Rosicrucian Digest, November 1947

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I N S T I T U T I O N B E H I N D T H I S

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A N G L O - A M E R I C A N U N I T YAbove are swn in conference in London, E ngland , R nym und Andre a , Grand M aster (a t le f t ) of the Br i t ish Jur i s

diction of AMORC . and Ralph M. Lew is , Imp era to r of the Jur i sd ic t ion of Nor th and South Am er ica and Au s t ra l

i s i a . This conference nf compara t ive ly recent da te resul t ed in the pos t -war coordination of these two great Rosi

crucian jurisdict ions nf simi lar lan gua ge a nd customs. T he ful l faci l i t ies of the Am eric an Jurisdi ct ion are now ex

tended to al l mem be rs thro ug hou t Grea t Bri tain and i ts far f lung possessions. Th is a r t forges ano the r l ink in the

drain nf sol idari ty of the internat ional Rosicrucian Order. ( AM ORC. Ph n l n )



J i n 7 I JE r- l ’ W* A T T »

“ THIS WI SD OM MUST DIE/ '

"Tlutlil "That -/-/ave. IZeen

d e n ie d S ffru ij jlin j J-/um anity

FOR every word th at has le ft the l ips of bishop s or sta tes

me n to e n l ighte n man, a thousand h ave be e n w i thhe ld .

For every book publ ic ly exposed to the inquir ing mind, one

hundred more have been suppressed— da m ne d to ob li vi on .

Ea ch yea r of progress has been wil ful ly de layed centuries.

W isdom has had to f i l ter through biased, secret sessions or

ecc lesiast ical counci l meetings, where high dignitar ies of

state and church alone proclaimed what man should know.

Are you prepared to dem and the hidden facts of li fe? Wil l

you continue to be l ieve that you are not capable of weighing

the worth of knowledg e that concerns your personal freedom

and happine ss? R e a l i z e tha t muc h tha t c an make your l i f e

more understandable, and livable has been le ft unexplained or

intention al ly destroyed. At f irst by word of mouth only , and

now by private discourses, are re ve al ed those truths which

secret brotherhoods preserved in ancient temples and hidden

sanctuaries, from those who sought to se l f ishly deprive hu

m a n i t y o f t h em ,

THIS fr e e BOOK OF EXPLANATION

Let the Rosicrucians, one of these ancient brotherhoods of

learning, te l l you about these amazing truths, and explain

how you, too , l ike thousands of others, may now use them

to enjoy the ful lness of l ife. Th e Rosicrucians, (not a re

l ig ious organization) invite you to use the coupon opposite

and rece ive the FREE copy of the fasc inating, Sealed Book,

with i ts start l ing ta le of se lf hel p.

WSe ROSICRUCIANS (AMORC)S A N J O S E , C A L I F O R N I A , U . S. A .

N a m e . .

Addre9s

Scri be S P C.

T H E R O S IC R U C IA N S (AMORC ) Ro si cru cia n Pa rk, San Jose, California. tJ

Plea9e send me your FREE Sealedam sin cere ly inter ested in learning howIrec ei ve the se long conc ealed facts of life.



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

T HE 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

NOVEMBER, 1947

Anglo-American Unity (Front isp iece l

Thought of the Month: W ha t is a Com mun is t?

Science and Religion

When Psychic Evolution Fails

Cathedral Contacts: The Commonp lace and the Unusua l

Temple Echoes

Idealism and our Times

W ha t Constitutes a Mystic?

Sanctum Musings: T h e W o r l d ' s G r e a t N e e d

As Science Sees It

W ha t Men Thought : Happ iness

Examining the Past (IIIustration)

Subs c r i p t i on t o t he f t os i c r uc l an D i qes t , T h r ee D o l l a r s pe r y ea r . S i ng l e

c op i es tw en ty - f i v e c en ts .

En te r ed as Sec ond C l as s Ma t te r a t t he Post O f l i c e a t San J os e . C a l i

f o r n i a . u nder Sec t i on I 103 o f t he U . S. Posta l Ac t o f O c t . 3 , 1917 .

C h a n g e s o f a d d r es s m u s t r e a c h us b y t h e t e n t h o f f h e m o n t h p r e c e d i n g

da te o t i s s ue .

S te temen ts m ade i n t h is pub l i c a t i o n a r e no t t he o f f i c i a l ex p res s i ons o f

t he o r gan i z a t i on o r i t s o f f i c e r s un l es s s ta ted t o be o f f i c i a l c ommun i c a t i ons .

Published Monthly by the Supreme Council of

T HE R O S IC R U C I A N O RD ER — A M O R C

RO S I C RUCI A N P ARK S AN J OS E, CAL I F O RNI A

EDIT OR : Frances Ve j tasa

Copyrigh t. 1947, by tha Supremo Gra nd Lod ge ot AMORC. All rlghti reserved.

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s T T r r r r T ~ - - r - - -



T H E

THOUGHT OF THE MONTHW H AT IS A COMMUNIST?

B y T H E I M P E R A T O R

T h e

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1947

mvrmsTAisiJiNG the diss e n s i o n t h a t e x i s t sthroughout the world,

society is more closelyknit than ever before inhistory. The elaboratenetworks of communication and transportationfunction as a highly or

ganized nervous system of our presentcivilization. Any event or act whichlias a great impact upon people anywhere is a stimulus felt almost instantaneously by the whole of society. Werealize the importance of not allowingourselves continually to react to somesensation, physically aroused, without

questioning its cause Unfortunately,however, we are given to responding tothe mental stimulus of invectives readm the newspapers or heard over theradio, without much personal analysisof them.

\ condition may arise in the worldwhich forcefully affects society. Itseffects are immediately transmittedthroughout the world by the international press and radio. A nam e is thengiven to the effecls. Often the name isnot appropriate to describe ihe initialcause. Consequently, the name, be

cause its actual meaning is not entirelyunderstood, acquires an awkward terminology. Various connotations are attributed to it which, when applied tosome person or group, may result ingreat injustice. It is for that reasonthat every intelligent person judiciously selects the words he uses in referring toihe thoughts and conduct of others.

A word which is commonly bandiedahout today is communist. It actually

has several technical meanings. Of rerent years it has been associated with apolitical ideology, the effects of which

on world society have become intensified and wholly unpleasant to many.Consequently, the word has come to beopprobrious, to symbolize objectionablecharacteristics which frequently haveno relation to its original inherentmeaning.

In every age of history, some wordhas come to depict that which is distasteful to at least a portion of society.It h as then been eventually used as ageneral invective against individualsor societies that mighl be disliked forent irely different reasons. An example

of this is the word carpetbagger. Immediately following the Civil War inthe United States, when the southernstates had nol yel recovered normalcy,they were invaded by unscrupulouscharacte rs from the north. These individuals, called carpetbaggers, oftenpreyed upon the then recently acquiredfreedom of the Negro in order to exploit him and the impoverished formerConfederate States. Finally , however,the term was applied to any individualto whose conduct one might object forwholly personal reasons. Persons with

malevolent intent would hurl the wordas an imprecation at innocent personswhom they disliked, so as to causethem great embarrassment. The sametactics were used recently in the formerly Nazi-occupied countries. Whenthe Nazis had evacuated, individualsretaliated for personal wrongs, actualor imagined, at the hands of a neighborby referring to him as a collaborator. This obviousl}’ caused ihe often inno



cent party great difficulty in establish

ing his lack of guilt.

The world is going through a transition that is very rapid . 'Within a shorttiine, perhaps a century hence, there

will be a str iking dissimilarity betweenthe economic, social, and political conditions existing then and those now existing. Whe ther these changes wil l allbe to our advantage, it is as ye t difficultto determine. The clash between theconservative, the traditionalist, andthose who advocate radical change, or .the so-called liberal, is now most apparent. All radicals—by that we meanone who desires or strives for a strikingdeparture from existing conditions—are not necessarily anarchists or communists. Both the conservative and theone seeking change are ardent and perhaps overzealous in the support of theirconceptions. Consequently, they levelaccusations against each other whichare often without any foundation. Because one is not satisfied with worldconditions, economic or otherwise, andrecommends a departure from a custom that you favor , is no justificationfor publicly s tyling h im a communist.Such a practice indicates either ignorance of the meaning of the word or awrong motive.

The opposite view also needs to betaken into consideration; that is, theloose usage of the words communist andcommunism, to clothe personal ideas insterminology. A person may advocateachange, for example, in our monetarysystem or in trade relations which arecontrary to curre nt practice . He doessowith the best of intent ions and withthe ultimate objective of fur the ring hisnation’s interests. He realizes th at hisconceptions are radical, that is, quitedivergent from current practices andhe refers to them as communistic, usingthe term as a synonym for radical. Because of such loose thinking and

careless selection of terminology, hebarms his cause by the misconceptionhe creates.

Origin of Communes

The word communism has its originreally in the word commune. The wordcommune, in turn, signifies any groupof persons acting together for the p urpose of self-government. Any fraternal

society, any club or even a religioussect, acting with a common purposeand having its officers administer suchactivities is a commune. Our communities spring from the same meaningof the word. Th e word communism was originally synonymous with socialism, and with the utopian ideas of governm ent. In this sense of the word,Plato’s ideal republic, as a utopia anda revolutionary idea of society, couldbe properly called communism.

Communism is neither a modern development nor exclusively a product ofa highly organized society. Primi tivesociety has shown certain of the elements of present-day communism in itsorganization. Among m any primitivepeoples, land is considered a gift of thegods to mankind. Therefore, it is impossible for individuals of the tribe tolay claim or title to it, the theory being that it is presumptuous for any individual to claim that the gods conferred upon him alone the land whichapparen tly has always existed. The refore, the land must he shared alike bythe people, according to this primitiveview. However, this does not deny,even in primitive society, the right ofprivate ownership of the trees or ofcrops raised upon the land, the resultof individual enterprise. It would appear that communal interest, in primi

tive society, ceases where there is aninequality of individual initiative. Consequently, class distinction can anddoes arise in primitive society as a result of applied intelligence and personalindustry.

Communes were quite common during the Middle Ages. The mediaevalGerman town developed its own individual customs, economic systems,and self-administration, in which thecitizens shared alike. Even the lowerclasses of these mediaeval towns hadtheir own communes, which were

known as craft-guilds. The merchants,for example, founded guilds for theprotection of their own interests. Theyclaimed the right to elect their ownmaster and of assisting him to framebylaws for the regulation of the quality of their products and the process oftheir manufa cture. Each mercha nt orcraftsman had an equal share in allsuch rights of his trade and could ex-

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T h e

Rosicruc ian

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1947

elude those whom he did not want.These guilds even passed their secretsby means of initiatory rites from master to apprentice, or sometimes fromfather to son.

The commune and communism began to take on a different significanceafter the Parisian insurrection ofMa rch 18-May 29, 1871. These insurrections of the peasants spread to M arseilles, Lyons, and other French cities.They advocated a form of governmentby the workers and opposed to the ruleof the middle and, particularly, theupper classes. It was definite ly a social revolution. It advocated revolt for thepurpose of not alone securing politicalpower of government but of vesting it

entirely in the hands of a formerly repressed class of people. Fu rther , thesecommunes demanded a redistribution of the property held by all formerclasses.

A part of communism from then onwas the rejection of all private property. All productions from whichwealth can be acquired must, it wasadvocated, be vested in the community.This system furthe r expounded the un ifying of all classes of society for production, affirming that those who didnot produce were parasites upon the

people. Weal th of the individual wasmade to appear as a crime against society. As capitalism permi ts individualwealth, it obviously became the target of the communistic theory. The factremains, although it is often overlooked,that wealth in itself is not a crime, butits poor distribution or its misapplication may be.

.V ein Shade* of Meaning

Communism took on certain otherand definite meaning when it became

the vehicle for the philosophy of Marxism. This philosophy did not only espouse the communizing of productionand a more just distribution, it likewise promulgated a complete revolution of all conditions of society, allcreative achievements and even thespiritual con tent of life. It denouncedthe theory that there can be any idealtoward which society can move andthat the principles of that ideal wouldgradually bring it about. In otherwords, it attacked the theory of an evolutionary society as being decadent. It

posited the premise that human foresight is not capable of establishing aremote ideal toward which society cancontinually move. Marx ism insteadrecommends expediency. It endorses a

practical meeting of the circumstancesas they arise. Figuratively speaking,do today as today demands. The immediate resul t justifies the end. Thistheory necessitated revolution and anuprooting of all existing types of government to compel them to meet economic and political conditions as conceived by Marx. These views are really

political pragmatism. In other words,all truths or ends in life are to bemeasured by the immediate benefits tobe derived from experience.

Modern communism then considers force as necessary to success. Thisforce is to be exercised by a militantminority, the minority being those whoadvocate this modern communism incontrast to the supporters of ideologieselsewhere in the world.

Dictatorship became a natural consequence of such concepts as these. Itwas held that there must be a centraladministration to represent the proletariat or lower classes, as they wouldbe unable, as a whole, to appreciate

the ir new role and social status. Thecommunistic party drew up the lists ofcandidates and those who were notcommunists were not represented. Theworking proletariat was alone entitledto vote, other classes being excepted.

In theory it was claimed that dictatorship would be relinquished whensoviet socialism had achieved its ends—world revolution! Tr ue democracy, itheld, would be unrealizable in capitalistic society where there are property-less men. Soviet socialism endeavors to

just ify dictato rship on the principle ofa special force of repression. This repression must, it expounds, keep production at all costs in the hands of thecommunistic party.

Soviet Russia has, since its inception,been obliged, by the very force ofnecessity which it recognizes, to undergo cer tain modifications. At first itoutlawed monetary transactions butwas eventually forced to establish astable currency . It eventually discovered that many transactions are toocomplex for the bar ter system. Fur



ther, the peasant has teen given theright to dispose of his goods, subject totaxation.

The Theories ot Principle

What the democracies hold as principle, the result of moral or ethicalends, is diametrically opposed to thetheory of soviet communism. To thistype of communism a principle mustonly be an operational rule, that is, apractical way of doing something. Aprinciple, according to communism,must never be a concept as a result ofemotional or spiritual feelings whichmay block the way to a material benefit. On the other hand, to the democracies, principle is a standard of human

conduct. From this point of view, theexpedient way is outlawed by the democracies if it falls short of their moraland ethical standards of perfection.Under soviet communism, a whole setof its principles, its rules of operation,may be discarded over night if theyprove to be ineffectual in gaining animmediate end. This distinction, then,between the separate meanings of prin

ciples makes understandable the manysoviet rejections of our views. It makesits practices incompatible with our ownway of life. Soviet communism, by its

conception, subordinates the spiritualmotivation of man to the demands andimmediate needs of his mortal existence.

It is our hope that our readers willnot label anyone a communist or anything as communism, unless they haveat least as much understanding of thewords as we have endeavored to brieflypresen t here. Before referring to another as a communist, in the sense thatyou mean he is a supporter of theideology of Soviet Russia, weigh wellwhat he says. Different political views

or even radical views do not necessarilyconstitute communism. The Rosicrucian Order, A.M.O.R.C., is not a political movement or society, but it hasalways eschewed revolution in anyform. Rather, it has expounded thatprogressive development in humanaffairs which is evolutionary, for suchis a change that more greatly reflectsthe intelligence of man.

A TTEN TION HIER A R C HY M EM BER SThose who are members of the Esoteric Hierarchy will kindly mark, upon their

calendars, the dates of the next two special meditation periods in which the Imperatorsof America and Eu rope participate. Th e nat ure and purpose of these meditation periodsis understood hy the members who have attained to the Hiera rchy . Th e schedule is:

January IS, 1948, Thursday, 8:00 p.m., Pacific Standard Time.April IS, 1948, Thursday, 8:00 p. m., Pacific Standard Time.

