“A Sane Mind, A Soft Heart, A Sound Body” July/August 2003—$5.00

THE LETTER TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN SARDISEARLY REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ROSE CROSS

OBSESSION OF MAN AND OF ANIMALS THE PROBIOTIC REVOLUTION

A CHRISTIAN ESOTERIC MAGAZINE

Let this rice,

which is the child of the land and the water,

be kept and protected with great care,

for it is the bread of the day for which I am grateful.

Let it be set aside and counted,

for it is the coin of the realm of God

and the measure of its weight tells the story

of profit and gain

or loss and starvation.

Let this rice,

which is the seed of life, be gentle,

for it is the love of life and the center of the day.

Let this rice,

which is love,

be shared among your families and friends

and the friends of your friends...and so the world of people,

for it is a holy thing.

Let this rice,

which is my life,

sustain you and give you strength

and remind you of many things of which you are grateful,

and let that gratitude be the food for your love.

Let this love,

Which is the child of the land and the water,

be kept and protected with great care,

for it is the bread of the day for which I am grateful.

Let it be set aside and counted,

for it is the coin of the realm of heaven

and its measure tells the story

of the fullness of your joy in your days of abundance

or lack thereof.

Let this love,

which is the seed of life, be gentle,

for it is a prayer in your heart.

Let this love

be shared among your families and your friends

and so the world of people,

for it is a holy thing.

Let this love,

which is your delight, grow and multiply,

for it is the food of your heart,

which is the child of the land and the water.

Let your heart be kept and protected with great care,

for it is the very bread of the day that sustains you

and for which I am so grateful.

—Kerry Jones

Back cover: Filippino Lippi. The Apparition of the Virgin to St. Bernard. c.1486. Tempera on panel. Badia, Florence, Italy, Planet Art. Front cover: Intimate Landscapes, Corel

Photo by A

rt Space

This Issue...Feature

The Call.................................................................................................................2

Letters to the EditorWhat a Natal Horoscope Doesn’t Show...Elsa Glover..........................................3

EditorialWisdom Inspires Gratitude....................................................................................4

Mystic LightStudies in the Apocalypse—Part 4...Valentin Tomberg........................................5Early Representatives of the Rose Cross...Ann Barkhurst..................................11Christ Jesus and Initiation...C.W. ........................................................................16After Dying (Part 1)...Marcia Malinova-Anthony..............................................20Imagination...Elsa Glover....................................................................................23Catastrophes, Their Cause and Cure...Amber Tuttle...........................................26

From Max Heindel’ s WritingsObsession of Man and of Animals......................................................................31

Readers’ QuestionsAnimal Rebirth....................................................................................................34Light on Lucifer..................................................................................................35

Western W isdom Bible StudyThe Harp of David...Corinne Heline...................................................................36

AstrologyGod’s Message Through Cancer...Rosicrucian Fellowship Staff Members.......40Astrology as a Guide in Life...Bessie Leo..........................................................43The Cosmic Harp—Cancer and Leo...Corinne Heline........................................46

News PerspectivesGreat Britons—APersonal Choice...Abraham Obeng........................................50

Book ReviewsFor the Love of God—The Life of St. Gemma Gilgani...C.W...........................52

Nutrition and HealthThe Probiotic Revolution...C.W. ..........................................................................53

HealingThe Universal Healing Power.............................................................................58

For ChildrenA Lesson of Faith...Margaret Scott Gatty...........................................................59

MiscellaneousLet This Rice (poem)...Kerry Jones..............................................inside front coverMy Way (text)...Ella Wheeler Wilcox.................................................................19Between You and God...Mother Teresa...............................................................33Song of the Absolute (text)...Corinne Heline......................................................49July/August 2003 Ephemerides.....................................................................61-62

“A Sane Mind,A Soft Heart,

A Sound Body”© 2003 The Rosicrucian Fellowship

A Christian Esoteric Magazine

Established byMax Heindel

June 1913

Volume 95, No. 4

July/August—2003USPS 471080—ISSN 0744-432X

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Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:

Such a Way as gives us breath,

Such a Truth as ends all strife,

Such a Life as killeth death.

Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:

Such a Light, as shows a feast,

Such a Feast, as mends in length,

Such a Strength, as makes his guest.

Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:

Such a Joy, as none can move,

Such a Love, as none can part,

Such a Heart, as joys in love.

—George Herbert

2 RAYS 03

FEATURE

THE CALL

Christ C

onsolator(c1886), C

arl Bloch, A

ltar piece, Landskrona Church, S

weden

IN “THE VALUE OF ASTROLOGY,” by H. W.Stevens, in the January-February 2003 Rays, it isstated that “astrology shows us what and wherewe are. It is a sure index to our character. Itreveals our weaknesses and strengths...[I]t clearly

indicates the degree of our moral and spiritual strength.”I consider it extremely important to realize that

astrology does not show us what and where we are. Allastrology shows us is the forces we have to work withand the problems we will be confronted with in life.What we do with these forces and whether we solvethese problems constructively depends on how weexercise our free will, which is not shown in the horo-scope.

In The Message of the Stars, Chapter 2, Max Heindelnotes that if an astrologer is to accurately read a horo-scope, he must know the state of spiritual evolution ofthe individual. People of different degrees of spiritualevolution may respond differently to any given set ofastrological forces.

A French astrologer once did an experiment in whichhe gathered the horoscopes of a number of imprisonedcriminals and mixed them with the horoscopes of anumber of other people and then asked someastrologers to tell which were the criminals and whichwere the other people. The astrologers were not able todo so. The reason astrologers were not able to do so isthat for any set of astrological forces, some people mayact as leaves blown in the wind and fall into the poten-tial pitfalls indicated, and others may exercise theirwisdom and their wills and use the forces constructive-ly. With the exercise of wisdom and will power, theproblems of life can be solved and the forces in squaresand oppositions can be used as constructively as theforces in sextiles and trines.

I have known people with mostly sextiles and trines,and just one or two squares or oppositions, who weremaking a mess of their lives. I have known others whohave a great many squares and oppositions who havegained control of their lives and are living construc-tively.

H. W. Stephens also notes that when the horoscopeshows trouble, the soul “will know that through itsactions in past lives it has accumulated this heavykarmic debt which must be paid off at some time orother.”

Suppose a child brought some homework home fromschool. If the parents see the homework, what conclu-sions will they draw? Will they assume that the childfailed some test and was given this homework as reme-dial work? Will they assume that this homework is justpart of the learning process that all the students in theclass have been assigned? Or will they assume that thechild is ahead of the rest of the class and has taken onsome extra work? Obviously, just seeing the homeworkis not sufficient to tell the parents the reasons for thehomework, and which assumption is correct.

The horoscope shows the “homework” problems thatwe are given to solve in this lifetime. We should not bemaking assumptions about whether these are old prob-lems which we have previously failed to learn orwhether they are new challenges which are helping usto develop spiritual strength. Only one who has direct-ly investigated the past lives of an individual can makeany statements about whether the problems he is con-fronting are old or new.

Also, people need to be careful making statementsabout karmic debt. In the postmortem retrospection, alldebts of suffering are paid in full. (The only type ofdebts that remain are debts of service.) If, through nofault of his own in this life time, a person experiencessuffering, possible causes are: 1) The person has somelesson to learn or some spiritual strength to developfrom this experience or; 2) the person may be torment-ed by another person who is exercising his free willbeyond any control of the agents of destiny. When thisis the case, the tormenter will suffer for his indiscretionin purgatory, and the tormenter will also owe the suf-ferer a debt of service. Without spiritual vision we can-not tell which of these explanations is applicable orwhether they are both applicable in any given case. ❐

—Elsa Glover

RAYS 03 3

What a Natal Horoscope Doesn’t Show

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

SINCE THE SUMMER SOLSTICE hasjust taken place, let us remind ourselvesof some astronomical facts. The twelveconstellations, the twelve Divine Hierarch-ies, form the natural zodiac and are ever

in the same relative positions. But on account of amotion of the pole of the earth, the Sun crosses theequator at a slightly different point each spring atthe vernal equinox, and this shifting point is consid-ered in Astrology as being the first degree of Aries,the beginning of what is called the intellectual zodi-ac, which thus changes from year to year at the rateof about 1 degree in 72 years, 1 sign in 2156 years,completing the circle of 12 signs in about 25,868years. This backward movement is called "preces-sion of the equinox."

From the materialistic viewpoint there seems tobe no reason for this shifting of the zodiac, but fromthe position of the mystic it is not at all arbitrary, butnecessary and in harmony with the spiral path ofevolution adhered to in both star and starfish,observable everywhere in nature. After completionof each cycle, the intellectual and the natural zodi-acs coincide (the last time being 498 A.D.), and anew world period commences, a new phase of evo-lution, a higher loop of the spiral whereon we areever traveling towards God.

The procedure of regarding where the Sun cross-es the earth's equator in the east as the first point ofAries, no matter where in the constellations it fallsbecause of precession, is perfectly justified becausethe life-giving qualities ascribed to the Sun in Ariesare observable as soon as it has crossed the equator;then the seeds sprout, the mating season com-mences, and the whole creation seems stirred by thesolar ray to bring forth. Therefore astrologers saythat the Sun is exalted in Aries.

On the same principle, the western node of the

Sun, the point where he leaves the northern hemi-sphere for the winter months, is called the first pointof Libra, and Saturn, the planet of obstruction andsuppression, is here exalted; he is the reaper with hisscythe, he mows down the fruits of the solar ray, hesuppresses life and joy, the gladsome voices of ourfeathered friends are hushed in his presence, and theearth goes down to its wintry grave under his with-ering influence.

So, we will express our thoughts and feelings ofgratefulness to the Elder Brothers of theRosicrucian Order, who have given to mankind,through their messenger, Max Heindel, such a won-derful Teaching, which unites Science—such as theaforementioned astronomical facts—to Religion—the precession of the equinox being the path of evo-lution whereon we are traveling towards God.

Regarding the Arts, it is our personal privilege tobuild the covenant which is mentioned in the Epistleof Paul to the Hebrews 8:10: “I shall put my lawsinto their mind, and write them in their hearts,” inas-much as we all have included in our different vehi-cles and veils a specific gift, given by each one ofthe twelve divine Hierarchies that form the naturalzodiac. These divine Hierarchies have given theirnames to the intellectual zodiac—both zodiacsbeing part of the microcosmic man.

Let us recall what Max Heindel writes about grat-itude, that we have been especially favored, farbeyond our merit, by receiving the Rosicrucianteachings from our Elder Brothers. Needless to saythey do not crave our gratitude, they are beyondthat; but we may make more soul growth by beinggrateful.

This precious knowledge enables us to better ful-fill our task and to progress more rapidly on the pathof evolution, if we chose to do so, in accordancewith our free will. ❐

4 RAYS 03

Wisdom Inspires Gratitude

EDITORIAL

IN THE PRECEDING SECTION* wehave seen a definite path which mankindmust tread in order to ascend from the trialsof Weight, Measure, and Number to that ofFreedom. The stages of this path led from

the life [vital] body to the sentient [desire] body,from the sentient body to the sentient [emotional]soul, and from the sentient soul to the intellectualsoul where the problem of freedom arises. Even so,however, not one of the stages in man’s path iscomplete; since the wakening of the consciousnessof freedom, Post-Atlantean man is bound to cometo terms with

“death,” “suffering,” and“toil” (that is, with the greattasks of Number, Measure andWeight) in the spirit of Freedom. Andindeed, man’s further path dependson his making the three primal necessities ofhuman karma his own in such a way that they areraised into the sphere of Freedom and altogetherpermeated by it. From this point of view, a pathresults for the Post-Atlantean epoch of man’s evo-lution, which can be illustrated by the figure above.

Man makes the three karmic necessities his ownwhen he receives within himself that whichformerly approached from outside, and when,

creating it in the spirit of freedom out of himself,he changes it into higher forces and faculties.Thus, the mission of the Fifth Post-Atlantean epochconsists especially in once more coming to termswith “death,” so that mankind may absorb its forcesand learn to work creatively with and through them.

Although the present culture-epoch is still onlyat the beginning of this task, it already shows theright and wrong paths connected with the creativeand controlling forces of “death.” Thus, for exam-ple, modern civilization owes its expansion to theco-operation of two forces: the force of dead

a b s t r a c t

thinking, and the mechani-cal forces of the external world.

Almost all modern technical and sci-entific civilization has arisen from thecombined influences of the faculty of

abstraction within man and the mechanical forcesoutside. Now, the faculty of abstraction is the fac-ulty of disconnecting “life”—that is, light, color,rhythm and warmth—from the sphere of thinking.The modern, theoretic procedure is essentially thekilling of thought-life until it becomes a shadow, inorder to be able to handle this shadow freely, andso apply it to any region desired. For abstractionsare felt to be inconsequential, and therefore,without influence on the human soul. Man holds themin his hand and can deal with them as he likes.

Similarly, the modern man can also deal as he

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Studies in the Apocalypse—The Letter to the Angel of the Church in Sardis

MYSTIC LIGHT

*See May/June 2003 Rays. Valentin Tomberg’sStudies of theApocalypse, ©1985 by Candeur Manuscripts, is reprintedby permission of Anthroposophic Press.

OLD INDIAN 7th CULTUREWEIGHT TOIL

Ephesus Laodicea

OLD PERSIAN 6th CULTUREMEASURE SUFFERING

Smyrna Philadelphia

EGYPTO-CHALDEAN 5th CULTURENUMBER DEATH

Pergamos Sardis

FREEDOM EGO

GRECO-ROMANThyatira

pleases with the mechanical forces of Nature,especially with the forces liberated by the disinte-gration of matter. The sub-organic forces of theouter world offer him a field for the developmentof power in which there are no restrictions, such asare imposed by the forces of living things where anuncontrollable element is always inherent.

But this working with the forces of “death”brings about two opposite results: on the one hand,it can set free the inner forces of the soul, andawaken them to a higher activity; on the other, itcan mechanize man himself so that the inner forcesof the soul fall asleep. The first process takes placewhen the soul within the modern life of civilizationdemands and strives after another spirituallyactive sphere of existence. The very emptinessofthe soul and spirit of modern civilization becomesa mighty spur for the development of an inner, cre-ative activity which will fill that emptiness. Thenthe arena of the forces of “death” will furnishabstraction and mechanism with a field for theawakening of the deeper consciousness forces ofthe soul. For it is characteristic of the mysteries ofDeath that it may bring with it an awakening of thehigher consciousness, an illuminating clarity ofconsciousness. Certainly, to it the law is applica-ble: “He that hath, to him shall be given; and hethat hath not, from him shall be taken even thatwhich he hath.” For as the wind makes a strongflame burn more brightly still, so it extinguishes aflame which is feeble. And in this sense we mayunderstand the effect upon the consciousness of acivilization which gives the abstract and themechanical the leading role. The deadly breath ofthe abstract and the mechanical can either stir thecreative consciousness of the soul to a mightyblaze, or extinguish them altogether. This “either...or” in the effect of the death-forces of modem civ-ilization forms the test of the present age, the maintask of the Fifth Post-Atlantean culture-epoch. Forthis reason, the admonition of the Fifth Letter ofthe Apocalypse runs: “I know thy works, that thouhast a name, that thou livest, and art dead. Bewatchful and strengthen the things that remainwhich are ready to die: for I have not foundthy works perfect before God.” (Rev. 3:1-2) The“works,” that is, the sum total of the created

culture values, are, as seen from within (“beforeGod”), definitely “not perfect” (ou pepleromena).That is, they are emptyof divine life. In these cir-cumstances, therefore, the first commandment is,on the one hand: “Be wakeful,” and, on the other,“Strengthen the things that remain, which areready to die.” Dying and keeping awake are to bal-ance each other. The more the one process is inevidence, the more so must the other be also.

But the awakening of the consciousness in fac-ing Death must take place in two directions: inwaking to the true nature of man, and in waking tothe nature of the world. The latter, indeed, must beeffected by means of waking and intensifying thememory, whereas the knowledge of the nature ofman must result from study of the world. Thatwhich the memory-force must draw up from thedepths of consciousness is knowledge concerningthe “seven stars”—knowledge of the course takenby the vast “biography” of the universe throughSaturn, Sun, Moon, Earth, Jupiter, Venus and

6 RAYS 03

Oil on panel, 1870, Elihu Vedder, Los Angles County Museum of Art

Memory

Vulcan. And the result of an awakened study of theuniverse is the knowledge of the divine origin ofthe seven members of the human being—theknowledge that the original entities of the physicalbody, the ether body, the astral body, the ego, thespirit-self [human spirit], the life-spirit and thespirit-man [divine spirit], are “the seven Spirits ofGod.” These two consequences of the awakeningof the higher consciousness forces represent themission of the Fifth Culture-epoch. That is why wefind at the beginning of the Letter to the Church inSardis the ideal of the cosmic Christ, as of Him“that hath the seven Spirits of God,and the seven stars.” For the spe-cial mission of the culture-epochrepresented by the Church inSardis is to understandthe Christ by the aid ofthe seven stages of worldevolution, and the seven-membered nature ofman. During this culture-epoch aChristendom is to arise based on aknowledge of the cosmos, and then,having made the aims and tasks of the cosmic evo-lution its own, is to build up the temple of theseven membered man as a habitation for the“seven Spirits of God.”

To fulfill this task of the Fifth Post-Atlanteanepoch, the path of the awakening of memory mustbe followed. And of course the awakening mustnot only be that of memory from within, but alsothat of the recognition of natural phenomena as theobjective cosmic memory of past conditions inworld evolution. Nature has to remind man of thedistant past; but man has to awaken in himselfhistrue nature by a “change of heart” (metanoesis) or“repentance.” There are two kinds of memory: hor-izontal memory in time, which can be awakenedby nature, and vertical memory in space, whereman becomes conscious of his own true character.

As may be seen from the diagram of the “Cross”of the Fifth Post-Atlantean culture, the two kindsof memory arise from the force of spiritual opposi-tion—in the one case, to the sub-natural mechani-cal sphere, in the other, to the sub-human abstract.It is the awakening of a higher inner activity in

opposition to the forces of death inside and outsideman. This awakening is complete when it haspassed through three stages: the images of the spir-itualized memory-force, the inner perception or“hearing” of the soul, and the purely spiritualreception into his inner being. Thus, what is“received” in intuition will be “heard” in theinspiration of the soul, and will re-appear as mem-ory content in the consciousness. But when mem-ory has descended from the sources of intuition bythe path of inspiration to the imaginative picture,then the point is to translate it into the ordinary

presentation of a concept so that itmay remain the permanent posses-sion of waking day consciousness.The “remembering” and “hearing”

of what has been“received” is fol-lowed by theinjunction to“hold it fast”: thatis, to make it a

lasting possession of the ordinaryconsciousness.

Thus the admonition of the Letter to the Angelof the Church in Sardis contains the quintessenceof the spiritual method of the epoch of the con-sciousness soul: “Remembertherefore [mnemo-meue] how thou hast receivedand heard, and holdfast, and repent[metanoeson]” (Rev. 3:3).

But repentance, a “change of heart,” underliesthis method—from the moral force of “opposition”to the sub-human and the sub-natural are to bewakened the faculties in the soul which add tothinking as a higher faculty of knowledge the forceof spiritual memory. It is the duty in the presentage of this higher faculty of knowledge, havingbeen awakened to a consciousness based on therealm of death, to be aware of the great event of theSecond (etheric) Advent of the Christ: “If thereforethou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief,and thou shaft not know what hour I will comeupon thee” (Rev. 3:3).

The etheric Second Advent of the Christ is boththe great hope and the great test of the present age.It is the great hope because it will exercise aninfluence which will enable the soul to overcome

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MEMORY WITHIN

(SEVEN SPIRIT OF GOD)SPACE

SUB-NATURE

MECHANICAL

MEMORY OF NATURE

(SEVEN STARS)TIME

SUB-HUMAN

ABSTRACT

the influence of the abstract and mechanical. Itsinfluence will appear, for example, when a numberof men overcome the abstract in so far as tobecome capable of being stirred to the depthsof the heart by pure thought. And this will not bethe emotional relationship of soul to thought—such as existed,for instance, in the MiddleAges—but rather the living activity of thoughtitself. For its influence will extend even to the life[vital] body of man, and the life body re-animatedby the Christ will give such life to thought as willset it free from abstraction. But, for this freedom tobe attained, the conquest of abstract questioningmust precede the conquest of abstractknowledge. The abstract question-ing, which, without the partici-pation of the whole humanbeing, merely wishes toachieve the comfort of a“flawless and incontro-vertible system,” will atfirst be replaced by a dif-ferent kind of questioningin which each question leadsto a further step of the awak-ened conscience.

There will then be no other questionsthan such as arise from the moral need of the soul.Then also the questioning will deal with the happi-ness and unhappiness of the soul, but no longermerely for the sake of increasing comfort. As wehave said, however, that change in the questioningmust precede a change in the sphere of knowledge.There must be a time of tragedy in the questioning,of questions in which all the happiness and unhap-piness of the soul are at stake, before the inner mir-acle can come to pass; and again, before itbecomes apparent, even if it has come to pass. Theincapacity and failure of the existing human moraland cognitive forces must be fully experiencedbefore an actual event answers the one great ques-tion in which all separate questions are summedup, namely, the whenceand the how of spirituallife force. More and more men and groups of menmust come to recognize: What we have wished todo, in that we have failed. We have a task to fulfill,but we are not equal to it. We cannotdo it. How are

we to be able to do what we mustdo?It must not be thought that only those who stand

positively and affirmatively within the realm ofmodern external civilization and science experi-ence the tragedy of having “reached a dead end,”and that men who devote themselves, say, to spiri-tual science are immune from this on their karmicpath. No. Everyone in his turn will have to standthe test of experiencing failure—esotericist as wellas exotericist. The particular occasions may be metwith on different planes of existence and in differ-ent states of consciousness, but they are spared noone, just as no one can overcome the whole unhap-

piness of mankind in the present age. It isthe task of the Initiates to experience

the great crisis of humanoccultism, of the disciples to

experience the crisis ofcommunity, and of the rep-resentatives of externalculture to experience thecrisis of the moral and true

value of modern world con-cepts.Rudolf Steiner spoke more

than once of actual individual expe-riences of future meetings with Him who

will reappear at the etheric Second Advent. Hespoke, for example, of the experience of a lonelyman sitting in his room in deep grief and helpless-ness, “not knowing which way to turn.” Then Onecomes in and speaks to him, and in place of despairthe man receives light, strength, and life. Or, forinstance, there is a group of men, all, as it were, “attheir wit’s end.” Again, One appears among themand speaks words of comfort and hope.

All the definite examples of future meetingswith the etheric Christ...have one thing in com-mon: the men, whether alone or in groups, whoexperience these meetings are, in every case, “attheir wit’s end, not knowing which way to turn.”For the conscious meeting takes place at themoment when the consciousness needs it. And thatneed is felt when the soul has been prepared by thetremendous pain of questioning—to be awaketothe encounter. The soul is “awake” when the wholesoul has experienced the questions of a conscience

8 RAYS 03

Whatwe have wished to

do, in that we have failed.We have a task to fulfill, but

we are not equal to it. Wecannot do it. How are we

to be able to do whatwe must do?

awakened to the super-personal, and this is thecondition necessary for knowing “the hour of Hiscoming.” Not to know the hour of His coming, thatis, not to become conscious of the event whichconcerns the whole of humanity, is, however, not apunishment, but the result of the fact that if a con-sciousness has no need of the Christ, neither doesit have the conscious experience of meeting Him.And no consciousness needs Him when it is con-scious of no question to which He, as the truth,could be the answer.

