isvehemently claimed thata heinous crime, such aspremeditated murder, deserves the punishment ofthe forfeiture of the of

fenders life.What most of the defenders of capi

tal punishment seem not to comprehendis that objection is not being raised indefense of the criminal. One foundguilty of such a crime against societyshould be punished to the full extentprovided by law. The point at issue isthe prescribed means of punishmentthe death sentence. The premise in anadvanced society should not be one ofretaliation against the criminal. Itshould not seek to exact pain or suffering in proportion to the guilt involved.The action of the state against the convicted criminal should be of twro kinds:first, restraint or his being confined insuch a place and under such conditionsthat he can no longer menace the welfare and security of society; second,such institutions of restraint should beso designed and scientifically operatedthat, whenever it is possible, the criminal would be rehabilitated. They

should endeavor to return him to society as a useful and law-abidingmember.

T h e Since it is declared by criminologistsRosicrucian a n .d psychiatrists alike that the averagen . criminal sutlers to some degree Irom

mental aberration, then he should be M ay subjected to therapeutic treatment. This1957 does not mean that the criminal is to

be pampered. Humanitarian but disciplinary measures are to be resortedto.

The taking of anothers life is denounced in the sacred writings, thehagiography, of all living advanced religions. The religious, the moral, premise underlying such proscription is thatthe endowment, of life and its taking isa divine prerogative. For man to takehuman life on the theory of the moralpremise constitutes the invasion ofdivine right. Man, of course, downthrough history, has often justified destruction of human life in the name ofreligion. The most inhuman internecinewars have been of a holy origin. Allof the old and still living religions, except Buddhism, have been guilty of thisslaughter, having sanctioned it, directlyor indirectly, through their ecclesiastical heads.

The execution of a criminal, however, by the State has not even theimplied sanction that religion has con-feired upon its wars. If the taking ohuman life is morally wrong for theindividual, does it acquire virtue ifdone in the name of a group? Even ifsuch a group of persons is called astate, is it still justified? If a multitudeof individuals draws up a legal code, aconstitution and statutes, thereby de

claring that murder is punishable bydeath, does it remove the moral stigmafrom the act?

Morals are a consequence of twfactors. First, they are acts arbitrarilyset forth in religious dogma and whichare professed to have been divinelyrevealed to some human. Second, theyare a code of acts which it is believ


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will so govern human behavior as tohave it conform to mans conception ofdivine will. Either it is morally wrongo take life under any circumstances,

except in immediate self-defense, orhere are so many extenuating circum

stances that the moral principle becomes in effect nullified. No matter bywhat means the convicted person isexecuted, the act constitutes legal murder. The same principle is at work,hat is, the exercise of force by man

or men to deprive another human beng of his life. To say it is an act of

self-defense on the part of society isnot sufficient because society has othermeans of defending itself, as statedabove.

A Primit ive Law

Certainly capital punishment is notrepresentative of any advanced standard. It does not depict an enlightenedview. What does it imply? It is anact of avenging society for a wrongcommitted against it. It is the oldMosaic law of an eye for an eye anda tooth for a tooth. If killing, otherhan in defense, is in most instances amatter of passion, then society is im-

assioned when it kills the killer eveny so-called legal means. The enlight

ened view holds that most homicidalacts are due to mental and emotionalstates that deviate from the normal tothe extreme. Killing the individual,then, is certainly no way of intelligenty correcting the situation. What causesthe murderer to become enmeshed insuch an emotional or mental statewhere he would commit such a crime?The legal taking of the murderers lifemakes no recompense to society. It doesnot prevent similar conditions fromimpelling others to commit similarcrimes.

The theory that the supreme penalty,capital punishment, becomes a deterringfactor, preventing similar crimes, hasnever been proved statistically. Wherecapital punishment prevails, the pressand radio have in recent years resortedto a brummagem display of the sordiddetails of the execution. As a consequence of all this, there is no indication that murder has lessened. Ifpsychiatry and psychology are right intheir conclusions that certain types ofindividuals lack the psychological and

moral restraint necessary to keep themfrom committing murder, then suchpersons would not be intimidated by thethreat of capital punishment. In fact,they would be incapable of realizing theresponsibility of their acts at the time

and what they were incurring. They goberserk and commit the crime, notwithstanding what may be written on thestatute books as the penalty. Underthe circumstances all that capital punishment accomplishes is to barbarouslyperpetuate the same brutality underlegal sanction.

It has been stated by wardens oflarge penal institutions that the so-called hardened criminal has oftenshown little or no emotion at the timeof his execution. What has society thusaccomplished? It has removed him frompossible future danger to his fellowmen. However, a prison having fullsecurity measures could accomplish thesame thing. The argument oftenbrought forth is that the keeping ofmurderers under restraint for their natural lives imposes an economic burdenupon the people. Is such an explanation worthy of a civilized people? Ishuman life of any kindto be weighedagainst money? If so, let us stop pratingabout our civilized virtues. Let us re

sort to the cruel inhumanity of theMiddle Ages which took the lives of thehopelessly insane. Or shall we go backfarther to the ancient Spartans whenweak and deformed children and theaged were compelled to suffer exposurein a remote area until death claimedtheir lives?

It has been related by criminologiststhat many habitual criminals fear lifeimprisonment or life at hard labor farmore than capital punishment. If society feels disposed to exact retributionand make the murderer conscious thatpunishment is being inflicted, why notuse such methods within the bounds ofhuman decency? This is not a lachrymose appeal for the human who runsamuck in society like a mad dog. Rather, it is an appeal to the intelligencethat our age is meant to represent.Aside from the moral question, capitalpunishment is, psychologically, a primitive method. In our times it is obsoleteas a weapon against crime.


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T h e Br ai n an d Eart hquak es B y D r . H . S p e n c e r L ew i s, F. R. C.

This reprint from one of the writings of Dr. Lewishas not previously appeared in this publication.

pelWian article by Will Irwin

in which he related thathe was a newspaper manliving in New York atthe time of the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.The shock from the newsaffected him because his

family was living in that city threethousand miles away and he could notget to them. The daily accounts of theconditions in the strickened city caused

him to go into some peculiar mentalstate which lasted for four days duringwhich he wrote for one hundred hourswith perfect accuracy the exact detailsof what was occurring in San Francisco.

In the first place, we must understand that Mr. Irwin had lived in SanFrancisco and was thoroughly familiarwith the city; this he admits to be correct. The names of all its streets, publicparks, important buildings, daily activities, etc., were thoroughly familiarto him and registered in his completeand perfect memory of the subjective

mina. The shock of the news and thefright concerning his loved ones, undoubtedly, affected his objective brainand consciousness the same as might a

T h e blow on the head or the falling andP . injuring of the head. The result wasKostcructan tjiat wag thrown into anDtgest almost perfect subjective state. M ay In this state it was easy for him to1957 delve into the memory storehouse and

extract the name of any street or building or personality at will. Likewise, being in the subjective state, he was moror less in attunement with the Cosmicand was receiving from the Cosmipictures and impressions of what wastaking place in the distant city. Withthe combination of impressions comfrom the Cosmic and the ability to delvinto the memory storehouse for additional names and facts to put into thstories he was writing, we find that MrIrwin was well qualified during those

four days to write good accounts of thSan Francisco conditions. The fact thhe felt no fatigue after one hundredhours of writing further proves thahe was in a condition that was morsubjective than objective. Very oftepersons who are injured by a blow onthe head or otherwise are thrown intoa similar condition, and their ramblingtalk plainly indicates that they ardelving into their memory storehouseand grabbing at unconnected facts andrevealing them in an unassociatedmanner.

During the earthquake itself therwere many strange occurrences in California, for not only did many personsuffer a complete lapse of objective rtionalism ana become wholly subjectivso that they even forgot their nameand addresses and the names of theiloved ones, but other peculiar psychiconditions came upon some of tnem athe result of the strange magnetic con


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ditions that always accompany anearthquake. You must remember thatan earthquake is not wholly a physicalcondition. Scientists may talk about thefact that underneath the earth some ofthe underground mountains of stone orgranite shift or slide and thereby causea shifting of the earths surface above,but there is some other reason whichmakes the shifting of the stone. Thisother condition is often a magnetic orelectrical one that affects the auras andpsychic conditions of human beingswho are highly attuned.