(Use the equivalent hour in your locality.)

In reporting to the Imperator, kindly include your full name, and the details of yourDegree and key number.

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Science and Religion

T h e

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1941

By M. W. V a n S t o k k u m , F.R.C.

Past Sovereign Grand Master of Dutch East Indies

n c e Buddha was asked,“How long do you think

your doctrine will last?”He replied, “At the mostfive hundred years, afterwhich it will decline.”

May not this happenwith every religion? Dothe various religions of

the world really differ so much as itappears at the first blush? It has beensaid that the Oriental will reach truthalong the philosophical road and theWesterner along the scientific.

The Psalmist sings: “The heavensproclaim your praise.” If we look at

the sky, the sun, the moon, and thestars, man can come but to the conclusion that there must be a power inthe Universe that has created all thingsand maintains them. If we study thecreation around us, we are bound toarrive at the conclusion that there issomething, something that consciouslyknows and consciously acts, that is beyond our understanding. This is referred to by many names. As a rulewe call it God. W e may also say thatit is Cosmic Consciousness which worksall this, or Nature, or we may use some

other name.If we observe the stars, we shall see

that there are enormous distances between them, and that in the Universethere is much more space than there ismatter. Then how is it with the createdthings on this earth? Science teachesus that also here the creation consistsof more space than matter, for what ismaterial here on earth consists of mole

cules, atoms, and the even smaller partsthat we call protons and electrons, all

of them widely separated, one from theother, by space. Th ey are not closetogether. The relative distances between them are proportionately asgreat as are those between the celestialbodies. Th e matter of this earth, as isthe Cosmos beyond it, is constructed onone and the same principle.

Let us look at a human being, consisting as he does of about eight million millions of cells. Should we wantto count these cells one by one, wewould need more than 250,000 yearsto do so, if day and night we were to

continue counting one every second.Have we as physical beings made

these cells and counted them and determined how many cells we needed forour body? Each of these cells in itsturn consists of thousands of moleculesand these molecules consist of atoms,the atoms consist of electrically chargedprotons with a positive charge and ofelectrons wi th a negative charge. Assaid before, all these particles are separated by a considerable space, just asthe celestial bodies are separated byenormous distances. According to

science, the material of which a manis composed, if we were able to compress all its physical particles into onecompact mass, would not exceed in sizea pinhead. If we were able to put allour blood corpuscles on a string, itwould have a length which would passthree times around the earth.

There are a great many more miraculous things, but this wfll suffice for



our purpose. Take iron, for example.The relation between its substance andthe space it occupies is:

space —0.99999999999995

(13 nines)

substance— 0.00000000000005(13 zeros)

Also, in this case, it is evident thatwhat the human eye sees as solid matter consists of far more space than itdoes of substance. Our reasoning faculty must correct the idea concerningthat which we observe as substance.We must realize that that which wesee is something quite different in reality, namely, that it consists of a tenuous mass which, like the universe, is

made of much more space than substance, somewhat like a thin cloud ofmist, the particles of which are farapart and are charged with positive andnegative electricity (protons and electrons), that it is in fact a local accumulation of electricity.

Thus it is that everything that seemsto us to be solid matter is formed onthe same basis as the universe of celestial bodies. No r are these particlesquiescent, for they have nuclei aroundwhich they revolve. Th ey are in constant motion, revolving around these

centers in conformity to the same principle as do the stars.

Thus it is that actually we consistof immaterial forces, and our reasoningfaculty must correct the idea that theso-called dead, matter is dead, by thinking of it as a living mass full of movement and life. So, for example, a grainof sand is an accumulation of molecules, atoms, protons, and electrons thatare in constant motion and constitute aliving mass.

Boluaion or Maya

How is it that man observes his bodyand all physical matters as physicalobjects? This is because our eyes cannot see the reality, but only a particular picture of such reality, a pictureformed by the particles in their motion.

Let us take, for example, a thin stickand light the end of it so that it isaglow. If we swish this stick to andfro, then we do not see a glowing point,hut a streak of light . Should we beable to move this glowing point in two

directions very rapidly, we would seea surface and, if in three directions,we would see a body. Thus it is thatwe observe our own body and all other

substances as bodies. We observe aform created by the rapidly rotatingmotion of its particles. (Thou hastbeen created in the image of God, etc.—Genesis 1:27.)

We live, so to speak, in a delusion.Actually things are different. Our eyessee every thing perspectively. If wesee a straight line of railway, our eyessee a picture of two rails that are approaching each other. This picture wemust correct hy means of our reasoningfaculty which tells us that these railsdo not approach each other but thatthey remain parallel. Whenever wesee things looking smaller in the distance, we again have to call upon ourreasoning power in order to realizethat these objects are not any smallerthan the same objects which are closerto us.

When we see in the distance mountsthat are low, small, and bare, we againneed to think of them as they reallyare—large, high, and covered withvegetation—and also that the color, aswe see it at a distance, does not represent the same tints as those we observe at a closer range.

Numerous instances could be quotedwhere our senses deceive us; therefore,we have to look upon the substancearound us and constituting us as that ofan image of a tenuous mass, consistingmore of space than of substance, andthe substance itself as actually being aquantity of static electricity.

We live in delusion, the “maya” ofthe philosophy of the Orient. Thenwhat are we in reality? The Biblestates that we were created in God’simage. Now note the following (Genesis 2: 7):

God took what we call matter (dust)and breathed into it the breath of life,so that man became a living SOUL. W ha t was it tha t lived before creation?Nothing else than what we call God,Nature, the All-soul, Cosmic Consciousness, etc., etc.

When a child is born, it begins itslife with its first breath; then andonly then it acquires an existence ofits own. For then there enters into itthat which causes man to live; namely,



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1947

the breath of God, the only thing thattruly is: His breath, His life, His soul,that which causes life the immortal. Itis not oxygen alone that makes us live,but that which is unsubstantial andpresent in the air, present everywhere.

Man did not become a living being,nor a living man, but a living soul orthat which is represented to be thebrea th of God's life. His life entersinto us, and this causes us to live also.And that which causes life is the life ofGod Himself, His blood.

This now is the great and glad tiding brought us by Jesus, namely, thatGod is within us, that He causes us tolive with His life, that our body is atemple of God (I. Corinthians 3:3-16);that we are a temple of the HolyGhost; that the Kingdom of God is not

here or elsewhere, but has to be soughtwithin ourselves. Read again the storyof creation, for you will find that moreis said there about souls; then, drawyour own conclusions.

As said above, if we study the universe, we must conclude that it is Godwho directs everything . We ourselvesconsist of tiny particles exactly likethe universe outside us. It is God, whoassigns its own place to every electronand its power within the body.

Man thinks that it is he who livesand creates. Th at is also a fancy, adelusion. W hy are you a ma n and nota cow?

We are bom because God has commanded it. Do we objectively determine what we shall look like, whatkind of nose, what color eyes, whatshape of body, whether we shall bemen or women? May we breathe ormust we breathe? Do we determinehow our lungs shall work? Is it wethat cause our hair, our nails, our bodyto grow? Mu st we not sleep and wakeup again? Mu st we not eat? Do we

objectively determine the excretions ofour salivary glands, of the digestivefluids, or the intestinal secretions? Andwhen we eat fats, do we regulate theaction of the liver, or the greater orlesser secretion of the bile? Do wedetermine the action of our intestines,or of our glands, such as the pancreas,the spleen, the kidneys, the sexual organs, and so forth?

We do nothing of the sort. It is theforce within us, or the so-called God,

Nature, or Cosmic Consciousness, thatdoes all this. It is the life tha t has comeinto us from God, the soul that governs every electron in our body, thatmakes things be as they should be, anddetermines their place in the relation

to the o ther parts of our body.The Return to Divinity

Therefore, the delusion in whichmen live will have to be corrected. TheBible rightly states that both willingand working proceed from God. Manwants so very much—man wants, hutit is God who decides.

It is interesting to note that our poetssense this also. One of our popularsong writers says very neatly: “If youare bom for sixpence, you will neverget a shilling, despite all your knowl

edge or ability.”Thus it is that I alone do not live,

hut He in me and I in Him. It is God,or by whatever name you wish to callHim, who is engaged in creating andwho has a purpose in doing so. He hasworked it all out, the whole of creation.

All comes forth from God, passesthrough the negative stage, referred toin the Bible as having been created inthe image of God or in the Easternway as being “maya” or delusion, andthereupon return s to divinity. God

was, God is, and God shall be.God through His creation creates an

image of Himself. This image is dominantly negative and represents the inversion, the negative picture of Himself.

He, who is the One and the All, inthis inverted image is the multiplicityof a unit.

He, who is immaterial, not bound bytime and space, is in this image material and bound by time and space.

He, who is perfect, in the image is

imperfect.He, who lives in glory, is in the

image in misery.

He, who is omniscient, is in Hisimage kept inactive . We of ourselvesknow nothing. Man ultimate ly, at hisawakening, comes to this conclusion.

He, who is love, in the counterpartpicture is hate and egotism.

He, who is eternal, in the picture istemporary and mortal.



He, who knows no suffering, in thereflection walks a road of pain fromthe cradle to the grave.

Let us use our reasoning faculty, andconstantly keep in mind that we must

not found a worldly kingdom but God’skingdom, be one with God, immaterial,and know that the universe is our domain. Th en we shall be able to accomplish the demand: If ye be not likeunto these little ones, ye shall not enterinto God’s kingdom.

If we strive to accomplish all thatwe should, make no personal demandsand pass through this life gladly, receive like a child out of his father’shand whatever task is given us, thenwe may anticipate that we have comeso far that we may look forward to

returning home.Then we shall no longer seek occult

owers for world ly gain. It does notelp me one iota if I attain the power to

change an ant into an elephant, or theother wa y about. God gives man occultpowers in order to let us know thatthrough spiritual, immaterial forces agreat many things can be done, inorder to make us understand that thereis something more than mere matterand substance in the world. W e shallthen not seek the occult, nor shall weboast of the fact that such powers have

been given us. Th ey still pert ain tothe worldly kingdom. Paulus puts itin this way: “Even though I spoke the

tongue of angels and I did not havelove, I would be hut as a pealing bell.”

Do what you like to do, perform yourduty and your work on mis earth according to your capacities and do not

forget the law of Love; obey this lawto the fullest extent. Lea rn to servema n and not yourself. Strive for unityand not for the multiplicity. Eliminatefrom your thinking the proverb:“Everyone for himself, and God forus all.”

Remember Paul’s saying about theKingdom of God: “Tha t which no eyeever saw, which no ear ever heard andwhich ever arises from the heart ofm an.” Those who saw the Light cannot speak about the Kingdom of God;it surpasses all reason and cannot be

described in any earthly language.Also remember the words: “The hourof your rebirth is not given to any living creature to know; it is only knownto the Father.”

If you want to look in quietness forthe God within yourself, ten minutesevery day will he sufficient. Th en proceed to your work.

Believe whatever you like, but stickto the essential, which is alike in allcreeds; do not add anything to it,neither diminish it. Christ and allother Masters taught: Look, the King

dom of God is within you and not tobe found outside you; you are one withGod.

DETROIT RALLYThe Thebes Lodge in Detroit will hold its annual rally on November 28, 29, and 80.

Members in the Great Lakes area are cordially invited to be present to enjoy theelaborate program w hich is being prepared. Every mi nute will he packed for enjoyment and spiritual and mental unfoldment. Wr ite to the secretary, Inez M. Dyster,19353 Pierson Av., Detroit 19, Michigan.

A VISIT INTO THE PAST!Thirty-five hun dred years ago a great emp ire flourished on the Nile. New facts about

this mystic civilization have literally been unearthed. Du ring the period between thetwo world wars, excavations broug ht to light new sources of information . This kno wledge is available to you in the book When Egypt Ruled the East, by Georg Steindorffand Keith C. Seele. The book is as easy to read as fascinat ing fiction, hut it presents

facts. Dr Steindorff is a world famous Egyptolo gist and technical consultan t of theRosicrucian Museum. Dr. Seele has spent much time in Egypt and is at present Professor of Egyptology at the University of Chicago.

With this hook you can easily become conversant with the history of the Nile country.Learn of the kings, conquests, customs, religions, and the art of an enchanting people.Profusel y illus trated wi th beautifu l plates. Sent, postpaid, for only $4.50

ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAURosicrucian Park

San Jose, California



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When Psychic Evolution Fails By D r . H. S p e n c e r L e w is , F.R.C.

(From Rosicrucian Digest, June 1929)

The following lecture delivered by Dr. Lewis to AMORC members on board a ship,after a visit to Algiers almost twenty years ago, should prove vitally informative espe*cially to those who during the recent war had contacts in Algiers and who related byletter or otherwise their observations on the abhorrent conditions found there, par'ticularly as they concerned little children.—E d i t o r .

e a r e back on the shipand have had an opportunity to cleanse ourouter selves of the contamination received during our terrible visitthrough the old section

of Algiers, and we arebreathing wholesome aironce again. Let us consider, for a fewminutes, the manifestation of certainlaws revealed to us during our day’s journey.

First of all, we must divide today’strip into two sections: the morning section with the horrifying sights in theold Arab section; and the afternoonsection beginning with our wonderfullunch in that magnificent hotel and including the visit to the botanical gar

dens, the boulevards, department stores,and other parts of the new French section of the city. The mo rning sectionwill ever stand out in our minds incontrast to the afternoon section of ourvisit. Could there be two more oppositeand more extreme contrarities in anycity or at any place in the world? Iknow that some of you have alreadyfelt that if any of the other lands weare to visit, much older in history andin civilization than Algiers, are anything like what we have seen today,

then the real history of civilization hasnever been written. Undoubtedly, aslong as any one of us lives, we willrecall the sights of this morning, andwhen we return to America again andare comfortably settled in our homesonce more, no matter how humble or

how mediocre in the scale of social conditions may he our living, we will always feel that the poorest and the mosthumble homes in the Western worldare like palaces compared to the oneswe saw this morning.

The most important impression thatmust have been made on the minds ofall of us was in regard to the evolutionary stage of the men, women, and children whom we saw living in those horrifying, filthy, degraded, and unsanitary homes and streets that constitutethe worst community of civilization inAfrica. I do not wan t to recount againall of the misery that we saw, nor repicture the horrors that were photographed upon our minds; hut I mustdraw your attention to some of the details in order that you will understandmore thoroughly the point of my lecture.