Therefore it is of the greatest possible impor-tance today to awakenhuman consciousness tothose questions whichare rooted in the con-science of the soul. Themost essential and themost urgent task whichmust be undertaken inthese days is to bring toconsciousness, by the aidof spiritual science, the“spirit’s awakening callto the human soul.” Nowthis call is somethingquite different from whatis usually expected insuch a challenge as theresult of ordinary physi-cal experience, for ordi-nary experience placesthe awakening effect ofthe call in the strengthwith which it sounds. But with the spiritual clarionthe contrary is the case; the more silent and gentlethe challenge is, the stronger is its awakeninginfluence on the soul.

The picture presented by unhappiness accompa-nied by deep external silence is the strongest spir-itual awakening call for the conscience of the soul.Indeed, this type of call happens so often by meansof a “voice awaiting free initiative on the part ofthe human soul” that there is every reason for aman—whenever this strange, pregnant silence fallsupon the spiritual world, or upon any one of itsmembers—to ask himself: “What is expected of

me? Let me strive to see it in the light of my con-science.”

The calls of the spirit are always pictures ofunhappiness accompanied by pregnant silences. Inthis sense, three such awakening calls are soundedin the world as the comprehensive demands ofconscience addressed to all souls. They are theunhappiness of nature, the unhappiness of man,and the unhappiness of the spiritual world. WhatSt. Paul meant by the “groaning of all creation” isthe call of the spirit to the human soul throughnature. For nature is dependent on man; her weal

and woe depends on thehuman race. Man canredeem nature by unitingher once more with thespirit, or he can allowher to fall more deeplyinto darkness, letting herbecome a constituentpart of the kingdom ofAhriman [soulless,mechanistic material-ism—Ed].

The “awakening”which Buddha experi-enced under the bodhitree when he was actual-ly roused to full Buddha-consciousness resultedfrom his becomingaware of the unhappi-ness of humanity. Birth,sickness, old age and

death are the lot of all men—stages in the Way ofSorrows of which human life consists. And it isbecause Buddha was right in his valuation ofhuman life that the Christ event had to take placenineteen [twenty] centuries ago.

For nineteen centuries the Cross and theCrucified have stood as a sign, not only of whatonce happened in history, but also as showing thecondition of the spiritual world in general in itsrelationship to the events on Earth. For if the Crossof Golgotha stands for the healing of the soul andbody of man, it stands at the same time as a call, achallenge, to the free ego of man. The bodyof the

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Crucifixion ©

How

ard David Johnson

Crucified was taken from the Cross by men, butdid that also happen to the soul and spirit? Mustnot the Liberator, Himself, be one day liberated?The spiritual crucifixion still continues, becomingincreasingly the destiny of the spiritual world.Actually, almost every guardian-angel experiencescrucifixion in the human being under his care.

It is the task of the consciousness soul to becomeaware of these calls of the Spirit; that is, the ques-tions connected with them must become a concernof the soul’s conscience. This is the task of thesoul: “awake” to the consciousness of the hour inwhich the Christ will be present. For that hour mayeither be lived through in the “night” of conscious-ness, or it can be lived through in such a way thatthe consciousness goes along with it. “But thouhast a few names in Sardis, whichhave not defiled their garments, andthey shall walk [peripatesousin] withMe in white, for they are worthy”(Rev. 3:4). The possi-bility, however, of this“going together” or“walking with” isdependent on theconditiondescribed int h e Apocalypse as “names whichhave notdefiled their garments.”

To understand this condition we must study thetwo karmic regions of the soul’s life and activitieswhich constitute, on the one hand, her personalhappiness and unhappiness and, on the other, hersignificance to the world. For in every man, dis-tinction must be drawn between his objectiveinfluence on the world and his personal destiny—the destiny which he has to experience in the nar-row circle of his personal life. The first region hasbeen called, from very early days, the “name,” thesecond is the karmic “body.” Thus, for example,Goethe has both a “name” and a “body.” Hisworks, his influence on the world, his knowledgeexpressed and unexpressed, these represent the“name” of Goethe. His personal life, his friend-ships and tastes, qualities of character and tem-perament, sickness and health, these are the“body,” which is, and must remain, covered fromthe world by the garment of the “name,” just as thephysical body must appear clothed before the eyes

of the world. In this way men may write biogra-phies, drawing attention both to the “clothingname” of the man (which, indeed, as a rule is all thatconcerns the world in general) and also to the “body,”which is covered by the “garment of the name.”

....But it is not only biographers who must dis-tinguish between the objective influence of a souland its intimate life, but the students of spiritualscience must also do so. Because, for them, thepractice of “distinguishing the essential from theunessential” is the elementary and fundamentalrequirement of their spiritual discipleship. And theprogress of that practice depends on an insight intothe difference between the “name” and the “body,”in the sense that the “name” is the concrete signif-icance of the revelation of Manas (the spirit-self

[or human spirit]) through theoperation of the human soul, whilethe “body” is the life of the soulitself apart from its connectionwith the spirit-self which guides itfrom incarnation to incarnation.The fulfillment or non-fulfillmentof the mission—the objectivetask—of a soul towards the world

is always the revelation through this soul of thespirit-self (whether the soul itself is conscious orunconscious of it does not, in this case, matter),while the purely personal is nothing more or lessthan the expression of the personality itself. It ispossible and permissible to interest oneself in thepersonality when the “name” has first been recog-nized up to a certain point; one’s vision is thenpurified, and one cannot proceed without piety.

But a man can, himself, treat his “name” irrev-erently. This happens whenever he lets personalmotives and aims filter into the objective missionwhich he has to fulfill towards the world. Today,this kind of attitude towards his task may bedescribed as “compromise.” In the language of theApocalypse, however, it is called “the defiling ofthe garment of the name.” Compromise is the prin-ciple of a false peace between the two polarities ofhuman life, and at the same time it is the cause ofthe darkening of that system of spiritual currentwhich, so to speak, sheathes the personal like a“garment.” (Continued) ❐

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BODY

NAME

GARMENT OF

THE NAME

THE EMBLEM of the TeutonicKnights was a black cross on awhite mantle; that of theFrench Temple was a red crosson a white mantle; and the

Spanish Order was formed a few yearsafter the French Order. These three wereindependent, each under the protection ofits own king or emperor. The French King,Philip le Bel, demanded that his Knightselect him as Commander of the Templars.This they refused to do, electing insteadJacques de Molay. In revenge upon them,Philip le Bel conspired with the Pope tosuppress the Order. He summoned deMolay to Paris to discuss the idea of unit-ing the three military orders in one, thenimprisoned him and other leaders, condemned themon charges of heresy, burned them at the stake, andconfiscated as much of the treasure of the Order ashe could lay his hands on.

While the kingdom of Jerusalemstood, and whileit was guarded by the Knights of the Temple, thelegends of the Holy Grail were popularly supposedto be descriptive of them; but when the FrenchOrder was destroyed and the English Order sup-pressed, the Grail Sanctuary was described as stillexisting in secret in the mountains between Franceand Spain; or in the mountains of Germany; oragain, in the Orient or in the Caucasus.

Wolfram von EschenbachOur interest in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s

Parzival lies precisely in the various items whichseem to show heretical beliefs on the poet’s part;and the stories of the Grail generally reflect theburning interest of the twelfth and thirteenth cen-turies in the real nature and meaning of the Christian

communion. Celibacy was not yet enforced toostrictly upon the clergy; so it is not in the leaststrange that the priestly knights of Wolfram’s GrailCastle are married men, like the priests of the Greekand Eastern Churches.

Spain continued to be a source of enlightenmentfor Europe until after the Moors and Jews were dri-ven out by Queen Isabella in the fifteenth century.Spain then became the narrowly Catholic nationwhich it has remained until this day. Some of theMoors returned to Damascus, others migrated toAfrica. “Solomon’s Table” was taken to a newMedina, City of the Table, in Arabia.

The thirteenth century, which was marked by theviolent crusades against the Manicheans in theSouth of France, in which only the Spanish kingsoffered assistance, saw the real upsurge of the forceswhich culminated in the Reformation.

Wolfram von Eschenbach was born somewherearound 1170. His work follows upon the pattern of

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Early Representatives

of the Rose Cross

MYSTIC LIGHT

Oil on canvasl, 1907, Edwin Reginald Frampton, Private Collection

Passage of the Holy Grail to SarrasIn Arthurian legend, Grail knights Galahad, Percival, and Bors return thechurch-palled grail, guarded by two angels, to the mystical island of Sarras,first visited by Joseph of Arimathea, who carried it from the holy land.

Chretien de Troyes’Grail stories. He began writinghis Parzival somewhere around 1197 or 1198, adecade or so after the downfall of the Kingdom ofJerusalem which took place in 1185.

Parzival or Parsifal is much the same character asthe Percival of the English legends. Eschenbach, thevillage of Wolfram’s birth, is located in the Duchyof Swabia, on the edge of Bavarian territory, and thepoet speaks of “we Bavarians.” There are othertowns also named Eschenbach, but Wolframdescribes, for example, Abenberg Castle, whichstands east of the town of Eschenbach, nearAnsbach. Other details as well pinpoint thisparticular village as Wolfram’s home.

Wolfram appears with Tannhauserin Wagner’s opera at the song festi-val held by Herman of Thuringiaat Wartburg Castle, which is incentral Germany. Tannhauser iscredited by legend with havingwritten the Niebelungenlied, sug-gesting that he was really a devo-tee of the old religion, whichaccounts for his attending thesecret revels inthe forest as told inWagner’s Tannhauser.

Wolfram ascribes the origins ofthe Grail story to a book found by acertain Kyot in the library at Toledo; which waswritten in the second century A.D. by oneFlegetanis, son of a pagan and a Jew.

Wolfram’s Parsifalwas written, apparently, in thehalf century accompanying the wars against theSouth of France, where Manichaeism flourished.Wolfram cannot be called a contemporary of C.R.C.of course, for C.R.C.’s life in tradition begins notearlier than the latter half of this century in whichthe poem was written. He and Chretien both come acentury earlier than C.R.C. But we learn fromWolfram that the true Grail story goes back to earlyJudeo-Egyptian Christianity, and that the story ofthe Grail is really written in the stars of heaven.

It is undoubtedly true that the Revival of Learningreceived a new stimulus in the fall of Constantinopleto the Turks in 1453, when scholars arrived in Romewith their Greek and Latin books and their knowl-edge of Arabic and Greek science. It was Pico dellaMirandola who introduced the Kabbala into Italy,

and from him it entered Germany by way of JohnReuchlin, who played so great a part in theReformation. This scholar took the Greek name ofCapnion, which is the equivalent of his Germanname Reuchlin, which means smoke. It was a cus-tom of the times to do this, like the fourfold inter-preting of Dante’s Divine Comedy, or the fourfoldinterpretation of the scriptures by the kabbalists. Soalso Gerard, whose name means Amiable, took thename of Desideratus Erasmus; while Schwartserth—black earth—took the name of Melanchthon andbecame Luther’s right-hand man and authoritative

scholar of the German Reformation. Notehere that Comenius, the Rosicrucian,

led a Reformation in Bohemia a cen-tury earlier than Luther’s inGermany proper.

Many European noble familiesshow the Cross, Rose, and Star intheir emblems; and from amongsuch families came that individ-ual, anonymous to this day,

known only under the symbolicname of Christian Rosenkreuz.

Albertus MagnusThere were Rosicrucians in the

Church of Rome itself, and in theSynagogue, too, unknown as such to their fellowreligionists. We see the symbolism in Dante’sDivine Comedy, as well as in Jean de Mueng’sRomance of the Rose; and it is not beyond possibil-ity that St. Thomas Aquinas (1226-1274) was asecret member of this group, for it was Aquinaswho, adopting the revolutionary thinking of PeterAbelard, showed that Reason might be looked uponas the action of God’s Wisdom in the human mind,and that Faith might be reconciled to Reason. In anage of mysticism he could not avoid being a mystic,like all other scientists of the time, and he recog-nized that when Reason seems to fail in its flight tothe Infinite, then the authority of Revelation must becalled in; and, as a loyal Roman Catholic, he tookthat authority to be the Pope, speakingex cathedrafrom Rome. At least he seemed to do this. It is wellknown that he studiedalchemy and astrology underAlbertus Magnus, and that both men had a certainreputation as magicians.

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Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great)

Albertus Magnus was born in 1193, of a noblefamily, in the Duchy of Neuburg on the Danube. Heentered the Dominican Order. In 1244 ThomasAquinas became his pupil. The two men, Masterand Pupil, are credited with having constructed abrazen robot, which could speak and act as a man-servant. Aquinas later destroyed this robot in a fit ofrage, for which his master rebuked him, but they didnot bother to create another one. Is this merely anecho of the ancient Greek tale of the brazen man ofTelos, or a genuine mechanical man? AlbertusMagnusdied at Cologne in 1280, aged eighty-seven.

Artephius and Alain de LisleTwo other alchemists of the

thirteenth century, predecessors ofC.R.C., were Artephius and Alainde Lisle. Artephius claimed to bemore than a thousand years old,and some of his disciples thoughthe was in fact Apollonius ofTyana reappearing to instructmankind. Apollonius of Tyanawas a contemporary of Jesus ofNazareth, but outlived him, in thefirst century A.D. De Lisle wasborn early in the thirteenth centu-ry. Like other alchemists, he wassupposed to have found the ElixirVitae, the water of life or immor-tality. He died in 1298 as a friar atthe abbey of Citeaux, aged 110,like Joseph of biblical fame. It issaid of him that he wrote a commentary on theprophecies of Merlin.

Arnold de VeileneuveDefinitely contemporary with C.R.C. was Arnold

de Veileneuve, born 1245, astrologer and alchemistand accused sorcerer. A very peculiar recipe for theElixir is attributed to him, which is obviously meantto mislead. Part of the medicine consisted, however,of such innocent things as ointment of the juice ormarrow of cassia, and a plaster put over the heartmade up of oriental saffron, red rose leaves, sandal-wood, aloes, and amber, in oil of roses and whitebeeswax. To this were added some witches’brewsof various sorts which need not be described here.

Pietro d’Apone

Another contemporary of C.R.C. was Pietrod’Apone, another physician, astrologer, alchemist,and supposed sorcerer. He was accused of keepingseven demons in seven crystal vials, who instructedand aided him in sorcery. Each demon presided overa particular aspect of knowledge: philosophy, alche-my, astrology, medicine, poetry, music, and paint-ing—evidently a reference to the fallen Angels asdescribed in the Book of Enoch, and also reminis-cent of the seven planetary genii who preside overthe departments of knowledge.

D’Apone spoke openly of his unorthodox views,and on returning to Italy after longresidence in Paris and other cities,he was taken by the inquisition,condemned as a heretic and sor-cerer, and tortured on the rack. Hedied in prison, but his bones wereafterward dug up and burned inpublic.

Raymond LullStill another contemporary of

C.R.C. was Raymond Lull, a fol-lower of the teachings of Geber,the famous alchemist of Damascus.He was born in Majorca in 1235.He travelled to Spain where hehad great success at the court ofSt. James, and eventually becamean alchemist. It is claimed that hehad great success in making goldout of base metals in England, but

actually was paid by King Edward of England forservices performed. His journey to England is putby some as having been taken in 1312, so that itwould be Edward II who was his sponsor, ratherthan Edward I. He went as a missionary to theMoslems andwas stoned, as a result of which he died,around 1316.

ParacelsusAmong later representatives of the Rose Cross,

Max Heindel mentioned Paracelsus, Comenius, VonHelmont, Jakob Boehme, Francis Bacon, RobertFludd, William Shakespeare, the Comte de St.Germain, Mesmer, Goethe, and Wagner.

Paracelsus was born at Einseiden, near Zurich, in1493—the year after Columbus discoveredAmerica. His name was Philippus Aureolus

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ParacelsusCopy of lost portrait by Flemish painterQuentin Matys (1466-1530).

Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim. Hebegan to use the name Paracelsus while still in hisyouth. He was trained in the arts of healing andmedicine by his father, who was a physician. Hetraveled through most of the nations of Europe, andto Egypt and Tartary, studying alchemy and relatedarts and sciences. He has been called “the firstRosicrucian”; at any rate it was he who started thepractice of requiring prescriptions for drugs. Hisdistinguished life ended by murder in 1541, as sug-gested by the exhumation of his bones, whichshowed a fracture of the skull.

One of the legends about him was that he keptSpirits imprisoned in the hilt of his sword, andagain, that he held the spirit “Azoth,” captive in ajewel, and this spirit obeyed his commands. Old pic-tures show him holding a jewel in his hand,inscribed with the word “Azoth.” The symbology ofthis is obvious enough. The Azoth stone may havebeen a scryer’s stone, but in any case it symbolizesthe spinal spirit fire with the “jewels” in the humanhead. “Azoth” represents A and Z, or Alpha andOmega in the Greek, the spiritual sum of all powersrepresented in the indwelling Christ. Christ Himselfis the true Philosopher’s Stone, in a cosmic sense;and each man learns to build his own White Stone,which is the deathless body of the Adept, the Bodyof the Resurrection.

We may observe also, however, that he mightwell have had a vial in the handle of his swordwhich he kept filled with his “Universal Medicine,”the Panacea, which is the supreme medicine ofAlchemy.

Jakob Boehme (1575-1624), who, like all of theseRosicrucians, is called a theosophist, had as hisemblem a black cross with golden roses.

In England, Robert Fludd produced his Latincross with its one central rose, standing on a three-stepped pyramid.

The eighteenth century is marked by the rise ofRosicrucianism in connection with Freemasonry.The year 1717 is generally given as the time whenMasonry was first thrown open to non-Christians,and in the early nineteenth century the Count St.Germain seems to have had something to do withthe Rose Cross Degree (18th degree) of ScottishRite Masonry. Goethe wrote many poems for theMasons of Germany, but did not take part in their

activities to any notable extent, and in fact calledMasonry “childish.” However Die Geheimnisse(The Mysteries or The Secrets) has Masonic over-tones, just as Mozart’s opera The Magic Fluteiscalled a Masonic opera. Mozart also composedmusic especially for Masons. Richard Wagner usedcertain Masonic ideas in his Parsifal.

Max HeindelNot all of these representatives bore the title of

“Messenger” of the Rose Cross, although MaxHeindel says that several among them were such.He says that Mesmer was sent by the Brothers of theRose Cross; that both Shakespeare and FrancisBacon were influenced by the same Teacher; but hehimself was sent forth publicly as a Messengerbecause of a particular task he had to perform. Hewas to establish a school in which scientific spiritu-al unfoldment was to be taught to “the few” of thePiscean Age. The correlation of Science withReligion was an aim. The work of this School was

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This Rosicrucian design is from the title page of RobertFludd’s Summum Bonum, The Highest Good, subtitled“True Magic, Cabala, Alchemy, of the True Brothers of theRose Cross,” Frankfort, 1629. Wisdom and Industry areclearly indicated. The seven circles of seven rose petals maywell symbolize the seven worlds in the seventh Cosmic Planeof Universal Existence (see Diagram 16, page 178, in TheRosicrucian-Cosmo Conception). The Latin motto translatesas “The rose gives the bees honey.” The seven roses on thecross of the physical body, when blooming (functional), givethe Ego the honey of wisdom gleaned from self-consciousexperience in the spirit worlds. The weaving of spiders rep-resents the elaboration of the etheric (soul) body by service.

to establish a spiritual scienceof initiation, preparatory to thecoming of a new Teacher in theAquarian Age, when Initiationwould be taught to “the many.”

He started the work of TheRosicrucian Fellowship, aftertaking his first Initiation inGermany in the spring of 1908,with lectures in Columbus, Ohio;Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Wash-ington; and Los Angeles, Cali-fornia. At one of the meetings inSeattle students suggested to MaxHeindel that an organization beformed. Thus was born TheRosicrucian Fellowship, in Augustof 1909, and the new organizationthen immediately undertook topublish Max Heindel’s book, TheRosicrucian Cosmo-Conception.The very first edition of theCosmo bears in the cover thel e gend “Publ ished by TheRosicrucian Fellowship.” Thiscame off the presses in 1909.

In August 1910, he married hisfriend of earlier Theosophicaldays, Miss Augusta Foss, and in1911 he purchased, as Trustee forThe Rosicrucian Fellowship, thehilltop site known as Mt. Ecclesia,in Oceanside, California. Therehe established the permanentHeadquarters for the entireInternational Organization. Hehad already created a nucleus ofProbationers and Disciples inSeattle.

Now the esoteric work contin-ued at Mt. Ecclesia, with monthlyStudent Lessons and Letters and monthlyProbationer Letters going out regularly. In Januaryof 1919 Max Heindel passed on to higher labors inthe spiritual world, and in 1949, after a long andindustrious life, August Foss Heindel joined him there.

Today The Rosicrucian Fellowship is still gov-erned by a Board of Trustees (Directors), elected,

since 1956, by the Probationers at large. The work isprospering after many decades of hardship and tri-als, and students continue to seek the Light of theRose Cross, with its spiritual illumination of mod-ern scientific thought and its scientific unfoldmentof spiritual understanding and powers. ❐

—Anne Barkhurst

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Max Heindel stands, with shovel in hand, after the planting of the black cross onFounder’s Day, October 28, 1911. The composite Rosicrucian emblem as we nowknow it was determined in the following extraordinary way: “On June 3rd [1913],just a day before the opening of summer school, Max Heindel remarked to his wifethat the Teacher had made the wish that Probationers’meetings should be startedat once, and asked her if she could have the emblem ready that night. A carpenterhad cut out two crosses. Mrs. Heindel had painted one of them black with a whiteborder on one side and the reverse side white with a black border. But Max Heindelsaid that what was needed was a pure white cross, together with seven red roses andsome white roses. So she painted the extra cross pure white and picked three roseswhich she had found almost in bloom on one of the rose bushes....Mrs. Heindelplaced the white cross upon a golden star which she had painted upon a blue cur-tain. Mr. Heindel proposed that the white roses be placed in the center of the wreathof red artificial roses, which were brought from Los Angeles...

[Nine people] were sitting in a circle at the unveiled emblem. After a short con-centration, all of a sudden the three white roses began to move. One slipped downslowly, but, in falling, was caught by a leaf of the second rose. Then this second rosealso moved, as if invisible fingers were moving it, until it remained hanging on thestem of a leaf of the last remaining rose. That left the most beautiful one of the whiteroses in the center of the wreath of red roses on the white cross. The two white roseswhich were removed did not drop onto the table but remained hanging a few inchesdown on the lower limb of the cross. The vibrations in the room became so high thatsome were spellbound. Max Heindel attempted to rise in order to speak but was soovercome that his voice failed him while tears streamed down his cheeks. All thosepresent were assured that the thirteenth Brother, Christian Rosenkreutz, was presentin his vital body. After a few words from Max Heindel, all disbanded in silence.”