Some highly developed psychic persons were thrown into deep psychicstates just before the earthquake wasmanifest and stayed in this state fortwo or three weeks. During that timethey wrote marvelous things or paintedwonderful pictures or played unusualmusic. I know of several cases where

persons were thrown into strange psychic states which lasted for many years.During this time they were able tospeak two or three foreign languageswhich they were not able to speak before the morning of the earthquake.On the other hand, some people wereaffected in such a way that they notonly forgot their names and personalities, but forgot some of the languagesthey knew or some of the arts that theyknew.

The strange Cosmic cause of earthquakes has never been thoroughly investigated nor has the relationship ofthis Cosmic cause with psychic conditions in man been thoroughly investigated. Here is an opportunity for someof our advanced members to delve deep

ly into this subject and at a futuretime give us some interesting facts.

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June 17-July 6

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Interesting courses on subjects of special benefit toRosicrucians, presented by highly qualified instructors.Pleasant, inspiring surroundings in the beautiful SantaClara Valley. Members Only.

For information please write:THE REGISTRAR, ROSE-CROIX UNIVERSITY

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A STRANGE PROPHECY?It is sufficiently known to wise men, that the same herbs do alter under sev

eral climates; and that which is innocent in one may be poison in another;wherefore it is not safe to compound India, Arabia, America, Germany, andEngland together; . . (From The Mysteries and Laws of the Rosicrucians,by Michael Maier, 1656 A.D.)


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T h e Rosicrucian Digest M ay 1957

^UP l e . cy t y t cf i zni i j o j H Bz a u i i j By A l ic e S t i c k l e s , F . R . C .

2*2

f e w years ago my attention was arrested by thefollowing incident in anold art gallery in a California city. One of thepermanent exhibits wasin a section reserved forpaintings of Californiascenes. I was about to

leave the room when a man and awoman entered and glanced quicklyaround at the collection of paintings.

Their thin, shabby clothing, the extreme emaciation of the man, his nervous gestures, and their speech in aforeign tongue, told me that they hadvery recently known privation, and perhaps cruelty, in a European country.Here, they were busy and eager aschildren discovering America and getting acquainted with their new homeby means of this exhibit of paintings.

Dominating one wall of the gallerywas a picture in oils of Yosemite Valley. This caught their eyes immediately. They smiled and pointed and admired the work as they conversed intheir own language. Then the man, be

ing more restless than the woman,moved quickly to the doorway to another room. This gallery was reservedfor temporary exhibits and on this daythe pictures represented the work of theart department of a local college. Somewere excellent examples of creative art.Some were fair, and one was clever! Itwas a huge drawing on a white background. Black lines used in the execution represented wires, coiled, twisted,and tortured into the grotesque semblance of a human form. It was hideousand repulsive, but clever and ingenious.The title was The Crooked Man (who walked a crooked mile And found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile)

As I had already seen the picture. Ipaused and watched the stranger tonote his reaction to it. His eyes sweptthe room in one quick appraisal andcame to rest for one shocked moment

on the drawing of The Crooked MaA look of amazement and pain passedover the strangers face, and he abruptly closed his eyes as if to shut out painful memories of crooked men. Then heturned and hurried through the doorwithout another glance at the other pictures in the room and joined his wifebefore the paintings of gorgeous scenery.

This incident posits the very oldquestions: Why do we seek beauty andsnun ugliness? Where does beauty endand distortion begin? Do we need beaty in our surroundings to contribute toour evolution? Is the appreciation ofbeauty, the study of aesthetics, one ofthe necessities of life?

My answer to the whole series ofquestions is this: Beauty represents tous the basic laws of the universe, themost permanent qualities we can conceive, while ugliness represents thatwhich is temporary, ephemeral, andtransient. Consequently, we are drawnor attracted to that which is beautifulbecause it suggests that which is everlasting and Godlike to us. How quicklywe forget pain and sorrows, and how

long we remember the pleasant associations and ecstatic moments we haveknown!

We of the twentieth century are indoctrinated with the philosophy of realism. Be practical, we are told. Bobjective. Avoid fantasy and daydreaming, and look upon beauty, glamour,romantic ideals as so much froth superimposed upon the hard structure everyday living. According to the psychiatrists, music, art, drama, glamour,and all that releases the imagination belongs pretty much to the world ofmake-believe and gives us a means ofescape from the limitations and frustrations of the work-a-day world. Thisis based on the supposition that we escape from the harsh realities of lifwhen we enter the world of beauty orfantasy. To this postulation, I do notagree. This mechanical world in whichwe struggle to cope with all the nega


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tive phases of living is not the real world, and instead of escaping from thisworld, we are actually escaping into the world of idealism with its ultimatetruth and beauty.

I n Nature

Louis Agassiz, the Swiss scientistwho became one of Americas foremostnaturalists, once said: Nature bringsus back to absolute truth whereverwe wander, and the study of nature isintercourse with the Highest Mind.Beauty cannot be separated from nature, and nature cannot be separatedfrom truth or from God. Beauty, nature, and truth are synonymous.

Let us consider the beauty of a tree.What does a tree mean to you? Coolingshade in summer? A windbreak orshelter for livestock? A producer offruits or nuts? Lumber for the building of homes? This is the practicalvalue of a tree. But isnt there something else about a tree that expressesnatures mysterious and immutablelaws? The universe is Gods picturegallery, and a tree is but one of themyriad exhibits He has offered to us.The tree lives in harmony with therhythms of nature, shedding its leavesat the proper time, putting out its budsin the Spring and dropping its fruits

at the appointed season. It grows old

and dies gracefully when its cycle oflife is completed. If it is a ponderosa pine it never attempts to imitate anapple tree, but lives according to itsown particular design or pattern. If itis gnarled and twisted by the torsion ofthe wind, or if it is stunted by thecrowding of other trees, it never ceasesits struggles to make the most of itsenvironment. What could be more admirable?

The tree is also a living demonstration of a law which has puzzled scientific minds for centuries. What makesthe tree defy the law of gravity by

owing up? What draws the sap frome roots in the soil to the highest twig

on the tree? Is it the law of levitation or some force acting counter to gravity? Some of our technicians and physicistshave been studying and experimentingwith this law, but little is known outside the laboratories about it. Is thisthe same law, they are asking, thatdraws the millions of tons of evaporatedwater into the atmosphere from thesurface of the ocean and releases itagain in the form of rain?

We could go on asking questions likethis forever and never find all the answers. Never take nature or any partof her for granted or look upon tier ascommonplace. But rather, as Louis

Agassiz did, look upon nature with aweand humble questioning, and approachevery manifestation of naturea cloud,a flower, a baby, or a drop of waterin admiration and reverence.

I n Ar t

If the universe is Gods picture gallery, then art is mans picture gallery,for it is through the arts that man expresses his highest interpretation of hisrelation to the Divine Creator.

I am not going to argue with thosewho paint Crooked Men in the nameof art, or who put two-dimensionalsplotches of muddy paint on a monochrome background in their interpretations. Neither do I refer to the cacophonysometimes called music or the contortions classified erroneously as dancing. A certain amount of distortionin the arts is necessary to show contrast,for only by contrast do we appreciateany good thing. By art I mean theportrayal and appreciation of the lawsof harmony ana symmetry whether


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that harmony is expressed in color,sound, or movement.

Sublimation and Neu> EmotionsHow does exposure to beauty and

the worship at her shrine effect changesin our sensitivities and the development of our soul-personalities? This

takes place in the subjective mind, thatstorehouse of all impressions and thememory of all experiences. We reactto our environment and contacts throughthe emotions. We love this and hatethat. We admire this and detest that.We seek this and avoid that, accordingto our emotional response.

To illustrate this let us set up a hypothetical (and extremely unlikely) case.In imagination we v\dll picture a youthgrowing up in the most sordid surroundings possible, such as the slumarea of a large city. He has never hada home or the companionship of familylife. He steals or fights to secure hisfood and clothing. He hides at nightin a filthy comer when he can no longer roam the streets. He has never seenthe ocean or a field of grass. His oneand only concept of nature is the viewof the sky through smoke and a crisscross pattern of clothes-lines and pow-er-wires across the alley over his head.It isnt hard to imagine what a chamberof horrors is the subjective mind of thisboy.