In the first place, you undoubtedlynoticed that the streets of this Arabsection were very narrow and hardlywide enough for five of us to walk



abreast; and you probably noticed tbatthey were paved with small round cobblestones and so graded in the centerthat they really formed a V-shapedtrough so that the sewage from thehomes and the little water that was

poured into the streets would find anatural groove in which to accumulate.You probably observed, also, that thehouses facing these narrow streets weremade of old stone, mud, rotten wood,sugar cane, straw, and any other formof cheap material. These homes hadone doorway and perhaps one window,and the rooms within were dark, dirtyto the utmost degree of filth, and foulof smell because of the terrible air heldconstantly with in the walls. You noticed the absence of sanitary conveniences, and that the only water they

used was the dirty water from a common pump or fountain in the centerof each section of the community, carried to the individual homes in uncleanvessels and poured into open pans inthe center of the principal living room,for men, women, children, and animalsalike to drink from. You saw the bodiesof the men, women, and children,diseased, sore, and covered with dirtand contagious eruptions. You noticedhow their eyes were injured or partlysightless, diseased, and almost useless.You saw children and women sitting or

lying in the center of the narrow streetsamid the filth and sewage, seeminglyunconscious of the ir terrib le state. Yousaw vegetables being peddled or ondisplay in some of their native storesso unsanitary and unwholesome thatyou could not imagine anyone buyingsuch things for food. You saw parts ofcattle, hung in front of what seemedto be native butcher shops, and younoticed that the stench from thesepieces of meat was due to the fact thatit was decaying and unfit for use asfood. You saw the men sit ting aboutidly, drinking, playing cards, and smoking various forms of drugs. You sawthe women attempting to do what littlework was done for each family, andyou saw children of twelve to fourteenyears of age being forced to work in thecarpet factories, weaving the Orientalrugs that are sold for thousands of dollars in America, and for which theselittle children receive compensation atthe rate of six cents a day. You saw an

absence of furniture in each home, andnothing hut gravel and straw for theadults, children, and animals to sleepupon, together in one room. You sawwindows broken, doors off their hinges,steps decaying and falling down, and

walls cracked, threatening to topple atalmost any time. You observed, also,an absence of any form of light atnighttime, except small candies orsmoky lamps, and little sunlight orlight of any kind in the streets andhouses during the daytime.

You know how glad we were to getout of that section, and how most of ushad to cast away the rubbers we woreover our shoes, or the shoes themselveswhen we returned to this ship, so thatwe would not carry into our stateroomsor onto this clean boat the germ-filled

and putrid deposits of those alleys.Now think of that kind of civilization existing but a few hundred feetfrom the other and more beautiful andcleanly part of the city. W ha t is itthat holds these thousands of Arabs andtheir children in the confines of a district not large enough to contain properhomes for a small fraction of them?What is it that makes them prefer tolive under such circumstances ratherthan go out into the newer and bettersections of Algiers? And wha t is it tha tmakes them tolerate the conditions in

which they live, instead of protesting,individually or collectively, and demanding better places to live or seeking, for their children at least, a cleanerenvironment?

Socialist doctrines would tell us thatit is because these persons are poor andhave no money that they must, therefore, live as we saw them living today.I think, however, that we have seenthat this explanation is not sufficient,even if it is true in some degree. Wehave seen Arab farmers living in prim itive homes made almost exclusively outof mud and sugar cane, out in the openfields of Algiers and in other places wehave visited, who were certainly nomore wealthy so far as material possessions or money are concerned, thanthose living in the horrible sections ofthe Algerian-Arab quarters. Yet thesefarmers and workers in the soil haveat least wholesome air, bright sunlight,and clean water and food. We knowthat workers are wanted in the fields





ijuqp*fr?vi»v'<? ■ <g>-igr

The “Cathedra! 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 tho ughtwaves from which radiate vibrations of health, peace, happiness, and innerawakening. Various periods of the day are set aside wh en m any thousandsof minds are attuned with the Cathedral of the Soul, and others attuning withthe Cathedra] at the time will receive the benefits of the vibrations. Those whoare not members of the organization may share in the unusual benefits as wellas those who are mem bers. The book called “L iber 777" describes the periodsfor various contacts wi th the Ca thedral- Copies will be sent to persons whoare not members if they address their requests for this hook to Friar S. P. C.,care of AMORC Temple, San Jose, California, enclosing three cents in postagestamps. (Please state whether m ember or not— this is importan t.)

T H E C O M M O N P L A C E A N D T H E U N U S U A L

t is e a s t to notice the unusual, and equally aseasy to ove r look thec o m m o n p l ac e . T h ethings dealt with frequently , a n d w h ich ,therefore, are common toour sight and touch, losesignificance as to their

real usefulness or place in our daily

affairs. Often, we purchase or securean article which we have wanted for along time, and for a while we trulyappreciate its value, but soon the itembecomes a part of our daily activities.It is seen habitually and is relegatedwith other common things to a placeof secondary importance in our lives.

Many of the things which we soaccept, without second consideration,are some of our most important pos

sessions. We probably are spoiled intha t we have too m any things. H e whohas only a few useful things gives eachits due consideration, hut with so manythings about us in the modern world wehave a tendency to accept each particular item only more or less casually, andlook forward to the possession of moregadgets which will, in turn, he gradually placed in a secondary categoryamong other items.

It is true that we go even to theextent of placing various people in sucha category. In a small office or workshop we have a tendency to overlookthe importance of people about us, eventhough they constitute a very vital partof our own lives in that they contributeto wh at we ourselves are doing. Theymay not all be outstanding individualsin physical appearance or mental ca



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pacity, tu t if we are prone to acceptthem without consideration it mightdo our individual egos a lot of good tostop to think that to them we may heequally as common and that we couldprobably pass out of their lives without

their giving the event more than a second thought. The lack of accent upon,or at least thoughtfulness of, the common things about us is actually an indication of an exaggeration of one’sown ego. The more we disregardthings and people that are a part ofour immediate environment and thatdirectly or indirectly contribute to ourwell-being, the seemingly more important we are making our own ego.

To overlook the common is to indicate conceit. We believe ourselves so

ood or so valuable that we cannot giveue credit to the other people and thingsthat contribute to our being what weare. Most persons might think this arather harsn interpretation, but justbear in mind that unless you appreciatewhat is about you, you are consciouslyor unconsciously becoming egotistic andfeeling that you are too big to take otherpeople into consideration. Un for tunately, it is only through the loss ofthe so-called “commonplace” that theseconditions are brought to our attention.Many of the modem conveniences are

accepted as common in this matter-of-course fashion, but let even so simplea thing as a clock unexpectedly stopand we are irritated by not being ableto determine the correct time. Psychologically, the ticking of an ordinaryspring-type clock in a room is lost toour consciousness, but should the clockstop, we would suddenly become awarethat the ticking had ceased because wewould miss the sensation of tickingupon our consciousness. So it is thatarticles which we need and use, ifmade unavailable to us, press themselves upon our consciousness by theirloss. Persons with whom we have associated and who pass away throughillness, or are removed from our immediate environment, are missed by usand we may wish that we had had athought or a kind word for them.

It might seem that to appreciate thecommon is to require a constant consideration for the utility of the commonplace, but there is also a close relationship between art and the common

things of life. The true artis t oftenserves to focus our attention upon thecommon things. The painter may makea simple object, an ordinary person, ora well-known landscape into a masterpiece. He has only copied what was

already there, but in putting himselfinto the process he has caused us to seethat the common thing or person was,after all, an object worthy of consideration. It is there fore readily appreciated that the individual with any senseof imagination will be closer akin tothe artist, and will be less apt to under-valuate the common things. However,for most of us, it is through the mediumof art that the simple principles of lifeare impressed upon our consciousness.A painting, or a photograph, or the

ha unt ing strain of a very simple melodywill sometimes make us conscious ofthe seemingly commonplace parts ofthe universe in which we live.

The appeal of the unusual has always held an attraction for man. Possibly man has an inborn sense of curiosity which leads him to piy intothose things that are different from thecommonplace. Whether such a sense beinnate or acquired, it is a most valuable sense in that the civilization whichman has achieved, with its perfection of knowledge and useful arts, has

fundamentally come through the use ofm an ’s search for something different orunusual. If the unusual, or even mysterious, had no appeal, man would failto advance beyond a routine and a verymonotonous style of living. He wouldmerely he an automaton.

Newspapers, magazines, and mostforms of amusements appeal to thissense of the unusual. Headlines arewritten for the purpose of attractingattention by featuring something different. This appeal has been so over

used that individuals and groups viewith each other to see who can makethe most unusu al appeal. In this wayeven such appeal loses fascination forus, and in our daily living we sometimes reach the point of classifying theunusual as commonplace.

To truly appreciate the environmentin which we live is to open our eyesto all things tha t compose it. We canfind life in many forms under a smallstone, we can find beauty in the land



scape of any day, we can find the unusual from moment to moment if wecarefully examine the common thingswith which we have to deal all thetime. Close observance of na ture has

confirmed the great world that lies immediately about us. We ca nno t all beexplorers in distant lands, hut we candiscover that the usual things in our

own localities may act as stimuli fornew avenues of adventure. Fu rthe rmore, we must never forget that thegreatest world lies within our ownminds—that even though actions and

reactions in the course of daily livingmay seem routine and common, manhas a depth of reserve in his own mindwhich he alone can explore.

WHEN PSYCHIC EVOLUTION FAILS

(Continued from Page 374)

conceived of better things for himself,he has spontaneously, although oftenunconsciously, sought to bring thesebetter things into his own life? Is notthe upward trend of civilization dueentirely to man’s natural, normal desireto improve his environment? Yet inspite of all this, we are told by thosewho have lived with these Arabs andunderstand them, and we find alsofrom the investigations of eminent authorities, that these Arabs have gonebackward and retrograded in their appreciation of the better things of lifeand in their acceptance of conditionsand circumstances surrounding theirbomes and their living.

Man’s outer, physical evolution,which includes the evolution of his personal, physical being and the evolutionof his environment, is always a resultof the psychic evolution that is goingon within the inn er self. W e ma yspeculate with science in regard to theevolutionary stages of man’s physicalbody, and trace academically l ie pedigree of man’s skeleton and the originof his various phys ical attribute s. Wemay agree or disagree with the hypothesis that man of today is the culmination of a process of developmentfrom one lower stage of physical manifestation to others that are higher. Wemust agree, however, that the greatest

change and the most important evolutionary advancement that man hasmade since the dawn of civilization hasbeen the psychic evolution that hasraised his mental and moral consciousness, and his ability to comprehend andapprehend to the present high state.Man’s psychic evolution may he attuned with Cosmic laws so that it is inharmony with the progressive, creativepowers tha t tend to evolve him toward a

state of perfection: but, on the otherhand, man individually or in a collective body, representing a unified community, may refrain from attunementwith the Cosmic laws and permit hispsychic development to retrograde.

Then we have an example of a complete lack of psychic development andphysical evolution.

W hen psychic evolution fails man, heis wholly lost, mentally, morally, andphysica lly. We saw in these Arabs,today, examples of beings unconsciousof even the most fundamental and themost common moral laws. We knowthat even animals, lower in the scaleof evolution than man, refuse to tolerate conditions in which these Arabslive with seeming indifference; and we

know that many domesticated animalsin the Western world would refuse toeat and sleep in the midst of such filthand disorder as we saw this morning.There is something in the nature ofevery living being that abhors a totallack of hygienic cleanliness, and thereis an intuitive or instinctive principlein even the lowest animals whichmakes all creatures refrain from thosemoral practices that are crimes againstnature. Yet these persons, who haveretrograded in their evolution and havelost meir psychic contact with the Cosmic laws, are not only unconsciousof the violation of all natural andspiritual laws which they tolerate, butare unconscious of the instinctive repulsion that one finds in the lowest ofliving things.

What can we expect of these peoplein the future? Will education helpthem? Will the missionary work of theWestern churches or the directionalwork of the governments bring them



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out of the conditions in which they nowlive? Not at all. The French and othergovernments have tried to redeem thesepeoples, and have tried to educate themand show them the way to better living.Laws have been passed enforcing obedi

ence to certain sanitary laws, but eventhis has failed miserably. Will reincarnation or rebirth solve the problemfor any of them? No, not according tothe Cosmic laws as we understandthem. M an’s rebirths on earth are progressive only in accordance with man’sdetermination and will power to cooperate with the Cosmic laws in such

Sregression. As long as these indivi-uals are satisfied to live as they live,

or to tolerate the conditions aroundthem, or make no move to better them

selves in any way, rebirth will bringthem back into the same situation againand again. But let the least amongthem, like one of the little children,tha t we saw trying to smile in the midstof the dirt and foul conditions, whoseeyes twinkled when the bright sunlight came between the trees at theedge of the Arabian cemetery—whenhe found that he had successfully runaway from the narrow streets andfound an opening toward the sky—letone of these little waifs who seemed tohave an awakening of a soul-sense that

others did not have, determine to keephis hands clean, or to be more carefulof where he walks, or where he plays,or more particular about the things heeats, and the water he drinks, and youwill find that child attuning himselfpsychically with the progressive lawsof evolution, and preparing the way foradvancement. And if at the close ofhis life, whether it he at a young or anelderly period, he has brought aboutone single change in his personal conduct or his relationship with the environment in which he was horn, thatis for the better or the higher, he willhe reborn again in an environment andin such circumstances and conditionsas will give him an advantage and anopportunity to rise still higher throughhis own efforts and determination.

Thus such a one through psychicevolution from within, and cooperationwith the Cosmic laws from without,may rise to a higher stage than thosewho remained satisfied and indifferent.

yet, if at any time this one should feelagain that the improved or better conditions in which he was horn or foundhimself placed were entirely satisfactory and sufficient for his needs, andhe found no reason to attempt any fur

ther improvement, he would lose hiscontact with the psychic evolution ofhis soul and being, and would he bornagain in his next incarnation in thesame state and same stage as the onefrom which he had departed. His lackof determination to improve conditions,and his indifference toward circumstances around him, would permit himto retrograde once again as have thosewe saw this morning, who are retrograding most rapidly.

We see, therefore, that those of us

in the Western world who enjoy theadvantages of so many conveniencesand are especially blessed with the

rivileges of a better civilization and aetter environment, and those in other

parts of the world, East and West,North and South, who are rising intheir evolution and improving their environments, are ones who have of theirown volition attempted to raise thestandard of their lives and improvethemselves. Th ey are those who havemaintained, in all incarnations, their

psychic contact and kept alive andquickened, with enthusiasm and seriousanalysis and meditation, the soul ofGod and God’s creative powers, andhave unceasingly sought associationwith those of like mind and like spirit,contributing to the advancement ofothers and ordaining their own advancement as the compensation ofKarma.

Therefore, on the remaining days ofour journey through so many lands, letus feel the pity and the sorrow that weshould feel in the presence of those whohave failed in psychic evolution, andremember that while they are ourBrothers and Sisters, we are helplessto aid them; but we can rejoice in thefact that it is possible to help otherswho are ready. And while we think ofthe things that we find so lacking withothers, let us not be vain or selfish inour rejoicing, but remember that ifunto us it has been given, with othersit must be shared in accordance withthe law.



Temple Echoes B y Platonicus, F.R.C.

ie unusual, mystical doctrine of the spheres presented in the Octoberissue of this column hasa most interesting bearing upon problems ofspiritual communication.With the loss of thousands of loved ones dur

ing the harrowing war years, there hasrisen an intensified interest in effortsto attune with the personalities of individuals presumed to be in the spiritual or immaterial world. Countless

seances or sittings are held daily, in alllands, for the purpose of communication with departed loved ones, or withother beings. Are these efforts successful, or do they often lead to cruel delusions and misrepresentations? Hascommunication any value? With whomought we to seek to commune, and forwhat purposes? Questions like thesehave engaged thoughtful persons in allperiods of history.

According to the spherical doctrine,Reality consists of a central core orcondition of Absolute Being, the God

head or Divine Center of emanation,surrounded by concentric spheres ofconsciousness and power, culminatingin a dense, material sphere which wecall earth, which in turn is bounded bya sphere of fire.

All material manifestations in thisliving universe, this extension of divine, absolute being, are confined tothe earthly sphere. Furtherm ore, nature and all creatures and other earthly

phenomena are on the inside of thesphere we call earth, and not on the“outside.” The e arth has no materialcenter, for it is the outer husk or material integument of the living, divineuniverse.