AMONG THE CURRENT IDEASshared by many liberated thinkersand intellectuals is that Jesus, calledthe Christ, was an illumined soul, agreat Spirit, but by no means a

unique phenomenon in the history of world reli-gions. Each cult and race has its spiritual paragonand pathfinder, its most morally evolved member,or its avatar—a descent of God to mortal form. Thisis regarded as a periodic occurrence to redeemhuman error, revitalize energies, and rekindle holyaspiration.

This attitude bespeaks an emerging syntheticform of consciousness (fashionable as well as gen-uine) that cuts across race and cultural boundaries,identifying in the lives and teachings of founders ofreligions common elements in a recurring pattern: ahighly developed Spirit, whose advent is heraldedby Angels, prophets, and natural portents, is born toa couple of high estate (materially and/or spiritual-ly), often by supernormal means (immaculate con-ception, parented by a God); he enjoys a privilegedif protected youth, travels widely in pursuit of truth,eventually attains enlightenment, imparts wisdom,works wonders, such as, (transforming substances,healing, controlling elemental forces), trains disci-ples, may undergo sacrificial death, then is raisedup into celestial realms, and becomes the continu-ing agency by which votaries of the cult he found-ed attain to a state of beatitude and immortality.

The eclectic school sees uniformity in diversity,identifies a formula that is applicable to mostfounders of religion. It is based on a valid observa-tion: that mankind is one in essence, having a com-mon origin, or Creator, a variable and yet broadlyequivalent physiology, ineradicable yearnings forthe divine (often disguised as discontent with life

and worldly things), and the conditional prospect ofeternal fulfillment. Given these common features,one would expect that religious leaders and move-ments would make more of them.

Part of the difficulty in pursuing this approach isthat the concepts tend to be blurred, seemingly inci-dental differences are glossed over. Religious syn-cretism relies heavily on what brain-bound thinkingproposes rather than on what authentic revelationdiscloses.

Joseph Campbell, in his excellent three-volumecompendium of myths, legends, sagas, and reli-gious parables of the world (The Masks of God,Viking), traces the recurring themes and forms thatthe mind of man projects into the Cosmos as cre-ation itself. Campbell’s panoramic survey makesabundantly clear that man is the “hero with thethousand faces.” Individual human consciousness isa complete cast of humanity, a vast assembly of allpossible being and character. Although Campbell’swork is scholarly and moderate, the casual syn-cretist confidently reduces all religious myths to auniversal prototype of the world sage-saint-saviourand proceeds to regard Jesus, called Christ, one ofmany instances of this paradigm. This practice hasits merits, but it fails at a crucial point.

In antiquity, man on the path of self-realizationpassed through a graded series of tests and ordealsthat proved his readiness and ability to encounteryet more demanding trials and to reap benefitscommensurate with his achievement. Each testmastered was accompanied by increased soul-pow-ers and an extension of consciousness. Regardlessof the time and land where these ritual procedureswere conducted (India, Persia, Egypt, Greece), theywere roughly analogous in composition and pur-pose. Until the time of Christ’s ministry, these “rites

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Christ Jesus and Initiation

MYSTIC LIGHT

of passage” were contrived and conductedin secret by Initiates of the cult. TheSchools of Initiation were known asMysteries, in part because they were secret,in part because mystery, deriving frommyein (to close the eyes), designates thatwhat one experiences and understands is ofan interior (mysterious) character, a resultof inner or occult vision.

One of the radical achievements ofChrist Jesus was an exposure or demystifi-cation of the mystery cults and an articula-tion of their content as history, as outwardoccurrence. Pre-Christian mysteries aretransposed by Christ Jesus and writ large aspublic autobiography, as critical eventsmarking his three-year ministry. As a result,spiritual aspirants now encounter tests andtrials in the course of daily experiencewhich mark and constitute the initiatorypath. Life itself is the initiator.

A careful reading of the Gospels willgive intimations of what students of theWestern Wisdom Teachings and intuitiveChristians know as a fact: that while Jesuswas a man ensouled by a highly evolved Ego, theBeing known as the Christ is an Entity of exaltedspirituality, the Regent of the Sun and highestInitiate of the Archangelic life-wave. Therefore thecareer of the Christ Ego in the mortal vehicles ofJesus (commencing with the Baptism in the Jordan)must be exempt from any reduction to the formulastatus that would normally apply to the process ofhuman initiation. For Christ came to Earth as theInitiate, as One already knowing, doing, and beingfar beyond the attainment of any mortal, any Angel.Christ descended into the body of Jesus as anInitiator and began initiating His disciples. IfChapter 11 of John’s Gospel is read closely, con-templatively, it shall become evident that the narra-tor is describing an initiation, that Christ is raisingLazarus from the death of his former mundane con-sciousness.

It is precisely because Christ Jesus made public,and in a sense exoteric (outside the priest castejurisdiction), a high initiatory rite that the Phariseesresolved to terminate His activity, for He was sub-

verting their priestly monopoly and encroaching ontheir livelihood and power.

If we discern in the three-year narrative of ChristJesus those crises or critical turning points thatcharacterize the initiatory process, we cannot con-clude (as reason urges) that the candidate is a mor-tal. The Baptism, Temptation, Transfiguration, theAgony, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascensiondescribe degrees which confer increasing measuresof inner light, wisdom and power on the aspirant,until Earth itself in all respects is transcended.However, Christ came to Earth already transcen-dent, its victor, its once and present and its futureKing.

John the Baptist may be as high spiritually as anyman born of woman (the first birth). But the least inthe kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Throughself-purification, by repentance and reorientation,the candidate merits Baptism. But behold Christ,the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of theworld, Who washes clean the very planet, baptizingit with His Blood! How is it then that John baptizes

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Fresco, Giotto (1266/67-1337), Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy

Baptism of ChristFor humans, the rite of Baptism can expand consciousness intothe ether-ic realms. For Christ, Baptism signified the moment of His ingress intothe physical and vital bodies of Jesus, which embodiment radicallyreduced his spiritual freedom.

Christ, whose shoe latchet he is not worthy tounloose? Christ simply says to him, “Suffer it to beso now.” Obviously the lesser does not initiate thegreater. In fact, no initiation, as we understand theterm, occurs here.

We cannot say that Christ directly benefited fromHis voluntary sacrifice, His passing through theseven “degrees.” If anything, His cosmic con-sciousness suffers temporary contraction while theconsciousness of the human aspirant expands as hewalks the Christian path. Only for Christ does thepath mark a process of gradually increasing Earthinvolvement and limitation.

By contrast, for Christians the path delineates aprocess of gradual liberation from the constraints ofEarthly experience and the unfolding of supersensi-ble consciousness.

Thus we see another facet of Christ’s giving, Hisredemptive teaching. Obviously, for Himself, Heneed not have walked the mortal way. But in sodoing, He stripped the veil from the exclusive ini-tiatory path, sanctified it with His life, and with HisBlood empowers man to follow in His steps.

The four gospelers are familiar with the seven-phased process as outlined in pre-Christian mysterycult practices. In detailing the ministry of ChristJesus, this process is interwoven into His biogra-phy. But it is, in one sense, academic. It is astructural, didactic device intended to benefit man,not Christ. Christ is not saying, I am being initiat-ed. He is initiating mankind. He is saying: “I AM. IKNOW. If ye would know, if ye would be as I, doas I do. Follow thou Me.” To be sure, the sufferingis real, the death is a death. Yet we must understandthat with the exception of the Temptation, no men-tion is made of Christ’s contact with spiritualdimensions. He brings them with Him. They are anintegral and conscious part of His Being. Yet it isprecisely the spiritual dimension that the aspirantcontacts with the onset of Baptism. TheResurrection of Christ Jesus is implicit in HisBaptism. He needs no powers acquired on Earth toreturn to the Father. But the powers he does acquireare those that He can direct to Earth, can give toman that man in turn may raise himself above theEarthly sphere and return to the same HeavenlyFather.

While Christ in Resurrection and Ascension doesnot extend the upper limits of His former con-sciousness, He does blend the potent forces of HisBeing (as Love-Wisdom) more intimately down-ward into the dimension of man’s fallen conscious-ness, thereby forming a vertical bridge of light, cre-ating a presence at levels of awareness more acces-sible to man by which he may experience theupdrawing glory of Christ.

Christ’s encounter with Lucifer has a perfuncto-ry ring to it because Christ was never intimidatedby this fallen angel. And though Christ wears a

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Oil on canvas, Carl Bloch, Chapel, Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark

The Temptation of JesusChrist had just entered the two lowest physical instrumentsof Jesus when he was “tempted” to abuse his power. Hisdominion already exceeded what Lucifer could offer Him,and while He would feed five thousand (indeed, His bodyfeeds humanity), he would not “magically” feed himself.

mortal form, the temptations, occurring in thedesire world, cannot intrigue the Prince andMaster of the desire world, the Lord of its light,whose densest vehicle in his “human” stage (dur-ing the Sun Period) was composed of desire mat-ter. The relative ease with which Christ dismiss-es the Luciferic ploys does not detract from Hisachievement. But it does serve to more accurate-ly gauge the supreme power with which He willsHis intentions. Nor are we implying that Christ’scontribution to human evolution was anythingless than superhuman, far beyond our presentcomprehension or adequate appreciation.Christ’s victory was for man, was man’s victory.As the Son of God, He could not have lived onEarth other than archetypally, according to theinitiation sequence of the Mysteries. But thissimply constitutes His life’s pattern. ForHimself, He won nothing. For man, everything.While on Earth His great achievement was tolive exclusively from out of the mortal perspec-tive, as a man, resisting any impulse to live as theGod He is. Rather, He directs his spiritual energiesinto the mortal Jesus vehicles to be fully assimilat-ed by them. This permanently activates theinfinitepotential of human consciousness, spiritualizingthe matter composing man’s denser bodies.

All that Christ does in Jesus is for man. Christgoes through death gratuitously. Man raises himselffrom the baptismal waters of an embracing love-consciousness to successively brighter spheres oflife, with each initiation acquiring more God-likefaculties (as amply illustrated by Corinne Heline inOccult Anatomy and the Bibleand The Mystery ofthe Christos).

On the Mount of Transfiguration, Christ is notenlightened. But Peter, James and John most surelyare. We know that Christ has, previous to the NewTestament era, appeared to Moses and identifiedHimself as the “I AM.” He has inspired andinformed numerous prophets, including Elijah.Therefore, when He appears before the astonishedthree, He is not raising Himself. He is raising Hisdisciples. He is initiating. For Elijah prophesies theway to Christ. Moses proclaims the truth of Christ.And Jesus demonstrates the life of Christ. Again,man is the beneficiary.

The Being of Christ in Jesus, apprehended bymen of Earth solely as Jesus, is unique and cannotbe balanced against or made interchangeable withBuddha, Zarathustra, Mohammed, Lao-Tzu, orother spiritually precocious human Egos, or withgods (devas) who appear to man in the etheric(angels, the Greek Pantheon), or who, retainingtheir divine identity and magical practices, invest inhuman form (Krishna). In reading the Koran orBuddhist scriptures, we learn of Mohammed’svisions of higher worlds and of Buddha’sEnlightenment under the Bodhi tree. As theyevolve, these great souls have revelations from andintercourse with superphysical realities. Christcomes replete with love and wisdom alreadyacquired. He Himself is the Revelation, the super-sensible Reality to be experienced through initia-tion. His struggle, if we may so call it, was not toemancipate His Spirit from mortal consciousnessbut to enter ever more profoundly into it and endureits abysmal dullness.

The function and Being of Christ as historicalfact is unprecedented. As we come to understandthis truth, it greatly benefits us individually and col-lectively and brings us closer to Christ Himself. ❐

—CW

RAYS 03 19

MY WAY

Maker of all things, in all worlds and places,

Maker of seas and vast unfathomed spaces,

Maker of little me,

Help my dull eyes by inner sight to see

The hidden path marked out before my birth

Across the earth.

And let the light that shines through my own soul

Direct me to my goal.

Help me to turn a deaf, unlistening ear

To those who bid me wander there, or here,

Or yonder, in some trail their souls have blazed—

Nor let my mind grow dazed

By trying to accept another’s thought.

Through my own path let my own soul be brought

Back to the First Great Source.

Grant me thy force

To keep courageously upon my course,

However difficult the way may be.

—Ella Wheeler Wilcox

HE WAS A NEWCOMER. A fewhours ago, when he fell off the cliff,his life flashed like lightning beforehis eyes. Then his body hit the rock-strewn ground. The pain, sharp and

unbearable, cut him to pieces. After a while heregained consciousness and looked down upon hislimp and misshapen body. People gathering aroundit were distraught, some were crying. He wanted totell them that everything was O.K. But no onecould hear him. His body was lying face down. Asheen of blood was pooling from under his head.He found himself suspended in a strange transpar-ent shape, which moved easily through the air.Although he was obviously out of his body, he wasfeeling more alive than ever.

After a while the ambulance came. His body wastaken to the nearest hospital, where the doctorspronounced him dead.

“Dead!” he exclaimed. “It could not be!” He wasperfectly all right.

Sam felt very confused. Was this the end of hislife? It is impossible! He can think, move, see.What are they talking about?

“Mother!” The thought of her made him jump.Swift as thinking he sped to his home. It was builtin red brick. A fragrant cypress stood in the frontyard and colorful flowers bordered the path. Theold dog was sitting on the porch. He looked atSam, got up swinging his tail and started barking.

Inside, his mother was busy in the kitchen,preparing the dinner. Her face was troubled some-how. She dropped a plate on the floor and it shat-tered. Muttering a damnation she bent down topick up the fragments.

“Don’t worry, mum. It’s only a plate.” Sam

hugged her. But she showed no sign of seeing him.“Mum! Mum!” He screamed near her ears.Not the slightest sign that she heard him. Sam

was distressed. He stood beside her for a while try-ing to arouse her attention—but in vain.

His father was reading the afternoon paper in thelounge. He did not lift his eyes even once to lookin Sam’s direction when he entered.

“Father!” Sam called him gently.”Father!” heshouted in his face, trying to shake his shoulders.

No response.“What’s the matter with you! I am here - next to

you. Don’t you hear me, damn it!” Sam hit thenewspaper but his hand went through it, producingno movement at all.

He returned to the kitchen. His mother, heavyfrom age but with a gentle heart and kind eyes,continued her work with the devotion olderwomen have. Day after day, year after year, shewas confined to the kitchen doing her important,but unappreciated work to sustain the family. Samremembered that he had never said “thanks” to herfor preparing his meals. His heart was moved with asudden surge of affection. He hugged her, touchingher white, neatly tight hair and kissed her on thecheek. But he had no time to stay longer at home.

For back in the hospital the worse was yet tocome. His body was taken to the operating theatrewhere some of his vital organs were removed. Itwas so painful, he was in agony, yelling and cry-ing, but the operation went on. They took his heart,liver, and kidneys.

“Thieves!” he screamed, trying in vain to seizetheir instruments.

Still in shock from the horrible pain, he sawhis heart in a plastic jar, taken away by a young

20 RAYS 03

After DyingPart 1

MYSTIC LIGHT

RAYS 03 21

doctor. “Not the heart!” he shouted, jumping after thedoctor, trying to grab it from his hands. The doctor walkeddown a long corridor, entered a small dark room, opened arefrigerator, and placed Sam’s heart inside.

Sam uttered an anguished cry. He sat on a bench near the fridge,hold-ing his head. As he was trying to recover from these happenings, he hearda soft voice:

“Ah, here you are. Hello, Sam.”“Jenny,” he cried. “What are you doing here?” He remembered that

Jenny had died a few years ago. They were friends living in nearbyhous-es. Jenny had died in a car accident. She was twenty-eight then, to bemar-ried the next month.

“I came to help you, and to take you to your new home.”He looked at her puzzled.“But first you have to tape your Records. And fast.”“Huh?“Sam, I don’t have time to explain the details now, for we have to hurry.

You saw your life flashing before your eyes when you fell off the cliff,didn’t you? This is because every individual carries with him records of hisentire life—from the first to the very last breath. Everything is recorded —every word said, every deed done, every smile, feeling, thought. Whensomeone dies, his spirit is engaged immediately in transferring the recordsof his life into one very special atom, placed in his heart, which is called“the seed atom.” This is the only thing—the forces from one tiny atom—that the spirit takes with it, while the entire physical body is left to decay.The seed atom is as old as the spirit itself. It travels with the individual

from life to life; it never dies and contains theessence of all its previous bodies. It’s like the seed ofa plant in which the entire pattern for the growth ofthe plant is encoded. Let me show you.”

Sure enough, in the left ventricle of Sam’s heartthere was a tiny flashing speck.

“What happens after the record is transferred?”Sam asked while still studying his heart.

“The record goes with the spirit first to Purgatory,then to Heaven where it is viewed for many years,

examined very carefully. Nothing can escape unnoticed.”“Why is that?” Sam looked puzzled.“What one sows is what one reaps. In Purgatory everyone suffers the consequences of his own bad

deeds. There he sees the effect of his actions or words inflicted on others. He suffers the pain he causedthem. It is engraved in his soul so he will not repeat his wrong behavior. In Heaven the opposite happens:he lives again through the joy he gave to others through his generous and unselfish actions...You willlearn more later. You have to start your task immediately. The emergency vehicle is already on the wayto take your heart for an urgent transplant. I will help you.”

With this Jenny showed Sam how to switch on the tape recorder in the heart and the taping started.“Under normal circumstances your past life is being recorded as you review it, which takes from two

to three and a half days to complete, or however long you can stay awake. But you are faced with unusual

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circumstances and must review at full speed. Youwill be freed from your body only when you finishthis job. Then the silver cord, connecting your spir-it to your body, will be severed. That’s why oneshould never be cremated before three and a halfdays have passed from the time of clinical death.”

Sam looked around. He noticed that he was con-nected to his heart and his body in the morgue byan ethereal cord, protruding through the walls andthe rooms of the hospital.

“You mean that people actually die after threeand a half days?” Sam was really puzzled, rubbinghis head.

“In a way. The body is still sensitive to pain untilthe silver cord is broken.”

Now Sam understood why he felt such greatpain when the doctors operated on him taking hisorgans away.

Sure enough, a man came in and took the jaraway. Sam and Jenny followed him without stop-ping the recording. Soon they arrived in an operat-ing theatre and his heart was immediately preparedfor transplant. Sam’s work on the recording wasincredibly difficult. He had to concentrate hard onthe job, but the people around were interfering,turning and twisting his heart.

After a few hours the doctors were ready to per-fuse the patient’s blood through Sam’s heart. Jennywas greatly agitated. She tried to interrupt theirwork by all means, for the recording was not yetdone and once the stranger’s blood began coursingthrough the heart, the recording would stop. A por-tion of Sam’s life would be missing and many badconsequences would follow.

They did what they could. When they wereforced to stop the recording, Jenny said:

“Do you see who is getting your heart?” For thefirst time Sam paid attention to the patient. He wasa middle age man, bald and sickly looking. “He istrying to hold on to life, ignorantly transgressingthe Natural Law. For he has no idea that the spiritnever dies. What dies is the dense body, which thespirit discards when it has served its purpose. If thebody becomes ill, the spirit leaves it and goes toHeaven to prepare a new body—better and moreperfect for the next life. He would be much betteroff dying when his own heart fails.” Jenny shook

her head.Sam looked at the patient, lying lifeless and yel-

low under the anaesthetic.“Now he is losing the records of his own life, for

they have been thrown in the waste bin with hisuseless heart. One day he will appear in Purgatorynaked, with nothing to show. He will be sent thento be born again and to die as a child. The experi-ences of this life, which are such a precious trea-sure for soul growth, are lost for him. But this isnot all. He robbed you of part of your records andtherefore created a heavy karma to be paid off ingreat future suffering. I pity him. In one of hisfuture lives he has to render you a mortal service.Now his fate is connected to yours.”

With this Sam and Jenny went away, leaving thestruggling man to his own destiny. But he did nothave time to think about the happenings, for peo-ple, whom he knew to be dead, gathered aroundhim. He started shaking hands stretched towardshim. “Hello, Sam! Someone touched his shoulderfrom the back.

“Grandfather!” Sam exclaimed with excitement.“So good to see you,” his grandfather’s strong

hug almost suffocated him—until he rememberedhe didn’t have to breathe. Grandfather’s face wasbeaming with a broad smile.

Next he was immersed in his grandmother’sembrace. Tears were streaming down her face. Theyboth were just the same as Sam remembered them.

“Ha-ha-ha! I hope I’m not late.’’ A loud voicemade every head turn. A big middle-age fellowrushed to grab Sam’s hand and then pressed him tohis chest. “I was waiting for you, pal. You look great,”he said, not taking his eyes off Sam’s face. It wasPaul, his friend from work who died when a craneaccidentally dropped a huge concrete bloc on him.

“Ah, you are here already?” Someone’s happyvoice rose above the commotion.

“Remember me?” A few more people shookhands with Sam. He was happy to see them. Itseemed like just yesterday. They spontaneouslybegan talking about shared experiences. Sam feltrelieved and happy.

“Come on everybody, let’s have a party!” saidPaul, and they all followed him up in the clouds. ❐

—Marcia Malinova-Anthony

22 RAYS 03

DEFINITIONS

IMAGINATION IS THE ACTION offorming mental images. Imagination can beeither active or passive. It is active if one iscreating new and original images. It is pas-sive if one is attuning one’s mind to exter-

nally produced images.

ACTIVE IMAGINATION

When we exercise our active imagination, thewill of our Divine Spirit activates the creativity ofour Life Spirit, which causes an idea to form in theHuman Spirit, which then forms an image in ourConcrete Mind. We may additionally form a desirein our Desire Body to bring our image into mani-festation, and then use our Physical Body to bringabout the manifestation.

All that humans do is first imagined. Artistsimagine the pictures they will paint. Composersimagine musical compositions before they writethem out or play them. Inventors imaginemachines or other devices before they constructthem. Architects imagine buildings before they areconstructed.

Even in the everyday affairs of life, we imaginedoing things before we do them. We imagine our-selves getting out of bed, eating breakfast, going towork or school or the store, or saying somethingbefore we do it.

Because actions start in the imagination, if wewish to change what we do, we need to changewhat we imagine ourselves doing. If we have somehabit that we wish to change, we need to imagineourselves doing differently. If we want to developsome quality, we need to imagine ourselvesexhibiting that quality. If we want our physicalbodies structured differently, we need to imaginehow we wish them to be structured.

Because everything starts with imagination, ifwe wish to improve our lives we can start byimproving our active imagination. Some things wemay want to keep in mind as we work on improv-ing our imaginations: 1. We need to focus on imagining what we want tohappen, not on what we don’t want to happen. 2. Imagination takes time. We need to give our-selves time to imagine what we wish to bring intomanifestation. 3. When we are actively imagining, we need toconcentrate on what we are doing and temporarilyblock any external or internal impulses from dis-turbing the process. 4. The stronger the will to do something, the moreenergy is available for making the image. To makethe will strong, we need to know clearly what wewant. Conflicting interests can weaken the energyfocused in any one direction. 5. When we have imagined something as best wecan, bringing it into manifestation will enable us tosee how well we imagined it.