Let us now take him away from thesesurroundings, by the make-believemethod, and give him a new set of impressions. At first he will be suspiciousof everyone and of peoples motives.He will resent all attempts intended toclothe and feed him properly or to givehim an education. Maybe he will tryto run away and return to his familiarhaunts to find his former companions.The expanse of open country, the hillsor the ocean, will be too overwhelming,too awe-inspiring, for him to grasp, andhe will dream of returning to the hazardous life with which he was familiar.It may be a long time before he canrespond successfully to the new set ofemotions around him, the kindness and

T h e concern for his welfare, the cleanlinessr and order in his new life, or the beau-Rostcructan gnd freedom around him

Eventually these new emotions will M ay have their effect and become impres-1957 sions in his storehouse of memory un-

til they crowd the negative emotionfurther and further into the backgroundof his subjective mind. In time tbad negative concepts will be sumerged and the good concepts witake their places. He will no longer suspicious, vindictive, and doubtful ohimself. He may wear his new set manners and attitudes like so mucveneer or camouflage for a while, bin time they will become a part of himself and a newly-acquired personality.

This refining and spiraling of thconsciousness from a lower to a highstate is known as sublimationto msublimeand the process of makinchanges is called transmutation. medieval alchemists pretended to bseeking a formula for transmuting basmetals into gold. What they were atually seeking was the transmutatioof the go ld of human character frothe lower emotions and instincts to thhigher levels of refinement and dignity

Glamour

While we are discussing the use beauty and truth as processes for evolving human consciousness to a highlevel, a few words about glamour osimulated beauty are apropos. Righhere let us qualify the word glamas standing for the illusion of beaSuch illusion contributes to the elevaing processes through the subjectivmind in the same way that naturabeauty does. This is how the metamophosis takes place. The eyes notify tobjective mind that they are consciouof some beautiful thing. It may beface or figure, a landscape or a woof art. The objective mind may quetion the actuality of these impressionbut such is not the process of the

jective mind. It asks no questions anmakes no exclusions or discriminationIf the message from the objective minstates that a beautiful object has beeobserved, the subjective mind accepthe statement as a fact and storesaway. The imagination then rearrangethese impressions to form a blueprinor prototype of an ideal or some accomplishment we wish to attain.

The motion picture industry, espcially since the development of colorefilms and the mood music of the sountrack, has given us new dimensions ibeauty by bringing to us, not only th


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most gorgeous panoramic scenes of natural beauty, but by creating so manyillusions of beauty through tne artistryof make-up and stage setting.

The subjective mind can be comparedto a safe-deposit drawer in the vaultof a bank where we can keep anythingwe care to save. If we wish to storeitems that are tarnished and useless,no one will try to stop us. If we wishto store things of beauty and value, thatis also our own prerogative. We areconstantly choosing, every hour of theday, what we will keep in this subconscious deposit drawer. The faculty ofdiscrimination is at work every moment, selecting what we wish to makea permanent part of our own personalities. The objective mind stands guardian at the threshold to exercise this

ability to discriminate, to analyze, classify, and evaluate that which is presented for deposit. If the objectivemind has not been trained in the powerof selection, it may allow a constantstream of negative, morbid thoughtsand impressions to pass unchallengedinto the sacred precincts of the subjective mind.

Just as the food we eat becomes apart of our physical bodies, the thoughtswe allow ourselves to think and the impressions we accept become a part ofthe personality. How careful we are ofthe one and how careless we are of theother! We may select the very bestfood with which to start our physicalday, but we pick up the morning paperand give our minas their mental foodin the form of stories of crime andviolence. Then perhaps we enter a busor office and hear otners complainingabout the weather or relaying the newsof troubles with the supervisors. Doyou add to the gloomy thought-pattemsof this group lay adding to the pessimistic remarks? Or do you offer somecheerful suggestion?

We know there are days when everything goes wrong, and the chirping ofglib Pollyanna platitudes does not help.We cannot always close our eyes to thered light which keeps us waiting ordefeats our purposes. What we can dois to neutralize the suggestions of defeat and resentment which would passinto our subjective safe-deposit vault tobecome a habit of thinking or an attitude. We can talk to ourselves. Tell

ourselves that gossip and unkind criticisms are always distortions of thetruth. Practice mental self-discipline.We can choose, analyze, classify, andguard the threshold to our inner selfuntil discrimination becomes automaticand evil or ugly impressions fail toimpress us. Then gradually an auraof protection and enchantment will develop around us; it will attract betterhealth and prosperity as well as betterfriends and environment. You may besuiprised when many of the usual irritations and misfortunes leave you untouched as you radiate some of thebeauty and truth which you have builtinto the structure of your own being.

Beanty Clinic*

Perhaps the day will come when exposure to beauty will be used as a therapy for the treatment of diseased mindsand bodies. Beautiful and sublime retreats w'ould be chosen for the sani

tariums. Instead of dosages of drugsand injections of vaccines, the doctorswould prescribe exposure to music andcolor, supersonic treatments for themalignancies, instruction in thought-processes and mental hygiene, and psychiatric therapy for personality problems.


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The house rules of one of these highly idealistic clinics could very well readsomething like this:

1No talk of wars, crimes, accidents, or violence.

2No repetition of gossip and idlepersonal criticism.

3No reiteration of symptoms,operations, and former ailments.4No competitive games or pastimes based on winner-loserrelationships.

5No talk of money, prices, or speculations.

6No shrieks, crashes, blasts, orunnecessary sound effects.

Now imagine, if you can, a dailyprogram for the patient that might readsomething like this:

1Breakfast on the veranda overlooking the gorge, with sunrisemusic.

2Walk or rest in the rose gardenuntil nine, with morning music.

3Nine to twelvestudies inmental science, aesthetics, creative work in shops or studios.

V

4Lunch served beside the waterfall, with noontime music.

5One to threeriding, climbing,hiking, or swimming.

6Three to five devotional services and religious instructionunder the pines with sacredmusic.

7Dinner on the terrace overlooking the gardens and pools, withsundown music.

8Seven to ninelectures anddemonstrations in science andmysticism.

9Nine to elevenmotion pictures, drama or ballet, or dancing.

Does all this sound too utterly fantastic? James Hilton dreamed up place similar to this and called it Shangri-La. St. John had a vision of sucan ideal place. He called it HeavenSir Thomas More pictured an ideastate which he named Utopia. And asfor uswe see this Beauty Clinic anot only a possibility but a prophec

V

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FOR YOUR LIBRARY U n t o T h e e I G r an t

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magic. Technically, it is a form ofhomeopathic or sympathetic magic. Itis also an excellent example of whatDr. H. Spencer Lewis terms mentalpoisoning, in his splendid little bookof that title. First, it must be realizedthat these primitive persons are rearedin an atmosphere of extreme superstition. It is inculcated in them fromearly childhood. They are told thatcertain customs and ways are taboo.Any violation of them brings upon theviolator a penalty from the tribe orthe witch doctor. The latter, or shaman,is a kind of priest or intermediary, having power to invoke supernatural forces,it is believed. The simple tribesmenare given many demonstrations of thepowers of these witch doctors. Allsorts of illusions to deceive and awe the

people are performed in their presencefrom childhood.The witch doctor is often a master

of the control of natural phenomena.He has learned, partly through observation but mostly through secrets transmitted to him by his predecessors, howto use natural laws to manifest whatto the ignorant appear to be miracles.To a modem person, trained in chemistry, herbalism, and psychology, manyof the acts of the witch doctor wouldbe understood as the use of natural law.

There is nothing magical or mysteriousabout them. To the aborigine, however,they are weird and seem as supernatural as would the phenomenon of television to a mediaeval European. Thewriter has seen African witch doctorsperforming weird rites in the bush inSouth Africa. He can attest to theirintelligence and the power of suggestion which they exert upon the mindsof their followers.