Man is fundamentally a spiritual being, emanated aeons ago from the inmost depths of the divine, creativepower. Mystical tradition avers tha tthe original state of man, following hisemanation, was far more exalted andprivileged than his present one—infact, he dwelt nearer the center of the

universe and was free from the grosslimitations of matte r. However, because of the misuse of his will, thefigurative turning away from God andthe Will of the Absolute, man caused amuch less desirable condition for himself—earthly existence. The spiritualbeing of man became enveloped in adense physical body, the vehicle of allhis subsequent worldly experience.

Ruled in his physical body by thelaws of nature, man is subject to thecycles of life. He grows, matures,weakens, and dies. Dea th releases his

spiritual being from the limitations ofearth life, and returns him in somemysterious way to the immaterialspheres of the Cosmic realm. Thisbrings us to some of the riddles of theafterlife and communication with thespiritual beings above.

It is widely assumed by the majorityof men that transition has in somesubtle way a great effect upon the soul-personality. M any people believe tha t



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death is a purification, and that evilthoughts and habits of mind are somehow washed away through the greatchange of entering the spiritual world.Not only are personalities thought tohe ethically and morally improved bythe experience of dying, but an afflatus of knowledge is also thought to

be awarded them, so that they are farwiser than before—indeed, almost omniscient.

This is emphatically not true! Thesoul-personality is very much the samein its evolvement and general understanding after death as it was beforeand while still manifested on earth.This is not only affirmed by the Rosi-crucians, hut also by such worthy independent investigators as Stewart Edward White.

The important fact that the personality cannot learn all it needs to know,

and continue its evolution indefinitelywhile in the spiritual realm, suppliesthe rationale of reincarnation. If itwere true that following one short lifehere on earth, we could continue ourevolution indefinitely in the divinerealms of the Cosmic, constantly perfecting ourselves and at last attaininga completely blissful state of onenesswith God, then there would certainlybe no good reason for returning toearth. Reincarnation, or the rebirth ofsoul-personality, would he an absurdity.Why return to earth when all desirableevolution could be accomplished in apurely spiritual and unlimited condition?

The established laws of God decreethat man must purify his thoughts andsettle his Karmic obligations duringperiods of earthly existence. Obligations incurred in this gross sphere ofexpression cannot be met in the Cosmic realm. Earth is not only a sphereof privation and spiritual exile; it isalso a great Karmic school for thespiritual instruction and unfoldment ofmankind. We continue to retu rn here,in conformity with the laws of reincarnation and Karma, until we aretruly ready to be “gradu ated.” Onlywhen we have attained the illumination of Mastership are we free from thenecessary wheel of rebirth—liberatedto continue our evolution wholly in theimmaterial spheres of the Cosmic.

After death, then, man is substantially the same in consciousness as inthe closing days of life on earth. Hisstatus in the Cosmic realm is directly dependent upon the degree of evolvement of his soul-personality.

Now, in the Bible we read of thelower, middle, and upper firmamentsas representing heavenly “zones” existing between earth and the AbsoluteCenter. Mysticism would divide eachof these “firmaments” into four zones,or spheres. In other words, at leasttwelve distinct spheres of consciousnessseparate the gross, material earthlysphere from the Godhead which is theultimate Goal of our striving.

As Plotinus taught many centuriesago, the more distant from the Centeran emanation is, the grosser and lessref ined its quali ty. These spheres nearest the earth are comparatively less refined and infused with Light than arethe spheres nearer the Source.

Therefore, the relatively unevolvedpersonalities of criminals, lustful, andmaterially-minded types of individualsmanifest in the lowest spheres following transition. Th eir tendencies to lie,cheat, and deceive their fellows, theirdesires for the purely earthly and sensual gratifications of this world continue unabated. Can there be any advantage in “communicating” with suchentities?

As the soul-personality painfully andthrough asp iration and struggle in

many lives gradually advances its trueunfoldment, its status in the Great Interval between incarnations improves,It advances to the third, fourth, fifth,sixth, and finally to higher spheres ofconsciousness and blissful attunementAfter a great many cycles of diversifiedworldly experience and sincere serviceto humanity it becomes a highly-evolved Soul-Being, well on its way toMastership.

There are hierarchies of spiritual beings in the Cosmic realm. Call themangels, divine messengers, invisiblehelpers or what you will, their missionis to assist mankind toward the finalgoal of spir itual realization. There areHigher Intelligences ready to inspireand occasionally to guide the trueseeker fo r Truth. With these gloriousbeings it is man’s great privilege to



communicate, but it is best for him toevolve to the point where he can do sohimself!

Rosicrucian philosophy and the Order’s system of personal unfoldment

urge the individual student to develop his own faculties so that he may, amongmany other things, contact for inspirational purposes the Higher Intelligences. Communication ought never tobe for sordid or purely material purposes. Do not presum e to think thathighly evolved soul-personalities willcounsel you when to buy or sell, howto gamble, or how to take care of yourstrictly materia l affairs! The pure desire for spiritual instruction and to beof greater service to humanity is thecorrect motive for all higher Cosmiccontacts.

Rather than resort to the oftentimesdoubtful and unreliable mediumship ofothers, cultivate your own divine faculties which will gradually bring you enrapport with the noble messengers ofLight. Remember, too, th at most ofour Cosmic contacts are not with personalities at all, hut with the universalmind and love which is of God and isGod.

* * *

With the increasing complexity andominous undertones of current history,people are wondering if humanity has

any fixed destiny. Will the race su rvive? Can there be any sp iritual powers which might prevent mankind’sself-destruction? Are there limits toman's free will? Or is everyth ing ac tually determined by some superior mental power, with man filling the role ofa blind and erring puppet?

This is one of the oldest and thorniest problems of philosophy, usuallyclassified as the riddle of free will anddeterminism. Without exploring itsendless labyrinth of technical difficulties, I would like to offer a personal

solution which may satisfy some of ourreaders.There is only one fixed destiny, one

thing which is absolutely sure in thisgreat panorama of human history andconstant heartb reakin g struggle. It isthat some day in God’s good time allmen will evolve to the point of spiritual understanding, with enlightenm entand release from their present condi

tions of ignorance and suffering. Eventually all soul-personalities will attainan entirely spiritual status, merged inperfect harmony in the Reality of Absolute Good.

Within the ambit of this immenseoverarching destiny the specific patterns of evolvement are left to man’sown choice, his vaunted free will. Ma ncan never choose to destroy or eliminate himself utterly, for that would hecon trary to the fiat of God. Man mayindulge in senseless wars of base destruction, in all types of seeming eviland collective madness, but there willalways he some enlightened personalities who will live in truth and pointthe way of salvation to their fellowmortals.

It is true, my friends, that the prospects are dark for the years immediately ahead, and that the selfishnessand ignorance of men have loosed anavalanche of hate and destructionupon the world. Let come the stormsthat may, we who know the true nature of humanity and the final purposeof existence have no choice hut to holdfirm, to withstand the onslaughts ofadversity in all forms, and to hold fastforever to the truth s we know. Wehave heard again and again, “Truth ismighty and will prevail.’’

Out of the darkness of the night sur

rounding us there will always comeLight. Death holds no terrors to thosewho have walked, however inexpertlyand hum bly, with God. We shall persevere forever in the spiritual pathwayswhich open before us, until at last wereach our wonderful destiny. Thisalone is of final importance, and thethought of it will sustain us in darkesthours.

* * *

There are enthusiasts, members whoreflect the joy and uplift of the Rosicrucian teachings, in every Lodge and

Chapter. The y are the moving spiritsof our local bodies, faithfully carryingforward the good work year after year.One such loyal enthusiast is FraterJames French, Master of the EsseneChapter of Minneapolis and GrandCouncilor of AMORC for the NorthCentral states.

In his professional life Frater Frenchis a very successful teacher of voice in

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the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis. His beloved wife, Mildred,is a well-known teacher of piano in thesame school.

Frater French tells the familiar storyof the seeker who investigated manyreligions and schools of thought, seeking patiently everywhere for the genuine truth s of life. One day a fellowmusician told him about the Rosicru-cians, suggesting that he investigate.Shortly thereafter Frater French joinedthe Order, and he has found its way ofinstruction and unfoldment to be theperfect answer for his need.

For the past three years he hastaught music and voice in the Rose-Croix University, ably assisted by SororFrench, and the students have re

sponded excellently to his technique of“pure and easy tone production.”For a number of years Frater and

Soror French have been strong supportsof the Essene Chapter. He becameMaster for the second time this year,and Soror French is a Trustee. Contact with a musical friend, Mr. EdwardTraficante, brought Mr. Traficante intothe Order as a member and later provided a new home for the Chapter.Frater Traficante conducts a large andpopular school of accordion musicianship in Minneapolis, and one of the

large rooms in the school has been generously turned over to the Essene Chapter for a Temple. Regular convocationsare now held in this school at 41 South8th Street, Minneapolis, Sundays at3 p. m.

To further inspire the cause of Rosi-crucianism in the Twin Cities and environs, a rally of all members in Minnesota and neighboring states has beenscheduled for the week end of November 15 and 16. Frate r French and hisassociates are planning an excellentprogram. Any members of AMORC inthe Midwest area who can be on handfor that week end are cordially invited to attend. If you wish hotel reservations or other information, addressthe Secretary of the Essene Chapter ofAMORC, 4i South 8th Street, Minneapolis.

V ^

There will he an exceptional musicalprogram, lectures, demonstrations,Temple sessions, an initiation, and lectures by a member of the Grand Lodgestaff, who will also he available forinterviews. Come one and all to Minneapolis for a glorious week end withthe Essene Chapter!

* * *

Speaking of rallies, Detroit andPhiladelphia are also inviting all members in their respective localities toconclaves during November.

The Thebes Lodge of Detroit willpresent its annual rally the week endof November 29 and 30. AssistingFrater Gubbins in planning for theevent are Soror Inez Dyster, Lodge secretary, also Fratres Ralph Leftridge,

H. L. Currie, and others. We hope thatall Midwestern members who can makethe trip to Detroit for that week endwill take part in the splendid programwhich is being scheduled.

The Benjamin Franklin Lodge ofPhiladelphia is “telling the world”about its grand rally set for November15 and 16. Busy, enthusias tic Secretary Edna M. Jalbert has been promoting competition among Eastern lodgesand chapters to see which one will havethe largest delegation present for thegathering. Master Gabriel Jalbert and

his associates have planned an unusually interesting series of activities, lectures, and inspirational sessions. AllEastern members are urged to journeyto Philadelphia for this annual rally ofthe Benjamin Franklin Lodge and itsfriends.

* + *

The future belongs to Mysticism andits philosophy. Let each Init iate spendtime daily in petitioning God and thenoble Intelligences of the invisiblerealm, that more Light and Love mayfind expression among men, and thatincreasing numbers may find their wayto the only lasting happiness of spiritual unfoldment.

Having uttered these petitions, letus go out and work among men aschannels for the expression of the Willof God. So Be It.

’ V

Why search for the Fount of Youth? The soul is ageless and knows no death. — Maude Taylor.



Idealism and our Times By P a u l O. P l e n c k n e r , F.R .G .

e s p i t e the apparent apa

thetic attitude which wefind so disturbingly present among men today, itdoes seem as though weare becoming very muchsatiated with attempts tobuild up this or that system, wherein alone is to

be found salvation for civilization. Theworld is overrun by Moseses and Messiahs. And far be it from me to try toplajf the prophet’s part in foisting uponthe world any new-fangled paradox.My sole purpose is to have in mind thebearing that my subject has upon theway of life which Rosicrucianism espouses as being the only way to leadmen back to decency and into the coming age, and to prove that this is not anew way, but is along the same pathtrod by the avatars and masters of old—tried, proved, and found good, andnot something up in the clouds andtherefore impracticable or unattainablefor everyday life, as is being claimedby the shallow-minded.

Idealism is an ambiguous word, signifying a variety of views. To theGreeks the word idea meant a form, or

appearance of a thing, as opposed toreality. It comes from the verb ideirt, to see. Accordingly an idea is a particular mind-picture, peculiar to eachindividual. Thus the verb idein has afar different meaning than has themore familiar skopein, which meansrather, to look around, to watch, to spy.The later verb connotes objectivevision. The ter m idea, as meaningform or appearance, has in philosophic

history three distinct senses in which it

is being used. First, as meaning formor appearance it gives rise, in Buddhistmentalism and English empiricism, toan attempt to reduce all knowledge toideas, which are regarded as self-contained existences and not as ways toapprehend a world, which is at oncemore real and more ideal than theideas. Secondly, we discover in Aristotle the concept of the idea as being auniversal notion, which does not existhere and now, hut is merely a qualityof the existent and shareable by otherexistents and knowahle by other minds.And there is a third sense, in which theterm is used. For instance, when weask, “what’s the use? what’s the idea?”the reference is to the principle involved in it, the meaning or purpose ofits being, the aim or value of its action,and the end sought. In this view, ideaor value is the operative, creative force.Ideal values are the driving power ofthe universe. It is only as a system ofends, that the world makes sense. Soit makes little difference, whether athing is only a particular image or agenerality, or whether the knower andthe known are independent, or whether

the world is made of mind infinite, or asociety of minds.

Of course it is true, that the universeis governed by the Cosmic mind; if itwere not, it could not exist or continueto he. In ea rly spring, for example,the bee gets busy flitting from blossomto blossom gathering sustenance for itslife, while at the same time and all unknowingly he is assisting in the processof pollinization and thus workin g u n v ? o



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consciously the laws of nature toward agood end. The example of the bee isonly one of millions of others, of theway in which God works His wondersto perform, and in each case the endattained is good, true, and beautiful.

But all this is far from proving thatthe universe itself is mind. To resume,Idealism in this sense limits itself to theultimate nature of reality, whatevermay be its relation to the knowingmind. Here we have the answer to theproblem of the idea, its meaning andpurpose. He re we find life beautiful,purposeful, and significant. It vouchesfor man’s destiny which does not endupon this plane of a sensible world.Shakespeare puts into the mouth ofTouchstone, in “As You Like It,” thewords addressed to the shepherd: “hast

any philosophy in thee, shepherd?”Surely the writer did not think of asystem of abstract thought, but of anattitude of mind which can best becalled idealistic. So, of the three sensesin which the term is used, I havechosen the last, namely moral andethical idealism, and, save for a shortattempt at synthesis with moral andethical idealism, have put aside themetaphysical view of it.

Hegel made the statement, that in asense all philosophy is idealistic, for insetting over against each other appear

ance and reality, fact and truth, existence and essence, we are led to aviewpoint where we must admit thatthere is a world beyond the phenomenal. Even absolute mater ialism is acrude kind of idealism, because whenwe reduce all existence to matter, wehave not a concrete actuality, but anabstract idea. Our physicists reduce ourworld of immediate experience toshadows and symbols. Ions, electrons,and ids certainly are not observablephenomena. Still they are posited asreal, because they do fulfill the require

ments of thinking . However anxiouswe may be for a return to the concrete,we find it difficult to reduce the real tothe concrete. Ideas are always with us,since they are an essential part of thereal, and if we interpret them as idealsor values, an idealistic view of the universe results.

Human iloaponnlhilitu

Idealism of today has to reckon withthe current problems and has to help

us face them . And it does seem asthough the time is here for a freshstatement; however, such a statementcan have little meaning for those whohave not sounded the depths of thedifficulties and discrepancies which a

changing world is forcing upon us,obvious though they be. Yet it is oftennecessary to insist upon the obvious.And it is quite as necessary to know

just wha t these problems are, as toknow the answer to them. Poetry, sociology, and physical science of ourday seem to plead and work for theun ity of the world. In the planningwe must not forget that we cannotthrow overboard moral distinction andhum an responsibility. The prime necessity is the recognition of the validityof the ideal of the human individual.