PASSIVE IMAGINATION

Passive imagination can occur in two ways. Thefirst way (which we will call Active-PassiveImagination) is to actively create an image of someexisting being or object or situation, but thenrelease the image from active imagination and letthat image attune itself to the actual being or objectand pick up information from it. The second way(which we will call Passive-Passive Imagination)is to simply leave the mind in a completely passivestate, so that it can receive any images sent to it orthat are floating around in the atmosphere.SOME EXAMPLES OF ACTIVE-PASSIVE IMAGINATION:1. When we love someone, we may create a men-tal image of that person, and then from the image

RAYS 03 23

Imagination

MYSTIC LIGHT

sense what the other person is feeling or thinkingor doing. 2. If we imagine ourselves as being in other peo-ple’s situations, this may help us to feel what theyfeel and understand why they think and act as theydo. We may also imagine ourselves being in thesituation of animals or plants to gain an under-standing of them. 3. When we hear a description in words of someevent (listening to the news, or talking to someone,reading a book, etc.) we may create mental imagesof what is being described, and may sympatheti-cally feel what the people involved feel, or under-stand how they view things. 4. During the day, every act that we do and itseffects on others is stored in our subconsciousmind. In retrospection, we create mental images ofthe events of the day. These images may attunethemselves to the images stored in our subcon-scious mind, so that we begin to be able to see andfeel the actual effects of our actions. 5. When some mechanical or electrical device ismalfunctioning, if we can imagine the inner struc-ture of the device, we may be able to see in ourimagination what the problem is.6. We can imagine ourselves as being anywhere inthe universe, and seeing, hearing, or feeling any-thing which we are interested in on any scale(small or large). If, beyond having chosen what wewould investigate, we keep ourselves in a passivestate, we may see, hear or feel what is actuallythere.SOME EXAMPLES OF PASSIVE-PASSIVE IMAGINATION:1. The Recording Angels create the archetype ofour lives as a series of images of the major eventswhich it will be our destiny to meet. As we gothrough our lives, these images arise in our mindsand we generally act them out. If additional inputis needed to get us to meet our destiny, theRecording Angels may make additions or correc-tions to these images in our minds. Note that theseimages only lead us to the situations which it is ourdestiny to meet. We have free will as to how wehandle those situations. 2. Archangels, who have the job of being NationalSpirits, infuse the etheric atmosphere of nationswith the images of the customs, culture, religion,

language and patriotic feelings of the nations. Thepeople in the countries take in these images withevery breath they breathe. The influence of theNational Spirits is weakened by intermarriagebetween people of different nations, internationalcommunication, and independent thinking (notdoing things just because they are the custom). 3. During the Fall and Winter months, the ChristSpirit infuses the atmosphere of the earth with Hisvibrations of universal love. Those who are sensi-tive may feel them.4. Astrological forces energize various parts of ourimagination. We may leave our imagination in apassive state and go with the flow, or put ourselvesin an active state and take control of what weimagine and do.5. When our minds are in a passive state they mayreceive thoughts and feelings from other people,from animals, from buildings (such as places ofworship, hospitals, prisons, etc), from artifacts ormonuments, etc.

CONTROLLING WHETHER OUR IMAGINATION

IS ACTIVE OR PASSIVE

Just as we can decide when we talk and when welisten, we can decide when we will put our imagi-nation in an active state, and when we will allow itto be passive. When we want an active imagina-tion, we form images which are in accordance withour will, which have the forms which we givethem. When we want active-passive imagination,we form the initial image, but then release theimage from our control and let it attune itself toreality. When we want passive-passive imagina-tion we simply let our minds be calm and quiet,and let images form in them without any interfer-ence from us. We, of course, may return fromeither form of passive imagination to active imag-ination whenever we choose.

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN ACTIVE

AND PASSIVE IMAGINATION

Some people have difficulty distinguishingbetween mental images which they generated andmental images which they received from outsidethemselves. Sometimes they think that ideasreceived from outside themselves are their own

24 RAYS 03

ideas. Sometimes they think that messages arecoming from outside themselves when they arereally generating the ideas themselves. For exam-ple, they may think that God told them to do some-thing, when actually they told themselves to do it.They may think that they are sympathizing withsomeone else, when actually they are imagininghow they would like the other person to be feeling.

To distinguish between active and passive imag-ination: 1. We need to be aware of the flow of energieswithin ourselves. Just as we would be able to tellwhether or not we are talking, even if we weretotally deaf, by being aware of whether we areenergizing our vocal chords, we can be aware ofwhether we are creating mental images by makingourselves aware of whether we are putting anyenergy into the forming of the images. 2. When we are passively receiving images, weneed to avoid letting our desires and our logicalmind in any way influence what we are receiving.3. It is also good to occasionally compare passiveimagination with reality. If we imagine that peoplefeel or think in a certain way, we may, when wehave a chance, ask them how they feel or whattheir views are. If we imagine that God (or one ofHis messengers) is guiding us to do something, wemay check and see if the actions are consistent withwhat we know about God (such as, “God is Love”).

SENDING OUT MENTAL IMAGES

Not only do the images in our minds influencewhat we do in life, they also radiate outward and,if received by others, can influence what they do.

When we are actively creating images of othersin our minds, these images tend to travel to the per-sons we are thinking of and may put suggestions intheir heads if they are in a passive mental state.They do not have to do what the received imagessuggest to them, but if the images are in line withalready existing tendencies within them, those ten-dencies are strengthened by the incoming images.Thus, it is important that we not imagine othersdoing anything that is not good for them to do.

If people, in the past, have done wrong, weshould not assume that they will continue to dowrong. We should set up the hope that they will

learn their lessons, and start acting wisely.When we are creating images of others acting

wisely, we should not be trying in any way to forcethen to act as we imagine. Our images may beoffered to them as suggestions, but for their ownevolution they need to make their own decisions asto what they will or will not do.

Not only can people receive the images we sendout, but also plants and animals and even inani-mate objects can receive them. Here, also, we needto make our images constructive.

SUMMARY

Our imaginations are our means both of direct-ing our own lives and of receiving informationfrom outside ourselves. Our imaginations also caninfluence those around us. Thus, it is important thatwe learn how to use our imaginations effectively.

In the following poem, can you identify whichverses are describing active imagination, andwhich are describing passive imagination?

IMAGINATION

Form in your mind an imageOf situations others are in.The image serves as antenna,And sympathy will begin.

Form in your mind an imageOf any system or thing.The image resonatesAnd understanding will bring.

Form in your mind an imageOf what you would like to create.Then you can actually make it At some future date.

Form in your mind an imageOf what you would like to do. The image then serves as templateFor making it come true.

Form in your mind an image Of the ideal ultimate goal. Cling to this image firmly. It will draw upward your soul. ❐

—Elsa Glover

RAYS 03 25

MADAME HelenaBlavatsky, in her bookThe Secret Doctrine,says the followingabout karma: “It is not,

therefore, Karma that rewards or punish-es, but it is we who reward or punish our-selves, according as we work with,through, and along with nature, abidingby the laws on which harmony depends,or breaking them.”

In the book, Coming World Changes,by Dr. and Mrs. Curtis, we find the fol-lowing about catastrophes:

When storms, earthquakes, tidal waves, vol-canic outbursts or catastrophes of other kindstake place many say, ‘Behold the work of God!How insignificant is man!’This is false. Godnever made a storm or a catastrophe of any kind,for God is the great law of love. They are all evi-dences of man’s power. Had man never sent outevil thoughts, wicked words, blasphemies andcurses, the Earth’s aura could never be socharged with destructive forces that a catastro-phe was necessary to dissipate them and bringabout equilibrium.

In a book called, A Dweller on Two Planets, byPhylos the Tibetan, appears the following:

Karma is penalty for evil doing, and it is the lawof God; it knows no abatement of payment,accepts no vicarious price, but is faithful gaolerover that prison which is life-action; whoso iscast therein shall not come out till every farthingis paid. Beware of doing wrong, for thou mustbear the penalty, only thou. Verily, life is long

enough to make payment; ‘tis better to have noneto make!The cure for the ills of humanity is for people to

feel and express sympathy and love for each other.If individuals would live up to the highest in theirreligious teachings, they would soon change theconditions of their lives for the better. Through theages all of the great religious teachers have urgedpeople to deal mercifully with one another and to behonest and truthful. The Christian Bible points out theway, and it is really all the guide that is necessary.For those who feel the need of further explanation ofthe mysteries of life, I suggest the Mystic and Occultteachings that are taught by certain organizationsconnected with the seven schools of the lesserMysteries. The people of the western world shouldtake up the Rosicrucian Fellowship teachings setforth by Max Heindel.

In connection with the subject of catastrophes ofnations, I will tell you a little about the misfortunes thathave come to individuals because of what they did insome past life. This will give us a broader understand-ing of this important subject. Perhaps this knowledge

26 RAYS 03

MYSTIC LIGHT

*The Work of Invisible Helpers, Vol 2, by Amber Tuttle, is outof print. Copies are available on the web.

Catastrophes, Their Cause and Cure

Deluge of Atlantis

Frontiers_of_A

nthropology.com

will help us to understand ourselves and others betterand enable us to be of more service to humanity.

One morning a man who is a Helper stepped off atrain in an eastern city and started to go down astreet. Before he had gone very far he met a coloredman who had no arms. This poor man was poorlydressed and looked unhappy. He asked the strangerfor something to eat.

“Where can you get something to eat?” inquiredthe stranger.

“In the depot,” answered the poor man.They went back and the Helper ordered a break-

fast for the man and started to feed him as soon asthe food was served. While he was feeding the man,some people whom he had met on the train cameinto the lunch room and saw him. Their little boy atonce came to the Helper to see what was going on.The parents of the child went up and invited theHelper to their home.

“No, thank you,” replied the Helper. “I am on wayto another depot to get a train to continue my jour-ney. I met this man and he asked for some food andI am feeding him.”

“May I help you?” asked the lady “You are tooslow.”

The lady then took the fork and began feeding thearmless man and her husband sat down at the sametable. After the man had finished eating, the Helperasked him how he lost his arms.

“I was helping on a farm one day and in some waymy arms got caught in a threshing machine and theywere cut off at the shoulder,” the man said.

“Tell us your story,” said the Helper. “Let us joinhands while this man talks and maybe we will seeand learn something.”

“After I had my arms cut off and was in a hospi-tal,” the man continued, “I wanted to die, for I knewthat I would have a hard life. A voice spoke to me andsaid, ‘Look back, cruel old king, and see the miseryand suffering you caused by cutting off the arms ofyour slaves. Though your life will be hard, you willnot die until you have suffered as long as yourlongest victim did. This was many years ago, but youmust pay off the debt. Your four henchmen sufferedthe same fate as you the day you were injured.’”

After briefly telling his life history, the armlessman spoke to the Helper. “Tell me the meaning of whatI saw and heard that day. Have I ever lived before?”

“Yes, you have lived many time before,” repliedthe Helper. By means of thought he asked someoneto let them all see the man’s life when he was a king.They found out that this man was a Babylonian kingand had a great number of people under him. Someof the people were white but the slaves were colored.He worked these slaves very hard and when theyfailed to complete the tasks that he gave them, hehad his men cut their arms off above the elbow, andcast them off to die. Some of these unfortunate peo-ple were destroyed by wild beasts. Others lived formany years, whole some of his victims died at once.

“I have been this way for ten years,” the man said.“I saw another man without any arms in the city

where I live,” the Helper told him.The travellers offered the poor man some money

but he refused it. “I do not want any because some-one would take it out of my pocket,” he said.

After that the Helper went home with the boy’s par-entsand made a short stay and then he left for his train.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ One night two Helpers were passing by the bed of

a woman in a hospital. “Lady, will you please stophere a moment?” she asked.

“I will be with you in a few minutes,” replied theHelper.

This Helper spoke to the nurse on the ward aboutthe woman. “She only has a thousand and one ques-tions to ask you about religion,” said the nurse.

The Helper went back to the sick woman and satdown beside her bed. “Nurse, may I ask you a fewquestions,” the sick woman said, and the Helper said“Yes.” “I am sixty years old and I had a husbandwho left me for a younger woman,” she said. “Nowhe has lost his money and I have worried myselfsick. Why do I have to suffer this way? I have beena true wife to my husband, but we have no children.I don’t think I have been treated justly.”

“No one is mistreating you,” said the Helper. “Youdid the same thing in some past life when you weremarried before. Now you must pray for forgivenessand accept what is being meted out to you.”

“Can you prove this to me?” the sick womanasked.

“I do not know whether I can or not,” replied theHelper.

She took the poor woman’s hand and began toread her past for her. “Two lives before this you were

RAYS 03 27

a beautiful Cretan woman,” she said. “You married aman and when he grew old you left him and found ayounger man. Then you met reverses and died aftermuch suffering.”

While the Helper was talking the sick woman roseup in bed with her mouth and eyes open and spokein a hoarse whisper. “What became of my husband?”

Then she saw him in his home with her picture,made of copper, in front of him. He had just comefrom work and he was thinking of her. He becamewell-to-do but he had no interest in anything. Everyevening he went home and sat there alone. Oneevening he returned home and ate his supper. Thenhe sat in a chair beside his table and took her picturein his hands. This picture showed that she looked asshe does in this life, only she was younger at that time.

“Oh, God,” he said. “I can’t stand it any longer,”and his head dropped down and he passed on. TheHelper and the woman saw him form beside his deadbody and the scene closed.

“Thank God, I know now,” said the woman, “andI forgive him.”

The Helper told her about the law of Cause andEffect and what she must do to have a better life andhome. She saw by means of the Jupiterian Conscious-ness that her husband in this life had been her hus-band in that past life. These people did not meet inthe life before the present one when she was a man.

After the woman said that she forgave him, shefell back on her bed. The lady Helper called anotherHelper who works with her.

“I believe she is dead,” the regular nurse said.“Look at her heart and her head and see if you can

see the flame of life,” the man Helper said.“Yes, I see it,” the lady Helper said. “She is not

dead. She has only fainted.”The man Helper told the nurse that her patient

would be all right and to let her alone but to watchher. He told her that she would not ask any morequestions and would be a better woman.

The Helper had told the woman all she needed toknow and if she carries out what she was told to do,she will make good progress.

Someone has said, “Though the mills of Godgrind slowly, yet they grind exceedingly fine.” If thepeople generally knew of the law of Karma, theywould hesitate more often before they cause othersto suffer. Then there would be less trouble and sor-

row in the world.Everything we do is not regulated by karma. We

have free will in a great many things and we can startnew causes for good and for ill. When we learn thatwe are the cause of our own sorrow or happiness, weshould strive to live our lives more in harmony withthe laws of God and make a great attempt to riseabove these laws of the Physical World. Then wewill not make any bad karma that must be paid off inthe future. When we are good we prepare ourselvesfor present and future blessing. There are many spir-itual as well as material gifts that God gives to hisobedient children.

In his book Gleanings of a Mystic, Mr. Heindel, inspeaking of the law of Cause and Effect or Karma,says the following: “It is manifest that all the causesthat we set going in life do not ripen in the presentexistence, and it therefore follows that they mustfind their fruition somewhere else at some othertime, or the law would be invalidated, a propositionthat would be as absolutely impossible as that thelaw of gravitation could be suspended, for eitherwould make chaos out of cosmos.”

This means that if the law of gravity should besuspended, everything would be out of place andchaos would result. Gravity tends to hold everythingin its proper place. On the other hand, this does notapply to a Helper who temporarily suspends gravityto help a person or an animal.

I will now tell you what took place about six yearsago between a man who is an occult student and aGnome that visited him. While this man was stand-ing on the back porch of the house where he was liv-ing, one autumn day, the Gnome came up and spoketo him. “My work is nearly done,” he said.

“What do you mean by saying your work is near-ly done?” asked the man.

“We have painted the leaves on most of the treesin this locality,” the Gnome said, “and the leaves arefalling and we are about to retire for the winter.”

“What do you mean by retiring for the winter?”asked the man.

“Oh, we are going down into the Earth and therewe sleep through the winter,” the Gnome replied.“The trees, grass, and the Gnomes of the wholenorth temperate zone are preparing for the long win-ter’s sleep.”

“What is the cause of hurricanes, tornadoes,

28 RAYS 03

cyclones, and catastrophes that occur so often?”asked the man. “What effect do they have on theEarth? Do they cause the Earth suffering?”

“Most assuredly they affect the Earth,” answeredthe Gnome.

“How?” asked the man who wanted some infor-mation.

“If you should fall down and skin your arm, or leg,or head, it would make a smarting sorewouldn’t it?” asked the Gnome.“Now, there are laggards, and thereare those who fail to do in all lifewaves; consequently, they act as ahindrance in the scheme of evolu-tion. By his ways, thoughts, andactions, man causes the Sylphs,the Undines, the Salamanders,and the Gnomes to congregate ingiven points of the Earth until theycan no longer be held in check. Theforce of whichever group of NatureSpirits is the strongest will break forthand lead, carrying destruction in theirwake, which in a sense makes right some ofthe wrongs generated by man.

“This also causes pain to the Earth by treesbeing uprooted, the earth being overturned,animals and humans being killed. It is like anabscess in the cosmic body that has come to ahead and now waits for man’s dressing. This isknown as rehabitation or reconstruction,like the great Chicago fire which occurredmany years ago. After the fire took place,reconstruction began and the city was rebuilt on amuch better scale than before.

“These conditions on the Earth and in the Earth,generated by man, cause the Earth suffering. Whenman commences to repair the damage, this acts as adressing being applied to a wound.”

“How far into the Earth do you go?” asked theman.

“I go down into the third stratum and there stayuntil I am awakened in the spring, about Marchtwenty-first, and then my labors begin. I spend mytime beautifying the grass, trees, and all that growson the Earth.”

Soon after this the wise little Gnome said good-bye to his friend and went away. We seldom realize

that the Gnomes are extremely wise Nature Spirits.They are wiser than we are, or can be, until we canawaken the latent sixth sense which is dormant inmost of humanity, and can be developed by self-sac-rifice and service to humanity.

For my conclusion I am using a letter which camefrom a friend who has rating in the F.R.X. Thisfriend has kindly given me permission to use the fol-

lowing information about the cause of unfavorableconditions on the Earth today.

“What is the Earth on which we live?Have you ever stopped to meditate onthis subject? Have you ever consideredseriously what the Earth is and the rea-son for its existence? You mayanswer that the Earth is a planet,which is quite true. It is a planetamong many others. But whencecame these planets? Are they sim-ply luminaries, the Earth excepted,placed in the sky to light our tinyglobe, or did they just happen, and ifso, how did they happen? It would be

interesting to study the various theo-ries put forth and compare them.

“The occult scientists agree that theSun is the father-mother planet of them

all, and that from time to time it hasthrown off various portions of itself in

order that the beings inhabiting that particu-lar part might be segregated from the restand given special instruction in the thingsthat would further their evolutionary

development. Each globe thrown off from the Sun isunder the direct tutelage and guidance of a PlanetarySpirit whose body is the planet whereon its particu-lar charges dwell. If Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars,Venus, Mercury, the Sun, and the Moon each have aPlanetary Spirit, is it not reasonable to believe thatthe Earth has a Planetary Spirit also?

“The Planetary Spirit to which each planetbelongs has an ambassador whom he sends to eachof the other planets. The names of the ambassadorssent to the Earth from the other planets are as fol-lows: The ambassador from Uranus is Ithuriel; fromSaturn is Cassiel; from Jupiter is Zachariel; fromMars is Samael; from Venus is Anael; from Mercuryis Raphael; from the Sun is Michael; and from the

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Ethelwynne M. Quail

A Salamander

Illustration for G. H

odson’s Kingdom

of the Gods, T

heosophical Publishing H

ouse, Adyar, M

adras

Moon is Gabriel.“The names of the Elder Brothers are also known,

at least, to all Initiates. Why then is the existence ofthe Planetary Earth Spirit, if there is such a one,shrouded in mystery? Why does the Christ Spirithave to come to the Earth every year and permeate itwith His energy and life? Is the Planetary EarthSpirit, if there is such a one, incapable of sustainingthe earth?

“Think on these things; meditate on them untilyou get their full meaning, and then try to realizethat what humanity is now thinking, feeling, anddoing, and the forces generated thereby are affectingthe force centers of the desire body of the Earth. Ifhumanity has not harmonized its thinking withGod’s truth and love, but instead has set up counterforces of selfishness, greed, envy, jealousy, and lustfor power, engendering all of the consequent nega-tive and destructive forces before mentioned—andwho is there who can deny that such forces are ram-pant in the world today?—consider what terrible dis-eases must now be manifesting within the body ofthe Earth.

“All this being true, how long do you think theEarth’s body is going to stand the strain? Those con-versant with the true conditions know that it cannotendure it much longer. It is hardly necessary to pointout that all seismic disturbances is evidence ofnature’s reaction to the inharmonious turmoil causedby the evil, vicious thoughts, emotions, and acts ofhumanity, and that man’s selfishness and greed havecaused the present badly diseased bodies of thehuman race.

“Seismic disturbances, the result of a diseasedEarth body, have increased alarmingly. Look up therecords concerning these for the year 1931. Just asnegative thoughts and vile physical practices breakdown the cells in the physical body of the individual,so are the cells in the body of the Earth broken downas a result of the combined evil thoughts and actionsof humanity as a whole. In other words, that whichevil thoughts and vices do to the body of the indi-vidual, humanity as a whole, through its combinedevil thoughts and actions, does to the body of theEarth. Humanity so crystallized the Earth that it hadto be thrown off from the Sun.

“Later a certain portion of humanity crystallized aspot on the Earth to such an extent that it, along with

those responsible for its condition, were thrown offfrom the Earth on what is now known as our Moon.These Moon beings, members of our own life wave,are failures. They are on the downward path and arelost to our present scheme of manifestation. Had theChrist Spirit not come to us when He did, anotherMoon would have been thrown off at that time. Nowwe are again on the verge of a great crisis.

“It is for this reason that the call is sent out to alloccult students to ‘live the life,’to apply earnestly intheir daily lives, without the least reservation, inthoughts, words, and deeds, the teachings given tothem by the Western Wisdom School, in order thatthey may not be found wanting should the final col-lapse of our present civilization occur, and that theymay stand under new conditions as the pioneers andleaders for which the Western Wisdom Teachingsare endeavoring to prepare them.”

Several years ago this same friend sent me thewords of a poem entitled The Rosicrucian. I havenever seen it in print and do not know who wrote itor whether it has ever been published or not. Sincemy friend has now passed from us I cannot find outwhere he obtained it.

Recently, I was shown this poem in the Memoryof Nature while out of my body in sleep, and I wastold that this friend would like to have me use it inthis book. I am adding it to this chapter so that youmay have this wonderful poem to read and meditateupon.