Let us analyze the process in thesinging to death of Charlie. First, inprimitive reasoning, whatever has beenm the possession of one for a time isbelieved to be infused with some of hisqualities or characteristics; somethingof his personality or inner nature is believed to infuse the object. Moreover,wherever such personal belongings areplaced, they are thought to retain theconnection with their original owner.To steal the possessions of another,therefore, means that, by sympatheticmagic, one has a control over him.There is a bond between the objects

and their owner. Consequently, whatever is done to the objects, the effectof it is transferred to the owner.

Some of Charlies objects, includinghis spear, were taken. He was told that.There was in that a powerful suggestion, one that would instill fear. Hisperson, according to the old superstitious belief long told him, was now atthe mercy of another. He was told thathis possessions had been buried in agrave. This was symbolic that he wasto die, that his bones would soon bethere. He accepted the idea that hisdeath was inevitable, even though, itwas related that he did not want to die.Thirdly, he was told that he was to besung to death and that a dreamtimesnake would destroy him. He knew exactly how this snake was to destroyhim. He had seen others who hadbeen sung to death by the same means.There was no doubt in his mind thatsuch caused their death. He had oftenheard a description of just how thecoils of the snake gradually paralyzedeach part of the body, eventually andlastly crushing the chest and makingrespiration impossible. As a boy, hehad often had nightmares, as wouldall aborigines, terrified by the dreamsnake. Consequently, he had a veryrealistic mental image of this serpent.

His terrifying fear obliterated reason.It inhibited any effort to remove whatseemed to the mind so realistic. Hemust die. He would die. There was noescape. He, therefore, began to awaitand to imagine the first signs of paralysis from the coils of the snake. Autosuggestion induced the inability tomake the muscles of the fingers openand caused the arms and legs to beimmobile. Eventually the suggestionsof his subconscious affected his breathing. Death would have ensued exceptfor the iron lung.

Charlie was in reality singing himself to death. It was also a demonstration of psychosomatic relations, the effect which the mind has upon the body.Could Charlie have been saved? Notunless his own thinking and beliefscould have been changed. It mattersnot what the rites and curses of thewitch doctor are. It is the credencewhich Charlie gave them that was ofimportance. The suggestion of his own


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mind inhibited his physical powers. Noforce or power was reaching out fromhis stolen possessions to enslave him.The witch doctor had no efficacy overhim; that is, if Charlie did not believehe did.

Today many persons are enslaved byreligious beliefs in somewhat the samemanner. They fear the afterlife. Theyfear they will not be saved. They fear

that they may be condemned to burnin a mythical place unless they conformto some mediaeval religious practice orite. They submit to the will of thesecclesiastical witch doctors. If they oppose the will of these witch doctorsthe instilled fear of their early childhood of a punishment in the afterliftorments them. It m ay torment thinto their grave.

V A V

d a n Q j o u { Z x j j la Ln By E r n e s t N u g ad , F.R.C.


e a r the end of World WarI, I was a member of theSixteenth Engineers ofthe U. S. Army. Ourcamp was outside Saint-tienne where we wererepairing a railroad usedfor conveying supplies tothe front.

One Sunday afternoon, I walked outof camp for perhaps a mile and a half.I was attracted by a large clump oftrees ahead, and as I neared them I sawa small lane leading off to my right. Itwas wide enough for a good-sized cartbecause there was evidence that at leastone such vehicle had gone that wayrecently leaving its tracks clearly visible. Having the afternoon to myself, Iset off down this lane and after some time came to a tiny village of perhapsten or twelve houses and a small innor cafe. I went into this cafe where Ifound three men and two women. Theygreeted me in English and I went overand sat down with them.

We talked like old friendsas much

so as though we had always known oneanother. In fact, I never once thoughtof their being strangers whom I hadnever seen before; or if I did, I soon

V

forgot it in the naturalness of their acceptance of me. Yanks were familiaenough to them anyway.

When I thought it was time for mto be getting back to camp, I said goodbye all around and promised to seethem all again soon.

Three weeks later I was free agaiand headed back to the village. I turnedinto the lane at the familiar clump otrees and somewhat quickened my pacein my eagerness to reach the villagand the cafe again. I kept looking ahead

for a sight of the houses that I thoughshould be coming into view, but therewas only the open countryside. FinallyI had to admit that there was no villagethereif there ever had been. All thway back to camp I was puzzled, toopuzzled in fact, and too chagrined tomention my experience to anyone. couldnt have asked anyway, for if thevillage had a name, I didnt know it.

Shortly after, the Sixteenth Engneers moved up to Verdun and werethere when the war ended and we werefinally sent home. Thirty-eight yearhave passed and the experience is areal as though it had just happened, butI cant explain it. Can you?

V

R E M E M B E R T H E R O S I C R U C I A N C O N V E N T I O N Ju ly 7 thro ugh 12, 1957


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The Cathedral of the Soul is a Cosmic meeting place for all minds of themost highly developed and spiritually advanced members and workers of theRosicrucian fraternity. It is the focal point of Cosmic radiations and thoughtwaves from which radiate vibrations of health, peace, happiness, and innerawakening. Various periods of the day are set aside when many thousandsof minds are attuned with the Cathedral of the Soul, and others attuning withthe Cathedral at the time will receive the benefit of the vibrations. Those whoare not members of the organization may share in the unusual benefits as wellas those who are members. The book called Liber 777 describes the periodsfor various contacts with the Cathedral. Copies will be sent to persons whoare not members if they address their requests for this book to Scribe S. P. C.,care of AMORC Temple, San Jose, California, enclosing three cents in postagestamps. (Please state whether member or notthis is important.)

MISPLACED EMPHASISBy C e c i l A. P o o l e ,

mechanistic age inwhich we live places agreat deal of emphasis upon the material achievements of man. Theseachievements have probably for the first time inhistory become commonplace to the individual,fact become so common

place that we are not particularly concerned with new achievements, newinventions, and new applications of material laws and principles. We acceptannouncements of new discoveries asa natural part of the age in which welive, and our continual use of the products of science and its material achievements makes us more or less callous tothe new things that come about fromday to day.

Supr em e Secret ary Many of us would be lost without

the gadgets and mechanical aids whichwe accept in our daily life as a matterof course. We use the power of electricity, for example, to take care ofmany of our routine factors. Electricitymakes possible light, communication,and many conveniences. Obviously, weshould be thankful to science for having these conveniences, for being ridof many of the inconveniences broughtabout by wearisome toil and effort thatwould be ours were it not for the application of the findings of science thathas made it possible for us to have aneasier life physically.

Whenever our materialistic philosophy of modern times is discussed, it issometimes believed by those who subscribe to an idealistic philosophy thatthese things should be subordinated and


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put into their proper place. One methodto accomplish this end is to ignorethem, or consider their values of littleconsequence. Actually, when we reachsuch conclusions we are attempting toconsider science as of less importancethan it really is. Everything that hasbeen achieved through science, if properly applied, is good, and we can honestly realize that science in itself isneither good nor bad. Rather, its application and the results upon the human being are the determining factorsinsofar as the social and moral problems relating to science are concerned.

Whenever man chooses to lean uponsomething, he becomes more and moredependent upon whatever it may bethat he looks to for support. In thisage of mechanical advancement, manhas not only accepted the convenienceof the achievements of science, but healso has come to lean upon them as hisentire support. Thereby, consciouslyand unconsciously, he has overemphasized their importance in his life. It isone thing to accept the conveniences ofelectricity, for example; it is anotherthing to believe that without them allwould be lost. In other words, it isperfectly satisfactory for the humanbeing to use all that he can to assisthim in his adjustment to environment,but it is definitely an ethical error, orrather a moral mistake, for the individual to believe that should he bedeprived of any of the achievements

of modern science and the accomplishments that have made life easier inthis environment, all would be hopeless.

With the advancement of the mechanistic age of the present, man hasconstantly tended toward the complication of his life by involving all his decisions and consideration in terms oftechnical knowledge and the use ofmaterial devices. During the mechanistic period of which we are a part, wehave permitted ourselves to becomemore and more bound to a type of living that is required by scientific training and is encouraged by the productsof the material world. Our scientific.