Ages ago, Socrates laid down this primerequisite when he said: “Know thyself,” for only so can one become conscious of that which is good, true, andbeautiful. The Fren ch philosopherDescartes puts it just a little differentlyby saying: Cogito ergo sum*, and evenwithout bothering about abstractions itmay be maintained that man is notman unless he thinks.

Primitive man may have acted uponinstinct rather than upon reasoning.Even so, the conscious life within himdemanded that he nourish and protect

it. And he found life good. It remained for the quite modem man todevelop increasingly efficient methodsto destroy life, in the mistaken assumption, that so he can preserve his own.Yet, there always was, there alwayswill be a “faithful remnant,” who couldand would never forget to listen to thestill small voice within . And in so doing they realize that although they areof dual nature, the physical and thepsychic, both have the same origin;they are creatures of the same mind,and upon this plane, complementary.It is just this faithful remnant to whichis committed the task of bringing backinto the heart of humanity, distractedand restless, that peace and harmonyso vitally necessary to build upon theruins of a war-shattered world thefoundation for a new and better civilization.

* I think, therefo re I exist.



Either by way of shallow thinking,or by way of using it as a defensemechanism, so-called practical mindsseek to set idealism over against realism, whereas these two are the same thing, or at least complementary. And

I don’t think I am overshooting themark, when I say that idealism and theconcept of the “Christ-spirit,” exoteri-cally and esoterically, are the same thing.

The beginning, however, is with theindividual. If we would improve uponthe quali ty of a food crop, we mu stbegin with improving the quality ofthe seed. Yet our polit ical scientistsinsist upon reversing this order bymaking the state supreme, by seekingto improve international relationships,thinking that from there they can work

down to the individual. To make m atters worse, the element of fear of consequences if you “don’t be good” isappended to add force to the argument.Long ago it was realized, that the state can be no better than its citizens. LouisXIV proved this, when he declared: “Iam the state,” and history records thekind of state it was. It is not unlikely,that in the turmoil the world is in, andbecause of it, another Louis XIV mayarise.

In any discussion, which has as itsburden the subject of moral and ethical idealism, we are faced with a greatdifficulty, because it has a language ofits own, which does not consist of uttered words. It is fa r beyond and aboveanything capable of being expressed inspeech. Therefore much of what I amtrying to say will he inadequate to fullyexpress my meaning, which you mustlook for within words and within yourown self. In saying this, I am awarethat modem realistic idealism scoutsthis postulate.

In developing my own idea of aphilosophy of life which must also bein accord with Rosicrucian principles,

I am going to stress the idea of thebrotherhood of man, and present it foryour consideration in all humility, forI am just groping my way along, likeall of you, to reach the light. Yet wemust keep in mind the evangelic in

junction: “Let yo ur ligh t so shine before men, that they may see your goodworks, and glorify your father, which

is in heaven.” It does not say: “noticethe doer.” In o ther words as well asin other ways, Jesus emphasized, thatit is in the love of brother, whereinone must find the inner urge to use freely whatever gift has been given

one, in a constructive and co-operativespirit, to make our world a better placeto live in. And I do not mea n to inferthat the world per se needs improving,hut certainly the use we make of it andthe reign of prejudice and selfishnessdoes need improving.

When Ootl Is Forgotten

The problem which is facing us today, has as the most outstanding reasonfor its being, an incident which I amgoing to relate. Let us look back intothe year 1913, to make it plain for our

selves. In th at yea r there was assembled in the great hall of the Universityof Bonn, Germany, the hrain-trust ofthe Empire, to listen to “His Imperialand Royal Majesty,” William II. Present were the faculty of the University,scientists of every field of science,scholars of all descriptions. Really abrilliant assembly. Willia m was congratulating them upon the marvelousadvances made in arts and science, congratulating too, the Empire, for givingbirth to these men. He ended hisspeech with these words: “Gentlem en,with the tools you have given us, andwith the far-reaching results of yoursuperior scholarship, we see our beloved country in the forefront of culture, and destined to rule the world.”You will note, that in all this God hasbeen forgotten, and man alone has beenglorified.

Another instance comes to my mind,which helped to pave the road towardsdestruction. In the summ er of theyear 1888, the Emperor delivered anaddress a t the lay ing of the cornerstoneof the new Supreme Court building inLeipzig. I personally, as a lad thir teen

years old, heard this address, and havenever forgotten this sentence: “Theduty each citizen owes the State is farmore sacred and binding than the dictates of love.” For the first quotationmy grandfather is authority; he wasamong those present. The pay-off forthe results of this kind of idealism weneed not waste any time over, for we



are suffering from it now. The secondworld war was ju st another chapter inthe annals of race superiority, helpedalong also by the “woe to the conquered” diplomacy of the Versaillespact.

Are the leaders of today traveling abetter path? There is no need to answer the question. The news from dayto day is answer sufficient. Dark asmay be the outlook into the immediatefuture, there is the comforting thoughtthat in every period of human historythe great leaders in any crisis wereand are without doubt motivated bythe highest ideals—at least to beginwith. We must so believe, or lose faithin mankind, which would be absurd.True, the taste of power, which comeswith leadership, quite often has cor

rupted this idealism. Certainly thehangers-on of these leaders seldom exhibit selfless motives. So the entireproblem of reconstruction, the securityof peaceful relations among men, confronts us with the question: “what areyou, that is the individual, going to doabout it?” Does the remedy lie in thecreation of a superstate, in democracyas we have it today, in socialism, communism, or in a straight-out dictatorship however benevolent? The apathyof the mass of the people with respectto this question, which expresses itself

in the oft-heard comment: “I don’t carewhat they do,” is the great danger-signal of our time, for it is the lullbefore a great storm, as history teachesus. And we may resign ourselves tothe fact, that any one or all of theseremedies xvill be tried out upon suffering hum anity. And all of them, because they begin with the notion ofcreating the whole first and then theparts, must fail. No doubt the last resort will be anarchy.

Man His Otrn Architect

We as Rosicrucians know that tobuild a civilization worthy of man, thechild of God, we first must make manworthy. It is obvious too, tha t each onemust be his or her own architect, to

Th e make his body a temple of the divine.

Ros icru cian ^ or n0 one ^as ever been reformed jy from without. It is of course correct

\r l *° say ^ at one Can influenced by the N ovem ber example set by others, hut the power1947 to incorporate whatever good one may

see or hear into one’s own being, findsits source in the soul of man. To thisend we do not need any new or betterphilosophy of life, nor any new andwonderful panacea to cure humanity’sills. But we do need a renaissance of

that moral and ethical idealism, whichin the great commandment: “Love Godwith all thy heart and thy neighboras thyself,” has been the burthen ofthe teachings of Jesus and every othergreat avatar. The moment to begin isnow, for individually and collectivelythe so-called civilized nations of theworld have about reached the end ofthe road in traveling away from thegreat commandment. Just consider suchevidences as the following: Bishops ofthe church in conclave assembled approving national policies leading to war;

responsible leaders advocating the extermination of an entire race or nation; the putting upon a starvation dietof a people because they must be punished; in short, Christian nations proclaiming the doctrine of tooth for toothas a war-repressive, throwing overboardas impracticable and sentimental drivelthe law of God, “do not recompenseevil with evil.” While such outrageshave been the to he expected consequences of the loss of common decencyin all ages, it seems that after almosttwo thousand years of the rule of organ

ized Christianity one should look foran improvement in individual and interna tional relationships. Instead wehave added the atomic bomb to crownour efforts of living the lives of brutes.It is worse than brutish, it is devilish.The lust of power and the idea that onenation is better than its neighbor, iscoming to the end of its tether. Forafter the so-called “best” has subjugated or intimidated all the rest, nothing will be left to conquer, and in accord with the inescapable law of compensation, this monster will destroy

itself, for it has lost its immortal soul.What about the “faithful remnant,”

could no t its voice be heard? Indeed ithas been heard; however, for its efforts it has found the gibbet and theconcentration camp, or has been deported, expatriated, excommunicated,and squelched in various ways as anenemy of the state or the powers that

(Continued on Page 391)



What Constitutes a Mystic? By A. V. S.

(Reprinted by request, from The Mystic Triangle—April, 1927)

t is clearly evident thata distinction must bemade between a student

of mysticism and a mystic. The re are thousandsin the various OccultOrders who are studentsof mysticism, but wehave very few who have

attained more than a purely intellectualconception of mystical understanding,very few, therefore, who can be trulydesignated as myst ics. It seems to beessential that a distinction should bemade between these superficial studentsand those who have attained a spiritualcomprehension of the Higher teachings

of the Inne r Schools. The paramountreason for making the distinction isfound in the fact that many earnestseekers are discouraged and turnedfrom the Path by the egotistical attitude of many who pose as mystics, andby so doing unfairly represent theschools of which they may be members. The re should be some criterion,some standard of measurement bywhich the sincere inquirer should beable to judge the true standing of onewho advances claims to occult knowledge. A myst ical school in the Orientgives the following as the character

istics of a true mystic, and utters awarning against ail whose attributesmay vary from this standard. Sincethis seems to be the general standardlaid down hy all true schools of occultism, I give it as it was given out to me;

“A true mystic is ever humble, andlays no claims to supernatural knowledge or supernatural power.”

“He is ever sympathetic, ever compassionate, ever courteous, gentle, andrefined.”

“A true mystic makes no comparisons, he draws no lines between thegood and evil, he lives beyond the barriers of right and wrong.”

“A true mystic never loses the powerto weep with those who sorrow, or tosmile with those who rejoice.”

“A true mystic gives himself to theservice of humanity without moneyand without price.”

“A true mystic is fearless, he asks noreward, he fears no punishment.”

“A true mystic has perfect poise, forhis soul is at rest in the Eternal.”

These, then, are the characteristicsof a true mystic. How many of us, according to this standard, are able tosay, “I am a mystic.” We can onlystand afa r off and worship. We canonly console ourselves with the affirmation that “What man has done,man can do,” with the assurance thatthe mystic once stood where we standtoday, that we may stand where hestands tomorrow, if we are willing tofollow the Pathway of Attainmentthrough Attunement.

Let us dwell for a few moments on

each of these attributes separately andsee if we cannot reach a clearer understanding of the true nature of a mystic,and thereby be able to recognize atrue spiritual leader if it should everhe our good fortune to be brought incontact with one. Sooner or later, therecomes to every man his Teacher, HisMaster, i f you will have it so. But why



does this Teacher, this Master come?Ordv that ultimately he may lead usto the attainment of the highest Mastership, the final realization that theonly mission of the Master Without isthat he may assist us to enthrone theMaster Within us, the Supreme Arbiter of our Individual Destiny.Hearken not to any false claims ofMastership from those who wouldmake themselves the Mirror in whichyou view your own soul. Hea rken onlyto those who gladly and triumphantlyrelinquish their own Mastership, andwith their own hands crown the Deitywho presides in your own Temple.

Let us dwell for a moment on thefirst statement: “A true Mystic is everhumble; he makes no claims to supernatural knowledge or supernaturalpower.” W hy is the Mystic humble?Because he knows that far as his knowledge may extend beyond the ordinaryrange of human understanding, it isbut a drop in the ocean of Infinite Intelligence that pervades the Universe.He is humble because to him an infinitesimal atom floating on Infinity hasbeen vouchsafed the privilege to ultimately absorb into his being all thatthere is to Know. He makes no claimsto Supernatural Knowledge or Supernatural Power because he knows thatthere is nothing Supernatural. Knowl

edge he may have, beyond the comprehension of the wisest, as men reckonWisdom! Power he may have besidewhose manifestation the greatest conqueror’s triumphs fade into insignificance, but this knowledge and thisPower came as a result oif the understanding and intelligent operation ofperfectly natural laws and forces. Whathe has done any man may do, for it isman’s privilege and man’s destiny tohave dominion over nature. Beware ofthe teacher who would have you believe that Occult Power is the special

privilege of the few, a special Dispensation of Heaven conferred upon a selected band of favorites. God has nochosen People, save such as will comply with Laws, the obedience to which

T he is a condition of the ir advancem ent.

Rosicrucian ASain we 3T.e told: “A M y s*ic isP*. ever sympathetic, ever compassionate,

l cver courteous, gentle, and refined .” N ovem ber He is sympathetic, because he has1947 grasped the Princ iple of the Oneness of

all Life; he has identified himself, asit were, with every living thing; he isresponsive to every call for sympathyor assistance that goes out to him fromhis Younger Brothers. He knows tha tour sorrows, trivial as they may seemto one who KNOWS that “good will bethe final goal of all,” assume tremendous proportions to us who may notyet have grasped this broader conception. And he is ever ready with aword of consolation, with practicalMATERIAL or SPIRITUAL ASSISTANCE. According to their DEMANDShe answers the call of Humanity for hehas the Universal Supply to draw upon,which is always more than equal to thedemand. He will not tell you to waituntil tomorrow and your problem willbe solved. He will say to you: “My

Brother, I understand perfectly thesituation in which you find yourself;do this NOW and IMMEDIATELYyou will note a change.” He speaks theright word at the right time, and thetim e is always NOW. This, then, istrue Compassion, for Compassion isSym pathy in action. The Mystic iscourteous, because the very foundationof courtesy is the realization of the consideration due to all who are childrenof the same father, and EQUALS onthe plane of Mystic Brotherhood. Heis gentle because gentleness is a law of

his being; he is refined, with the onlytrue refinement which comes as a result of the consciousness of our divineancestry which makes us members ofthe celestial Aristocracy of Souls.

A very deep understanding is necessary for the next statement given in theveiled words which tell us that a mystic makes no comparisons, he draws nolines between the good and evil, hedwells beyond the barriers of right andwrong. W hy does the mystic make nocomparisons? W hy does he never say,“I am holier th an tho u” ? Or to use a

more modem expression, why does henever tell us, “When you have reacheda certain plane of evolution, you willundersta nd”? Because he KNOWS thatit is not for man to judge of man’sprogress. The beggar in the streets,the vilest sinner in the Market Place,may through the very intensity of hisexperiences, through the very burningof the flames of remorse be just aboutto lay his hands upon a higher truth



than the cloistered and passionless anchorite can ever hope to grasp. If weare all One, how then can we makecomparisons, with WHAT can we compare, for there is Nothing Withoutwhich we ma y use as a Standard Isit for us to draw a line and say, “Thisis Good, and that is Ev il” ? “For all ofHis works are perfect,” on the planeon which they have their manifestation. Is it for us to judge of the m an ifestations of one plane of existence according to the laws which prevail onanother plane, on which we may hefunctioning? And thus the Mystic livesbeyond the harriers of Right andWrong; he no longer eats of the treeof the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil,for he has experienced both and foundboth a manifestation of the Absolute.He lives on that plane where only theLaws of God can operate, beyond thereach of man-made limitations.

The Masters say furthermore: “Atrue mystic never loses the power toweep with those who sorrow, or tosmile with those who rejoice.” If youhave been taught that the Mystic ishe who has killed out emotion, he whois “incapable of tears,” he who canlook calmly on suffering, and passivelyon injustice, then you have been taughtFALSELY. Oh, My Brothers, have youforgotten the story of him who weptover Jerusalem, the city that turnedfrom him, when he would have overshadowed her with the light of hisheavenly presence? This was a Mystic,this was a Master, this was the veryembodiment of sympathetic understanding. Have you forgotten theRadiant One who sat at the weddingfeast, and changed the water intowine? Did he do this to exhibit hismaste ry over matter? Nay , not so.Only that there might he more happiness in the world, only that he mightsmile with those who were glad. Haveyou forgotten the old Oriental Allegoryof the youth who was an incarnation ofthe Lord of Compassion? How oneday he came to the Harlot's house andawakened in her soul the first thrill oftrue and holy Love, and how the nextmorning, when she found him dead ather side, she cast herself into the funeral pyre and ascended with him tothe very heights of Nirvana, the veryconsummation of pure and holy Love?