THE ROSICRUCIAN

The brilliance burning at the core Of life is manifest to me. The Rose of Heaven I adore In solemn trance of Ecstasy. I am a man, like other men without—For none may pierce the Veil Save he who is born of Fire and Spirit. Such prevail. The air I breathe is pure delight, My food is heaven’s celestial bread. I know the secret of the Light That shone before the World was made. Time is a stranger of my Lord And space a thin dissolving dream. Round me lies the Eternal Whole Whence emanates the Cosmic Stream. ❐

30 RAYS 03

IT IS A CURIOUS FACT that sub-human elementals sometimes attachthemselves to certain persons, to afamily, or even to a religious society;but in such cases it was always found

that their vehicle did not consist of the hardenedsin body composed of an interlocking desire andvital body, but that the vehicle had been obtainedthrough mediumship practiced by a person of ordi-narily good character, and that the ether of thisvehicle was in a state of disintegration.

To offset this and to prolong their hold on such avehicle, they demand of those whom they serveregular offerings of food and the burning ofincense; though they cannot, of course, assimilatethe physical food, they can and do live upon theether fumes and odors which arise from it, alsoupon the fumes of incense.

This is only another illustration of the fact thatpurity of motive will not protect us when we gocontrary to the laws of God, any more than we canescape a burn if we put our hand on a hot stove, nomatter why we did it. But, nevertheless, it has beenfound in cases where a medium has been ensouledby pure motives and high religious devotion, it isvery difficult for such evil entities to hold the vitalbody for a long time; they soon tire of the effort andseek another victim who is more in accordance withtheir nature. Thus, in the south of Europe and in thefar East there are elementals that take possession ofthe vital bodies of a family, generation after gener-ation, leaving one for another and performing cer-tain services for the family for a consideration offood, which is usually offered at regular times.Some of them are too vile to be satisfied with theoffering of ordinary food and demand blood, even

human blood, and these beings areresponsible for such tribes as the head-

hunters of the Philippines and the stran-glers of India, who commit murder as a

religious rite. This is also the basis ofAncestor Worship in the East.

These, as well as the sin bodies which are notensouled by an outside intelligence, have beencalled “THE DWELLERS ON THE THRESH-OLD,” merely owing to the fact that when the per-son by whom they were originally generated wasreborn, this demon attached itself to him andbecame a tempter and a devil to him all through life.Not infrequently, it was found that in the case of aperson who had in one life generated such a demon,but who had taken the lessons of that life so muchto heart that they were expiated in the purgatorialexistence, and who when reborn endeavored in themost whole-souled way to live a clean, upright, andhonest life, this sin body was still always on hand tohamper him. Many of the people who were thusafflicted were so sincere in their desire to reformthat they entered monasteries and practiced dread-ful austerities upon their bodies, each of thembelieving that the demon which haunted him and ofwhose presence he was conscious was the devil oran emissary from him.

It is said truly that the boy is the father of theman. In a similar sense our previous existences arethe progenitors of our present and future lives, andit is very certain that, in this sense at least, “the sinsof the fathers are visited upon the children”; nor canwe deny the justice thereof, for the cruelties prac-ticed by these people which caused the formation ofthe sin body were generally of the most atrociousnature imaginable.

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Obsession of Man

FROM MAX HEINDEL’S WRITINGS

and of Animals

You have probably heard it said that when abull dog has taken a grip on anything, he wilt notlet go. This implies, however, that he has thepower to do so if he wants to. But it is differentwith a snake; its teeth are pointed towards theback of the mouth so that when once it has sunkits fangs into the flesh of its victim, it cannot letgo but must perforce swallow the victim.Curiously enough, something similar is the casein obsession.

You will remember that the writer has alwayscontended that spirit controls stand outside theirvictim’s body and behind him, manipulating theorgan of speech or the whole body, as the case maybe, from and through the cerebellum and medullaoblongata where the flame of life burns with a dou-ble, buzzing sound composed of two tones, indica-tive of the resistance of the body to the manipula-tions of the intruder. Our latest investigations have,however, disclosed the fact that the spirit controlswho thus manipulate their victims from without arethe wise ones who are too wary to be caught in atrap. While they are without, they can let go at anytime they wish and leave their victim to pursue hisdaily life as desired, while they do the same them-selves. But there are other spirits who are not sowise, or who are perhaps more foolhardy, or else soanxious to get into the physical world that theythrow all caution aside. Entering the body of theirvictims, they find themselves in almost the sameposition as the prey of the snake; the body of theirintended victim has a lock grip upon them and theycannot let go under ordinary circumstances. Thus theobsession becomes permanent, and the whole per-sonality of that victim changes.

If the obsessing spirit be an elemental or subhu-man entity which is not able to use a mind or lar-ynx, these being the latest human acquisitions, theperson so obsessed becomes a hopeless lunatic, notinfrequently of a malevolent nature, and the facultyof speech is also impaired. It is almost impossibleto dislodge such an entity once it has entered.Investigation of former lives shows that this afflic -tion is usually the outcome of a desire to run awayfrom life’s experience; for those who are obsessedare often found to have been suicides in a previousexistence. Then they had a body which they did notappreciate, and, as a consequence, in a later life the

mentality became weakened either through anorganic disease, a great shock, or by obsession. Inany one of these cases, the spirit was ousted from itsbody, always hovering around it and eager to obtainpossession but unable to do so because of the lackof mind wherewith to focus thought upon the brainor because of obsession by an extraneous entity.

Sorrow and disappointment are usually the caus-es of suicide, and often a great sorrow was found toderange the mind; but the spirit is then quite capa-ble of understanding and handling the situation,even though it may not be able to use its vehiclesbecause of the lacking focus of mind. But where ithas given way and attempted to escape by suicide,it learns in the manner described to realize the valueof a body and of the links therewith, so that in thefuture no provocation will be sufficient to cause itto sever the silver cord. In fact, sometimes sorrowscome to tempt a person who has given way in the

32 RAYS 03

Ottheinrich Bible, Illustrated by Matthias Gerung (1500-1570), Bayerische Staatsbibliothek

The Giving of the Seven Bowls of Wrath John, the visionary author of Revelation, saw “three uncleanspirits like frogs” come out of the mouths of the dragon, thebeast, and the false prophet. These “spirits of devils” not onlyobsess, but, if it suits their purpose, they work miracles todeceive and captivate the unwary (Rev. 16:13-14). Some earlierdepictions of exorcism show a small devil expelled from themouth of the dispossessed. The German visionary stigmaticAnne Catherine Emmerich (mentioned by Heindel in Ancientand Modern Initiation) “saw the devil with him [Judas] all thetime, red, thin-bodied, and angular. He was before him andbehind him, as if lighting the way for him.”

past to do this very act; and when he resists, itshows he has become immune from the temptation.It seems to be the same principle upon which thedrunkard of a former life is temptedto drink in orderto test his stability of character by his consciousrefusal to yield.

It is curious that the commission of suicide in onelife and the consequent post-mortem suffering dur-ing the time when the archetype still exists oftengenerate in such people a morbid fear of death inthe next life, so that when the event actually occursin the ordinary course of life, they seem frantic afterthey leave the body and so anxious to get back tothe physical world again that they frequently com-mit this crime of obsession in the most foolish andunthinking manner. However, as there are notalways negative human subjects available forobsession, (and even if there were, it is not certainthat the person who has just passed out and who isseeking such a chance will find one in whom hemay take refuge) a strange, a horrible thing oftenhappens, namely, that such a spirit ousts the realowner of an animal body and then ensouls its vehi-cle. It is then under the dreadful necessity of livingan animal existence, pure and simple. If the animalis subjected to cruelty by its master, the obsessinghuman spirit suffers as the animal spirit would havesuffered; if the animal is to be killed for food, theman within sees and understands the preparation forslaughter and has to go through the horrible experi-ences connected therewith. Nor are cases of thisnature infrequent at all; in fact, they happen veryoften, as a visit to some of the great Americanslaughter-houses has brought home to the writer ina most forcible manner; and the realization of this,to him, new fact has brought home in an almostpainful manner the necessity of educating the peo-ple to the great truth that death, like birth, is only anevent of frequent occurrence in the never-endinglife of the immortal spirit.

Full faith in this doctrine would take away untoldmisery from mankind, and we ought to do all in ourpower to help spread this gospel of Life.

It also sometimes occurs that an evil man embod-ies himself in a beast of prey and takes a fiendishdelight in terrorizing a community. When the Christwalked upon earth, such cases of animal obsessionby human spirits were met with every day, and the

instances recorded in the Bible are not at all mythsor foolishness to one endowed with spiritual sightand able to read in the Memory of Nature, for it isfound that these things actually did happen; in fact,the ancient seers who observed this habitualentrance of people of low and evil character into thebodies of beasts when they had passed out of theirown bodies at death, thought that this was the regu-lar course of nature instead of being an anomalouscondition, and they therefore formulated the doc-trine of Transmigration. ❐

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BETWEEN YOU AND GOD

People are often unreasonable,

illogical, and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you

of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win

some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,

people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,

someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,

they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,

people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,

and it may never be enough

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,

it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

—Mother Teresa

Engraved on the wall of her home for children in Calcutta

QUESTION: “I am aware that animalsalso return for repeated incarnationsupon the earth to garner further experi-ence for the Group Spirits who overseethem. Is it self-indulgent to consider the

possibility that a beloved pet might return to theownership of the same individual, in a differentfurry little body? Also, what is the meaning of amajor disease that may occur within our pets (can-cer, diabetes and the like), considering that theyare not responsible, as are humans, for their pasttransgressions?”Answer: In no way is it “indulgent to consider thepossibility that a beloved pet might return to theownership of the same individual....” At the sametime, it may well be that the Group Spirit of thisanimal specie has evolutionary needs that do notaccord with our desires and that a different envi-ronment that would promote the development ofother faculties would best benefit both the younganimal spirit and its Egoic Group Spirit. Animalsand their Group Spirits, like humans, need to expe-rience all possible conditions of incarnate life, includ-ing gender change and the challenges of a hard lifeto develop resourcefulness and independence.

Regarding animal diseases, humans are accumu-lating a stock of destiny by introducing poisonouschemicals into the environment (earth, water andatmosphere) and food chain, which practice givesrise to health problems in animals as well ashumans. Certainly the causal relationship betweenanimal deformities and toxic chemicals has beenestablished. Animal physiology, especially that ofthe higher mammals, is sufficiently akin to humanphysiology to suggest that if chemicals foreign to

our systems contribute to the high incidence ofcancers and diabetes, they may well have a likeeffect on animals. While individual animals cannotbe said to be responsible for their actions, anemerging or nascent mentality enables them tolearn, and learning involves choosing one thingover another, with the ensuing consequences. Dogsnot sufficiently alert may cross a busy street and behit by a car. Whereas the inchoate self of the ani-mal does not bear the brunt of responsibility for itsactions, the Group Spirit does, and it too mustlearn what it means to live in the material world.As early male humanity had its attention focusedon the external world by engaging in brutal con-flicts and inflicting pain, so too pain would havethe same effect on the animal’s consciousness,drawing its spirit more firmly into its vehicle andgenerating stronger sentient impacts which are feltby the Group Spirit, enabling it to become moreinvolved in and sensitive to its members—whichare all the animals manifesting its archetype.

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Animal Rebirth

Light on Lucifer

READERS’ QUESTIONSM

onastery Icons

But your point is well taken. Humans are large-ly responsible for much of the sicknesses that wesee in animals. Our actions are negatively affectingthe Group Spirits of the two younger life wavesthrough the genetic alteration of plants and thedegradation of earth’s ecosystems. Only as wereform our actions through right understanding canthis negative trend be reversed. And we shall stillowe our younger animal brothers compensatoryservice to redress the harm we have caused them.

Question: “As Christ was released from thebody of Jesus and became the indwelling Spirit ofthe Earth why then is Lucifer still considered ‘theprince of this world’? Do not the Lucifer spiritsplay a role in the unfolding of consciousness? Arethey not within God's Divine Plan for Creation?

“It is hard to imagine that the Lucifer Spirits canfunction beyond the nature and scope of God'sDivine Plan. Is not the purpose of evolution tobecome a creative entity and give that which wehave earned— Light?

“In the article, Eye Hath Not Seen, Nor EarHeard (Rays Jan/Feb 1999) it is stated that Lucifersought not to reflect divine light in lunar passivitybut to be a primary light source. But is not thatwhat we hope to accomplish? What was the natureof Lucifer's confusion? Where did Lucifer gowrong? If Lucifer was more advanced than ourcurrent humanity and had the power to see andfunction in the higher worlds, why did he in all hiswisdom go against his true nature? Did Lucifer"jump the gun" so to speak? Did he preempt thenatural progression of his evolution, or was it anecessary action to infuse synergy into man's evo-lution? Are there not parallels between whatLucifer did to himself and what Adam and Eve didto themselves? Although Lucifer initiated actionagainst man, did not man already have the seed ofdesire within him? Can revolution, involution andevolution be possible without errors and mistakes?

This is not to imply that Lucifer is the answernor the WAY, nor that evil per se is justifiedbecause being evil in some twisted way helps ourhuman evolution.....I am just trying to make senseof the relationship between these opposite forms ofmanifestations. Please clarify my confusion.”

Answer: Your questions are keen and the reason-ing behind them would seem to be largely on themark. Lucifer is the whipping post of orthodoxChristianity and is regarded as unalloyed evil. ButMax Heindel and others make it clear that Luciferis a promoter of the evolution of human self-con-sciousness. However, an overemphasis of theLuciferic perspective and energies fosters egoism.Since self-consciousness by nature involves direct-ing attention to the ego, which, at the outset, tendsto be identified with the personality—the con-sciousness bound up with the fleshly self and itsmaterial context—humans experience suffering,disease, and bodily death itself. In time the sense ofidentity is transferred from the material self to theindividuality, the spiritual self.

Our current level of comprehension does not per-mit us to appreciate the exact status of the Lucifers.We know for sure that the God of our solar system,and certainly the God of the Universe, uses all errorand deviation from natural law to ultimately serveHis purpose. This is certainly the case with respectto the Lucifers, who have enabled humanity to bemore like their Creator than even the Angels andmore advanced spirit Beings, because we have thefreedom to knowthe difference between good andevil and to choose accordingly; whereas all ranks ofcelestial Beings “down” to the Angels, are, in asense, automatons. Heindel makes this clear inadvancing his distinction between the Sons of Sethand the Sons of Cain, the former passively con-forming to authoritative creeds while the Sons ofLucifer-Cain work out their destinies aggressivelyby more consciously exercising free will and learn-ing from their errors, thereby establishing the lawwithin themselves.

Lucifer is the “Prince of this world” in the sensethat the dominant motives for action in the materi-al world are self-interest: personal fame, fortuneand power. That is also why the Gospel of Luke(16:8) says that “the children of this world are intheir generation wiser than the children of light."Interestingly, humans themselves are contributingto the regeneration of this fallen (as a straggler)Angel of Light (Luci+fer=lightbearer), Who, weare told, is now working at a higher level to furtherhuman evolution. ❐

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AT CERTAIN CRITICALPERIODSin the evolution of the human race, amagical music has been brought toearth by some high Initiate. Thebeautiful legends of Greece tell of

Orpheus who by the music of his lyre stilled thestormy waves and the raging winds, soothed tor-mented hearts and minds, and eventually broughtthe insensate back to life ( Eurydice, his beloved).The Old Testament presents us with a similarmusician-teacher in the person of David, the sweetand illumined singer of Israel, who, by the powerof his magic harp, soothed the madness of Saul.

Among the many rabbinical legends which,though in no sense historical, yet deserve seriousconsideration by reason of their genuine expres-sion of spiritual truths, there is one which tells usof this harp of David. We read that it was made ofthe skin of that ram which God sent to Abraham tosacrifice in place of his son Isaac. David hung theharp in the window, and at midnight when zephyrsfrom north, east, south, and west fanned its sensi-tive strings, it gave forth heavenly music. It wasthen that David would awaken, study the Torah,and write his beautiful poems to its celestialaccompaniment.

There is an inner meaning to this legend, involv-ing many hidden truths. David’s lyre was withinhimself. Through sacrifice and purity, his soul waslifted up into the Kingdom of Light (Shekinah), orinto the inner realms of nature, which are pervad-ed by rhythms and harmonies, even as the windsmove through the atmosphere of the physicalworld. The soul itself is part of this rhythmic struc-ture, this network of sound, in which the universehangs “like apples of gold in a filigree of silver.”

Pythagoras said that man’s nature is purifiedwhen he listens to solemn songs sung to theaccompaniment of the lyre. What is said of the lyreis true of the harp of David also, which was reallya kind of lyre, or possibly, a lute, the kimor.

Before there was a Temple, before there was aTabernacle, rhythm was.It was bodied forth indance and in music, and David’s work, which laidthe foundation for the liturgical Mysteries ofSolomon’s Temple, is primarily to be understoodthrough the Songs associated with his name,whether or not he composed them, for they bearhis keynote.

We no longer have descriptions of the ancientdances of Israel; we do not know what manner ofdance it was which David danced before the Ark.Yet it is of importance to us to know that he did sodance, and in many of the Psalms we can still dis-cern something of the ancient dance rhythmsamong the more obvious songs and chants.

Rhythm has a special correlation with the breath,and all that the breathing exercises of Orientaloccultists seek to achieve can be achieved throughmusical rhythms alone, especially when correlatedwith the dance, for the dancing body is the verypersonification of rhythm, making music visibleand tangible in three dimensions. In the DesireWorld the streams of rhythm are the basis of con-sciousness; they form patterns which are visible inlight and color, and are audible as sound. There aretwelve primary patterns, corresponding to thetwelve signs of the Zodiac, and one day we shallknow that there are likewise twelve planets sound-ing twelve keynotes. Such are the rhythms we feelflowing through the Psalms, which are truly hymnsof Initiation, and which raise tremendously thebody rhythms and accelerate consciousness, mak-ing possible a contact with the interior worlds.

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The Harp of David

WESTERN WISDOM BIBLE STUDIES

From Corinne Heline’s New Age Bible Interpretation, Vol II,published by The New Age Bible Center, Santa Monica, CA

Because King David pioneered in thework of organizing the music of his peo-ple, he has become the patron saint ofboth music and lyric poetry. TheHebrews called poets and singersMeshorer, which means “elevators ofthe people.” Under David’s patronage,the ancient songs of Israel were gath-ered together, choirs were organized,and in many of the Psalms one hears thethunder of the antiphonal chants; in oth-ers the soul-sweet murmurs of the harp,or the stirring blast of trumpets callingto action.

Fragments of Israelitish songs arealso preserved in the Pentateuch: theRed Sea Victory Song is an allegoricalrepresentation of certain steps of spiritu-al Illumination, in which we are able todiscover how Moses led the men in themusic processionals and Miriam led thewomen, and through all the hours of the“mystic night” they sang unitedly their hymns ofpraise and thanksgiving....

[I]t will be perfectly plain to the student that anyof the Psalms antedate not only the Temple ofSolomon but the existence of any permanent struc-ture whatever, and all of the Psalms are thereforenot meant for use in a Temple service but rather forprivate devotions or for use in Assemblies, as wasnecessary later in the Exile and Dispersion.

Ancient truths will be rediscovered in the NewAge, and the New Age psychology will include astudy of the occult effects of music upon mind andbody. Used as a protection against evil, discarnateentities will become known, as, for example, thesounding of chimes at midnight in medieval cathe-drals were a protection against evil spirits, whichat that “witching hour” were believed to be mostactive.

The power of music to aid in prophetic inspira-tions and as a healing agent was also known inmedieval centuries, and the vowels of any lan-guage, being so preeminently the carriers of har-mony (it is impossible to sing consonants alone),have long been recognized as of special efficacy.In Greece the seven vowels were chanted in the

Mystery rituals, because it was understood thatthey sounded forth the keynotes of the seven plan-etary Spirits before the Throne of God. Since everyhuman being is keyed to one of the planets, it wasthus possible for the Temple Priest to teach theneophyte how to attune himself to his own “parentstar” and thereby draw on the spiritual fount of hisbeing. The moral force of music rests on the corre-spondences existing between its tonal patterns andthose of the Ideal World.

The most profound truths connected with theMysteries hidden in that supreme and sacred cere-monial, the Last Supper, are based upon the use ofthe vibratory power of the universe, in which theChrist figures as the Sun and the Disciples as thetwelve constellations (or Four Seasons). This is thekey to all nature music.

Cyprian, bishop of Antioch in the third century,was at the age of fifteen initiated into the GrecianMysteries on Olympus. He states that he wastaught the meaning of musical notes and sounds,and beheld visions of tree trunks and herbs ofdivine potency. During his forty days on the Mount,he witnessed the succession of seasons and thechanging spirits that determined their phenomena.

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

Dedication of the New Temple in JerusalemMusical instruments and priestly prayers invoke divine inspiration and res-onate with the mental and etheric keynotes of the archetypal temple.

He heard the chorus of warring daimones chantingin nature, and saw the phalanx attending each godand goddess. Here is a hint of what the New Agewill rediscover in the field of esoteric music.

The magic of music works upon the latent cen-ters or vortices in the aura of the neophyte, whichare stirred into activity. There are seven of them aswe have already shown, and each of the seven hasits own keynote, corresponding to the tones of themusical scale and to the sevenvowels. It is by means of thepowers centered in the vowelsounds that the Archangelic RaceSpirits control their peoples ornations and weld them into acomposite whole. The repeatedsounding of these seven notesarouse the seven centers in thebody and cause them to radiatethe diamond glitter of the astrallight, by which the soul becomessensitized.

This power of music to stir thesoul is verified by common expe-rience. Everyone knows thearousing effect of patriotic andmartial music, though less sensi-tive to the soothing or inspiringeffect of sacred music. Evenamong the religious-minded, it isnot generally recognized that theMasses of the early Church werecomposed for the specific purposeof furthering spiritual Illumination.Their rhythms work just as powerfully now as inthe early centuries of Christianity. If they seem notto have this power, it is only because the modernChristian, unlike the early devotees, does not bringto them the proper spirit of dedication.

We know that the Mass is often called theMorning Sacrifice; and in this it agrees with someof the Temple practices of Israel. It was the customof the Temple servers to greet each dawn withsong. At the first parting of the clouds at twilight,the crier on duty would call out, “Arise ye prieststo your work, and ye Levites to your songs.”

There can be no question of the power which

music has to affect every organ of the body, thelow tones vibrating to the organs and functionsbelow the diaphragm and the higher tones affect-ing those above the diaphragm. Modern researchhas proved that music from stringed instruments suchas the harp or zither are most efficacious in casesof mental disorders; hence the use of the harp byDavid in soothing the madness of Saul is now jus-tified scientifically.

Naturally, in order to promotespiritual exaltation, music mustitself be of an exalting nature. Notevery type of music, so-called,will produce the desired effect.Martial rhythm stimulates toaction in the physical realm. Itbelongs to the music of the objec-tive world, whereas spiritual workrequires first of all repose, thequiet of the mind, in order thatconsciousness may be liberatedfrom its identification with mater-ial form. Like the white lotusfloating on a still pool, so must thesoul-flower expand upon repose-ful harmonies.

In the stillness and peace ofthe mind, the flowers bloom inthe soul according to a rhythmembodied in them. Knowing this,it is readily understandable whythe Psalms have been called theperfect flowers of religious song!Indeed, we realize that the really

important office of the Psalms is not in their intel-lectual content but in the subtle rhythms which weexperience by singing and chanting them. It is therhythm which plays upon the seven flower centersand causes them to open to the Spiritual Sun. Thusthe Hierophant of the Mysteries, in chanting theseven sounds for the neophyte, prolonged that onewhich vibrated the particular flower whose open-ing was desired, passing rapidly over the others,until the purposed result was achieved.