T h e economic, and social achievements areRosicrucian deeply rooted in the human attitudes

that have produced them. They in^ themselves have been an accompani-

M ay ment of our age rather than a result.1957 Actually, if we make an intelligent

analysis, then we should realize that allof our knowledge, all of the mechanisticachievements of our times, and all ofthe progress which seems apparent willsucceed or fail according to its effectupon the human beingthat is, thehuman body, mind, and spirit.

In man himself are reflected theachievements and accomplishments ofany age, and when we look back over aperiod of history or any era that manhas lived, we do not necessarily segregate it into its individual parts; we examine the total behavior and consequences of the human race as it existedat that time. Man today, as he hasbeen in all periods of time, is bomwith certain qualities that constitute hisbody, mind, and soul. These elements,regardless of the terms which we mayapply to them, are the function or partof man that makes him human, thatmakes him an individual entity. Nosystem, whether it be idealistic or mechanistic, whether it be the result ofscience or the result of mans educatinghimself, can maintain its most usefulpurpose and bring about a desirableend unless it provides the means bywhich human faculties may be givenfree play.

A balanced life is necessary to manstotal growth, whereas mechanism of somany factors today tends to bring aboutstandards which require specialization,and which make for efficiency of ourphysical functioning. At the same time,it puts undue emphasis upon mansbrain rather than upon a balanced response of his entire being. One question not yet answered by our age ofmechanism is, how deeply and howlong can man apply himself almost exclusively to his machines without losingthose human qualities which are necessary, or, we might say, absolutely essential to the growth of himself as awhole being?

During all the periods of mechanicaladvancement, man in the Westernworld has accepted as a matter of coursethe concentration that he has directedtoward his material achievements; however, the individual who attempts toestablish a philosophy of life and seriously considers the mechanistic organization of life that has been built abouthim, realizes that the civilization ofwhich he is a part is actually threat-


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ened by its own achievements. This,of course, is a result of mans beingable to increasingly realize that he hasnot been able, or at least, has not directed sufficient time to the realizationthat his inward development must keepwith his outward actions and achievements. These are actual problems concerning the long-time survival of thehuman being as an entity upon earth.

We know from experience what it isthat man can make of science, and howhe can develop an efficient mechanicalworld. Now the question is what ourscientific environment, which has beenestablished, will make of man. Theseenvironmental effects are constantlycreating an interplay between man andhis environment, and the result withwhich we are concerned is the form andthe thought of the conclusions that willbe reached by each new generation.We have gained the habit of measuringsuccess by the efficiency of what weproduce rather than by ourselves.

A philosophy of materialism, whichplaces too much emphasis upon theshort-time achievement of individualaccomplishments, detracts from the realization that an adequate philosophyof humanism is essential to the longtime survival with what we are reallyconcerned. It would be important for

us to take a lesson from history. Whenwe analyze the great advancement ofthe Roman Empire in contrast to civilizations that preceded it, we find thatit was not the outer greatness of Romewhich survived, but rather the innersimplicity of Christian thought that hassurvived through the ages and whichwas persecuted by the civilization thatmade Rome great.

The solution to the problems of ourmechanical age lies within the individual. The values which will endurecome from the feeling of gaining thevalues that will be perpetuated in termsof the human spirit. We need to perceive the producer as more importantthan his product, and this will aid us notto lean upon material achievement tothe point of actual dependence. Weneed to realize that it is actually nosacrifice to turn our backs to the material standards of success. When werealize these thoughts within ourselvesand have the feeling that true value ismore important for the individual thanit is for what the individual makes,then we can fully conclude that thecharacter of man is the most essentialpart of a lasting civilization. Long-termvalues will be derived from the realization of man himself rather than fromwhat he produces in the material world.

MIX YOUR FOOD WITH FACTS!

W hat to Ea t and W hen

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The author of this book, Stanley K. Clark, M.D., C.M., F.R.C., was for several yearsstaff physician at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He is a noted gastroenterologistspecialist in stomach and intestinal disorders. Dr. Clarks insight into mysticism makeshis advice doubly helpful to you.

What to Eatand When is compact, free from unnecessary technical terminology.Includes a complete handy index, a food ch ar t, and sample menus. A convenientreference for a lifetime.

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*\ }oL% ' z M i i i i c , < 3 h i c ^ f f i f i z a t By C l a r e R i c h a r d s , F. R . C .

n t h u s i a s m for modem folk music hasmade it a dominatinginfluence in the lives ofmillions of people. Thesincerity and power expressed in this style ofmusic is causing anawakening of the heartsand minds, and creating a subtle inner restlessness. People everywhere are respondingby striving to translate

their inner awarenessinto a conscious realizationa deeper humanunderstanding.

Last year the American public spent morethan 85 million dollarsto be entertained bymodern folk singers. Approximately 50million dollars of this was spent onpersonal-appearance shows; 30 millionwent for phonograph records; and 5million to music publishers. Radio andtelevision programs, and soda bar jukeboxes, accounted for several millionmoreuntil today almost all Americais folk music conscious.

A top Grand Ole Opry artist creditsthis growth in popularity to the factthat it is a soul-satisfying experience.And Burl Ives, perhaps Americas foremost interpreter of the traditional folkballad, says, Today the world is looking for solace, peace, and comfort.Thats why people are turning to moremeaningful music. Folk tunes have atendency to slow you down, to give youthe urge for reflection.

Folk songs are basically defined asa vehicle for interpreting everydayproblems and the experiences of common people. Actually their significanceis greater. When considered as a functional activity, rather than as an escapist experience, folk songs disclose asubtle quality that penetrates deep intothe self. This characteristic has a

tendency to arouse emtions that encouraginner reflection and selfanalysis. When the experience is repeatedpeople begin to examinetheir problems self-consciously and commenon them with objectivvigor. Folk songs havalways been concernedwith everyday themes,with the emotions oo r d i n a r y m e n anwomen.The folk singer himself is an integral partof the experience. Hexpresses naturally aninherent ability to singfrom the heart and tothe hearts of his listen

ers. In fact, it is this characteristic ofmutual exchange that distinguishes thefolk singer from the art singer. Therelationship between the folk singer andhis au dien ce is interchangeable ashared experience, communicating not

only a common understanding of idealsand impressions, but also a harmonyof emotions. This quality encouragespeople to relax, reflect, and analyze;and eventually it demands action in theworld of realities.

Origin and Untoldment

The exact origin of folk music is lostin the dimness of antiquity. Undoubtedly the first primitive expressions occurred sometime during mans transitionfrom simple consciousness into self-consciousness. New experiences startedhis personality to slowly unfold, andthen man began to analyze himself inrelation to his environment and othersof his kind.

At this period no intelligent methodof recording ideas and conclusions hadbeen invented. Yet, there were oftentimes when man sincerely desired toshare his thoughts with others. As this


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T h e s p a c i o u s g r o u n d s o f R o s i c r u cP a r k a r e r e s p l e n d e n t w i t h c o l o r fa n d v e r d a n t f o l ia g e . T h e e x o t ic f a c a do f e a c h b u i ld i n g b l e n d s w i th t h e n au r a l s e t t i n g o f i ts e n v i r o n m e n t . W i ti n t h i s t r a n q u i l a t m o s p h e r e l a s t i nf r i e n d s h i p s a r e m a d e , a n d t h e m a ne n i g m a s o f li fe a r e c o n t e m p l a te d , a nr e s o l v e d . T h i s i s t h e s e t t i n g o f ao t h e r R o s i c r u c i a n c o n v e n t i o n .

D i e W O N D E R S O F C R E AThe phenomena of life will ever intrigue man.

Beyond the physical there lie the vast worlds ofmental and psy ch ic real it ies. Br idging th ese worldsare the unique methods of Rosicrucian study.

At a Rosicrucian Convention the mystical consciousness is raised to even higher states of illumination. The wonders of creation are assembledhere, and no one is more prepared than a Rosicrucian to discover and master them. Every meansof instruction, every facility for demonstration,and every opportunity for practical applicationare here.

The perceivable universe is the laboratory ofman. It is his whole existence, the sum and substance of his being. It is his to enjoy his toemploy his to discover and ultimately master.