And W hy? Because she was still capable of human affection, because she hadnot “killed out emotion,” and still hadthat within her which was capable oftransmutation to a higher plane. Afalse idea has been very prevalentamong pretenders to Occult Understanding. It is this: “Tha t the higherwe go in the realm of spiritual advancement, the less capable do we become ofbeing touched by any kind of emotion.”

Now just a little bit of reasoningwill convince us that the very opposite is true. The nearer we go to theSource of Life and Light, the moreresponsive do we become to every vibration sent out from that Great Source.Is not all progress, is not all advancement in every conceivable field evidenced by an INCREASING RESPONSIVENESS TO VIBRATIONS? To become a perfect instrument in the handsof an Infinite Intelligence, the keyboard of our beings must respond toan infinity of vibrations, but at thesame time we must be able to strikethe particular chord on that keyboardthat will bring all discordant notes intoharmony. As we advance on that Pathwe find ourselves becoming more andmore sensitive, more finely attuned tothe Cosmic Forces, more responsive topleasure, and correspondingly moreresponsive to pain. Does not this increased responsiveness to pain entailgreat suffering? Yes, unless therecomes to us the inner realization thatwe are only instruments, only vesselsthrough which must pass the unfinished products of creation to be transmuted in the crucible of our spiritualnatures into the gold of spiritual Essences. If we are willing to assume ourDivine Responsibility, if we are ableto take into this Crucible the good alongwith the evil (so-called), the painalong with the joy, and, placing all inthe hands of that Mighty Chemist,Divine Imagination, permit him towork his will without objective interferences and send forth the transmuted essences to illumine the farthest domains of Ignorance, then—andnot till then—can we become worthyof being called a Mystic.

It is hardly necessary to dwell uponthe next point. “A True Mystic giveshimself to the service of humanity,without money, and without price.”



T h e

Ros icrucian

Digest

N ovem ber

1947

The warning has gone forth too oftento need repeating. “Beware of thosewho ask a price for Occult Knowledge.”Of course we realize that we live in amaterial universe, where money is astandard, and that often the true schools

of mysticism ask voluntary financial assistance in the work of spreading theirteachings among those who might beready to receive them, but they neverask money in payment of the teachings themselves, and they never withhold teachings from those who are notfinancially able to assist in spreadingthem to others. We should, therefore,understand the Law of Compensationand realize that only as we give toothers can we receive for ourselves, andif we are unable to financially assist inbringing to others that which we have

been privileged to attain, we should atleast feel a responsibility toward ourbrothers, even as some one has felt aresponsibility toward us, and do all wecan in other ways to diffuse what hasbeen given to us.

Next we learn that “A true mysticis fearless, he asks no reward, he fearsno punishme nt.” Can there be agrander conception of the influence ofthe higher teachings tha n this? Abovea world swayed by fear of punishmentfor doing wrong, or lured by hope ofreward for doing right, the soul withmystical understanding gleams like astar in a firmament of Infinite love,from which all fear is cast out, andwherein the joy of service is the onlyreward, and the neglect of an opportunity to serve, the only punishment.There Fear is not, has never been andcannot be, though heaven and earthshould pass away. For worlds may beborn, and worlds may perish, and universes may be resolved to the fire-mistfrom which they came forth, and starsmay wander trackless in the empty

voids of space, but the Soul, Immutableand Indestructible, survives “the wreckof Matter, and the Crush of Worlds,and endures when time and space andall that manifest there IS NOT.” Why,then, should we have Fear? The consciousness of Immortality and the willto mold that Immortality to our desire,and the desire to be at one with theEternal banishes the dark phantom ofFear forever from the province of theMystic.

Finally we are told “A true Mystichas perfect poise, for his soul is at restin the Eternal.” Now perfect poisemost emphatically does NOT come asa result of unresponsiveness to pleasure and pain. This point was dwelt on

before, but it must again be taken upin relat ion to poise. This perfect poisemust not be interpreted in a materialsense. It does not mean the ability tostand calmly by and witness suffering,injustice, and inharmony . It has noconnection with that repressed sort ofpoise so common in an age of artificiality, which is supposed to denote a greatdeal of self-control, yet is subject oftentimes to unexpected outbursts. Themystic is not AFRAID to feel, he isnot afraid of emotion, he is not afraidof HIM SELF. His poise is from

W ITH IN. It comes from the SublimeConsciousness of his Kinship with theInfinite Source of Equilibrium. HeKNOWS, however, that while theSource is always in equilibrium, thatits MANIFESTATIONS are a resultof the disturbance of equilibrium, sinceall the manifested Universe is the result of instability. He knows that whenJesus wept over Jerusalem, when herejoiced at the marriage feast, when hedrove the money lenders from theTemple, when he sorrowed in Geth-semane, when he was crucified on Calvary, that he had perfect poise WITHIN. So let us not interpre t mysticalpoise in a material sense, and thus confuse it with repression. Mystical poiseis the inner consciousness of divine at-tunement, in the MIDST of the disturbed equilibrium which is a condition of Divine Expression. It is to be“at rest in the Eternal to be at Onewith That which is the All.”

These, then, are the characteristicsof the True Mystic who dwells with ustoday as he dwelt with us in the early

dawn of Christianity, and long before;the Mystic who will dwell with us tomorrow, when his face will be nolonger veiled with the veil with whichthe Uninitiated have shrouded his features because they dared not view theglory which must some day be theirs.For after all the greatest fear of thehuman race is that they fear to reachforth their hands and claim the Divine Heritage of Happiness which is theBirthright of the sons of God.



IDEALISM AND OUR TIMES

(Continued from Page 386)

he. And not mere ly has it been theaxis powers which have been guilty.This is the record of these latter days,the evil offspring of power run amock.As already stated, sometimes it becomes necessary to insist upon theobvious. Not because it makes forpleasant contemplation, but because Isincerely feel the necessity of it, haveI felt impelled to make you look withme into the pit of depravity, whereinhumanity has been plunged by thecrass materialism of its so-called leaders. For we simply must face the facts,in order to discover the formula fortransmuting evil into good.

The leaders of this post-war periodare now busying themselves to reconstruct a war-devastated world. We neednot recoun t wha t is being done. It isevident, that mutual trust and confidence have but little part in their deliberations. W ith some modificationsit is the same old game of power politics. Because at this time it is aproposto the purpose of our discussion, let usrecall the words of the prophet Zechariah and the circumstances whichprompted him to utter them. TheHebrews had returned from exile to

rebuild Jerusalem. It was to be mademore impregnable than ever before.But the prophet, true to Cosmic vision,declared: “Not by might nor by power,but by my spirit, saith the Lord ofHosts.” Also, so the record tells, therebuilding was to be the freely offeredself-sacrificing labor of each individualto the benefit of his fellows and to theGlory of God. We have here the admonition that the practical and theidealistic must work hand in hand.Therefore I am stressing the idea ofindividual effort, to bring about an approximation of the ideal in the life of apeople, for I am convinced that thosewho are now our leaders in this present rebuilding of Jerusalem are, despite the evident sincerity of some ofthem, a weak prop to lean upon, because they are beginning at the top.So the task rests upon the faithfulremnant.

Each child of God knows and caninterpret the feeling of inward peacewhich comes to one as the result of

some good thought and deed, as well asthe harmful effects of evil thought anddeed upon self and others. And everyone is aware, that the good or the evilwe think or do are causes the effects ofwhich are predictable because of theinexorable and unfailing law of compensation, which, by the way shouldgive us cause to tremble in contemplating wh at is coming to us. We alsoknow, that in foregoing love, we engender fear, the great enemy of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.We know that to be noble, honest, true,and loving toward our neighbor in self-sacrificing effort, will call forth theood in him, however deep it may beuried.

As I remarked before, words are of

little use, for the language of idealismhas no words which the mind couldfashion or the mouth give utterance to.Yet plainer to see and far easier tounderstand is the intent mirrored inthe eye, and invisibly transferred fromperson to person in the clasp of thehand. In fact, the very atmospherewhich surrounds one when even butmomentarily the human and the divine are in harmony and concordwithin one, dissipates fear and bringspeace. But all of this is individual effort, and in no other way can human

ity be improved. “Thou must be bomagain,” was the admonition of Jesus toNicodemus, and there still is no otherway. It seems a long and weary roadto most people because of selfish interest. However, we are co-workers withGod, with whom “a thousand ages arebu t an evening gone.” Should each oneof us spend an entire incarnation inrealizing and harmonizing his or herown dual being, that much being accomplished — in its repercussions—would bring untold blessings upon generations yet unborn. Anoth er fact isthat by concentrating upon our ownindividual development in growth inthe grace of God, we inevitably willinfluence others with whom we comein contact. Preaching at or down topeople, in order to reform them, mayat times bring sentimental response,which usually is as short-lived as it isextravagant. And a law promulgatedto make people walk the straight andnarrow path, because of man’s perversity, is an invitation to find ways





€ SANCTUM MUSINGS>

THE W ORLD S GREAT NEED

By T h o r K j i m a l e h t o , Sovereign Grand Master

two thousancmay be

h e n we consider the chaotic world conditions andthe economic upheavalin our own country, wecannot help feeling overwhelmed by a sense offutility. Brotherhood,love, and service havebeen taught to men over

years, and yet all aroundseen only expressions of

greed, selfishness, and intolerance.

People ask where God is in these difficult times. The y point out that millions are starving; other millions aresuffering from displacement of hearthand home. Even in our own countrywe are facing economic difficulties ordisaster.

The economic battle between capitaland labor is more ruthless, arrogant,and unreasonable than ever. The

standard of living that once was thepride of the United States is now retrograding two hundred years in the history of mankind.

It is unreasonable to think that Godhas anything to do with our presentdilemma. This condition is of our ownmaking, and we must laboriously workout of it. The root of these evils inherent in our present structure is notentirely economic; it is also spiritual.The cause is in the human being, because he has concentrated his attention

upon a materialistic concept of life, andnot permitted the inner spiritual forces to develop in his consciousness. Th ecause is a soulless society based onmechanistic principles. The cause isselfishness, greed, and love of power.The cause is a hard heart, the resurgence of animal passions, the survivalof the fittest, and as a result we are

reaping wh at we have sown. We havesown a destructive wind, and we arereaping the whirlwind thereof.

Everything in the world is subject tocause and effect. The causes we havecreated in the past have brought us tothe present conditions. Our eyes havebeen opened to the miseries all aroundus, but instead of recognizing the truecause, we have become blinded by sympathy and endeavor to rectify the results. If the soldiers under arms todaywould be used to produce food, allthese miseries would soon disappear.No one wants war and destruction,therefore let us think peace, will peace,and pra y for peace.

Many people are under the impression that to accept a spiritual outlookon life, to believe that the heart of manmust be regenerated before there canbe peace on earth and good will amongmen, is to try to escape from reality,to be “unrealistic,” and to play intothe hands of exploiters. Such a viewis wrong. It fails to realize the power

'S 'w\/vn



of an ideal, the far-reaching effect ofeven a single thought, the dynamiteconcealed in a word, in a sound.

The independently thinking peopleare yet in the minority, hut the chainsof centuries are being broken, the night

of ignorance is giving way slowly tothe full dawn of Truth’s bright day.Through suffering andsorrow, we are beingbrought to realize thefallacy of materialisticconcepts, and the fewawakened thinkers arebecoming many. Thehard-headed scientistsare beginning to recognize spiritual principles and laws operating in the universe.

T h e r e a re somewonderful laws in thelawbooks of the world,inscribed fro m hundreds of years of evol u t i o n a r y d e v e l o pment. Of what benefitare they if the rulersin the world and thepeople do not want toobey them or makethem effective? It istrue that history isreplete with instanceswhere the leaders of acountry had endeavored to institute improvements for themasses before the people were ready forthem. Therefore, thepeople must he educated to think and toreason.

The most beautifullaws that man canconceive will not help

the si tuation today.The urgent need isnot for more laws,hut for the observance of those alreadyon the statute hooks. When a majorityof people desire peace and demand

T he peace, there will be peace. W hen a Rodcru cian of that thn Con-

stitution and the Bui of Rights be re-Utgeit spected, our land will function proper ly

N ovem ber and intolerance and discrimination will1947 disappear. When the majority of peo-

By Erwin W. E . Watermeyer .

M.A. , F .B .C.

• R ad i oa c t i ve chem i ca l s , w h i ch em i tv e r y w e a k r a d i o a c t i v e e m a n a t i o n a .h a v e b e c o m e t h e l a t e s t w e a p o n i nt h e s t u d y o f d is e a se . S u c h c h e m ic a l s a r e p e r f e c t l y h a r m l e s s t o t h eh u m a n b o d y a n d d e c o m p o s e a f t e ra s h o r t i n t e r v a l o f t i m e . I t p at i e n t s a b s o r b s o m e o f t h e s e s u bs t a n c e s w i t h t h e i r f o od a n d d r i n k ,i t i s pos s i b l e t o f o l l ow t he i rc o u r s e t h r o u g h t h e h u m a n b o d yw i t h s u i t ab l e e l ec t r i c a l de t ec t i ngdevices . Al so , such chemical s mayb e a t t a c h e d t o v a r i o u s d r u g s , t h u se n a b l i n g t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r s t o o bs e r v e t h e p a t h w a y s w h i c h t h e s ed r u g s t r a v e l t h r o u g h t h e b o d y ,w h e r e t h e y s t op , a n d h o w t h e yac t upon and k il l ge r m s . S c i ent i s t s nave even s ucceeded I n a tt a c h i n g t h e s e r a d i o a c t i v e c h e m ica l s to c e r t a i n g e r m s, t h u s m a ki ng i t pos s i b l e t o f o l l ow t he ac

t i v i t y o f s u c h g e r m s i n t h e h u m a nbody ,

■ S e v e ra l w a r d e v e l o p m e n t s I n t h econs t r uc t i on o f r ad i o com ponen t sm a y b r i n g a b o u t s o m e i n n o v at i ons i n t he r ad i o s e t s o f t hef u t u r e . S u c h d e v e l o p m e n t s a r e( 1) R ad i o t uh es o f ex t r em e l ysmal l s i 2 e— abou t one i nch l onga n d o n e - e i g h t h o f a n i n c h i n d ia m e t e r \ ( 2) Mid get dry cel l s ,s m a l l e r a n d m o r e p o w e r f u l t h a nt hos e p r e s en t l y ava i l ab l e ; and ( 3;R e p l a c e m e n t o f m e t a l w i r e s b yp r i n t i ng a t h i ck s i l ve r o r c a r bont h r e a d d i r e c t l y u p o n a p l a s t i cbas e . A s a r e s u l t of the s e t e chno l og i ca l deve l opm en t s , w e m aye x p e c t i n t h e n e a r f u t u r e t o s e er a d i o r e c e i v e r s a n d t r a n s m i t t e r ss m a l l enough t o f l t I n t o a coa tpocke t o r a pu r s e , and a l s o t o

h a v e h e a r i n g a i d s m u c h s m a l l e rt han t hos e ex i s t i ng a t p r e s en t .

pie come indignantly to repudiate exploitation and a social order that isbased on profits rather than on humanneeds, there will he peace between employer and employees, and the consumer will not, as now, he crushed

between the upper and the lower millstones.Whe re shall we find

people who are willing to live their livesin accordance withhigh ideals, who arewilling to consider theneeds of the humanfirst and to put thelaws as second, whoare willing to live cooperatively and notcompet i t ively? The

education of the heartis needed, more thanthe education of thehead. Development ofsoul - personal ities isneeded instead of morelegislation. An expansion of consciousnessis needed, and not astronger penal system.