These seven flowers may also be called theMusical Lights of the soul. Their location and sig-nificance, briefly stated, are as follow:

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Fritz Eichenberg, 1901-1990

David Played the Harp

All seven of the Musical Lights lie along thespinal cord; that is, to the spiritual vision theyappear to lie there, but they are not physical; theyare etheric and astral, and serve as conductors ofthe vital essence which flows through them intothe nerve plexuses which they interpenetrate.

The first of these vital points is situated at thebase of the spine; its color is red. Here the serpen-tine kundalini sleeps. Blackish-red at first, theslumbering fire awakens and assumes a brighterand lighter hue, until at last it is a pure and lumi-nous ruby. This marks the beginning of psychicperception.

The second center is the solar plexus. Its corre-sponding etheric center is known as “the Sun of thestomach.” Its color is reddish orange, which is latertransmuted and modified by soft green light. Thisindicates the early degree of true clairvoyance.

The third, or hypogastric plexus, correlates tothe spleen, which is like a miniature Sun, radiatinggolden light. Its awakening bestows the gift ofhealing. In the early stages of its developmentthere is green light blended with its gold, but thelater development is pure gold.

The fourth is the cardiac plexus over the heart,emitting a soft yellow radiance, which in the high-er stages of transmutation becomes tinged with anethereal blue, and reveals memories of past lifecycle. When the latent love principle has beenawakened to a dynamic love-Power, this center isa lustrous giant golden rose.

The fifth center is the pharyngeal plexus locatedin the throat just over the larynx. Its color is azureblue, glittering with silver sparkles. Its develop-ment recovers the use of the Lost Word, or creativepower of speech.

The sixth, or cavernous plexus, is situated in thehead between the eyebrows. It emits kaleidoscop-ic color patterns of indescribable beauty, whoseprimary tones are rose, yellow, blue, and purple. Its

functioning brings continuous consciousness,interrupted neither by sleep nor death.

The seventh plexus is near the top of the head. Itis the crown of regeneration and emits an effulgentwhite light. Its development brings liberation fromthe wheel of birth and death.

The lifting of the fire force within the neophytealong the etheric spine, and the unfoldment of itsseveral blossoms, is in perfect accompaniment tothe tones of the musical scale. Rudolf Sterner, theeminent Rosicrucian occultist, refers to this processas “the wonder of the octave experience,” and thelate Dr. George S. Arundale, the Theosophicalwriter, says,”The kundalini is music as it is color.It is a rainbow as it is a perfect song.”

This is the seven-stringed harp of David, madefrom the skin of the Lamb sent from God, bywhose sacrifice the world is redeemed. The ram

signifies Aries, the head of the Macrocosmic Man,and within the human brain there are seven cavitiesor ventricles, each sounding its own note and ema-nating its own individual color. These cavities arefilled with the life essence which ascends by wayof the etheric spine and the seven Roses orLotuses, and correlate therewith. Physiologicallythese seven brain centers are known as the Olfactory,the Lateral, the Third, the Fourth, the CavernousVentricles, and the Pineal and Pituitary Glands.

A cabalistic legend has it that David finished hislife work upon the Earth plane on the Sabbath Day,at which time his son Solomon summoned hosts ofAngels to stand ward over his body, protecting itwith their outstretched pinions. This was not theend of David’s glory and grandeur, for in the heav-enly realms as formerly on Earth, he stands amongthe first. At the head of the angelic choirs heintones wondrously beautiful Psalms, ever chant-ing: “The Lord reigns forever and ever”; to whichMetatron, Captain of the Universe, and his choirsreply: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts.” ❐

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Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise untothe God of Jacob.

Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harpwith the psaltery .—from Psalm 81

CANCER, THE SECOND of the greatFeminine Signs, has to do with thebringing forth of the thought of Godinto physical substance. Under Taurusis sounded the Creative Word, which

sets in motion the sustaining rhythms of Life alongthe lines determined by the Divine Will.

The work of the Feminine Principle in Cancer isto receive and hold the picture of the Plan—mir-rored, as on the surface of a still, deep pool—andto impress that picture, already imbued with life,by the power of the Word, upon the living seed ofevery physical form at conception—"Each accord-ing to its kind."

All the ideas which we associate with the termMother Nature belong to the sign Cancer: infinitefertility, infinite richness and variety of form andcolor, ranging from the majesty of the mountainsto the dainty perfection of the tiny desert flower.The hidden magic which changes inert chemicalsubstances into a living plant is wrought by thegreat feminine-forces of Cancer, as are also themetabolic changes by which the food we eat istransformed into the living substance of our bodiesand, holiest and most mysterious of all, the form-ing of a living child within the body of the mother.

To understand the working of the Cancer forcesin Nature would be to understand the central mys-tery of Life itself. But there are clues which, if fol-lowed, will lead us unerringly into the Holy of Holieswhere the wings of the Cherubim meet above themercy seat of the Most High. There we may sensesomething of the glory and the wonder of that mys-tery. Note well this point: It was the Cherubim (theLords of Cancer) who awakened in man the Life

Spirit, second aspect of the divinity within him,which corresponds to the Word, the Wisdom orFeminine Principle—the Cosmic Christ. In theBible, these Beings are also called Cherubim.

In the symbolism of the Tabernacle in theWilderness, set before us at the very dawn of ourself-consciousness, was pictured the whole designof God for man—the development of his con-sciousness through the use of his creative power(the Holy Spirit Principle) in generation; the devel-opment of his mind through the control and direc-tion of this power; the lifting and extension of hisconsciousness through purification, regeneration,and service to the point of complete surrender ofhis creative faculties to the awakened ChristPrinciple within.

"No man cometh to the Father, but by Me," saidChrist Jesus to His disciples. Not until the Christconsciousness has been established in us will thepath of the Father be open to us, a path too exaltedfor our comprehension.

The outstretched wings of the Cherubim, meet-ing above the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies,guard the entrance to this path; but each year at theSummer Solstice, when the Sun enters the signCancer, the Christ passes between these out-stretched wings to ascend to the throne of theFather and lose Himself, for a brief period, in theunspeakable glory of communion. There He isfilled once more with the might of the Fatherbefore turning again to the task of helping us,God's blundering Earth-children, to find the way.

Those of us who aspire to hasten our journey tothe Father by traveling the path of Initiation may wellask ourselves what we shall do with this mystic ray

40 RAYS 03

God’s Message Through the Astrological Sign Cancer

ASTROLOGY

of Cancer while it is being focused upon us.We shall find our truest answer to this question

in the brooding silence of Nature, in some spotwhere she is undisturbed by the noisy activities ofman. It is a silence complete and immense, yetfilled with life of a quality that varies with thecharacter of the spot. It rebukes our restless mindswith a voiceless message which comes sometimesas a plea, sometimes almost a command: "Be stilland know that I am God."

This is the Eternal Feminine's message to us. Ittells us that only in the silent sanctuary of ourinnermost being can God reveal Himself to us;only in the still waters of the soul can His image,His truth, be reflected.

It may seem odd to us at first that this inner still-ness should be associated with Cancer, whose mes-senger to Earth is the roving, ever-changing Moon,the avenue of fecundation, whose ray brings life

and change and movement. But this is explainedwhen we realize that the process of creation beginswith a mental image of the thing or condition to becreated, and that this image is conceived in still-ness. Once conceived, however, it is a living thingimbued with creative power which starts immedi-ately the activity needed to bring it into manifesta-tion. Here then, are two things which we can strivefor under the Ray of Cancer:

First, we can set up a censorship over the movingpictures which pass in a continuous stream acrossthe mirror of our minds each day. We can shut outor blot out the undesirable ones, and pour the cre-ative power of our hearts into the good ones, thatthey may the sooner become manifest in our lives.

Secondly, we can seek more intensively the wayto that holy place within ourselves where Goddwells and, by daily endeavor, establish a line ofcommunication between that hidden shrine andour concrete mind, a line along which His messagemay flow to guide us in all our affairs. We call this

line of communication intuition. As intuitiondevelops we cease to judge or condemn our fel-lowman because, through that inner knowing, wegain an understanding of his position, his viewpoint, his problems, which enables us to clasp hishand in the fellowship of Truth across any and alldifferences of opinion. This quality of understand-ing, which is eminently a quality of the "feminineprinciple," born of love, we call sympathy.

Since the work of the Feminine Principle inCancer is to nourish, as well as to conceive, wefind that its reflection in the physical body is thestomach, which prepares the food we eat for diges-tion, and the breasts, which give nourishment tothe new-born child.

There is for the neophyte a lesson of deep sig-nificance hidden in the question of nourishment,for through this process a mysterious exchange offorces between the higher and the lower life waves

is accomplished. To the illumined Ones a meal is acommunion service.

Another point of vital importance connectedwith the Cancer Ray is the rulership of the Moonover the sympathetic nervous system, by means ofwhich most of the functions of the body are carriedon. The pressure of intensive living produces in usan almost constant mental tension which contractsthe nerves and muscles and interferes with therhythmic flow of life force to the vital organs.

When, therefore, in preparing for meditation, westill the mind by an act of the will and release alltension in the physical body, we not only open thedoor that leads into the inner shrine, but we also setfree the forces which sustain the body.

When, by earnest striving, we have succeeded intransferring our consciousness from the outer selfto that mystic center of our being, we shall knowthe true meaning of the words spoken by ChristJesus to the tempter: "It is written, man shall notlive by bread alone, but by every word that pro-

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Cancer: One of twelve murals (oil on canvas) painted, circa 1922, by Camille Lambert (Lille, France) for the Healing Temple at Mount Ecclesia

ceedeth out of the mouth of God."The "living" lesson under the Ray of Cancer is

so deep and mysterious that it may be approachedonly in stillness.

It is when the Sun enters Cancer that the Christreturns to the Father, to be nourished and refreshedafter His year-long day. In doing this, He touchesthe highest point He is capable of reaching. SinceHe is our teacher, our example, we are to learn todo the same. A study of the keywords of the signCancer and the message of the Moon, its ruler, willhelp us to do so.

Imagination is one of the keywords of the signCancer; it is the picture-making ability of theSpirit—our Higher Self—at its negative pole. Weknow that our minds, thus far, have been devotedalmost entirely to reflecting the pictures andsounds of the outside world, together with theimpressions and feelings of the personality aboutits experiences in this outer world. The line ofcommunication between the mind and the person-ality is like a broad well-traveled highway, whilethis line of communication between the mind andthe spirit is like a little path through woods, allchoked with underbrush and brambles.

It was part of the evolutionary plan that weshould center our attention upon the outer world inorder to learn about the laws governing it, while atthe same time learning how to manage properlyour dense body, vital body and desire body.

Now the time has come when that little hiddenpath leading from the mind to the Spirit must becleared so that the knowledge we gained throughexperiences in the outer world may be used by theSpirit to carry us forward to the next great step inevolution. That step will open our eyes to theworlds above the Physical World where we can seefor ourselves the causes behind the things that hap-pen in this world.

We cannot get to the holy place within ourselveswhere the mind and Spirit meet until we clear thepath between them. Our object is to shut out allthought pictures of the busy, restless world. Thereis always a heavenly stillness and peace in thissecret place, but there is also something thrillingabout it, for it is here that the messages of theHigher Self, the God within, are received. Truths

undreamed of are given to us."While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest,

and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and dayand light shall not cease."— Genesis 6:22

At this time of the year, when Nature's physicalactivities are at their peak, Midsummer is celebrat-ed, and it is only fitting that we recognize the greatwork done by the Nature Spirits and show our grat-itude for all they do to make life more beautifulwith flowers, plants, and trees. They work for allkingdoms—mineral, plant, animal and human—and help mankind in so doing.

Anyone having extended (etheric) sight may seethe gnomes, elves and fairies building greenchlorophyll into plant leaves and tinting flowersbeautifully. They also cut crystals in minerals,making the priceless gems that gleam in goldencrowns. Without the gnomes there would be noiron, silver, gold, and other metals.

The Nature Spirits about which we hear most arethe gnomes, the undines, the sylphs and the sala-manders.

The word gnome means "earth dweller", andthat is what they are. One type of them frequentlymentioned in stories is the brownie, or elf, a mis-chievous, comical looking creature about twelve oreighteen inches high. Their body is made of chem-ical ether.

The undines belong to the family of water spir-its operating in liquid ether, close to the water ele-ments. They help to control the course and func-tion of water in Nature. Their body is composed oflife ether.

Sylphs live in the air, their bodies are composedof the light ether.

Salamanders are the little people of fire; theirbodies are made of reflecting ether. They are theinvisible fire element of Nature. Without them,material fire could not exist; no match could bestruck, nor would flint and steel give off sparkswithout their assistance. They appear immediatelywhen brought forth by friction.

All four classes of Nature Spirits work with ourlife wave, giving most valuable and necessaryservice. That is why we owe them our heartfeltgratitude. ❐

—Rosicrucian Fellowship Staff Members

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THIS AGE in which we live is a practi-cal one, and every system or theory,whether scientific or religious, is chal-lenged to give proof of what it canaccomplish in action. Astrology has its

religious and ethical side, as well as its scientificand predictive aspect. We call the former the eso-teric or inner, and the latter the exoteric or outer.

Let us consider this science from its religiousand ethical side first, and realize its motive poweras a teacher and educator of those who once againare attracted towards this aspect of Divine Truth.This very attraction shows that they are souls whowere educated along these lines in the past ages,and so, clothed once more in new brains and newbodies, recognize and rally round the same abidingTruth. For though the physical form may decay,life and consciousness are immortal.

Astrology, if studied from its spiritual aspect,teaches that all sin and most of the misery of life iscaused by selfishness. Every form of dishonesty,violence, outrage, fraud, even discourtesy, comesfrom the desire to promote one’s own ends, even ifthe rights of others have to be sacrificed thereby.All our aggressions upon our fellowmen, allattempts to appropriate their comfort, possessions,or plans, all efforts to belittle, outshine, or humili-ate them, express the feeling that self-gratificationis to be sought before all else. Hence the root ofevil is self-love, selfishness so powerful that it willsacrifice everything rather than its own indul-gence. True Astrology points us towards the Sun,shining on all and blessing all, sustaining all andnourishing all—the life of the system; and silentlythis symbol speaks to the heart of man, preachingwithout words its eternal lesson of altruism andnon-self. And just as each astrologer realizes the

inner meaning of this divine symbol, seeking toachieve the divine ideal and the divine pattern, andeliminating selfishness from his thoughts, actions,and character, so will he become Sun-like or God-like, and thus be helping to raise the world’s stan-dard of truth and morality. Take the symbols ofSun and Saturn and study their inner meaning; forthey represent respectively the life and the form,altruism and selfhood.

Let us try to realize what would be the effect ofa universal reign of non-self. We can picture anideal world with no courts, prisons, asylums andworkhouses; a society pure, without peculation,chicanery, or deceit; a community whereof everyheart was as vacant of envy and guile as it certain-ly would be of unhappiness and pain. For the rootof universal sorrow lies in selfishness and wouldthus be eradicated if true brotherhood were real-ized.

If we perceive the true unity of man, if we let ourhearts act harmoniously with the Sun in our horo-scopes, we shall become true philanthropists; if weseek to realize that the richest pleasure comes fromgiving rather than receiving, if we try to live ourbrotherhood, and thus touch the highest keynote inour natal chart, we shall be in accord with the greatlaw of sympathy, which is the law of love.Astrology will then become a true guide in life, notonly to ourselves, but to those with whom wecome in contact. Christ said, “Blessed are the purein heart for they shall see God.” Thus, in banishingand eliminating selfishness from our heart, we areleaving room for wisdom, love and light to flow in,or in other words, good, that is God. Astrologyproclaims the truth that every act of right or wrongshall receive its due reward.

Some religious systems say otherwise, and even

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Astrology as a Guide in Life

ASTROLOGY

provide a plan by which punishment is to be evaded,and unearned bliss secured. But if we stop andthink for ourselves, apart from creed or books, wesee that if this were indeed true, the principle ofjustice (synonymous with Jupiter) would be inabeyance and Jupiter absent from our Astrology.Jupiter, Lord of justice, awards each man what hehas justly earned. This planet signifies generosi-ty—“give, and it shall be returned unto you four-fold.” Astrologers know that a “good”—that is, anunafflicted—Jupiter means a just and moral char-acter, while the ancients proclaimed that to be bornunder Jupiter was a reward, Jupiter being a “benefic.”

Note the true significance of Jupiter, who indi-

cates justice, sympathy, and liberality; and the soulthat in a past life earned a well-aspected and unaf-flicted Jupiter, on his present earthly pilgrimagehas for reward this benefic influence, which maymanifest in position, environment, or health. Thus“character is destiny.” Nothing fails—no good orevil can die without its fruit.

Astrology declares that the result of a deed is ascertain as the deed itself. And yet the world callsAstrology unpractical! How can a system beunpractical when it abolishes every bar to the lawof causation and makes practice the key to itswhole operation?

Astrology teaches and explains that moral causes

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Experience in the school of life teaches self-mastery. Through the senses external objects are impressed on the vital body andmirrored in the mind as the basis for forming conclusions or ideas, which are projected by the will into the mind to make thoughtforms. These are projected against the desire body, arousing the feeling of attraction, repulsion, or indifference, and issuing ineither immediate, deferred, or no action regarding the thought. Action results from desire forces stimulating, via the etheric brain,the appropriate physical brain centers and nerves that control the voluntary muscles. Stellar energies provide the basis for allearthly form and action. When humans can control their response to these energies, they can control their thoughts and deeds.

C O N S E Q U E N C EA C T I O ND E S I R E

T H O U G H TI D E A

SCHOOLOF

EXPERIENCE

are no less effective than physical causes, that theplanetary forces concerned with our evolutionscrutinize and tabulate every act and deed of man,and that the effect of harm or benefit to ourselvesand our neighbors is attached to every moral act.There is no escape, no loss, no uncertainty, Theeffect of causes generated on the moral plane willultimately exhaust itself in physical circumstances.

Astrology shows the law of cause and effectworking. Its teachings are that every man is theframer of his own destiny, inasmuch as he canpluck any fruit he chooses in the garden of life, butat the same time has to bear the consequenceswhich ensue from his own action. It would beimpossible for a true astrologer to believe in thetheological dogmas of “Election,” “Predestination,”and “Foreordination.” He at least is “quit of priestsand books,” for he knows that his destiny is writ-ten by his own hands and that the stars award himjust what he has earned. The semimaterial theoriesof luck, fate, chance, are swept away; nothingwhich shifts responsibility or paralyzes effort canAstrology postulate. We perceive, though dimlyamid earth’s darkness, “the solar light.” We hear,though faintly amidst earth’s babble, the words ofthe Master, Christ, “Be ye perfect even as yourFather in heaven is perfect.” So we perceive thebeauty of that conception of the “Law whichmakes for righteousness,” a future which embodiesin it our divine evolution through purgation of allthat is sensual, selfish and belittling. So perceiv-ing, we try to rule ourselves, and thus rule ourstars, and struggle onward to that perfect goal.

Whatever our ideal, whatever the effort, whatev-er the result, it is ours alone; for we must each doour own thinking, and none can do it for us.Writers may write for us, teachers may teach us,but they cannot think for us, and our evolution is inour own hands. The formative power is lodged inus, deep within each heart is the germ of Divinity,and it is for each to evolve that germ into leaf, bud,flower, and perfect fruit.

Astrology demonstrates the inflexibility ofmoral law, and opens to us the highest ideal of reli-gious fervor. For who can gaze upon the Solar Orbor the starry host, and not worship the God behind,sustaining all? As we revere His Law, we conform

to it; and thus we sound a harmonious and not adiscordant note in the symphony of the spheres.

When we revolve in perfect harmony around ourSun, the divine Ego within, then we become helpersand not clogs in the great wheel of evolution.

Teaching these truths, Astrology affirms themoral consciousness, vindicates the moral sense,spurs the moral motive. Thus it is in very truth aguide in life, practical and practicable, and I wouldthat all who read these words were “PracticalAstrologers” along these lines. Then would thepast knowledge of the laws of life rush in on eachindividual consciousness; for all self would havefled, and we should desire knowledge only that wemight better serve and help our fellow man—desire only to become pure vessels as channels forGod’s Truth. The Divine Wisdom then would useus, and we should each be “The Man Aquarius,”bearing in our hands the water of Wisdom, pouringit out for others, the service of messenger and car-rier being our privilege and delight, serving forpure love’s sake.

Astrology is a great guide in life if it be studiedfrom its inner aspect. Once the aim is set before aman, and he realizes the certainty that every actaffects that aim, the question of the expediency ofany act is determined.

Is an act selfish, unfraternal, aggressive? Then itis not astrological, or according to the wisdom ofthe stars, and it will fetter and bind chains about usin our future life. This is the test, simple, uncompli-cated, and feasible: Is any act selfish, or otherwise?

He who would be guided through the intricaciesof life need seek no priest or book or intercessor,but only the “Self,” the divine Self, the still smallvoice that can be only heard in the quiet. Let himstudy his character from his natal chart, quietly andmeditatively, and then, with no remorse for pastfailures, begin anew today, this moment, now, torule and dominate the lower nature, living in har-mony and happiness, free from doubts or misgiv-ings as to justice or success, strong in the knowl-edge which esoteric Astrology gives, that he whohas conformed to nature and her laws shall be con-formed to the destiny she predicts for man, who isevolving upwards to God. ❐

—Bessie Leo

RAYS 03 45

The whole solar system is one vast musicalinstrument, spoken of in Greek mythology as ‘theseven-stringed lyre of Apollo.’ The signs of theZodiac may be said to be the sounding board of thecosmic harp and the seven planets are the strings;they emit different sounds as they pass through thevarious signs, and therefore they influence mankindin diverse manner. Should the harmony fail for onesingle moment, should there be the slightest discordin the heavenly band, the whole universe as suchmust crumble.—Max Heindel

ASTRONOMERS define the Zodiacas a wide belt of stars which forms acomplete circle around the sky. It iswithin this circle of the Zodiac thatthe Sun, Moon, and planets are found.

The famed Greek astronomer-poet Aratus poeticallydescribed the Zodiac in the following lines:

The Man who held the Watering Pot, The Ram, the Bull, the Heavenly Twins;And next the Crab the Lion shines.The Virgin and the Scales,The Scorpion, Archer and Sea-GoatAnd Fishes with glittering tails.

Esotericists understand the Zodiac to be composedof twelve divine Hierarchies whose magnificenceand power are beyond all description. These mightyBeings guide the physical, mental, and spiritualevolution of the human race.

I have never written the music that was in myheart to write; perhaps 1 never shall with this brainand these fingers, but 1 know that hereafter it willbe written: when, instead o f these few inlets of thesenses through which we now secure impressionsfrom without, there shall be a flood of impressionsfrom all sides; and instead of these few tones of ourlittle octave there shall be an infinite scale of har-monies—for I feel it, I am sure of it. This world ofmusic, whose borders even now I have scarcelyentered, is a reality, is immortal.

—Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

CANCER—CHERUBIM

The Hierarchy Cancer is known as the Cherubim,whose mission has ever been to guard this planet’sholy places.

The Cherubim stand before the gates of Eden,that perfect etheric garden lost to man because of hisunworthiness. A regenerated race will eventually

46 RAYS 03

The Cosmic Harp—Cancer and Leo

ASTROLOGY

This article was drawn from The Cosmic Harp (New AgeBible and Philosophy Center, Santa Monica, CA) by CorinneHeline, a friend and gifted student of Max Heindel.

John O’N

eill, after Flaxm

an

re-enter the realm beautiful, so the Cherubim keepwatch until that glad day. They also guard the Holyof Holies of the etheric Tabernacle, prototype of theAtlantean Mystery Temple. The Holy of Holiessymbolizes the ultimate attainment of humanity asa whole. To this end the Cherubim teach man howto use rather than abuse what should be his mosttreasured possessions—the holy waters and thesacred seed of life.

The Cherubim’s contact with the earth is throughthe exalted spiritual realm known as the World ofVirgin Spirits. Therefore, their work has beenpassed down to the opposite sign Capricorn, thearchangelic Hierarchy. The Lord Christ, highest ofthe Archangels, came to this plane bearing the mes-sage of purity and chastity. He taught that only thepure in heart should see God, and that we must beborn of water and of fire (transmutation) before wecan enter the kingdom of heaven.

The musical keynote of Cancer is G sharp major.The music most compatible to Cancer nativesdei-fies the feminine or mother principle—music suchas the lovely old Irish ballad Mother McCree, lulla-bies, and tender cradle songs. Brahms’exquisiteLullaby is recommended for lifting their conscious-ness to higher realms; also Gustav Mahler’ssupreme work, The Resurrection [second]Symphony. At the Christmas season Cancer, theexalted mother sign, adorns midheaven and suffus-es the atmosphere of earth with the fragrance of ten-derness, love, compassion, and sacrifice, qualitiescharacteristic of true motherhood.

In this sign there is a gleaming nebula composedof stars and called Praesepe, meaning the manger.On either side of it are minute star clusters calledAscelli, the little asses, the gentle beasts that pro-vide a colorful background in the manger legendwhich relates how one of the baby asses guardedthe sacred crib and became the faithful companionof the infant Jesus.

Near to Cancer are the brilliant blue-white starsthat form the constellation Auriga. The brightest ofthese is Capella, sometimes called the shepherdstar. It is a star of the first magnitude and its namereally means she-goat. Surrounding it like manychildren are a number of small stars in the form ofa triangle; these are very appropriately referredto as “the kids.” The oriental name for Capella

translates into “messenger of light.”At the midnight hour of Holy Night, Virgo is ris-

ing on the eastern horizon. This constellation isdepicted as a maiden bearing two sheaves of goldenwheat, a perfect symbol of the conception. Canceris the human mother as represented by the madon-na and child; Virgo is the enthroned, glorifiedMadonna typifying the Initiate-Mother. The sextilebetween these two signs is an index of the closecooperative bond between the two states of being.

In the celestial hand of the constellation of theVirgin is Spica, another magnificent star of the firstmagnitude, referred to as “the diamond of theVirgin.” In the Golden Age of Greece temples werededicated to this star in recognition of the natureand quality of its spiritual radiation. For it must beremembered that the stars we behold are the physi-cal vehicles of indwelling spiritual Beings, a factrecognized by the wise men of all ages.

High in the heavens and moving toward the west-ern horizon is the dominant figure of mighty Orion,a constellation containing a mysterious dark nebulawhich the Ancient Wisdom declares to be a door-way to other universes, probably more vast thanours. In this constellation are three brilliant starswhich, in the symbology we are following, are des-ignated as the Three Wise Men who are successfulin their search for the newborn Christ Child. In thisconnection it is interesting to note the color radia-tions of these three stars. Gigantic Betelgeuse, a starof the first magnitude that is 215,000,000 miles indiameter, is a brilliant red; Bellatrix is green-yellow,while Rigel is blue-white.

Relating this to a particular legend about theWise Men brings out an interesting correspondence.This legend tells us that one of the Three Wise Menwas a youth, the second was of middle age, the thirdwas very old. Now red is the color belonging toyoung souls. It is identified with Martian exuber-ance and activity, with the aggressive, self-assertiveside of man’s nature. The gift of the young WiseMan was myrrh, which means bitterness, the bitter-ness of sorrow resulting from unwise, inexperi-enced living, yet the means whereby youth awakensto a recognition of the soul’s higher values. Yellowcorrelates with the wisdom that comes with years.The gift of the second Wise Man was frankincense,typifying the fragrance of wisdom that comes with

RAYS 03 47

soul growth. Blue represents spirit. It belongs to theFather principle, the Ancient of Days. So the mostaged of the three, in conformity with the colorassigned to him, bore to the Christ Child the gift ofgold, symbol of pure spirit and the signature of amature or perfected soul.

Two glorious blue-white stars serve as celestialtorch bearers in the processional of Virgo, theBlessed Lady of the skies. They are Sirius andProcyon. The latter leads, the former follows. Ofthe fixed stars, Sirius is the nearest to earth; evenso, its distance is eight and a half light years away.It has been said that if all the diamonds of earthwere melted into one, the brilliance of Sirius in aDecember sky would make that one appear pale bycomparison. According to the Ancient Wisdom, theHierarchy of that star will become the guardian andteacher of our planet when, at some future time,humanity has attained to a development where itcan establish direct conscious contact with theHierarchies that supervise our evolution.

The climax of the Holy Season comes with thebirth of the new Sun in Capricorn on the night ofthe Winter Solstice. Of all the signs in the Zodiac,Capricorn, the sign on the topmost point of the nat-ural chart, conceals the deepest mysteries and is,therefore, appropriately the sign under whichMasters of all ages have chosen to take embodi-ment. It provides the most favorable vibratory con-ditions for saviours of the race to fulfill their earth-ly missions.

Constellations, like individual stars, ray forth acolor-tone of their own. Cancer and Capricorn areblue-white; Virgo, a golden yellow. The collectivekeynote of all the stars in a constellation and, inturn, of all the constellations, compose the celestialMusic of the Spheres. Earthly celebrations of theNativity, in which color and music play so promi-nent a part, are a faint refection of what is takingplace in the heavens above.

When we are observant of these similitudesbetween events terrestrial and events celestial, wecan better appreciate the song of the Psalmist as hegave expression to his joy in the cosmic grandeurthat surrounded him. In his exaltation he sang: “Theheavens declare the glory of God: and the firma-ment sheweth his handywork” (the celestial pat-terns we have noted). “Day unto day uttereth

speech” (the songs of the stars), “and night untonight sheweth his knowledge” (the workings ofspiritual law). “Their line is gone out through all theearth” (the powerful, far-reaching influence of thestars). “In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun”(the homage that the heavens pay to the BlessedLord Christ, the radiant Archangel of the Sun).Around this sublime Being and His sacrifice forearth and humanity are centered the beautifulChrist-mass mysteries—mysteries we find dupli-cated in the glories of both heaven and earth.

LEO—THE LORDS OF FLAME

In the constellation Leo, the Lion, are a numberof brilliant stars. Six of these outline the lion’s head,others are in each of the four paws. Across one ofthe forepaws shines Regulus, a star of the first mag-nitude and one of the brightest in the heavens,whose red-gold light gleams across the sky with allthe brilliance of a million candles. In the lion’s tailis Denebola, likewise a star of surpassing brilliance.The lion found depicted on ruins throughoutChaldea, Babylon and Persia attests to the impor-tance given to this constellation by ancient people.Its importance goes back, no doubt, to the periodwhen the Summer Solstice occurred in the signLeo.

The fiery script of the stars contains not only thestory of human evolution, but also outlines the Pathof Initiation as taught in Mystery Temples of old. Inthe intimate connection between the sign Leoand thenext adjoining sign Virgo, symbolized by a femi-nine figure, is to be found the origin of the EgyptianSphinx—part of a Mystery Temple—where the headof a woman is joined to the body of a lion.

All of the fire signs are transmutative in theirpower and action. One of the most sacred of earlyday hieroglyphics is a symbolic representation ofthe Sphinx. It depicts a young maiden standingbeside a crouched lion and closing its mouth withher hands, symbolic of the ultimate attainment ofthe initiatory quest whereby the brute force orani-malistic aspect of man’s nature is subdued andtransmuted through the power of spirit.

The Hierarchy of Leo, Lords of Flame, aidedhumanity in its early development by awakeningthe highest side of his threefold nature, and by radi-ating from their fiery center that which became the

48 RAYS 03

very essence of man’s physical body. ThisHierarchy has also progressed beyond our solar sys-tem, contacting it only from the high planeknown as the World of Virgin Spirits.Its work of awakening in humanitythe power of life has been trans-ferred to its opposite and com-plementary sign, Aquarius.

The Lord Christ gave us thedivine formula for applying thepower of love when He said,“Thou shalt love the Lord thyGod with all thy heart (and) thyneighbor as thyself.” In this dividedand disturbed world there is but littleconcept or understanding of loving one’s neigh-bor as one’s self, but the Hierarchy of Aquarius willaid the human race in its development. In theAquarian Age the glorious ideal of the Fatherhoodof God and the brotherhood of man willbecome a

reality in the hearts and lives of men.The musical keynote of Leo is A sharp major.

Relaxation and renewal for Leo natives willbe found in the music of Claude

Debussy, music that is both stimu-lating and inspiring. Particularlysuitable as an accompaniment toprayer and meditation becauseof its mystical quality is thescore of Pelleas and Melisande;also, the Afternoon of a Faun,

wherein the ideal and the actualforces of the inner and outer world

meet and unite. As previouslyobserved, the fire signs are all transmuta-

tive in nature. For Leo natives who are workingwith the processes of transmutation, we would sug-gest “power music” whereby purely human forcesare sublimated into spiritual forces. Such music isprovided by Beethoven’s symphonies. ❐

RAYS 03 49

The evolution of man and of the planet on which he dwells may be traced musically as well as spir-

itually. In so doing, it is discovered that both tracings proceed simultaneously and along parallel

paths. As a matter of fact, the two stand apart only to our limited perception. In their essence they

are inseparably united, and in higher realms of being it is recognized that musical understanding and spiri-

tual realization are identical.

“In the beginning was the Word.” Both the universe and man were created by tone. The musical formu-

la for this creative act is contained in the very first chapter of Genesis, the Book of Eternal Beginnings, and

also in the first chapter of the supreme Book of the New Testament, the Gospel of St. John.

Throughout the entire universe there sounds a threefold Song, which is the Song of the Absolute. The

Song is One but it possesses three aspects: Power, or harmony; the Word, or melody; and Motion, or

rhythm. This universal song is literally the primordial energy by which God manifests Himself. It is truly a

music, although human sensitivity is not yet such that it can be heard physically; but whether he hears it

or not, man does in actual fact live, move, and have his being in a universe of tonal harmony.

The divine energies emitted by God’s Song are rayed out into our universe by the twelve zodiacal

Hierarchies which surround our solar system. Each of the twelve Hierarchies sounds forth a distinctive note

of its own, which registers in earthly music as a note of the chromatic scale. The twelve signs belonging to

the twelve Hierarchies fall into four groups according to the element to which they are related. Those

belonging to the Fire and Air triplicities sing in Majors; those related to Water and Earth sing in Minors.

Together they form the “Music of the Spheres.” A specific creative task is performed by each of the zodi-

acal Hierarchies. While the tasks are different, all are manifestations of the One Universal Tone, which is

the source of their energy, the fount from which all music springs.

This stupendous cosmic chorus, being beyond man’s perceptive capacity, is stepped down into lesser

potencies by the Logos of our solar system, who is its Creator, and becomes known to this earth as Will (har-

mony), Wisdom (melody), and Activity (rhythm).—Corinne Heline, Music: The Keynote of Human Evolution

Photo com

posite: Joey

The Song of the Absolute

“There’s but one thing the world has need toknow. There’s but one balm for all our human woe;There’s but one way that leads to heaven above.That way is human sympathy and love.”

—Max Heindel

IN THE BRITISH Daily Mirror of August22, 2002, appeared the names and pho-tographs of 100 people whom the BBC’spoll has rated the greatest Britons of alltime. Glancing through the names, we can

certainly find great personalities. However theremight be equally great people whose lives were soobscure that but few people knew them and couldattest to their virtue and excellence. But becausethe BBC program directs us to choose from amongthe 100 that appeared in the national newspaper, Ihave selected these four people: Sir Isaac Newton,William Shakespeare, Florence Nightingale, andThomas Paine—The Sublime Quartet.

“Sir, I have studied the subject [Astrology], youhave not.”—Isaac Newton

“His life was gentle and the elements so mixedin him that Nature might stand up and say to all theworld, ‘this was a Man!’”—William Shakespeare

“I desire for a considerable time only to lead alife of obscurity and toil, for the purpose of allow-ing whatever I may have received of God toripen.”—Florence Nightingale

“The world is my country, to do good is my reli-gion.”—Thomas Paine

There is a short story in a book written about thegreat Indian emancipator, Mahatma Gandhi. It

goes like this. When Gandhi was in London tonegotiate with the British Government about thetransfer of rule to the Indians, a small girl askedhim for his autograph. As the lover of mankindwas writing the autograph, the little girl looked atthe man in cloth and his piercing old spectacles,then turned to her mother and asked; “Is he thegreat man”?

True greatness is a measure of the soul. Somepeople may be considered great who have beensuccessful in the affairs of the world. This is well,for such people might help other people by theirmaterial wealth.

However, in philosophical terms, greatness ismeasured by the quality of the soul, irrespective ofwhether or not that person is successful in the‘world.’ I have therefore chosen my great quartetin the light of occult philosophy, and hence otherpeople might judge otherwise. Let us scrutinize thelives of these people through what they said, asquoted above.

Sir Isaac Newton was a man of mystery. Hewas an academic as well as an alchemist. He

spent almost forty years working in the laboratoryin Cambridge. He studied the occult arts. One day,when someone was arguing with him about thesubject of astrology, he gave the famous quote:“My friend, I have studied the subject, you havenot.” This shows that he was knowledgeable aboutthe Divine Science. This is the science for noblepeople. It is no wonder that another philosopheronce said, “The purer your life, the better wouldyour judgement be.” Isaac Newton was a man ofnoble character. Indeed he was alchemically mak-ing the philosopher’s stone within himself. Is it

50 RAYS 03

Great Britons—APersonal Choice

NEWS PERSPECTIVES

any wonder he left posterity some great scientificdiscoveries, including the universal law ofgravitation, which have helped to make theworld a happier place to live?

What this pioneer scientist did formankind is incalculable. The followingstatement in connection with the creationstory in Genesis was credited to IsaacNewton by one contemporary priest:“Nature and nature’s laws lay hid in dark-ness, God said let Newton be, and all was light.”May other scientists follow in his footsteps inorder to make the world more habitable.

The genius of William Shakespeareis certainly indisputable. It is said

that the controversy about the similaritybetween the writings of Francis Baconand the Bard of Avon is that both wereinfluenced by the same Initiate. Only agreat soul can receive such divine instructionsfrom on high. The words spoken by MarkAnthony to Brutus regarding the slainemperor in Julius Caesarcould only havebeen penned by one who was in posses-sion of esoteric knowledge.

These four “elements” must be alchem-ically balanced in every individualbefore an Adept’s body can be fashioned.The Master Jesus had prepared just sucha body for the Christ Spirit. At His crucifixion inthe body of Jesus, these four elements, denotedby the letters I.N.R.I., which were inscribedabove His head on the cross, indicated anoptimum development of the chemical,life, light, and reflecting ethers that com-prise the human vital body. Shakespeare’splays can be read and fully comprehendedonly in light of esoteric knowledge.

Now, let us listen to the feminine servant,Florence. She desired only to live in obscu-

rity and to toil so that other people might be happy.She responded to her calling at about the age ofseventeen and, true to her resolve, she dedicatedher entire life in nursing and caring for the sick.

She also wrote prolifically in her chosen field.

By her luminous example and tireless urging, shehas helped to bring about many reforms in

patient care. Her work will live forever.Many people the world over have foundinspiration through her exemplary lifeand her tireless devotion to the suffererand the forgotten. Her love for nature

(especially animals) and mankind wasimmeasurable. Her self-forgetting life ofservice surely was informed and fortified by

a Higher Power.

Of that maligned Thomas Paine,what can one say? Only a genius

and servant of humanity could have writ-ten the book entitled The Age of Reason,and could also avow, “The whole world ismy country, to do good is my religion.”Paine was a wanderer indeed—and anAquarian. He had reached the stage on

the path described by the Master when He said,“Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests,

but the son of man has no place to lay hishead.” How many people in the world atpresent can say in their hearts that theworld is their country? Indeed, ThomasPaine was great. He was a planetary man.

In conclusion, I would like to say thatthe consciousness of these four peo-

ple transcended national boundaries. Each had avision of wholeness, whether that vision was

expressed from a scientific, artistic, philo-sophic, political, or medical perspective.We know the world is gradually changingfor the better because of the ideals andpractice of these pioneer souls and many

others whose service is unrecorded.May all thinking people, the world over

continue to use reason blended with love toresolve all world conflicts, so that good may com-pletely overcome evil and peace and harmonyreign supreme.

Emerson has given us this beautiful thought:“What your heart thinks great is great. The soul’semphasis is always right.” ❐

—Abraham Obeng

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Isaac Newton

Thomas Paine

Florence Nightingale

William Shakespeare

THE APOSTLE PAUL, whose conductprior to his Damascus-bound conversionmight disqualify him from sainthood, ifcurrent Church canonical criteria wereapplied, recognized the existence of many

saints living in Achaia (2Cor. 1:1), Ephesus (Eph. 1:1),Philippi (Phil. 1:1), Colosse (Col. 1:1), and, we mayassume, in every other area to which he addressed hisepistles to the faithful. Were there more saints in histime than now, when the world’s billion Christiansoutnumber the total world population of Paul’s time?Not likely. Certainly John Paul II doesn’t think so.

There does seem to be a certain reluctance to use theword saint to characterize good people. Certainlythere are times when many of us prefer not to knowabout the lives of saints—they set such a dauntingstandard of conduct and, well, saintly self-discipline.We are reminded of our remissness, deviancy, self-absorption, and what at times seems like an insupera-ble gulf between what we do and how we would liketo be, which is something nearer to the exemplarylives portrayed by saints. There may even be the incli-nation to simply avoid thinking about the high princi-ples that sinew holy behavior. But when we delvemore deeply into the lives of the formally canonized,as for instance, that of Gemma Galgani, we areimpressed, even astonished, by their self-confessedsense of unworthiness, their self-reproach and convic-tion of spiritual poverty. This is in part due to theirboundless love for God and His incarnate Son, theOnly Pure, the Only Just. They are irrevocably boundby and judge themselves in terms of, Paul’s injunction,“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heav-en is perfect.” They are both prisoners of the Lord, inWhom they know freedom, and prisoners of theirfleshly mind and carnal person, which they experienceas something like living death.

If one trait in par-ticular characterizessaints, most enablingthem to be who theyare and to attain greatspiritual heights, it is their obedience (from the Latinword meaning to hear) to Love, to the voice of theGod within. They conform their lives to God’s Wordin all facets of their moment-to-moment living.Humble in their conduct they may be, but they rulethemselves with a wonderfully keen and resolute willthat belies their outwardly mild and compliantdemeanor. The battle for holy excellence is interior, outof sight, and those called to be saints (all humans, eachin his own good time) are both victor and vanquished.

For a refresher (and refreshing) course in saintlybehavior, reading The Life of St. Gemma Galgani (TanBooks, Rockford, IL, 2000) may serve us well. Muchin Gemma’s twenty-five years (1878-1903) of goodworks and incandescent inner life has been recordedand testified to by her spiritual director, who, becauseof Gemma’s extreme reticence and humility, insisted,for the benefit of humanity, that she write about herspiritual experiences, including her frequent contactswith Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Archangel Michael,and her guardian angel. Gemma took all possible mea-sures to conceal her stigmata. Few saw her levitate inecstasy, or knew of her prayers that mediated conver-sions of reprobates, and contributed to the healing of“incurables.” Basically unschooled, Gemma spokewith a knowledge, clarity, and profundity that put hersuperiors in awe. Her influence on all she met wasuplifting and cleansing. The reader of Gemma’s life,as recorded by Passionist Father Germanus, illumi-nates a light-filled soul and shows the high attainmentof which the human spirit is capable. ❐

—C.W.

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For the Love of God—The Life of St. Gemma Gilgani

BOOK REVIEWS

AT THE TURN of the century Dr.Elias Metchnikoff wrote a ground-breaking book entitled Prolongationof Life. It inspired and initiatedwhat came to be known as the

Probiotic Revolution. Metchnikoff, a Nobel laure-ate who discovered the cell scavengers known asphagocytes and other immune system components,documented in the book what he believed to be adirect link between human longevity and the neces-sity of maintaining a healthy balance of beneficialmicroorganisms within the body.

Today, some 90 years later, scientists and med-ical practitioners are proving and extending manyof Metchnikoff's original findings on healing,immune-system enhancement, disease prevention,and life extension.

Not surprisingly, with only a few exceptions, lit-tle of this new research is being published by theinformation outlets of mainstream medicine.

We are accustomed to think that bacteria are dan-gerous forms of microscopic life with the potentialto wipe us out. But not all bacteria are agents ofdarkness. Many are absolutely vital to our health.An entire bacterial universe resides in the nooksand crannies of the human gastrointestinal land-scape. There are some 400 different species ofthese squatters comprising over two pounds of theadult’s total body weight.

This vast population of microorganisms exceedsthe number of tissue cells that make up the humanbody, which, according to Jon Minden, a bio-chemist at the Center for Light MicroscopeImaging and Biotechnology, is about 1014 or 10 tril-lion cells. If this intestinal ecosystem is functioningproperly, it guards the body against parasites, harm-

ful bacteria, yeast, and viruses. We literally live ordie at this subcellular level of existence and wehave little or a lot of energy based on who is win-ning the interbacterial battle .

The harmful bacteria, whose names are associat-ed with death and disease, multiply and spread theirtoxic influences whenever the body's immune sys-tem is weak, or whenever the hosts of beneficialflora is depleted. Bacterial allies fight off thepathogens and aid the body's defense system byproducing natural antibiotics that are known tocounteract harmful microorganisms.

The term "probiotic" (for life) was first used inscientific literature in 1965 to refer to substancessecreted by one microorganism which stimulatedthe growth of another, in contrast to how antibioticsperform. Now, probiotic more generally refers toany microorganism that promotes gastrointestinalhealth.

There is a secret world within the human bodythat dramatically influences its health and longevi-ty. As the Earth is home to an abundance of lifeforms that sometimes exist harmoniously and atother times struggle fitfully against each other, sothe human body may be considered a micro-planetwhose internal ecosystem includes trillions of liv-ing microorganisms that coexist—in concert orconflict.