T h e f o u n t a in a n d p l a z a a r e f a v o r i t e m e e t in gp l a c e s f o r o l d f r i e n d s a n d n e w. C o l o r f u l t i l e , s t a t ue s q u e f ig u r i n e s , w a t e r l il ie s , a n d s i l v e r y f i sh c o mb i n e t h e i r a t tr a c t i o n s w i t h t h e p o o l . T h e s e e l em e n t s p r o v i d e a n i n t i m a t e s t u d y o f n a t u r e .

R e p l i c a o f t h e f o u r t h a n d i n n e r gs a r c o p h a g u s ( m u m m y c a se ) o f T u t a n k h a m e n a b o u t 1 3 5 0 B . Cw o r k o f a r t is b u t o n e o f t he m a n ye x h i b i t s t o b e s e e n i n t h e R o s i c rE g y p t i a n a n d O r i e n t a l M u s e u m .


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T he R o s ic r u c i a n S c i e n c e M uu m a n d P l a n e t a r i u m p r o v i d esh o w p l a c e o f m a n s d i s c o v

i e s a n d a c h i e v e m e n t s i n t h eo r l d o f sc ie n c e . H e r e a r e e xbi ts d e a l i n g w i t h e a r t h q u a k eco rd ings , me teo r i t e s , s ca l eode l s o f t he m oon , s t a r s , o the ranets , e tc. The The ate r of the

k y r e v e a ls a m o v i n g p a n o r a m at h e n i g h t s k y i n a l l i t s s p l e nr t h r o u g h t h e i n t r ic a t e m ea n i c a l d e v i c e k n o w n a s a

a ne ta ri um . A n d li k e s o m eing ou t o f t h i s wor ld , t heack o f t he p ro j ec t ed ea r tht e ll it e i s s im u la t e d on thea n e t a ri u m sk y. O u t s i d e t h ise a t e r a r e a n a r r a y o f l i v e h i bi ts w h i c h d e m o n s t r a t e f u n

a m e n t a l la w s o f t h e p h y s i c a li ences , a p r e lud e t o m an ' s

ex t g o a l S PA C E T RAV EL .

a n d t h eW O N D E R S O F P E R C E IV IN G T H

With that special faculty with that unique mystical insight that is Rosicrucian you perceive these wonders ofcreation as never before.

Through demonstration of Rosicrucian principles in well-equipped classrooms and auditoriums, through opportunities for contemplation and renascence in the sacred convocations of the Supreme Temple, you dwell for a time in amental world, apart from the common-place elements ofexistence.

. . . t h e R o s ic r u

w a y a t aR O S I C R U C C O N V E N T I

L i k e a v i s t a f r o m t h e p a s t , t h e s i m p l e l i n e so f t h i s g r a c e f u l c h a m b e r r e c a l l t h e r e f i n e da r c h i t e c t u r a l s t y l e o f a n c i e n t E g y p t i a n t e m p l e s .T h i s i s t h e s o u l o f A M O R C , t h e i m p o s i n g i n t e r i o r

o f t h e S u p r e m e Te m p l e ed i fi ce . H e r e y o u w i l le n j o y s o f t m e d i t a t i o n m u s i c, i n s p i r i n g r i t u a l s ,a n d i n s t r u c t i v e d i s c o u r s e s


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B r o w s i n g t h r o u g h t h e R o s i c r u c i a n R e s e a r c h L i b r a r yi s a n e n j o y a b l e a d v e n t u r e i n t o t h e m e n t a l w o r l d .A t s p e c i fi e d h o u r s, A M O R C ' s im p o r t a n t d o c u m e n t s o fa u t h o r i t y a r e p r e s e n t e d . S e e R o s ic r u c i a n c h a r t e rs ,o f f i c i a l c o r r e s p o n d e n c e , a s w e l l a s o r i g i n a l b o o k s a n dr a r e w o r k s o f m a n y g r e a t R o s ic r u c ia n m a s t e r s. T h es ew i l l b e o n d i s p l a y f o r y o u r p e r u s a l a n d i n s p e c t io n .

R o s i cr u c ia n m e m b e r s r e g i s te r f o r t h e 1 9 5 7 I n t e rn a t i o n a l R o s i c ru c i a n C o n v e n t i o n o n S U N D A Y, J U LY 7 .Yo u a r e t h e r e . Yo u a r e o n e o f a th o u s a n d R o s i c r u -c i a n s c o m i n g f r o m h o m e s a s c l os e a s y o u r o w n c i tyo r fr o m h o m e s h a l f a w o r l d a w a y . T h i s i s t h e b eg i n n i n g o f a t r u l y h a p p y a n d s a t is f y i n g w e e k . Yo ue x p l o r e t h e e n v i r o n s o f R o s ic r u c ia n P a r k , c h a t w i t hf e l l o w m e m b e r s , a n d a w a i t , e x p e c t a n t l y, t h e Im -p e r a t o r s o p e n i n g a d d r e s s .

A n i n t e r v i e w w i t h y o u r c l a ss m a s t e r o r w i t h o n eo f t h e o f fi c e rs o f A M O R C i s a h i g h l i g h t o f y o u r c o nv e n t i o n d a y s . D u r i n g th e s e t r e a s u r e d m o m e n t s y o uc o m e i n t o p e r s o n a l c o n t a ct w i t h t h o s e w h o a r e g u i di n g y o u i n R o s ic r u c ia n s t u d y t h r o u g h y o u r m o n o g r a p h s

a n d r e a u l a r c o r r e s a o n d e n c e .

P u t i n t& e& e f ei ct cci ed f

D r a m a t i c i n c i d e n t s f r o m t h e l i v e s o f g r e a t c r u c ia n m a s t e r s a r e p o r t r a y e d o n t h e s t a g e o fF r a n c i s B a c o n A u d i t o r i u m . Yo u w i l l b e w i t n e s s ta s w e l l a s t o t h e d r a m a t i c p r e s e n t a t i o n s o f C ol a w s a n d p r i n c i p l e s a t o t h e r s e s s i o n s .

D e m o n s t r a t i o n i s t h e k e y n o t e o f R o s i c r u c i a n T h e s c i e n t i f i c m e t h o d s u s e d t o s u p p o r t o u r t h e oa n d a n h o n e s t e v a l u a t i o n o f t h e s e m e t h o d s , it h e a c c u r a c y a n d t r u t h o f o u r s ta t e m e n t s . Yo u h a v e m o r e t h a n o n e o p p o r t u n i t y to w i t n e s s p r ad e m o n s t r a t i o n s o f t h e R o s i c r u c i a n p r i n c i p le s o uin y o u r m o n o g r a p h s a n d i n it ia t io n s .

9

^ e d e r v e t y u C y 7

f or a n in s pir in g h e a r t w a r m i n g a n d lt o -be r em em bered Ros ic ruci an Conven tion

B e g i n n o w. M a k e y o u r p l an s t o d a y. Ros i c ruc i aS a n J o s e i s e a s i l y a c c e s s ib l e b y l a n d , s e a , o r a i r r oa n d b u t a s h o r t d r i v e f r o m m a n y o f C a l i f o r n i a s m o sa t t r a c t io n s . E c o n o m i c a l h o t e l a n d m o t e l a c c o m m oa r e a v a i l a b l e i f y o u p l a n n o w. T h e r e f o re , se n d a rf o r c o m p l e t e a c c o m m o d a t i o n p a r t i c u l a r s t o :

Rosicruc ian Convent ion Secre taR O S I C R U C I A N PA R K , S A N J O S E , C A L I F O R N

( P l e a s e s e n d p o s t a g e f o r 1 - o u n c e l e t t e r

ctnmnc nr Intprnntinnnl PnctnaA fnnnnn


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desire increased he began to express hisexperiences in simple story form. Depending upon the nature of their appeal, these stories were told and retoldthrough successive generations untilthey eventually passed into the realmof tribal legend.

Ages may have passed before primitive man discovered that a chanting accompaniment could imbue his simplenarrative with greater emotional appeal. Later the addition of drums,gourd-rattles, and notched sticks rubbedtogether, introduced an effective background. When he observed the attention this style of delivery aroused, itencouraged him to experiment withvocal arrangements. The result wasprobably the first folk ballad.