When m en are willing to accept the spiritual principles of theFatherhood of Godand the brotherhoodof man, when they arewilling to conform tothe impl icat ions ofthese two sub l ime

Sr i n c i p l e s i n t h e i raily lives, in their re

lationships with othermen, then exploitationin every one of itsforms will cease. Emotional developmentstrengthens the love

life in a m an’s heart.Expansion of consciousness and the de

velopment of intuition enable a man tofeel another’s needs, to sympathizewith another’s nature, and to understand the limitations and the handicapsof another human being.

A merciful employer will be contentto earn less, provided that his workingpeople do not suffer. He will want hisemployees to be happy in his employ.



He will want their respect and affection. He will shrink from earningmoney at the expense of their healthand happiness.

A merciful man will scorn to take

advantage of women and play withtheir emotions. A woman wi th a senseof honor will scorn to be a gold digger.Where affection is genuine, parents donot have to be compelled by law to takecare of their children, and children donot have to be forced to provide foraged parents . A governm ent composedof upright men will honor treaties, accepted codes of law, and will err on theside of generosity rather than that ofgreed.

There is not one single problem thatwould not disappear if the people concerned approached its solution in aspirit of love and cooperation and awillingness to sacrifice, Any relationship becomes sanctified when cementedby sacrifice. How beauti ful when husband and wife remain faithful despiteillness and poverty. How beautifulwhen children are devoted to old orsuffering or unfortunate parents, andwhen brothers and sisters make sacrifices for one another. How beautifulwhen members of the community cooperate to rescue some unfortunatefamily. How beautiful when one nation comes to the rescue of a weakernation.

The world honors Ruth, the Moab-itess, because she gave up everythingfor her mother-in-law, Naomi. Thefriendship of David and Jonathan hasbeen immortalized. We love the talesof the brave knight who goes forth torescue the distressed damsel. We alllove the story of Romeo and Juliet eventhough it is a tale with a tragic ending.We love Robert Browning doubly forthe reason that his love for his frail,

invalid wife was so perfect. The maidenwhom Tennyson loved, we love, because she was faithful for twenty yearsbefore they were united in marriage.

People smile superciliously at romance and at fairy tales. There is noreason in the world why a fairy taleshould be only that and nothing more!You can make it come true. Every ma nis playing the part of a hero in thestory of his life; every woman is playing the part of a heroine in the story ofher life. Even the humblest par t on

the stage of life can he played with dignity, with beauty, and with loving perfection. Even a tragic pa rt can assumean epic tone when played in a spirit ofhumility, with a perfect trust in divine

love and wisdom as well as power.Perhaps you remember the lovely,

sunlit village of Shangri-La in the heartof the magnificent Himalayan Mountains in Tibet. “How unrea listic,” someunimaginative people exclaimed. Theclever newspaper writers knowinglyshook their heads and deplored the delightful phantasy as an escape fromreality. There is nothing at all unrea listic about the vision. It is a model ofwhat life can be if you so will it, andI so will it, and we all so will it. Thesepoor, deluded, hardheaded, practicalmen of sound common sense, think theyare right, hut Father Time laughs in hissleeve as the film rolls on, and theyusually find themselves absolutelywrong.

We honor and love the heroes of history: the men and women who gaveall for love, the men and women withcompassionate hearts, the men andwomen who dedicated their lives to agreat ideal, to a noble cause.

Kindness calls for kindness, heartcalls to heart, and love calls forth love.When a vision of great love dawns before our gaze, barriers melt, new worldsfloat into our ken, and our hearts contain the world. W e transcend ourlittle selves. Our souls roam upon theheights. Our minds reach to the fierystars, and our feet touch the center ofthe earth. We become one wi th everyblade of grass, every bird that singsupon the leafy twig, every perfumedflower that sways like a butterfly onits graceful stem. We become one withevery mother that smiles prayerfully atthe babe in her arms, every father that

rejoices in the son at his side. We areone with all friends and humanity.The tear in every eye is ours. Thesmile on every face is a reflection ofour own.

Impatient man, why do you chafeat these ties that bind you to yourtasks? Were your soul-personalityburning with love, you would rejoice atevery opportunity to pou r your love intoanother’s life; the chains that seem togall would caress; the manacles that

(Continued on Next Page)

[ ]



WHAT MEN THOUGHT

Happiness

X f h a p p i n e s s consisted in the pleasures of the body, we should call cattle happy when they find grass to eat.

—Heraclitus

T i s not in strength of body nor in gold that men find happiness, but in

uprightness and in fullness of understanding.—Democritus.

S e e k not happiness too greedily, and be not fearful of unhappiness.

—Lao-tse

T h e most happy man is he who knows how to bring into relation the end and beginning of his life. —Goethe

T r u e happiness is inward, divine Peace.—Theosophus.

T o be happy is not the purpose of our being, but to deserve happiness.

—Fichte

T h o u g h no one will dispute the statement that happiness is the best thing in the world, yet a still more precise defi

nition of it is needed.—Aristotle.

T o l i v e happily is an inward power of the Soul when she is affected with indifference toward those things that are by their nature indifferent.

—Marcus Aurelius

D o t o u see, oh m y brothers and sisters? It is not chaos or death— it is

form , union, plan— it is eternal life—it is Happiness.—Whitman.

V V V

THE WORLD’S GREAT NEED (Continued from Page 395)

seem dart and heavy as lead wouldgleam with gold and seem light as gossamer threads; the triple gates wouldspring open at a touch. The g ray skywould tu rn into opalescent pearl. Theraindrops would turn into handfuls ofblossoms, Eve ry day would become aglorious adventure . Dea th would become a transcendent experience. As thepoet Masefield says, “Death opens unknown doors. It is most grand to die.”

Love is still the world’s great need—the love the mystic teaches—love of

God, love of man, and love of all creation. W ith such love, strife will cease.All conflicts will be reconciled. Thepairs of opposites will then he transcended. The dualism will merge intouni ty. Peace Profound will prevail.

Every Avatar came to earth to demonstrate the life of love. Love is stillthe most dynamic word in any language; its true exponent is the greateslhuman on earth. Faith, Hope, and Lovt

are the three points of the Divine triangle, but “the greatest of these is love.”

T he

Ros icrucian

Digest

N ovem ber

1947 L

HANDSOME AND USEFUL SEALS

We suggest the beautiful Rosicrucian seals for your Christmaspackages and letters. They are printed in red and gold and hearthe nam e and symbol of the Rosicrucian Order. Th ey will notonly enhance the appearance of your packages and letters, but, ina dignified manner, draw the attention of many persons to theorganizat ion. Do y ourself and A. M. O. R. C. a service. Orde r apackage of 100 for 60 cents. Send order and rem ittanc e to Rosicrucian Supply Bureau, San Jose, California.



E X A M I N I N G T H E P A ST

A combination of historical and scientific inquiry, into the past, is heing conducted here by Jay R. McCullough,Curator of the Rosirrucian Egyptia n and Oriental Mu seu m (lefO. and Or. H. Arvis Talle y of the Rose-CroixResearch Institute and Sanitariu m. The newly acquired m um my shown on the X ray tahle of the Rose-CroixSanitarium is of a high priestess and temple virgin of ancient Eg ypt (XV III Dyna sty). Th e Curat or is interestedin whether amulets were embodied in the mum my in accordance with an age-old ritualistic custom and whichthe X ray would reveal. Th e physician is interested in any physiological aberrations that might indicate thecause of death. Th e inse rt in the lower left corner is a reduced reproduct ion of the X-ray pla te, showing thethorax region and arms crossed over the breast. (AMORC Photo)



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O rdre a e tSoc le te s

I n l t l a t i q u e s )

T H E P U R P O S E OF

T H E R O S I C R U C I A N O R D E RT h e R o s i c r u c i a n O r d e r , e x i s t i n g i n a ll c i v il i z ed l a n d s , i s & n o n a e c t a r i a n

f r a t e r n a l b o d y o f m e n a n d w o m e n d e v o t e d t o t h e I n v e s t i g a ti o n , s t u d y a n dp r a c t i c al a p p l i c a t io n o f n a t u r a l a n d s p i r i t u a l l a ws . T h e p u r p o s e o f t h e o rga niz a t ion l a to e na ble a l l to l ive in ha rm ony w i th the c re a t ive , c ons t ruc t iveC o sm i c f o rc e s f o r t h e a t t a i n m e n t o f h e a l t h , h a p p i n e s s a n d p e a c e . T h e O r d e ri s i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y k n o w n a s " A M O R C " ( a n a b b r e v i a t i o n ) , a n d t h e A M O R Ci n A m e r i c a an d a l l o t h e r l a n d s c o n s t i t u t e s t h e o n l y f o r m o f R o s ic r u c i a na c t i v it i e s u n i t e d i n o n e b o d y f o r a r e p r e s e n t a t i o n i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l f e de ra t ion . Th e A MO RC doe s no t a el l i t s t e a c h ing s . I t g ive s the m f r e e ly toa f f il i a t ed m e m b e r s t o g e t h e r w i t h m a n y o t h e r b e ne f it s . F o r c o m p l et e i n f o rm a t i o n a b o u t t h e b e n e f i t s a n d a d v a n t a g e s o f R o s i c r u c i a n a s s o c i a t i o n w r i t ea l e t t e r to the a dd re s s be low , a nd a sk for the f r e e book The Ma s te ry ofLI I*. Ad dre ss Scr ib e S. P. C. . in care of

A M O R C T E M P L E

R o s i e r u r i a n P a r k , S a n J o s e . C a l i f o r n i a , U . S . A .(Ca ble A dd re s s : "A MO R CO 1' )

Supre m e Exe c ut ive for the Jur i s d ic t i on of N or th , Ce n t r a l , a nd So uth A m e r ic a , A us t r a la s ia , a ori A f r i c aR a l p h M . L e w i s , F . R . C . — I m p e r a t o r

D I R E C T O R Y P R I N C I P A L A M E R I CA N B R A N C H E S O F T H E A .M . O. R. C .

T h e f o l l o w i n g a r e t h e p r i n c i p a l c h a r t e r e d R o s i c r u c i a n L o d g e s a n d C h a p t e r s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , i t st e r r i to r i e s a nd pos se s s ions . The na m e s a nd a ddre s se s of o the r A m e r ic a n B ra nc he s w i l l be g ive n uponw r i t t e n r e que s t .

ARIZONA

T u c s o n :Tucso n Chap ter . 135 S. 6th Ave. F. Orozco. Master ; Mrs . Joie Wo od. Sec. . 428 E. 5th St Sess io ns1s t a na 3rd Fr i . . 8 p . m .

C A L I F O R N I AL o n g B e a c h :A bdie l Cha pte r , Ma sonic Te m ple . 835 Loc us t A ve .L e l a n d M . S k i n n e r , M a s t e r ; G e o r g e M. K e i t h ,Se c. Se s s ions e ve ry Fr i . , 8 p . m .Loa AngelesH e rm e s Lodge . 148 N . G ra m e rc y P la c e . Te l . G la dstone 123(1. A. R. Tha ck ab err y. Mas ter : RoseRobinso n , Se c. L ib ra r y ope n 2 p . m . to 10 p . m .da i ly . Se s s ions e ve ry Sun . , 3 p . m .O a k l a n d : •O a kla n d Lodge , 610—16th S t . Te l . H I ga te 5996.R . L . S p u r r i e r , M a s t e r : H e l e n D . P a p p a g e o r g e .

Sec . Se s s ions 1st a nd 3rd Sun . , 2 p . m . L ib ra r yRoo m 406. ope n Mon. th rou gh Fr i . . 7 :30 to 9 :00p . m . ; Mon. We d. , a nd F r i . a f t e rno on , 1 to 3 :30 .S a c r a m e n t o :C l e m e n t B . L e B r u n C h a p t e r , U n i t y H a l l . O d dF e l l o w s T e m p l e . 9 th a n d K S t s . W i l l i a m P o p p e r .Ma ster : Glad ys M. Cosb y. Sec .. Tel . 5-1334. Sess ions 2nd and 4 th Wed . . 8 00 p.m.S a n D i e g o :Sa n D ie go Cha pte r , Sunse t H a l l , 3911 K a nsa s S t .Fra nce s R. Six, Mas ter . 2909 Linco ln Ave. Tel .W - 0 3 7 8 : M r s . N e ll D . J o h n s o n . Se c. S e s s io n s1s t We d. a nd 2nd a nd 4 th Thurg . , 8 p . m .Sa n Fra nc i s c o : •Fra nc i s Ba c on Lodge . 1957 Che s tnut S t . , Te l .TU -6340. The odo re Pe te r s , Ma s te r . Te l . WE1-4778: Mrs . Jess i e Rob bin s . Sec . . Tel . PR-8526.Se s s ions for a l l m e m be rs e ve ry Mon. . 8 p m . ,f o r r e v i e w c l a s s e s p h o n e S e c r e t a r y .

CO LO RA D OD e n v e r :Denv er Ch apte r , 509 17th St . , Ro om 302. J . Clifford Car r M aste r ; Miss Lesl ie Neely. Sec ., 1375

Linc oln , A pt . 2 . Se s s ions e ve ry Fr i . . 8 p . m .D I S T R I C T O F C O L U M B I A

W a s h i n g t o n :Thom a s J e f f e r son Cha pte r , 1322 V e rm ont A ve .W i l l i a m R . B r o d e r i c k , M a s t e r ; M r s . M i n n i ePear l Stough, Sec . , 2716 So. Uhle St . , Arl ington,V a. Se s s ions e ve ry Fr i . , 8 p . m .

F L O R I D AM i a m i :Mia m i Cha pte r , B i sc a yne Te m ple , 120 N . W. 15thA ve . O . N i c h o l a s B a u m g a r t , M a s t e r ; F l o r e n c eM. Fran coi s , Sec . , 2787 S.W. 33rd Ave. Sess ion se ve ry Sun . , 8 p . m .

I L L I N O I SChic a go : •N e fe r t i t i Lodg e , 116 S . Mic higa n A ve. Mrs . H ug hW. Ew ing , Ma s te r ; E i l e e n Shi r e y , Se c. L i bra ryopen dal ly, 1 to 6 p m . and 7:30 to 10 p.m. ;Sun. , 2 to 5:30 p.m. only. Roo m 408-9-10. Sess ions for a l l m e m be rs e ve ry Tue s . . 8 p . m .

(Directory Continue*

I N D I A N A

S o u t h B e n d :South Be nd Cha pte r . 2071-j S. Ma in S t . Wi lbu rL. Kli,ne. Ma st er ; Trene Newso me. Sec.. 11)29H ud son A ve. Se s s ions e ve ry Sun . . 7 p . m.

I n d i a n a p o l i s :Ind ia na pol i s Cha pt e r . 521 E . 13 th S t . F r a n kH a u pt , Ma s te r : R ut h M. Coa ler . Sec . , 816 N .Me r id ia n S t . Se s s ions e ve ry Fr i . , 8:15 p . m .

M A R Y L A N DBaltimore;*John O 'D onne l l Lodge , 100 W. Sa ra toga S i .W a l t e r J . B u r f o r d , M a s t e r. T e l . A r b u t u s 1 14 :Eug e ne W Spe nc e r , Se c. , 7 E . Ea g e r St . Se ss ions 1s t a nd 3rd We d. . 8 :15 p . m .