The moment the human fetus begins passingthrough the uterus during labor, it comes in contactwith, and picks up, a host of beneficial microor-ganisms that enter its body through the mouth as itpasses through the birth canal. From there, theyrapidly make their way into the intestinal tract,where they established themselves in largecolonies. Moreover, mother’s milk contains just the

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The Probiotic Revolution

NUTRITION AND HEALTH

right ingredients to nourish these friendly bacteriaonce they become established in the intestines.There, these “intestinal flora” produce a variety ofsubstances that can prevent cancerous tumors, inac-tivate viruses, produce natural antibodies and vita-mins, break down fiber and other food residues,reduce cholesterol, help to maintain the body's vitalchemical and hormonal balance, maintain highenergy levels and proper immune function, andcounteract cancer causing compounds in the colon.

When the ecology of the human gastrointestinaltract becomes disrupted, beneficial microorganismscan no longer flourish in the needed numbers andproper balances. Then harmful toxin-producingbacteria and fungi begin to take over, furtherchanging the ecology of the gastrointestinal tract.

We've heard the saying "Death begins in thecolon." It should come as no surprise that manyalternative doctors believe that a disrupted ecologyof the gastrointestinal tract may be at the heart of upto ninety percent of all known human illness anddisease.

Some of the more prevalent ill-health conditionsassociated with inadequate levels of beneficialmicroorganisms include chronic fatigue, rashes andother skin conditions, allergies, poor immuneresponse to common illnesses and chronic degener-ative diseases, rapid onset of osteoporosis, frequentdiarrhea, constipation, and/or intestinal gas, highcholesterol levels, vitamin B deficiencies, dairyproduct sensitivities, chronic anemia, candidainfections, intensified PMS symptoms, hormonalimbalances, chronic bad breath, chronic vaginaland bladder infections, and many other condition.

The gastrointestinal tract's balance of beneficialflora is most commonly disrupted by antibioticusage, excessive sugar consumption, heavy alcoholintake, stress, and drinking chlorinated water andlarge amounts of colas and other carbonated bever-ages. Also deleterious to this important microbialbalance are radiation therapy and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS)likeMotrin, Advil, Nuprin, Rufin, Medipren, Midol.

A diet high in red meats or rich, fatty foods willdramatically alter the acid/alkaline balance of theintestines, leading to the overgrowth of disease-causing, putrefactive bacteria that eventually

overcome the beneficial bacteria and open the doorto an onset of serious health problems.

From the time of ancient civilizations, humanshave consumed fermented foods such as yogurt,curds, fermented soybeans, buttermilk, and fer-mented cabbage or sauerkraut. The fermentationprocess has permitted certain bacteria from the airto grow in these foods and subsequently in the gutof those consuming them.

The most prevalent microorganisms in mostyogurts—Lactobacillus bulgaricus or Lactobacillusacidophilus—are also found in the human gut,apart from other friendly microflora such asLactobacillus casei and Bifidobacteria. But suchfoods, with their lower level of useful lactic acidbacteria, have not been able to entirely counteractthe unhealthy body conditions produced by modemlifestyles and adverse environmental conditions.Researchers have found that altered levels of acidi-ty and alkalinity in the gastrointestinal tract willchange the ecology of the bowel environment, andthereby affect the type, quantity, and behavior ofmicroorganisms found there.

Under ideal conditions of health and diet, the dif-ferent strains of bacteria or micro-flora competewith and check the excessive number of any onestrain. A healthy condition can be achieved if a bal-ance between the "good" and "bad" bacteria in theratio of 85 percent to 15 percent.

But this ratio will change with a poor diet, toxicenvironmental conditions, physiological stress, andoveruse of certain drugs such as antibiotics andcontraceptive pills, resulting in many forms of ill-ness. When established, colonies of putrefactivebacteria often discharge highly toxic by-productswhile reacting with foods in the digestive tract.This reaction can upset the ecology of the gastroin-testinal tract and slowly poison the entire body. Theend result is the onset of chronic degenerative dis-eases.

Modem biotechnology has made it possible todeliver concentrated forms of microbial food sup-plements, each containing many billions of viablebeneficial organisms, which may be divided intotwo classes—resident and transient microbes.

The two principal kinds of resident microbes arethe bifidobacteria and the lactobacilli.

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BIFIDOBACILLI

Four of the most important bifidobacteria are B.longum, B. bifidum, B. infantis, and B. breve. Frombirth these vital bifidobacteria play a crucial role inhuman health. When a baby is born, the intestinesare virtually sterile, free of micro organisms.Immediately, something like a Wild West land grabensues as friendly and harmful bacteria stake theirclaims, vying for territory and dominance.

Between the forth and seventh day among breastfed babies, bifidobacteria normally outdo the rest ofthe field. Researchers now realize that one of thechief reasons breast-fed babies get markedly fewerinfections than formula-fed babies is that mother'smilk tends to promote superior growth of bifi-dobacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, whereasstore bought formulas have little such beneficialeffect.

Over ninety percent of the microbial count in abreast fed infant's intestinal tract is composed of thehighly beneficial bifidobacteria. These micro-organisms, in turn, produce high degrees of essen-tial by-products in the intestines, which act as a bar-rier to the growth of dangerous pathogenicmicrobes that cause infection and disease.

The levels of beneficial bifidobacteria appear todecline dramatically as the human body ages.Some researchers believe this steep decline is duechiefly to gradual disruptions and changes in theacid/alkaline balance of the bowels, which tend tofavor the growth of harmful viral and fungalorganisms as well as putrefactive, disease causingbacteria, and disfavor the growth of beneficial bifi-dobacteria.

Many researchers now believe that declining lev-els of bifidobacteria in the intestinal tract may actu-ally mark the eventual onset of chronic degenera-tive disease. These declines brought on by agingmake supplementation of these vital, beneficialmicro organisms all the more desirable.

Vital bifidobacteria may help detoxify the humansystem and remove numerous harmful substances.They have the ability to remove cancer-formingelements or the enzymes that lead to their forma-tion. They have also demonstrated anti-tumor prop-erties in laboratory studies.

Bifidobacteria longum and bifidum breve are

substantial producers of important B vitamins.Many of the problems associated with aging, suchas mental fatigue, depression, low energy levels,and upper respiratory problems, have been linkedto decreasing levels of B-12. Some researchers sug-gest that supplementing the body with a healthypopulation of bifidobacteria may be helpful inmaintaining adequate levels of these important Bvitamins.

LACTOBACILLI

Lactobacilli also have health enhancing benefits.Unfortunately, much like the beneficial bifidobac-teria, these vital resident microorganisms have beennoted to decline in numbers as we age.

With the decline certain diseases begin to appear.For example, lactobacilli produce vitamin K, whichhelps blood to clot and is essential for the buildingof strong bones. New research suggests thatVitamin K deficiency may be a crucial factor inpredisposing the human body to the onset of osteo-porosis.

Lactobacilli include the following strains:Lactobacillus Rhamnosus. According to noted

Canadian bacteriologist Edward Brochu, L. rham-nosus: increases the natural killing activity ofspleen cells, which may help to prevent tumor for-mation; provides an increased resistance to listeriamonocytogenes, the disease-causing bacteria asso-ciated with encephalitis; causes a threefold increasein the ability of phagocytes to destroy foreigninvaders and other harmful matter; increases circu-lating antibodies by six to eight times their normallevels; and helps the body resist microbial infec-tions by increasing levels of immunoglobulins anddirectly activating macrophages. They are “theworkhorses of the immune system.”

Lactobacillus Salivarius. According to ScottGregory, O.M.D., author of A Holistic Protocol forthe Immune System, the resident L. salivarius pro-vides the human body with increased stores ofenergy due to its unique ability to break down foodsin the intestinal tract and to make vital nutrientsmore readily available for use elsewhere in thebody. It also helps the entire colon by eating awayencrusted putrefactive materials, and it helps repairthe intestinal tract by providing needed enzymesand essential nutrients, as well as by adhering to

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and protecting the mucosal lining.Lactobacillus Acidophilus. The best known of

all the lactobacilli, this popular resident of the gas-trointestinal tract produces significant quantities ofthe enzyme lactose, which aids in the digestion ofmilk and other dairy products and eliminates manyof the serious problems associated with lactoseintolerance. According to Dr. Morton Walker, L.acidophilus has now been shown to produce atleast four powerful antimicrobial compounds,including acidolin, acidolphilin, lactocidin andbacteriocin, which inhibit the growth and toxin-producing capabilities of 23 disease-causingpathogens, including camphylobacter, listeria, andstaphylococci. It is used in treating chronic vaginalyeast infections, has shown both antifungal andantiviral activity, can retard flu or herpes, and isable to reduce cholesterol levels.

TRANSIENT MICRO ORGANISMS

Transient micro organisms are also extremelyimportant to understand. These include food bornemicro organisms and even soil borne micro-organ-isms that make their way into the human digestivetract and, depending upon the characteristics of thespecific organism involved, either subtly or dra-matically influence the overall health of the humansystem.

Transient micro-organisms are different fromresident micro-organisms in that they do not takeup permanent residence in the gastrointestinaltract. Instead, they establish small colonies forbrief periods of time before dying off or beingflushed from the intestinal system via normaldigestive processes, or by peristaltic bowel action.

Transient micro-organisms include:Bacillus laterosporus. In recent clinical studies

has been demonstrated to provide relief fromsymptoms associated with suppressed immunesystem function, such as chronic fatigue syn-drome, Candida infections, Epstein-Barr virus,herpes, Crohn's disease, chlamydia, cytomegalo-virus, parasitic infections, and many more. Theeffectiveness of laterosporus may be due to itsstrong antibiotic qualities.

Bacillus subtilis. One of the most important immunesystem stimulators of all the transient micro-

organisms, B. subtilis is remarkable for its ability toactivate the body's immune defense and to stimu-late the proliferation of crucial lymphocytes.

Bacillus coagulans, also known as L. sporo-genes, modifies serum lipoproteins or blood fatlevels, and, according to Dr. A. B. Gandi, providesan excellent preventative effect against variousdiseases of the intestine.

Streptococcus thermophilis produces a numberof antibiotic-like substances as part of its metabol-ic process and helps to suppress tumor develop-ment and growth. By producing substantial quanti-ties of the enzyme lactose, it aids in the digestionof milk sugars and may provide an effective reme-dy against lactose intolerance. It has been used inhospitals as an effective remedy for chronic diar-rhea in infants.

SUPPLEMENTATION

Broad spectrum supplementation seems to bethe most effect way to deliver the micro-organisms.Some products contain up to fourteen differentstrains of beneficial resident and transient bacteria.Other health practitioners recommend alternatingthree or four combinations of friendly flora in one-week cycles.

Widespread fear of bad or pathogenic bacteria asthe cause of many, if not all, of our worst infectiousdiseases has led to overuse of antibiotics in medi-cine and pesticides in agriculture. The problemwith this approach is that it is non-selective. Itdestroys all bacteria, both friendly and adverse.

This upsets the natural biological balance andactually leaves the body more susceptible to futureinfection. In other words, the primary cause ofinfection is not due to the presence of unfriendlybacteria, but to insufficient friendly bacteria. Witha balance of many different types of friendly bac-teria in adequate numbers, unfriendly bacteria donot have the opportunity to create illness.

In such a case, one may benefit from a probioticsupplement. For those who have been on antibioticsand want to replace the good flora during this time,they may want to supplement with much higherquantities of these probiotics. For example, theremay be the need to use 20 to 40 or more billioncolony-forming units (CFUs) per day when more

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therapeutic amounts are required. If, however,someone has minor intestinal concerns and/or justwants to replace the flora to support good intesti-nal health, they may supplement with a smalleramount, 1 to 5 billion CFUs per day. Multi-spec-trum and high potency formulations are marketedunder such brand names as Pro-Bio Gold andMulti-Flora Spectrum and are available throughUAS Laboratories, Kirkman Laboratories, andother sources.

SOIL BASED ORGANISMS

Today, millions of people know about theproven health benefits that can be gained by sup-plementing and maintaining the human body’snative population of beneficial intestinal microor-ganisms. Whether through the use of culturedsoured-milk food products like yogurt, or throughthe use of specially developed bacilli supplements,it is now abundantly clear that maintaining thebody’s natural balance of intestinal micro-organ-isms is one of the primary keys to maximizinglong-term health and well-being.

What most people don’t realize, however, is thatthere are numerous other beneficial micro-organ-isms which have been proven to dramatically ben-efit the human body, even though they are notnative to its normal intestinal flora.

As Dr. Peter Rothschild, one of the world’s fore-most experts on human immune response and itsrelation to beneficial micro-organisms, recentlyemphasized: “It’s a crying shame that most health-minded Americans today have been brainwashedinto thinking that their beloved holy St.Acidophilus is the only micro-organism that canbenefit their health. In truth, there are many bacte-rial micro-organisms in existence which can stim-ulate phenomenal health and immune system ben-efits when ingested as dietary supplements—eventhough they are in no way indigenous to the humansystem.”

In particular, Dr. Rothschild is referring to soil-based organisms, which have several advantagesover the microflora endogenous to the human sys-tem: they proliferate more rapidly and more aggres-sively stake out a claim for “squatter’s rights,”digesting and dislodging accumulated putrefaction

in the process. They energetically break downhydrocarbons into their basic constituents, enhanc-ing assimilation and increasing overall nutrition.This action helps to eliminate constipation. SBOsproduce specific proteins which act as antigens(foreign substances), which, in turn, stimulate theimmune system to produce “non-addressed” anti-bodies above its normal homeostatic level. That is,they have not been pre-programmed to attack anyspecific infection or pathogenic agent. They arekept in reserve and are imprinted by the immunesystem when a definite threat arises.

Any existing health problem is thus assisted bythe elevated level of immunologic capability, whileincipient problems are more forcefully kept at astandoff. SBO’s vigorously attack and eliminatepathogenic molds, yeasts, fungi, and viruses, rescu-ing what may be an overworked immune system.SBOs work in symbiosis with somatic cells, metab-olizing proteins for them and helping to rid the cel-lular environment of toxic wastes, thereby boostingits normal function.

Further specific actions of SBOs, which are rela-tively new to the health field and have received vir-tually no attention from mainstream medicine,include their ability to stimulate the body’s produc-tion of up to 20 sub-species of alpha-interferon, akey regulator of the human immune response, anda potent antidote for chronic fatigue syndrome,viral herpes, and hepatitis-B and C, influenza, andother immunopathic conditions.

SBOs produce lactoferrin, an iron-binding pro-tein which retrieves iron from ingested food anddelivers it to where it is needed. It is especiallyhelpful in treating anemia and difficulties in ironassimilation. SBOs also produce SOD (super oxidedismutase) as a bi-product of their metabolism.SOD is a powerful anti-oxidant, an effective scav-enger of free-radicals, which cause the cellularmutations associated with the onset of cancer andinflammatory diseases.

SBOs are marketed under several differentnames, including EarthFlora, Royal Flora, andNature’s Biotics. The prospects for their usefulnessin restoring and maintaining human health at thephysiological level is most promising. ❐

—C.W.

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THE Healing Force isal l about us andcomes from o u rH e a v e n l y Fa-ther. It pervades

the wholeuniverse and is avail-able to all who are open toreceive it.

If we have for any reason,whatsoever, transgressed thelaws of the universe, we willsuffer the consequences, andthereby we have the opportunityto learn by our mistakes and toacquire new knowledge of theorder of our being.

We may learn that equipoiseand an even temper, love, orderliness, and faith areconducive to keeping us healthy, and we know thatit is advisable to use all these attributes in a well-balanced life.

The more faith and hope we can apply, thespeedier our recovery will be. But faith withoutworks is dead. When we have asked in faith and inprayer for help where it is most needed, we havethe responsibility of doing everything in our powerto renew our thoughts, to watch our actions as wellas our feelings, and to pay attention to diet and thecare of our physical body.

When we have faith in the healing power whichcomes from the Father, we will have the ability tocooperate with this force.

Having asked for help in perfect faith, we receivethe strength to work in the right direction. We findthat help can come in many different ways.Gooddoctors are often important in providing an informedunderstanding of physical symptoms, and today

good physicians recognize theimportance of consideringmental and emotional condi-tions, which may contribute toa person’s ill, as well as good,health.

Some physicians, particular-ly in the alternative fields(naturopathy, chiropractic,polarity therapy) are begin-ning to appreciate the influ-ence of sound and color onsensitive persons. We read inThe Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception: “These invisible

sound vibrations have greatpower over concrete matter. They

both build and destroy.” In the future we will findgreater help from science in these matters. ❐

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

July.............................6—13—19—27August........................3—9—16—23—30

Relax, close your eyes, and make a mental pic-ture of the white rose in the center of theRosicrucian Emblem on the west wall of our Pro-Ecclesia, and concentrate on Divine Love andHealing.

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The Universal

HEALING

HealingPower

Illustration for G. H

odson’s Kingdom

of the Gods, T

heosophical Publishing H

ouse, Adyar, M

adras

A Healing Angel

LET ME HIRE YOU as a nurse for mypoor children," said a butterfly to aquiet caterpillar, who was strollingalong a cabbage leaf in her odd, lum-bering fashion.

"See these little eggs," continued the butterfly, "Ido not know how long it will be before they cometo life, and I feel very sick. If I should die, who willtake care of my baby butterflies when I am gone?Will you, kind, mild, green caterpillar? They can-not, of course, live on your rough food. You mustgive them early dew, and honey from the flowers,and you must let them fly about only a little way atfirst. Dear me! it is a sad pity that you cannot flyyourself. Dear, dear! I cannot think what made mecome and lay my eggs on a cabbage leaf! What aplace for young butterflies to be born upon! Here,take this gold-dust from my wings as a reward. Oh,how dizzy I am! Caterpillar! you will rememberabout the food..."

And with these words the butterfly drooped herwings and died. The green caterpillar, who had nothad the opportunity of even saying "yes" or "no" tothe request, was left standing alone by the side ofthe butterfly's eggs.

"A pretty nurse she has chosen, indeed, poorlady!" exclaimed she, "and a pretty business I havein hand. Why did she ever ask a poor crawlingcreature like me to bring up her dainty little ones?Much they'll mind me, truly, when they feel thegay wings on their backs, and can fly away."

However, the poor butterfly was dead, and therelay the eggs on the cabbage leaf, and the greencaterpillar had a kind heart, so she resolved to doher best.

"But two heads are better than one," said she; "Iwill consult some wise animal on the matter."

Then she thought and thought till at last shethought of the lark, and she fancied that because hewent up so high, and nobody knew where he wentto, he must be very clever and know a great deal.

Now in the neighboring cornfield there lived alark, and the caterpillar sent a message to him, beg-ging him to come and talk to her. When he cameshe told him all her difficulties, and asked him howshe was to feed and rear the little butterfly crea-tures.

"Perhaps you will be able to inquire and learnsomething about it the next time you go up high,"said the caterpillar timidly.

"Perhaps I can," answered the lark, and then hewent singing upwards into the bright, blue sky, tillthe green caterpillar could not hear a sound, norcould she see him any more. So she began to walkround the butterfly's eggs, nibbling a bit of the cab-bage leaf now and then as she moved along.

"What a time the lark has been gone!" she criedat last. "I wonder where he is just now? He musthave flown higher than usual this time. How Ishould like to know where he goes, and what hehears in that curious blue sky! He always singsgoing up and coming down, but he never lets anysecret out."

And the green caterpillar took another turnround the butterfly's eggs.

At last the lark's voice began to be heard again.The caterpillar almost jumped for joy, and it wasnot long before she saw her friend descend withhushed note to the cabbage bed.

"News, news, glorious news, friend caterpillar,"

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A Lesson of Faith

FOR CHILDREN

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, Monarch butterfly. K

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sang the lark, "but the worst of it is, you won'tbelieve me"

"I believe anything I am told," said the caterpil-lar hastily.

"Well, then, first of all, I will tell you what thoselittle creatures are to eat," and the lark nodded hishead toward the eggs. "What do you think it is tobe? Guess."

"Dew and honey out of the flowers, I am afraid!"sighed the caterpillar. "No such thing, my goodfriend," cried the lark exultantly. "You are to feedthem with cabbage leaves."

"Never!" said the caterpillar indignantly. "It was their mother's last request that I should

feed them on dew and honey." "Their mother knew nothing about the matter,"

answered the lark. "But why do you ask me, andthen disbelieve what I say? You have neither faithnor trust."

"Oh, I believe everything I am told," said thecaterpillar.

"Nay, but you do not," replied the lark. "Why,caterpillar, what do you think those little eggs willturn out to be?"

"Butterflies, to be sure," said the caterpillar. "Caterpillars," sang the lark, "and you'll find it

out in time." And the lark flew away. "I thought the lark was wise and kind," said the

mild, green caterpillar to herself, once more begin-ning to walk round the eggs, "but I find that he isfoolish and saucy instead. Perhaps he went up toohigh this time. How I wonder what he sees, andwhat he does up yonder."

"I would tell you if you would believe me," sangthe lark, descending once more.

"I believe everything I am told," answered thecaterpillar.

"Then I'll tell you something else," cried thelark. "You will one day be a butterfly yourself."

"Wretched bird," exclaimed the caterpillar, "youare making fun of me. You are now cruel as well asfoolish. Go away. I will ask your advice no more."

"I told you you would not believe me," cried thelark.

"I believe everything I am told," persisted thecaterpillar, "everything that it is reasonable tobelieve. But to tell me that butterflies' eggs are

caterpillars, and that caterpillars leave off crawlingand get wings and become butterflies....Lark, youdo not believe such nonsense yourself. You knowit is impossible."

"I know no such thing," said the lark. "When Ihover over the cornfields, or go up into the depthsof the sky, I see so many wonderful things that Iknow there must be more. O caterpillar, it isbecause you crawl, and never get beyond your cab-bage leaf, that you call anything impossible."

"Nonsense," shouted the caterpillar, "I knowwhat's possible and what's impossible. Look at mylong, green body, and many legs, and then talk tome about having wings. Fool!"

"More foolish you," cried the indignant lark, “toattempt to reason about what you cannot under-stand. Do you not hear how my song swells withrejoicing as I soar upwards to the mysterious won-der-world above? Oh, caterpillar, what comes fromthence I receive on trust."

"What do you mean by that?" asked the caterpillar. "On faith," answered the lark. "How am I to learn faith?" asked the caterpillar. At that moment she felt something at her side.

She looked round. Eight or ten little green cater-pillars were moving about, and had already made ahole in the cabbage-leaf. They had broken from thebutterfly's eggs!

Shame and amazement filled the green caterpil-lar's heart, but joy soon followed. For as the firstwonder was possible, the second might be so too.

"Teach me your lesson, lark," she cried. And the lark sang to her of the wonders of the

earth below and of the heaven above. And thecaterpillar talked all the rest of her life of the timewhen she should become a butterfly.

But no one believed her. She nevertheless hadlearned the lark's lesson of faith, and when she wasgoing into her chrysalis, she said: "I shall be a but-terfly some day!"

But her relations thought her head was wander-ing, and they said, "Poor thing!"

And when she was a butterfly, and was going todie she said: "I have known many wonders, I havefaith, I can trust even now for the wonder that shallcome next." ❐

—Margaret Scott Gatty

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