In time the role of story-teller developed into a highly specialized art. Common themes attracted an eager response,and may have been largely responsiblefor uniting the tribes into the first scattered races. Early historical records disclose that the tribal story-teller hadalready evolved into the wanderingminstrel of that time. He performed adual function in primitive society,serving both as an entertainer and as areporter of unrecorded history. Accompanied by a crude lute he sang of glorious battles, of the wrath of nature andthe gods, the tragedies of men.Throughout the Middle Ages folksongs and ballads were an active cultural expression among the peoples ofall races. They provided an expedientfor crystallizing new ideals in the groupconsciousness, ideals that sparked an incentive to attain to higher economic,social, and religious standards. Recordsof these early desires and struggles havesince become a part of our literaryheritage.

In America

Folk songs were introduced intoAmerica by the first settlers. With guitars, violins, and autoharps, these earlypioneers found quiet relaxation andfresh hope in singing the quaint balladsof their homelands. Music expressed amutual brotherhood and a united efforttowards accomplishing the ideal thathad banded them together and broughtthem to a far frontier.

Eventually, problems and hardshipsof the new environment influenced the

musical trend. Folk songs began to reflect those experiences most intimatelyassociated in daily livingviolence ofnature, crimes, wrecks, family feuds,economic disasters. Moreover, as thefrontiers moved steadily westward, newoccupations suggested particular typesof folk songs. Although they employedthe same basic themes, they were expressed in relation to their various industries. Negro singing introduced worksongs, spirituals, blues, and jazz. Settlers in the Southern mountain areasevolved the prison song and mountainballad. Sailors, cowboys, hobos, miners,lumberjacks, farmerseach perfectedand contributed a specialized type offolk song, reflecting their conditions,customs, and character.

This diversified development tendedto impose a form of cultural isolation.Each group existed within its ownsphere of activity, and the only transmission from one to another was byword of mouth. At this time, too, theevolving economic and social standardsvaried widely in different sections ofAmerica. Problems and influences thathad once been common to all no longerexisted. Under these conditions it became increasingly apparent that unlessthe various folk song types were unifiedto serve the whole they would soondisappear.

This transition, however, occurredmuch more easily than might havebeen expected. When the last westernfrontiers were settled, the struggle forsocial, religious, and economic freedomwas temporarily relaxed. People beganto establish more satisfying patterns forliving as they were attracted into theirproper environment. Opportunities toindulge in the cultural experiences oflife opened new vistas to almost everyone. Also, invention of the phonograph,and later the radio, introduced musicinto virtually every American home.

In sympathy with these rapid changes it was not surprising that folk music,too, would evolve according to the needsof the people. For where there is asincere desire to awaken the inner consciousnessan urge to explore newchannels of imagination, an intenselonging for peace and harmonysomeone will provide a way. That someonewas Jimmie Rodgers, who was probably


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the most unique ballad singer this country has ever known.

Two Who Sang

If it is true that suffering is reservedfor the great, then Rodgers satisfiedthis condition. His whole life was constantly beset wdth almost unsurmount-able obstacles. But with courage anddetermination he broke them down, toestablish himself as one of the all-timegreats in American folk music. Bomin extremely modest circumstances inMeridian, Mississippi, he knew a lonely childhood, for his mother died whenhe was four. His father was sectionforeman on the Mobile & Ohio Railway.It was in this exciting world of bobbingsignal lanterns and impatient trainwhistles that he grew up.

When he was fourteen JimmieRodgers joined his father on the railroad, where he listened to the moaningblues and the old plantation songs ofnegro laborers. These simple songskindled a compassion and love withinhim for his fellow men, and in thosemoments he realized deep happiness.He learned to sing their quaint songs,and strum his own accompaniment ona guitar.

Two years later Rodgers took a jobas a brakeman on the Mobile & Ohio.About the same time he contractedtuberculosis, and for the next fourteenyears he suffered from failing health,pover ty , and disappointments. Heshifted continually in his work fromone railroad to another, seeking climates more favorable to his health. Atlast railroading became too strenuousfor him to continue, and he joined atraveling medicine show as a blackfaced singer.

A long series of minor engagementswith other groups followed, whileRodgers struggled to establish himselfas a professional entertainer. Therewere times when failure seemed socertain that he was tempted to quit.But, eventually, he contacted a Victortalent scout, and a test record won himinstant recognition.

Jimmie Rodgers professional careerlasted only five years. In that brieftime, however, he fulfilled his destinyby synthesizing all the existing folksong types to serve a single purpose.The 109 songs he recorded remain as

a lasting tribute to his astonishing satility. His was a talent set apart fthe commonplace. Personal suffhad unfolded a sympathy and undstanding for his fellow men that foexpression in a depth of emotionalpeal. People from every walk o

responded immediately to the wunderstanding expressed through voice, and found enjoyment in the ple, unabashed sentimentality of melodies.

The songs Jimmie Rodgers wrotesang laid the foundation on whichentirely new style of American song was established. Indeed, hisfluence continued as an active forcmore than fifteen years after histimely transition in 1933. The of his accomplishments reached t

heights that are always a source ospiration to those who follow. Ssought to imitate his unique style passed quickly into oblivion. crystallized an inner understandingthe purpose of his mission, and gradly began to unfold the folk song. period developed the tragic love theemphasizing its negative characteriof sorrow, unhappiness, and regThese songs exemplified love proband situations familiar to all; found an eager reception.

About 1948 this formula compits cycle. Folk artists, in their fsearch for acceptable song material,

lumbed and exhausted the depthuman sorrow and adversity. Now, l

of reality and stimulation of emotiappeal made these song situationspear ridiculous. The new cycle bwhen ballad singer Hank Williamspeared, to raise American folk musthe next higher plane of expression

Like Rodgers, Hank Williams fered intensely throughout his shtragic life. He was bom in a log in the scrub country of Alabama. childhood environment was one of erty and unhappiness. When he five his father, a veteran of World I, sought medical aid in a governmhospital, where he soon died. Left the responsibility of bringing up young family, Williams mother moto a near-by town, where she cwork in a cannery. But almostmediately fire destroyed their hoand they barely escaped with


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lives. The mother hurried her familyon to Montgomery.

Young Williams never knew the advantages of formal schooling. Once settled in Montgomery he became awandering bootblack. In spare momentshe listened to Jimmie Rodgers recordings. When he was eight his mothergave him a cheap guitar, and an oldnegro street singer taught him to playthe chords. From then on Williamsdetermined to become a famous balladsingerand, doggedly, he did.

At the time of his death, New YearsDay, 1953, Williams had achieved thepinnacle of success in the field of American folk music. He had 15 million enthusiastic fans, and his record salesreached high figures. More important,he had single-handed made all Americafolk-song conscious. Many of his hittunes had bridged the gap into thepopular music field, and his name wassynonymous with top songs in bothfields.

Williams outer life may have beenconsidered objectional to contemporarysocial standards, but this tragedy wasmodified by the counteracting expression of his inner self. His consciousnesswas so closely attuned to the sufferingand sorrow of the world that he wasconstantly influenced by a flood of im

pressions. He also had the ability totranslate his deeper understanding intomusical language that found an emotional response in the hearts of others.His songs reveal what he intuitivelyrealizedthat the outer, changing expression of man is a reflection of thetragedy within.

Conversely, there were momentswhen his acute sensitivity attuned himwith higher planes of consciousness.And while his mind was still fired withthe vision of their splendor he was ableto interpret them into musical magic.Inspirational songs like My Brother,I Saw the Light, and others arousethe inner positive qualities in men, andinspire some to more noble living.

The ideal which Hank Williamsstruggled to achieve continues to influence the music of todays folk artists.His inspirational theme promotes thenew cycle in the evolution of Americanfolk music. Songs currently invadingthe popular hit parade programs indicate that the idea of tragic love, withits unhappiness, sorrow, and regrets, isgradually being replaced by a plea forunderstanding, a prayer for inner harmony. The inspirational appeal beingexpressed in folk music can spark theflame of faith and hope in brotherlylove.