M A S S A C H U S E T T SB o s t o n : ■J o h a n n e s K e l p l u s L o d g e . 739 B o y l s t o n St . E v e

l ine B. Lyle , Ma s te r : F ra n k E . Pa r l in . Sec ., 46We s t l a nd A ve . . A pt . 2. Se s s ions e ve ry Sun . a ndWe d.. 7 :30 p.m.

M I C H I G A ND e t r o i t : •T h e b e s L o d g e , 6 16 W . H a n c o c k A ve . R a l p h L e f t -r idge . Master . 15937 Baylfs ; Izen M. Dysler .Se c. . Te l . Re dfo rd 4180 Se s s ions e vpry Tue s . .8 :15 pm .

M I N N E S O T AM i n n e a p o l i s :Es se n e Cha pte r . T ra f i c a n te A c c ord ion SchoolA ud. , 41 So. 8 th S t . J a m e s Fre nc h , Ma s te r : Mrs .Jess ie Matso n. Sec . . 1810 44th Ave. , N. Sess io ns2nd and 4th Sun. . 3 p.m.

M I S S O U R ISt. Lonl g :•T h u t m o s e L o d g e . G e o r g e W a s h i n g t o n H o t e l . 600N . K i n g s h i g h w a y B l vd . H . J . T u r n e r , J r . , M a ste r ; E a r l T idro w , J r . . Se c. . 7918 K i ng sbu ry B lvd . .C la y ton , Mo. Se s s ions e ve ry Tue s . . 8 p . m .

N E W J E R S E YN e w a r k :H . Spe nc e r Le w is Cha pte r . 29 J a m e s S t . Mrs .E l i z a be th Corne l l , Ma s te r ; Loui se M. Spa tz . Se c . .128 Che s tnut S t ., Ruthe r f ord , N. J. Se s s ionsevery Mon. , 8:30 p.m.

N E W Y O R KBuffalo:Ra m a Cha pt e r , 225 D e la w a re A ve. , Room 9 . A l f r e dE . Engle f r i e d , Ma s te r ; Ca ro lyn A . Wood. Se c . ,23 Ter race , Buffa lo. N. Y. Sess ion s every Wed. .7:30 p.m.

N e w Y o r k C l t y : -N e w Y ork C i ty Lodge , 250 W. 57 th S t. I r a H .P a t t e r s o n , M a s t e r ; F l o r e n c e E . T a r r y , S e c. S e ss ions We d. 8 :15 p . m . , a nd Sun . 3 :00 p . m . L ibra ryope n w e e k da ys a nd Sun . 1 to 8 p . m .

Booke r T . Wa shington Cha pte r , 69 W. 125th S t . ,Room 63 . Le ona rd J . T rom m e l , Ma s te r ; D a vidWal dro n, Sec . , 1449 5th Ave. Sess io ns everySun., 8 p.m.

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O H I O

ClnclmnAtlCinc innat i C hapt er . 204 Haz en Bid . , 9 th abdMain St . Ral ph Dunn. M as ter , 361 Thr al l Ave. ,Be r tha Hi l l , Sec . Ses s ions every Fr l . , 7 :30 p .m.

Cleve land:Clevelan d Chapt er . 2040 E. 100th St . Wm. R.Mor ran . Ma s ter , 1281 We s t 104th St . ; Mrs . G ert r ud e A . R l vnak , S ec . S es s i ons eve r y T ues9 :15 p.m.

D a y t o n :Elb er t Hu bb ard Ch apter . 56 E. 14th St . MissS a r ah B . K e l l y . M as t e r ; M r s. K a t h e r i ne M cP eck .Sec. Ses s ions every Wed . , 8 p .m.T o l e d o :Michael F ara da y Ch apte r . lOOfi Bro okle y Blvd.M r s. E l eano r B r i nkm a n . M a s t e r ; P hy l l i s L S i 1-verwood , Sec ., Rt . 5. Box 63, Ses s ion s everyThur s . . 8 :30 p .m.

OKLAHOMAO k l a h o m a C i ty :Am enh otep Chap ter , Odd F el low s Hal l , 5M» S.W al ke r . R . D . W hi t ak e r , M as t e r ; Z u r a B. S p r an -kle. See , 628 N. E. 10th St . Ses s ion s every Sun.,7:30 p.m.

O R E G O NPortland :aPo r t l an d Rose Lodge . Od d Fel low s Hal ] . 635 N.K i l l i ngaw o r t h C our t . O l ll e F . F u l l e r . M as t e rFlo yd K. Ri ley . Sec. . 1711 S. W 19th Ave. Se ss ions every Wed. . 8 p .m.

P E NNS YL VANI A P h i l a d e l p h i a :•

B en j am i n F r an k l i n L odge , 1303 G i r a r d A venue .G L J . J a l be r t . M as t e r : E dna M J a l b e r t , S ec

2108 S. Broed St . Ses s ions every Sun. . I RC] p.mT em pl e and L i b r a r y open T ues . , F r l . . 2 - 4 p . m .

Pittsburgh ;•T h e F i r s t P e n n s y l v a n i a L o d g e . 6 16 W. D i a m o n dS t . . N o r t h S i de. J oh n M, O G ui n , M as t e r ; A m e l i aM. Kom arc , Sec Mee t ings Wed. and Sun. 8 p .m.

TEXAS Da l l a s :L o n e S t a r C h a p t e r . M e r c a n ti l e B a n k A u d i t o r i u m .Mrs . Ot i s Mar fhugh, Mas ter , Tel , M-5723; Ai l eenMercer , Sec. , Tel . L 4244. Sess io ns 1s t Tue s . and3rd Wed. , 8 :00 p .m.

Fort Worth:Fo r t Wo r th Ch apter . 512 W. 4 th St . Mrs . Ida B.H o l i ba ugh , M as t e r ; R u t h P age . S ec. . 1420 W as hi ng t on S t . S e s s i ons eve r y F r l . , 8 p . m.

H o u s t o n :Hous ton Chapter , Y. W. C. A. Center , 506 SanJ ac i n t o S t . M ar t i n M. B ur ke . M as t e r ; M r s . W i nnie H. Davi s , Sec . , 819 Yo rksh i r e Si . Ses s ionsevery Fr l . , 7 :30 p .m.

UT AHMal t Lake Ci ly :Sal t Lak e Ci ty Cha pter . I .O.O.F . B id* , 41 Pos tO ff i ce P l ace . S t an l ey F . L eona r d , M as t e r ; D ouglas Bur ges s , Sec . . 866 S. 8 th . W Sess ions everyT hur s . . 6: 15 p . m . L i b r a r y open da l l y excep tSun., 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

W AS HI NGT ONSeat t l eMichael Male r Lodg e. W lnto nla Hotel , 1431 MinorM ar j o r i e E . U m ben huur , M as t e r . T e l , F R- B943;G or don H ack ba r t h . S ec S es s i ons e i te r y M on .8 p .m. Li bra ry open Mon thr ou gh Sal 1-4 p .m

W I S C O N S I NM i l w a u k e e : _Ka rn ak Ch apter , 3431 W Li sbon Ave. . Room 8.

Fred C. Bond. Mas ter : Mar i lyn Buben, Sec .Ses s ions every Mon. . 8 :15 p .m.

P r i n c i p a l C a n a d i a n B r a n c h es a n d F o r e ig n J u r i s d ic t io n s

T h e a d d r e s s e s o f o t h e r f o r e ig n G r a n d L o d g e s , n r Ih e n a m e s a n d a d d r e s s e s o f I h e l r r e p r e se n t a t i v e s , w i nbe given upon r eques t .

ARGE NT I NABueno* Aire*;Bue nos Ai res Cha pter . Cas i l l a Cor reo No. 3763S r . M anue l M on t eagud o . M as t e r : S r . C B l anche t ,Sec. . Cal l* Camaro nea 4567. Ses s ions every Sat . .6 p. m . and eve r y W ed . , 9 p.m.

AUSTRALIAS y d n e y , N . 9 . W . :Syd ne y Chapt er , I . O. O. F . Bldg . , 100 ClarenceSt . , 12a Chat I l a House . Ma r t in ' s P lac e . J a co bu sV an B os s, M as t e r : M r s . F l o r ence G oodm an . 9ecOpen Tues . t o Fr l . . 1 to 3 p .m.

Melbourne, Victoria:Melb ourn e Cha pter , 2fi Russel l S t . S T. Ker r .M as te r : Ol ive Oro ah Cox, Sec . , 179 Ra thm ine sRd. . H&wlhnrn, EES, Vic . . Aus t .

CANADAMontreal , P. Q.:M oun t R oya l C hap t e r . T h e L odge R oom . V i c t o r iaH a l l , W e s t m ou n t . F r a nk A. E l l i s, M as t e r , Al fSut ton, Sec . , 5408 Clark e St Ses s ions 1s t and3rd Thu r s . , 8 :30 p .m.Toronto, Ontario:T o r o n t o C h a p t e r , 39 D a v e n p o r t R d M a r v e n B o wm an . M as t e r ; J ean W . C am pbe l l , S ec . . 94 H i gh -bou r ne R d . S es s i ons 1 s t and 3 r d T hu r s . . 8 : 16p . m .Vancouver, Brit ish Columbia:*V ancouv e r L odge , 878 H o r nb y S t. A . M unr oeM acL ean . M as t e r ; M i s s M a r ga r e t C ham ber l a i n ,Sec. , 817 Ne lson St . , Tel . PA-9078. Ses s ion s everyM on . t h r o ug h F r l . L odge ope n— 7 30 p . m .Vlrtor la , Br i t i sh Co lumbia: -V i c t o r i a L odge . 725 C o ur t ney S t . T hom as F u l -tho rp . Ma s ter ; R. Gibson. Sec ., 141 Mon t real S t .Windsor, Ontario:Win dso r Cha pter . 808 Mar lon Ave. N. W Whi te .M ast er ; Mrs . Ste l la Kuc y, Sec , Tel . 4-4532.S es s i ons eve r y W ed . , 8 : 15 p . m .Winnipeg , Mani toba:C har l e s D an a D ean C hap t e r , 122a P hoe n i x B l ock .J oh n G . M ea r a . M as t e r : w i l l i a m M. G l anv il l . Sec. .180 Arn old Ave. Ses s ion s every Wed. , 7 :45 p .m

DE NMARK AND NORW AY Copenhagen:*T h e A M O R C G r a n d L o d g e o f D e n m a r k a n dN o r w a y . A r t h u r S u n d s t r u p , G r . M a s t e r : C ar l!Ander sen, S .R.C. , Gr . Sec . , Manogade 13. St r and.

• ( I n i t i a t i ons a r e pe r f o r m ed . )

EGYPT

Cairo :C ai r o I n f o r m a t i on B ur eau de l a R os e C r n lx .J . S apo r t a . S p c ., 27 R ue S a l l m on P acha .

E NGL AND

T he A M Q R C G r and L odge o f G r ea t B r i t a i n .R aym und A ndr ea . F . R . C . , G r . M as t e r , 34 B avsw a t e r A ve. , W es t b u r y P a r k . B r i s t o l 6L o n d o n ;L ondon C hap t e r . R i ch a r d J . L ake , S ec. . 38C r anb r ook R i s e , I l f o r d , E s s ex .

F R A N C EM i l e . J eanne G ues don . S ec . , 56 R ue G am be t l a .Vl l l eneuvR Saint Georges (Seine f t Oi se) .

H O L L A N DAniflterdatfi rD e R oz ek r u l s e r s O r de . G r oo t - L od ge de r N ede r -l anden. J . Coops, Gr . Mas ter , Hun ze s t r a at 141.

MEXICOQuetzalcoat l Lodge, Cal l e de Colombia 24. Mexico.S r . R a f ae l A l ons o E s pa r za , M a s t e r ; S r B e r na r doLi ra M , Sec . , Lon dr es 8 . Bi s. Mexico, D.F.

N E T H E R L A N D S E A S T I N D I E SMrs . M. C. Zeydel . Grand Ma s ter -G enera l . Djangl l47 . S em ar ang . J ava , N e t he r l ands , E as t I nd i e s .

N E W Z E A L A N DA u c k l a n d :Auckland Chapter , Vic tor i a Arcade, Room 317.Mrs . E M Woo d. Mas ter ; C. A Tr ou p, Sec. . 31Ch ath am Ave. . Ml . Alber t . Ses s ions every Mon. ,8:00 p.m.

P OL ANDP o l l ah G r and L odge o f A M O R C , W ar s aw . P o l and .

S OUT H AF RI CAPretoria, Transvaal:P r e t o r i a C hap t e r . J . C. H un t e r . M as t e r ; F . E . F .Pr in s . Sec. 61 Vi l l a St ., Sunnyald e , Pre t or i a .

S W E DE NG r an d L odge *‘R os e nkn r s e t . ” A n t on S van l und ,F . R . C . , G r . M as t e r , V as i e r ga t an 55, M a l m o : InezA kes s on . G r and L odge S ec .

S W I T Z E R L A N DA M O R C G r an d L odge , 21 A ve. D app l e s , L ausanne. Dr . Ed. Ber thole t , F .R.C. . Gr. Mas ter , 11A ve . G ene r a l G u i s an . L aus ann e : P i e r r e G en i Mar d.Gr . Sec .. 2 Che mln dea Al l lnges , La usan ne.

L a t i n - A m e r i c a n D i v i s i o n

Armandn Fnnt Dp I,a .Tara. F.R.C., D e p u t y Grand Master D i r ec t I nqu i r i e s r e ga r d i ng t h i s d i v i s i on t o t he L a t i n A m er i can D i v i s ion . R os i c r uc i an P a r k . S an J o s e ,

Cal i fornia . U.S.A.

J UNI OR ORDE R OF T ORCH B E ARE RS

A ch i l d r e n ’ s o r gan i za t i on s pon s o r ed by t he A M O R C .F or com pl e t e i n f o r m a t i on a s t o I t s a l m s and bene f it s , add r e s s S ec r e t a r y G en e r a l , J un i o r O r de r , R osl -

r r u r l a n P a r k . S a n J o s e , C a li f o rn i a .

TNI NQSICIIUCIAN PFEfll. LTD. ■ MINT*DINU. I -A.



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M ANS ION S O F THE S OUL. Th e Co smi c Co n

cep t i o n —By H. S p en cer Lewi s , P h .D .

Reincarnat ion, the world's most disputed doctr ine, completely and scienti f ically explain ed Substa nt iated byquotat ions l rom eminent author i t ies and f rom Bibl icaland var ious olher Sac red works . This volume placesthe doclr ine oi reincarnat ion high above mere speculation Illustrated , boun d in cloth, 334 pag es Price, $2 45pos tage prepaid .

M YS TICS AT P RAYER—By M an y C i h l a r

A u s t r i a n p h i l o s o p h e r a n d m y s t i cThe lirsl complete compilation of the famous prayers of1he reno wned mystic9 and ade pts af al l aaes This bookalso explains, in s imple lang uaq e the reason for prayer ,how to prav and the Cosmic laws involved Well-bou nd in cloth, printed on art pap er in two colors withdnck led-edqe and t inted pages . Postpaid at $1 25 percopy.

THE SECRET DOCTRINES OF JESUS

By H. Spencer Lewis . Ph .D.

The secret teachings af the Master Jesus , for many agespr ivately preserved in unknown archives , are heTeinbrouqht to bah t Whal ar e these l eachinas and whyhad man deleted ihem from the context of ihe Bible?Th h f d i fhi b if ll b d

(Jdoentules in Reading

Documents

Rosicrucian Digest, November 1947