V A V

THE HEART OF AMORCWith its magnificent colonnaded front projecting from among the smaller buildings,

the Rosicrucian Supreme Temple portrays an air of serene austerity in beautiful Rosicrucian Park. Its every feature denotes the ideals of light, life, and love for which it

stands. It symbolizes the heart and soul of the Rosicrucian Order.Every member, while looking forward to his sitting in quiet meditation within the

temples exotic interior, can have a brochure containing several beautiful photographsof the interior and of the exteriorprinted on Krome-Coat, a heavy fine quality paper.I t virtua lly radiates the architectural and mystical beauty of tins edifice. Order a copytoday for ONLY $1.00 (7/3 sterling) postpaid. Learn to know tha t of which you aresuch an integral part.

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> f t b c^ f b i Lo n ssz o t t n s cy r t o r n La By B e n F i n g e r , J r .

'S '

T h e

Of all the ancientthinkers, perhapsonly Lucretius and afew Ionians and Alex

andrians would feel athome in our presentscientific world.

The Latin poet Titus Lucretius Carus, acontemporary of Cicero and Caesar, ma

jestically expoundedatomistic philosophy in

his long epic, Of the Nature of Things. Hadthe world of 2000years ago embarkedon the steady development of his ideas, ourAtomic Age wouldhave come centuriessooner. And it wouldnthave made its debut with a life-destroying explosion, for the best of all philosophical poets taught a rational code ofethics.

Alas, Lucretius was bom too soon.In the first century B.C., he clearlyanticipated modern physics, chemistry,biology, genetics, and anthropology. James Shotwell calls his poetic-philosophic masterpiece the most marvelousperformance in all antique literature.Lucretius was indebted to Leucippus,Democritus, and Empedocles; and headmired Epicurus as the greatest of allphilosophers. He gave graceful expression to the wisdom of these scientificthinkers, as well as to his own originalinsights. But the truth about naturesounded strange to his contemporaries.A few centuries after he died, everyscience was paralyzed throughout theRoman world. A couple more centuriespassed, and the universal ignorance ofthe Dark Ages identified scientific in-

Rosicrucian 9 T O , wi* impiety. Throughout theMiddle Ages, Lucretius was remem-

Vigest bered as an atheist. M ay Ever since the Renaissance, develop-1957 ing science has realized the uncanny

anticipations of Ltius. Dr. Fracastovived his theorseeds of disease,in time Pasteur elished the germory. The atomic thof Lucretius wavived by Gassplaced on a mscientific basis byton, and applieastonishing waytwentieth-centuryclear physicistsplace restoredLucretian nebulapothesis, and itbeen progressivelfined. Mayer wthe tradition ofcretius when he

forth the principle of the conservaof energy. Science followed in the steps of Lucretius when Bacon acated observation and experiment, w

Weismann formulated the theorythe continuity of the germ plasm, wLavoisier noted chemical affinities, wNewton arrived at the corpuscular tory of light, when Darwin and othdeveloped a scientific theory of evtion, and when Madame Curie discered radium.

Irwin Edman asserts that the grness of the Lucretian masterpiece sides at once in the nobility and ilectual grandeur of its theme, andthe music and passionate imagerywhich it is expressed. High praiseLucretius and his work has also cfrom Voltaire. Spinoza, Goethe, Hley, Ludwig Lewisohn, Will Durand hosts of other luminaries. ONature of Things illustrates thethat many of mans greatest discovebegan as imperfect premonitions. course, Lucretius did not know as mas do present-day scientists. His spections are crude in detail, but they h


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a surprisingly close resemblance to thebasic ideas of twentieth-century science!

.A Silent Worker

Almost nothing is known about theife of Lucretius. Because he explicitly

rejected the superstitions of the statereligion of Rome, he was the victim ofa conspiracy of silence. We do notknow exactly where or when he wasborn, or in what community he didhis work. We must rely on just a fewuncertain notices and speculations.

Lucretius calls Latin his native, ancestral tongue. Will Durant thinks heprobably belonged to the aristocracy.It is supposed that the poet was a friendof Cicero. Eduard Zeller states, in hisOutlines of the History of Greek Phi-osophy. Lucretius seems to have been

closely connected with the physicianAsclepiades of Prusa or Cios in Bithynia.who lived in Rome at that time andwas also a devotee of the Epicureanphilosophy. We know by the classicof Lucretius that the dominant influence in his life was the scientific philosophy of Epicurus. A. W. Bennspeculates that Lucretius was probablyeducated to be a lawyer, so great washis forensic skill and systematic logicin expounding the Epicurean wisdom.

Romes insecure social conditionmade many persons yearn for peace ofmind. But tne orthodox state religionimplanted superstitious fears of thegods, of the nereafter, of omens andsigns. Happy is the man, said Lucretius, who has been able to knowthe causes of things. He searched outthe natural causes of natural phenomena, instead of crediting the miraclesof capricious gods. To his mind, it wasnot true piety to bow down to stoneand sprinkle altars with blood, butrather to contemplate all things with

a mind at rest.Lucretius lives in his book, fromwhich William Ralph Inge reconstructsthe following picture: The poet . . .shows himself to have been a lonelyman, who had pondered much amongthe hills and by the sea, and who lovedto taste the pure delights of the spring.Thence came to him the holy joy anddread which pulsates through his greatpoem as he shatters the barbarous mythology of paganism, and then, in thespirit of a priest rather than of a phi

losopher, turns the bright shafts of dayupon the folly and madness of thosewho are slaves to the world or the flesh.The spirit of Lucretius is the spirit ofmodern science, which tends neither tomaterialism nor to atheism, whateverits friends and enemies may say.

Rome lacked a taste for science, butLucretius influenced Cicero , V irg il,Horace, Ovid, and Livy, to some degree. The atomistic naturalism of Lucretius contributed to the decay of theold religion of Rome. But, when Augustus tried to restore the ancient faith,it became imprudent for the followersof the poet of science to acknowledgetheir debt to him.

In the Empire Period, Roman enemies of Epicureanism invented the unlikely story that Lucretius was drivenmad by a love-potion, did his writingin the intervals of insanity, and finallykilled himself. The Christian Father Jerome repeated this fiction in hisChronica Eusebii, probably with thedesire to discredit a pagan freethinker. Even if the unsupported rumorshould be confirmed, Lucretius wassurely the sanest philosopher of theancient world when he created his masterpiece!

The ultraorthodox have repeatedlycharged that Lucretius denied the Divine, and reduced the universe to amere mud pie made by two blindchildren, Atoms and Space. Yet Goethefinds in him not only a lofty facultyof sensuous intuition, but also something which goes beyond the reach ofsense into the invisible depths of nature. Let us study his philosophy, andevaluate for ourselves!

Atoms, Space, and Law

Of the Nature of Things begins witha majestic apostrophe to Venus, sym

bol of the universal creative power. Butthe serious cosmology of Lucretius is not mythical. He denies that anthropomorphic deities made the universe orgovern it. Nature is the author of allthings, and the principle of causationreigns over every process.

According to Lucretius, nothing iscreated out of nothing. The infiniteUniverse is the all-creating, all-de-vouring All, in the three aspects ofatoms, space, and law. There is constant change under law, and whatever


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has a beginning must have an ending.But the All is eternal. Let us turn tothe beautiful translation by W. H. Mal-lock, in Lucretius on L ife and D eath:

Globed from the atoms, falling slow or swift,

I see the suns, I see the systems lift

Their forms; and even the systems and their suns Shall go back slowly to the eternal

drift. . . . And all th e pageant goes; whilst

1 with awe,See in its place the things my

master saw;See in its place the three eternal

things The only threeatoms an d space

and law. All things but these ar ise and fa il

and fall,From flowers to stars, the great

things and the small ,Whilst the great Sum of all things

rests the same,The all creating, all devouring All.

For Lucretius, evolutionary change ofform is a progressive revelation of thenature of the All. We are permitted toconceive of One Life behind everymanifest form. Law is an essential aspect of the All, and it is our salvation

to understand and love that Law. AsTennyson reminds: God is Law, say the wise

The atomic theory of Lucretius ismost impressive in its broad fundamentals. It came closer to modern science than any rival theories of the ancient world, and it expressed a basiccontribution to the rise of scientificphilosophy. Lucretius harmonized ascientific outlook with a cosmic senseof reverence.

Bu

Documents

Rosicrucian Digest, May 1957